Section B: Tell us about your organization

If you are applying as a collaborative, please answer all Section B questions from the perspective of the lead applicant.

Your answer to this question helps us understand your organization’s objectives – the reason it exists. Organizations often develop mandate and mission statements during a strategic planning exercise. If your organization has not completed a strategic planning exercise recently, you may have to refer to your certificate of incorporation or charitable registration documents. When we review your application, we look for consistency between your mandate and your proposal.

B2. What are your organization’s typical activities (e.g. programs, courses, events, services)?

Describing the programs, activities and services you provide helps us understand the work that your organization does in your community. In addition to listing your programs, activities and services, identify how often they take place.

The ABCD Community Foundation manages endowment funds and provides grants to registered charitable organizations to respond to identified community needs.

We have two granting streams: General and youth. The amount of money granted depends on the revenue generated by our endowment funds. In 2002 we provided 35 grants with a total value of $525,000. The ABCD Community Foundation also encourages youth participation through our Youth Advisory Council. Youth are encouraged to volunteer and feel a sense of ownership of their community.

B3. Who takes part in your organization’s activities or programs or who uses your services? Please give the approximate numbers of current members, participants, audience members and/or clients.

By providing the number of participants, you help us understand the impact of your organization in the community. To save time, use the list of programs, activities and services from question B2 and tell us the number of people involved in each.

Our members and participants include people ranging in age from 10 year to 86 years. We have a total of 350 members.

B4. How does your organization reach out to members of your community who have not traditionally been involved in the activities you offer?

In your response to this question, provide examples of your organization’s efforts to include everyone who wants to participate in your activities. Tell us how you reach out to people who wouldn’t normally be involved in your programs or who wouldn’t easily know about them.

Richview Arts Program offers its programs at either no cost or deeply discounted prices. Free classes, half-price tickets, pay-what-you-can admission and the opportunity to assist Richview as volunteers in exchange for classes or tickets to performances are options that are available on an ongoing basis.

Richview Arts Program works with non-arts organizations, with the aim of reaching outside our usual support base. Two examples are the Big Brothers and Sisters Association of Littletown, with whom we sponsored an art class, and the Men’s Emergency Shelter, with whom we co-sponsored a series of performances that raised funds for the work of the shelter.

B5. What groups does your organization work with in the community? Provide examples of the ways you work together.

Describe how other groups are connected to your request. For example, if you are applying for building renovations, how do you share your building with the community and how did you consult with groups who use your building when developing the renovation plan?

Fall fair board: owns the land on which our club is situated. Our curling club leases this land and in return, the fair board has full use of our building during the annual fall fair.
Ontario Curling Association: our club hosts annual events such as regional and provincial championships on behalf of OCA.
Other curling clubs: we have an active weekend spiel schedule and clubs from communities within a 120 km radius attend our spiels. Our club also publicizes other clubs’ spiels and activities in our newsletter and a number of our members also participate in other club spiels.
Canadian Cancer Society: we hold an annual year-end, weeklong spiel that is a fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society (we raised $4,600 last year). Our club is committed to sustaining this event on an annual basis.
Local businesses: nearly every local business contributes to the success of our club by sponsoring events (7 events last year). One sponsor celebrated 25 years of sponsorship for our Solstice Spiel last year.
Local school: by offering a weekly after-school program that allows elementary school students to learn the sport of curling in a safe, supervised environment.
Local day care centre by offering a special March break curling program as a part of the centre’s special March break programs (four mornings of curling).
Other community groups: use our meeting space for meetings and functions at no or very low cost, including the Chamber of Commerce, the local museum board, the Horticultural Society (spring plant sale and meetings), the Lions’ Club, the Yacht Club and the municipality. A total of 33 meetings or other activities were held in our facility last year.

B6. What major challenges and successes has your organization experienced recently? How did your organization respond to these challenges/successes?

Your response to this question should demonstrate your organization’s ability to respond to change in its environment, for example, changes in community needs, increased or reduced resources, new opportunities for partnership or changes in organizational leadership.

Improved performance standards and growth in musical stature and popularity of the orchestra has resulted in pressure on administration and volunteers. Responses have been: acquiring a grant for an orchestral management intern who works full time, board members have become working members, board committees have recruited volunteers with special skills, for example in marketing and communications, and improved communications between the administration, the board and the orchestra players.
Sustaining the orchestra financially at a time of shrinking corporate support and government grants is a significant challenge. Responses have been: increase revenue through ticket sales, expand outreach opportunities with schools, college and university, special donor recognition for those who pledge $500 a year for a minimum of 5 years and consult with Orchestras Canada.
Inadequate funding for the necessary staff resources to operate a thriving cultural entity. Responses have been: increased fundraising activities, special event to heighten orchestra profile and increase volunteer participation and apply for OTF funding to provide salary dollars for staff continuity and stability as the organization increases its capacity to generate funds.