2017 Conference Program

Wednesday, October 10
9:00 am – Noon: Pre-Conference Workshop for Nonprofits Only (Separate Fees Apply)
Sponsorship Decoded: From Galas to Community Events to Peer to Peer In this half-day session, sponsorship expert Chris Baylis will empower you to turn more of your proposals into sales. You’ll learn to leverage the latest sponsorship and corporate fundraising trends mean to drive greater success for your organization. Read full description here.
Thursday, October 11
8:00 am: Official Conference Kick-Off
Breakfast, Bonding and Beginnings Expand your circle of corporate citizenship colleagues by breaking bread together and engaging in an enjoyable ice breaker. Then get the lay of the land for our day together from event chair David Hessekiel.
8:30 am
The Power of Purpose in a Transparent World An internationally recognized pioneer and leader in purpose and CSR, Carol Cone kicks off our conference with her take on doing well by doing good in 2017 and beyond.
8:45 am
Digging Deeper: Purpose in the Canadian Context Public CEO Philip Haid joins Carol Cone in a conversation about the concepts she has shared in the Canadian context and then we’ll open the floor for your questions.
9:00 am
Anatomy of a Partnership: Aveda Canada & WaterAid The 11-year collaboration between Aveda Canada and WaterAid continues to thrive because the company and cause have built open communications and been committed to change. Aveda’s Raffaela Caruso and Water Aid’s Nefertiti Saleh trace the program’s history and offer valuable advice on building long-lasting alliances.
9:30 am
Canadian Research Premiere Get the latest insights into Canadian consumer attitudes towards corporate citizenship and cross-sector partnerships from Ipsos Marketing Vice President Jessica Avery.
10:00 am Break
10:30 am Your Choice of Breakout Sessions:
Measuring Partnership Value (Corporate Track): Executives agree that measuring the value of a partnership is important, but how many of us are satisfied with how we do it? CIBC’s Monique Giroux will share a methodology that has served her company well in assessing charity alliances and in designing new programs that deliver improved return on investment. Developing New Corporate Relationships (Nonprofit Track – Intro Level): New or dissatisfied with your success in bringing on new corporate partners? Then don’t miss this master class on targeting, opening doors, developing dialogue and reaching win-win agreements with companies led by Chris Baylis, president of The Sponsorship Collective. Embracing Employee Engagement (Nonprofit Track – Senior Level): Companies are increasingly demanding employee engagement opportunities.How can organizations of different shapes and sizes create opportunities that really work for their missions and strengthen their corporate alliances? WE Chief Development Officer Erin Barton leads our highly interactive dive into this topic. The Essential Qualities of Cause Campaigns (Joint Track): Before joining Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations as CEO, Mark Hierlihy identified the essential qualities of dozens of successful corporate social initiatives from around the world. Armed with case studies that demonstrate these qualities, Mark will show you how to apply them to your own work to strengthen future campaigns.
11:45 am Pre-Lunch Networking Break
12:15 pm Lunch (Sponsored by CIBC) Welcome from CIBC Keynote Speaker: Paul Alofs, President & CEO, The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation After 20 years as a successful corporate leader with Disney, HMV and BMG Music, Paul Alofs has spent the past 14 years strengthening revenue at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Under Paul’s leadership, the Foundation has raised $1.2 Billion in net fundraising revenue. He will offer you advice, insight and inspiration for building a more successful organization and satisfying career based on the concept of Passion Capital.
1:45 pm Your Choice of Breakout Sessions:
Pointed Conversations (Joint Track) Business and nonprofit leaders share crisp, concise presentations each focused on one critical insight in this exciting session. Presenters will include Seventh Generation Brand Manager Amanda D’Ortenzio and others to be announced soon. Taking Corporate Alliances to the Next Level (Nonprofit Track – Senior Level) Too many of our corporate alliances end up being short-term affairs. How can we better structure our efforts to create longer-term relationships that generate greater business and social returns? Tania Little will share a process that has yielded dramatic results for Food Banks Canada and help you identify ways to improve your organization’s corporate strategy. Pitch Perfect (Nonprofit Track – Intro Level) In this high-energy session led by Catalist’s Brittany Hill and Maureen Carlson, you’ll learn best practices for succinctly and effectively communicating what makes your organization attractive to corporate partners. Then you’ll watch three pre-selected nonprofits pitch a panel of experts which will critique their efforts. Corporate Track Session to be announced
2:45 pm Break
3:00 pm
CEO Perspective: Getting Buy-in at the Top French’s a household favorite became even more famous when it committed to use locally grown ingredients, expand its Canadian manufacturing and support local community causes like Food Banks Canada. The result was remarkable goodwill and a business success story seldom seen. Elliott Penner says this success was a combination of a quality product, a sound strategy but mostly a personal and company wide commitment to making a positive impact in the community. Elliott will share his insights to help improve your success and understand how supporting a cause can shape your destiny and deliver superior results.
3:25 pm
Turning Corporate Engagement on its Head After living a tough life as a teenager, Michael Prosserman leveraged his challenges to start Unity Charity to help improve the mental health of youth. He’ll inspire, entertain and educate us on how combining his passion for hip hop with simple and authentic engagement philosophies is helping empower over 150,000 youth across the country and creating opportunities for companies to do well by doing good.
3:50 pm
Closing Panel: A look ahead Business and nonprofit experts join conference chair David Hessekiel in a look at what lies ahead for companies & causes at the intersection of purpose and profit in Canada. Panelists to be announced soon.
4:15 pm Closing Remarks
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Post-Conference Reception (Sponsored by PUBLIC, Inc.) Debrief after a content-packed day with a beverage at this post-conference reception. Quite possibly the best time to compare notes and continue your networking experience!