Finding Abundance: A Symposium for our Community

Check out the amazing workshops and speakers below!

Program

AM Plenary

Let’s laugh together!

Ben Gorodetsky will lead us through an interactive session, where we’ll explore active listening, presence and strategies for creative collaboration.  And we’ll laugh, because laughter is good medicine!

Ben Gorodetsky is an improviser, producer and educator based in Kitchener, ON. He has performed, taught, and directed improvisation at The Magnet Theatre (NYC), Out of Bounds Comedy (Austin), UCB (LA), Highwire Comedy (Atlanta), English Lovers (Vienna), IGLU (Ljubljana), FERIIR (Reunion Island), Bad Dog (Toronto), and Blind Tiger (Vancouver). Ben is the founder-director of the award-winning Pinch Arts Company. He was the 2022 artist-in-residence with Guelph Dance Fest, winner of the Edmonton Emerging Artist Award, recipient of the Anna Pidruchney Young Writers Award, and a nominee for a Canadian Comedy Award and a Waterloo Region Arts Award. They’re the creator and executive producer of “MY PET ATE WHAT!?” a docuseries for CTV Wild. Ben holds an MFA from Brooklyn College-CUNY, a BFA from the University of Alberta, and teaches video and performance at UWaterloo.

 

Workshop 1: Then and Now — Evolving Relationships Between Non‑Profits/Charities and Businesses

This workshop explores how relationships between non‑profits/charities and businesses have changed over time, what each sector needs today, and how both can better understand one another’s roles. We’ll discuss how to collaborate more effectively to strengthen community impact.

The session includes a short presentation followed by a shared discussion

Barbara Turley McIntyre previously served as Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship at Co-operators. In this role, she led the organization’s efforts to embed sustainability across all areas of its insurance and financial services operations, as well as overseeing Co-operators Foundation and its community giving programs.  Most recently, Barbara took on a new role as Retiree Ambassador at Co-operators, where she is developing an engagement program to strengthen connections with retirees.

Barbara has also been actively involved in a variety of local initiatives over the years, including the Loretto Convent Task Force, the Guelph General Hospital Foundation and  the Downtown Guelph Business Association (DGBA). She continues to contribute to community initiatives in Guelph through the Guelph Community Grant Working Group, and the DGBA annual Spirit of the Season event.

 

Workshop #2: More Than a Grant Application: Practical Strategies for Grant Funding Success

Securing grant funding is about more than writing a strong application. Today’s funders are looking for organizations that can align their work with community needs, build meaningful partnerships, demonstrate impact, and tell compelling stories. In this practical and interactive workshop, Amy Estill will share strategies to help organizations strengthen their grant applications and improve their overall funding success. Participants will explore emerging trends in the funding landscape and practical ways to make your initiative more fundable. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas and tools they can immediately apply within their own organizations.

Amy Estill is the Founder and CEO of Collective Results, a local social purpose consulting firm that helps non-profits, charities, and publicly funded organizations move important work from idea to implementation.

Amy brings more than 15 years of leadership experience across the public, non-profit, charitable, academic, health, and social services sectors. She is known for helping leaders make sense of complexity, make practical decisions, and turn ambitious ideas into funded, manageable initiatives that achieve meaningful results.

Amy’s approach to funding goes beyond writing a strong application. She helps organizations clarify what they want to accomplish, identify realistic funding pathways, build relationships and partnerships, demonstrate their impact, and use funding effectively once it is secured. Her work reflects Collective Results’ commitment to closing the gap between what organizations dream and what actually gets done

 

Workshop #3: Trauma Informed Evaluation 

Nonprofit work involves working with vulnerable communities. While evaluation can help build relationships with these communities, it can also unintentionally cause harm. In this 1-hour talk, Katelyn Mitri from Taylor Newberry Consulting will provide your organization with a set of tips and strategies on how to design and  implement strategies for gathering feedback that are trauma-informed.  By the end of the hour, participants will gain the following insights:

• What we mean by trauma-informed, and why it’s important for evaluation
• Core principles for trauma-informed evaluation and research
• Choosing and designing appropriate tools for vulnerable populations
• Ethical data collection techniques and how to debrief participants
• Practical application of methods through case studies

You will leave this talk with practical tips to make your evaluation more trauma-informed, equitable, and accessible for the communities you serve!

Katelyn Mitri, PhD, is a senior researcher and evaluator at Taylor Newberry Consulting, who specializes in evaluation and program design for gender-based violence, equity, and workforce employment and training initiatives. Grounded in anti-oppressive and trauma-informed principles, Katelyn’s practice prioritizes participant safety, autonomy, and choice throughout every research engagement, whether it’s a simple survey or facilitating in-depth focus groups. She also focuses on incorporating interactive, engaging evaluation techniques that move beyond traditional research methods.

 

Workshop #4:

Working with Funders

Facilitated by Kris Cummings of Do/Able, join members of the Guelph-Wellington Funders Network and grant recipients for a candid discussion about working with funders. Whether your organization partners with municipal funders, foundations, or other granting bodies, this session will explore how we can better understand each other’s roles, strengthen relationships, and build more effective collaborations for the future.

Kris Cummings is the Principal Consultant at Do/able Consulting.  He is an experienced non-profit leader, community service manager, funder, and consultant known for his insightful leadership, ability to isolate concrete strategies to make things possible, and skill to balance adaptation and intentional process. Since launching the consulting practise in 2020, Do/able has worked with leaders across dozens of organizations to adapt and deepen their strategic clarity and capacity.

 

PM Plenary

Community-Centric Fundraising: Reimagining Philanthropy Through Equity, Partnership, and Collective Impact

Traditional fundraising has long focused on organizational success, donor cultivation, and financial outcomes. But what if we centered community instead?

This thought-provoking session explores the growing Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) movement and challenges non-profit professionals to rethink fundraising through the lenses of racial equity, economic justice, collaboration, and shared power. Participants will examine how traditional fundraising practices can unintentionally reinforce inequities and learn practical strategies for fostering greater belonging, partnership, transparency, and community impact. Whether you are new to CCF or already familiar with its principles, you will leave with fresh perspectives, actionable insights, and concrete ideas for building a more equitable and inclusive philanthropic culture within your organization.

Glenna Banda believes strong communities are built when people come together around a shared purpose. With over 15 years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, she currently serves as Executive Director of United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin and has previously led AgScape and the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington. A passionate advocate for social good, volunteerism, and collective impact, Glenna brings both heart and optimism to everything she does, along with a healthy appreciation for adventure, laughter, and caramel apples.