Capacity Building Project

Manitoba Eco-Network partnered with the Sustainability Network in Ontario and the Saskatchewan Eco-Network in a project to offer capacity building tools and training to environmental organizations.

Events in Manitoba:

This project has ended, contact the Sustainability Network to find out about their current programs. Resources from the workshops held in Winnipeg are available in our library.

Previous Events:

The Legal Toolkit: Options, Strategies and Tactics

June 7 in Winnipeg - 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM at The Exchange Community Church, 84 Albert Street.

16 participants attended the workshop.

Presenters at the workshop were Devon Page and Justin Duncan of Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Byron Williams and Myfanwy Bowman of the Public Interest Law Centre in Winnipeg, and Anne Lindsey, Executive Director of the Manitoba Eco-Network.

Information presented included:
- a review of Civil Proceedings and Applications,
- Overview of the Court System, Judicial Review and Injunctions.
- Evidence and Legal Standing.
- getting and paying for, a lawyer.
- overview of Administrative Tribunals, illustrated with Manitoba examples: the Public Utilities Board and the Clean Environment Commission.
- Prosecutions - both "do it yourself" and encouraging the government to step in and take action, as well as becoming involved in a case that someone else has initiated (eg. Hudson, Quebec Hydro and the Oldman Dam cases).
- Aboriginal law in Canada (noting that an entire 2 days could easily be devoted to this subject).

In the afternoon, other legal options and remedies were explored.
- Access to Information.
- Environmental Assessment processes, both federal and in Manitoba,
- Law reform processes.

- Functions of the Auditor General and Ombudsman for Manitoba and Federal equivalents
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and the Competition Bureau.

The formal presentations ended with information about a variety of international intervention possibilities, including the Commission for Environmental Co-operation, the Migratory Birds Act and so on.

Presenters then led a full-group session to explore possibilities for legal actions on 2 topics of interest to the group: pesticide use, and the proliferation of industrial livestock operations. A lively discussion highlighted a number of possibilities and areas of exploration. It also illustrated some of the limitations of the laws pertaining to these issues.

A Resource List for Participants was prepared by the Manitoba Eco-Network, and distributed at the workshop.

The evaluation of the workshop was generally very positive, with everyone indicating that they learned a lot of new background information and that they found the presenters well-informed and interesting. There was a sentiment that more time would be required before most participants felt confident in launching their own legal actions. It was noted that we currently do not have a legal clinic in Manitoba focusing on environment, and that it would be a most helpful step to develop one.

DOUG McKENZIE-MOHR ON COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL MARKETING:
A TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR ENVIRONMENTALISTS

On Friday, February 4th, 2005, Doug McKenzie-Mohr presented an all-day workshop on Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) to a group of about 85 people both from the ENGO sector, as well as government and consultants. The dynamic workshop
was an introduction to the approach of CBSM, whereby the barriers to a desired behaviour change are assessed and then specifically targetted. After highlighting the potential ineffectiveness of traditional means of encouraging more sustainable behaviours, Doug provided
tools and examples for more effective programs using the following steps:
· Identify the barriers to a desired behaviour
· Use behaviour change “tools” to design more effective programs
· Pilot test a program and
· Evaluate the impact of a program once it has been broadly implemented

Government Relation Workshop with Elizabeth May
On Friday, October 15, 11 participants (plus two Manitoba Eco-Network staff) attended a Government Relations Workshop, led by Elizabeth May. All of the people who registered for the workshop attended.

The workshop was held in the 6th floor boardroom of the Hammond Building at 63 Albert St. Use of the space was generously arranged for us by Gaile Whelan Enns Associates.

Elizabeth provided information on how legislation gets passed through parliament at the federal level and where in the process citizens and groups can engage to affect decisions. She then discussed how to get a meeting with key government decision-makers and then tips for successful meetings including background research, what to bring, keeping to the time allotted and follow-up. Central to her message was the need to build relationships with government bureaucrats, ministerial staff and ministers.

Dick Stephens provided some background on the way the Province of Manitoba has evolved in its dealings with community stakeholders. The new preferred model is to have a core group of stakeholders in with people participating as individuals rather than representatives of a group and a larger advisory group made up of organization representatives. Dick encouraged the ENGO community to work within a more collaborative framework, offering solutions rather than lobbying one side of an issue. He discussed the realities of government decision-making as being very much about economics, with environmental considerations getting low priority regardless of which party is in power and any pre-election rhetoric. He also suggested working together with bureaucrats, who are often in agreement with environmentalists, at trying to influence political decisions. Key points were building good relationships and working collaboratively before resorting to an adversarial position.

Some of the participants had extensive previous experience in lobbying governments and were able to share this with the group. There was good interaction between participants and presenters, with several participants commenting on how approachable the presenters were. Evaluations were very positive, with several comments that it would have been nice to have more time.

Fundraising Workshop with Ken Wyman - Monday, May 31, 2004

On Monday, May 31, 16 participants (plus two Manitoba Eco-Network staff) attended a Fundraising Workshop, led by Ken Wyman. Two people who had registered for the workshop did not attend.

The venue was the Westminster Housing Co-op's multi-purpose room at 145 Maryland St., a convenient central location with lots of windows, and very reasonable rates. We were looking forward to being able to eat our lunch in the adjoining courtyard, had it not been for the unseasonably cool temperatures.

The 16 participants represented a wide range of interests and experience. Some of the participants were new to the field, having recently joined their organizations, while others were able to offer insight regarding their past fundraising activities. The majority were staff of their respective organizations, rather than volunteers or board members. A large number of the participants were from Conservation Districts and conservation related organizations.

Ken began the workshop with an introduction to the concept of the "Donor Pyramid" and explained that the long-term goal of any fundraising program is to move individuals from being one-time donors to being committed to the cause. The fundraising program can be focused on those segments of the population that are most likely to give (as determined by occupation, age, education, gender, etc.).

The importance of personalizing an appeal for funds was emphasized. It is important to tell the story of the campaign or organization using a personal, emotional example. Once individuals donate, retaining them as donors involves quick personal acknowledgement and frequent communication to make them feel connected to the organization. Making donations easy by providing the option to pay by credit card, monthly pre-authorized chequing, etc. can increase donations. Many of the organizations present at the workshop indicated that they had not in the past been making appeals for donations as frequently as was advocated by Ken.

Ken provided specific advise on fundraising events (eg. Run/Walks, Auctions) and capital campaigns in response to questions from participants.

A useful resource for participants to take away from the workshop was a list of information sources (many of them free) which was provided at the end of the workshop. Participants indicated some interest in keeping in touch with each other and therefore a list of participant emails was circulated afterwards.

Media Skills Workshop

January 29, 2004 - Westminster Housing Co-op

On a frigid January day in Winnipeg, 13 participants attended a Media Skills Workshop, led by Mary MacNutt of IMPACS (Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society).

The venue was the Westminster Housing Co-op’s multi-purpose room, a congenial and well-lit facility, with a good kitchen, and very reasonable rates.

The 14 participants represented a wide range of interests and experience. Some were from groups with a solid environmental focus (such as CPAWS, WCWC and the Churchill Northern Studies Centre). Others were from groups for whom environment is not the primary focus. These included Mennonite Central Committee, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Manitoba Council for International Co-operation. A number of the participants had some experience in dealing with media while others were just starting out.

The goals of the participants broke down into several key areas: publicizing an event, building a campaign, communicating a scientific message, and reporting on a new initiative. These general areas formed the basis for the small group work, and on-camera simulations in the afternoon.

Mary gave a plenary presentation in the morning on thinking like a reporter, pitching stories, media planning, and getting attention for your issue in the newsroom. The discussion and question and answer sessions were lively and interesting. Mary’s background is both in the media (at CBC’s Country Canada), and as Media Co-ordinator for Greenpeace. She was a knowledgeable and effective resource person. The group appreciated the informal atmosphere and the opportunities for exchange and learning amongst the participants themselves.

The on-camera interview simulation involved small group work in developing a message, selecting and coaching a spokesperson and a live interview by Mary. It was well received, and participants indicated that they learned a great deal from this segment, and from the workshop as a whole.

More information about IMPACS may be found at www.impacs.org

Environmental Funders' Forum

On October 2, 2003, we held the first in our series of “Capacity Building” events in our joint project with the Sustainability Network and the Saskatchewan Eco-Network. This Funders’ Forum was an opportunity for environmental grant makers and the environmental community to hear from each other about programs, interests and priorities.

30 people attended this event, many of them from Eco-Network member groups. Representatives from 5 different funding bodies opened the event by introducing their agency and the particular areas of funding interest. This group was chosen to reflect a diversity of funders, public and private, small and large.

Gord Yelland spoke on behalf of Environment Canada’s Eco-Action Community Funding program. He explained that this program has undergone a series of name changes since it began in the early 90s as the Environmental Partners Fund. From time to time the focus of the fund changes to reflect federal government priority areas. Currently, the fund is emphasizing climate change as one of its primary topic areas. Eco-Action provides matching grants to community groups, see the website at http://www.ec.gc.ca/envhome.html (Click on Eco-Action) for details. Gord emphasized that Eco-Action staff are happy to work together with groups wishing to apply, and encouraged people to contact him well in advance of funding deadlines. (Contact information on the website, or call toll-free 1-800-567-1570).

Hugh Arklie is the Executive Director of the Winnipeg-based Thomas Sill Foundation. While the environment has not been the Foundation’s largest area of funding (it focuses heavily on heritage and rural communities) the Board does encourage applications from Manitoba environmental groups, which are registered charities. Hugh provided a listing of environment-related projects that the foundation has supported over the past ten years. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Hugh to discuss their projects prior to applying officially. (Call 204-947-3782). Hugh emphasized the value of creating endowment funds for long-term support of non-governmental groups and cited the successful Community Foundations Program in rural Manitoba, which he and the Sill Foundation were instrumental in developing. (Jim Rennie, the Regional Co-ordinator of the Community Foundations of Canada attended the forum as a participant).

Rick Lussier is Community Grants Officer for the Winnipeg Foundation www.wpgfdn.org), Canada’s first, and currently the second largest community foundation in the country. As implied by the name, most of the foundation’s grantmaking is in the City of Winnipeg, though grants are made to groups working on province-wide issues which clearly have an impact on Winnipeg citizens. Rick also noted that environmental grants are not a large component of the foundation’s work, but that this sector is growing. He flagged a trend, which has become apparent through the Winnipeg Foundation’s innovative “Youth in Philanthropy” project (wherein high school groups carry out research on local charities, and decide how to allocate a total of $5000 per school to projects and groups they deem worthy). This trend shows the much higher tendency of young people to want to support environmental causes. The proportion of grants to the environmental sector from youth is much higher than that of the foundation overall.

Burkhard Mausberg is the Program Manager for this Toronto-based national foundation’s program Conserving Canada’s Forests. As its name implies, this program concerns itself with the protection and sustainable use of Canada’s forests. The Boreal is identified as a priority area. Full details about the program may be found on the Foundation’s website: www.ivey.org. Burkhard noted that the Foundation prefers to support adequately a small number of large projects which support its overall goals, and tends to turn down most of the grant applications it receives. He provided 4 useful rules of thumb for groups seeking project funding: 1. Don’t be afraid to ask – if you don’t make requests, funders will not know that the need is out there. An exploratory call should be made with a prepared script which is brief and timely and explains how your project will make an impact; 2. Invest in people – high quality people working on and managing your project will make a difference; 3. Be honest with funders – he emphasized that funders always discuss projects amongst themselves for ideas and feedback. They will often be aware of the amount of support various funders are prepared to give; 4. Provide a good context for the funder to fully understand the importance of your proposal.

Rick Sapacz is a member of the Assiniboine Credit Union’s Community Project Fund Committee. He emphasized that the Fund is a small one (grants have a cap of $2000), but that it is accessible to groups who do not have charitable status. The fund emphasizes community economic development, social justice and anti-poverty initiatives and the committee welcomes more applications with an environmental theme. Full details about this fund may be found at www.assiniboine.mb.ca (click on Community Connections). Rick emphasized the importance of networking amongst groups and across sectors as a way to increase synergy and effectiveness of our work.

After a question and answer period, lunch was served, and lively small group discussions ensued with the funders circulating from group to group. This was a chance for participants to get more details about the funders, and to share information about their ongoing work and plans. Many valuable contacts were made, and both funders and participants felt that the exercise was meaningful and worthwhile.

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