Linking Arms

There’s a phrase we’ve heard again and again:“Canadians can give each other more than any other country can take away.”

It reminds us that if we work together, the gains we unlock can outpace the losses we fear. The same is true in philanthropy. 

We’re heading into a storm unlike anything Canadian charities have faced. There is likely no government bailout forthcoming for the charitable sector.

With government support shrinking, trust in our institutions eroding, and major giving on the decline, the philanthropic sector is at a crossroads. The sector needs to ground itself again in its first principles.

Now more than ever, donors, DAFs, and philanthropic leaders must link arms. Not only with each other, but with the communities they serve, to unlock new pathways for collaboration and build a resilient, reimagined future.

I will admit that it is easy to forget, in the midst of:

• Maximizing tax strategies
• Ensuring smooth succession
• Optimizing estate plans
• Building better books, businesses, and brokerage tools…

…that the entire charitable infrastructure exists to:

• Feed more children
• Heal the earth
• Teach more students
• Care for more elders
• Save more species
• Create more beauty

We know this. But the day-to-day reality of running our organizations, advising clients, or administering giving can drown out our first principles.

When we collaborate as organizations and individuals, we can unlock abundance that no crisis can take away. 

Whether through the lens of wasted resources or untapped opportunity, the truth is this:

There is more to gain through collaboration than we will ever lose in isolation.

Lift Together. Lead Together.

DAF Day in Canada on October 9th is a part of this movement. 

It’s a chance for us to remember our first principles:

• To feed the hungry.
• To care for those in our midst.
• To fund beauty.
• To fuel impact.

To embody philanthropy, the love of humanity, in bold and tangible, and collaborative ways.

Join us for Canada’s first DAF Day on October 9. Explore the toolkits at DAFDay.ca, share them with your networks, and be part of building the scaffolding our sector needs. Together, we can turn first principles into lasting impact.