Reimagining Leadership - 91��Ƶ Nonprofit Network

Shared leadership to centre teamwork and community

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:40:58 +0000

By Peter Hominuk and Sarinah Asselas, Co-Executive Directors at L’Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’91��Ƶ. A French version of this blog is available here.

As the nonprofit sector endures ongoing changes in their environment, we’re being called on to work in new ways. Reimagining Leadership is a project exploring what the future possibilities are for leadership in the nonprofit sector by engaging with those who are approaching it in bold, and diverse ways.

91��Ƶ is a rich tapestry of faces and languages that come from around the world. One of the oldest tongues spoken here is French – (��’A��) represents this minority population. Founded in 1910, we advocate for Franco-Ontarian rights through programming, funding distribution, and lobbying for both the community and over 150 OSBLs (Organisme Sans But Lucratif, the French equivalent of non-profit organizations).

Being an organization with over a century of history means that some things work extremely well and others need to adapt to modern times, such as taking a co-leadership approach for the first time.

Centring the Franco-Ontarian community

Understanding the values of ��’A��’s community was key to experimenting and creating buy-in for alternative leadership styles. Because we earned their trust, we were given the opportunity to try things out, eventually landing on the co-leadership model. This leadership style was a pleasant surprise for us; we didn’t know if it would work at first.

As Co-EDs, we balance each other out, a contrast of institutional and systems knowledge with operations, communications, and crisis management. These complementary skillsets help us to support the Franco-Ontarian community more effectively, while also co-managing a team that spans across the province. This lightens the load that each one of us would have had to carry solo, while also giving us more time to be attentive to individual staff needs.

The ideology of co-leadership extends beyond just us as Co-EDs. We are continually building trust in our team’s abilities by investing in team-building exercises and training. This gives everyone the skills to be coordinated in their efforts, as was the case during the onset of COVID-19 when it only took one day to get the organization back to full operation. Team-building also helps us to come together for initiatives across the province, like when we piled into a bus and hit the road for the Franco-Ontarian flag’s 50th anniversary. This is important because we work in a hybrid way, between our office in Ottawa and remotely from all over 91��Ƶ. Even during events and retreats, teams feel unified as if they were working side by side on a daily basis.

As much as we believe in the power of collaboration within the organization, we also believe that connecting with outside partners is a powerful asset for the success of an organization. There is a tendency for Francophones to isolate ourselves within a Francophone bubble. To change this trend and create a supportive network, we are actively collaborating with partners, such as ONN, , and various francophone and francophile organizations across Canada.

Co-leadership into the future

The weight of an Executive Director is a heavy burden for a single person to carry and can lead to burnout and risk aversion. And without risk, innovation can be rare.

Creating a support system through co-leadership that reinforces the community and organization establishes a safety net — it provides a runway to experiment and manage surprises along the way. And helps us focus on the next big priority for ��’A��: , which seeks to support the modern needs of the Francophone population.

L’Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’91��Ƶ will continue to be a unified voice for Franco-Ontarians for another century. And as more French-speakers are attracted to the promise of 91��Ƶ, we will be there to support them personally, professionally, and socially.

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A Two-Row Wampum Treaty approach to leadership

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:00:18 +0000

By Ellen Kanikatsitsa Blais and Juana Berinstein, Co-Chief Executive Officers at Association of 91��Ƶ Midwives

represents midwives across the province. As Co-Chief Executive Officers, we are upholding this legacy while redefining the way the organization approaches leadership to better reach communities and in parallel, engage in Indigenous governance processes with the direction of Indigenous communities.

Through this lens, it was contingent on us to take a Two-Row Wampum approach. The Two-Row Wampum, also known as the , is a living treaty that informs how Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples engage in relations, committing to move together in peace, friendship and respect. In this way, we’re focused on building a leadership model where non-Indigenous and Indigenous perspectives work together to confront the challenges that communities, health care, midwifery, families, and birthing people face. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are responsible for upholding this treaty in relationship with each other.

The Guswendah Treaty as a leadership model

As Co-CEOs, we bring two perspectives to the AOM that represent the original people of these lands, with the oppression and reality of 91��Ƶ as a colonial state. Prior to applying for the Co-CEO position, we spent a weekend at Wasauksing First Nation at Ellen’s home to ground ourselves and see if this was right for ourselves and the organization.

There we saw lots of examples in the ecosystem, the environment, the waters, the sky and the land around us, working in collaboration. This is what ultimately led us to reinforcing our understanding that our collective experiences would serve the birthing communities with honour and dignity.

We have established our co leadership through the spirit of the Guswentha treaty. We have been establishing this commitment since 2014, and now have an Indigenous Midwifery team of 12, who are accountable to Indigenous Midwives in 91��Ƶ through the Indigenous Midwifery Advisory Circle who have mandated Indigenous senior representation with two board members.

Indigenous sovereignty in midwifery

Changing a system to prioritize Indigenous governance is not easy. The status quo is a colonial approach where everyone wants to be able to look at mostly pre-determined rules to direct every action we take. But we’re a living and breathing organization that must adapt with time. A promise like the Two-Row Wampum is foundational to our organization, and adaptable to our operations and governance. We are living representations of the Wampum; we embody it day-by-day through consistent conversation and open dialogue.

There are moments where it does take more time to come to final decisions. But really, what are we comparing this to? The results speak for itself and we’re seeing better decision making because of this.

Association of 91��Ƶ Midwives: Birthing rights is a human right

We encourage organizations to take an approach that centres the voices of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people and not only brings voices to the table, but provides governance that shares power and decision making equitably. The land in which we live, situate ourselves and operate on is First Nations — and right relations with First Nations is key to the longevity of community serving organizations. The Two-Row Wampum approach takes courage for non- Indigenous people to embrace in their everyday lived experiences, as it is a relationship agreement that ultimately shares power and invites many voices into shaping the path forward alongside First Nations people.

Ellen’s Oneida spirit name is “Kanikatsitsa”, which means “Little Flower”. Ellen shares that this name, given to her by Ray John, Elder now existing in the spirit world, from the Oneida Nation of the Thames is a deeply meaningful name that she attends to every day, learning how to apply it to her life experience, including thinking about how she can bloom new life into the nonprofit sector.

We use the word Indigenous here as well as First Nations, Inuit and Metis, as we recognize language is always in transformation, and that most recently, Indigenous has been thought to be too broad, allowing those who are not First Nations, Inuit or Metis to use the term to their own benefit.

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Leadership transition pocket guide

admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:22:28 +0000

Dismantling patriarchal systems with non-hierarchical leadership

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:15:47 +0000

By Katie Didyk and Song Sha, Collective Managers at Times Change Women’s Employment Service

What if the best form of leadership is to not have a traditional leader at all? No single person at the top, but rather a collective body that solves problems, approves budgets, and brainstorms strategic plans together? This is the case for us at , a grassroots movement-turned-agency that’s transforming the typical patriarchal power structure found in the nonprofit industry. Annually, we support 1,200 women in finding meaningful, dignified, and well-paying employment.

Often shortened to simply Times Change, we were founded on a revolutionary non-hierarchical model, abolishing top-down leadership, and instead opting to lead by collective decision-making. We take shared responsibility for the outcomes of our decisions, both good and bad, and lean on each other for support.

Life without an Executive Director (ED)

The responsibilities of a traditional ED are split amongst the Collective. We divide up the roles of an Executive Director amongst our frontline staff. For example, we have an Employment Counsellor, who’s also our Employment 91��Ƶ Liaison, and an Education Counsellor who is our liaison with the United Way. Two other members of the Collective represent the organization at board meetings.

The Non-Hierarchical Model has also had a positive impact on funder engagement. This drives confidence as funders notice that each of the Collective members knows what’s happening at the agency level. They also get quicker responses from us, which helps build stronger relationships.

No silos in collective leadership

At Times Change, all voices are valued, regardless of tenure or past experience. Each of the ten members of the Collective — what we call full-time staff — are both frontline workers and managers. Every member is on the ground and in management meetings, providing quicker responses to immediate issues, and higher levels of detail.

We’re often asked how we’re able to make decisions effectively and efficiently with so many leaders at the table. The thing is, we’ve come up with a diplomatic system that works for us. This ultimately leads to increased buy-in and expediency as all members move forward in confidence. An example of this was during the pandemic when uncertainty affected many organizations. While some ED’s in the sector were burning out, we stayed resilient by sharing the load, and leveraging each of our individual strengths. Because of this, we were recognized with a leadership award for our effectiveness in navigating the pandemic.

Non-hierarchical systems and staff retention

Times Change attracts talent in all capacities, from staff to board to volunteers, with its radical leadership model, feminist positioning, and equity idealism. This has led to an ability to retain talent for years, even decades, despite the sector’s staffing crisis.

One of the success-factors for this high degree of retention is that we are clear in what we represent, leading candidates to easily envision if this model is right for them from the onset. We are also transparent about our wages, as every member of the Collective is paid the same. This level of equity is vastly unheard of but is indicative that we are sharing both labour and financial growth.

By sharing leadership, labour, and wages, staff directly see their efforts flourish. We believe this is why Times Change has become a gold standard for staff retention in the sector.

The need for collectivism in leadership

Applying the lessons of a non-hierarchical model doesn’t mean an organization needs to adapt to it fully. Many organizations can benefit from implementing key components, such as creating safe spaces to share ideas, praising accomplishments, enabling transparency, building support systems, and empowering staff. Bringing multiple heads to the table adds so much value, it brings perspective, and keeps staff engaged.

Innovative organizations need innovative solutions, and alternative ways of leading is how we’ll get there. So, maybe it’s not about a leader, but rather a group of leaders that moves the sector further together.

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NOTE: Since initial writing, Katie Didyk has left Times Change after 20 years. We are wishing her the best on the next stage of her career!

Implementing shared leadership to navigate transitions

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:15:27 +0000

Contributed by: Danielle Griffin and Pamela Uppal-Sandhu, Co-Executive Directors at ONN

For over a decade, ONN has been a pillar in the provincial nonprofit community, working with and for the 58,000 nonprofits, charities, and grassroots organizations in 91��Ƶ. When our founding Executive Director (ED), Cathy Taylor moved to another opportunity in 2024, we recognized the chance to experiment, and try something new. So, while the organization searched for a permanent ED, we took on an interim co-ED model.

We were already in senior leadership capacities as Director of Strategic Communications and Initiatives and Director of Policy, so we blended our complimentary skills and expertise to keep things running smoothly. Though initially planned as a four-month stopgap solution, we’re still going strong 18 months in.

Double the leadership, double the expertise

When a longstanding leader like Cathy departs, it presents a natural opportunity to transform and adapt to new ways of working. Though different to what the organization was used to, this approach made a lot of sense with our extensive resumes in the nonprofit and public sectors. Plus, we get along really well!

Sharing the interim ED role was a “must” for us. Senior leadership can be isolating. It can lead to burnout. A lot of the folks in the sector are women, and from equity-deserving and equity-denied communities that are already facing systemic barriers to enter leadership roles. Being mindful of this, we knew that taking a co-leadership approach was the right path forward for us. We also knew that we would each still be leading our respective roles in the organization, with an already small team.

Yet, we didn’t have a blueprint for this leadership approach. So, we wrote up three tenets for us to lead by: meet every day, designate a mediator for when we need to ask for help, and do what’s best for the organization, always. This has helped us to come to quick consensus or navigate challenges efficiently. And it’s been successful for ONN. We are not just surviving but advancing and adapting our vital work while navigating some big social, economic, and political changes. This has shown us — and the rest of the sector — that untraditional forms of leadership are viable even if that means thinking outside the box.

Crucially, reimagining leadership can help nonprofits retain staff, an increasing challenge in the sector. Talented passionate leaders are leaving nonprofits — and maybe sharing the load can help retain these incredible people while providing stability during transitions.

Building nimble nonprofits with co-leadership

We were able to transition into a co-leadership model thanks in large part to everyone around us. We’ve been lucky to have the support from our board, our staff, and our network to continue the work we do, and ensure that ONN thrives during this time.

As there have been seismic shifts in society, politics, and the way people are working, right now is the right time to explore different ways of leading. As co-EDs, we’re able to focus on our strengths and commit to creativity, innovation, and experimentation with new solutions to rising needs in the sector. For curious leaders out there, you won’t know what works for your organization unless you try. Maybe co-leadership is the style you’ve been looking for.

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A “forest of leaders” approach to leadership

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:15:16 +0000

By Darcy MacCallum, Chief Executive Officer at Social Enterprise for Canada

When I stepped into the CEO role at (SEC) in 2022, I was following a CEO that had been there for 30 years. SEC is a multi-service agency based in Newmarket that supports York, Peel, and Simcoe regions in a wide array of early childhood services, and support systems for immigrants and newcomers. Our work is vast. I knew I couldn’t do this alone, and I knew I couldn’t just fill her shoes. Adapting a “forest of leaders” approach, where leaders support each other, and come together to grow and problem-solve together, has transformed us into a more connected, and trust-centred organization.

Too often within our sector, we look at the CEO as having the answer for everything. But we need people with different skills and perspectives. Honouring the strengths of the SEC staff is what anchors our “forest of leaders” approach. Though I may be CEO, the whole team leads.

Leading with trust

Much like a tree needs soil, water, and sunlight, the “forest of leaders” approach requires healthy inputs for team members to thrive. All of our managers get together every other month to bring key information from their departments, and share what they’re thinking. These meetings have become a very interactive, co-creative, and generative time together.

I find that this is contrary to the silo mentality that I’ve seen throughout the industry where people are not willing to talk and share. We also have monthly DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) meetings, further amplifying voices, and addressing problematic observations that frontline staff witness.

Senior leaders are overworked in the sector, with many leaving the nonprofit world all together. This has left people worried for the future of the industry. No one likes speaking to a brickwall where feedback goes nowhere. At SEC, staff know that this is a safe space to share their experiences, and work together towards solutions.

Through it all, we stay focused on four core values: practicing kindness, finding solutions together, continuous improvement, and building trust. We also now regularly budget for training and coaching to grow in these areas.

Forest of leaders: We carry each other

With each passing day, I’ve become a louder cheerleader for my team, reminding them that they’re capable through the organizational structures and support systems that we’ve put in place. Leaders can trust each other to carry the organization when they’re away. This allows for vacations and wellness days without worry of departmental health or work piling up.

This way of leadership is the anchor that grows team members, much like a tree with strong roots bears an abundance of fruits. And just like trees, we’re at our best when we’re together as a forest.

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