ViTreo Group Inc.

10/15/2026

This research paper is for anyone looking for an example of an effective funding model. A special shout out to our Arts and Culture friends.

*New Research*: How Canadian Orchestras are Funded: Implications for Future Fundraising

Ever wonder how Canada's major orchestras keep the music playing? It is not just ticket sales. It is a careful mix of earned revenue, government support, and philanthropy.

The right balance = real resilience.

Our Research Lead, Ken Kempcke, dug into six major Canadian orchestras, from the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, to see what their funding models can teach the rest of the non-profit sector about diversifying revenue and building donor relationships that last.

It is a great read whether you work in the arts or not. Find it, along with more free research, on our site: https://loom.ly/OsNopPg

How Canadian Orchestras are Funded: Implications for Future Fundraising

10/13/2026

Nobody posts about the 12 calls that went unanswered.

The wins get the spotlight, and they should. But the quiet, discouraging stretches in between are just as real.

This is our sweet spot. We don't just want to be there for the big gift announcements. We want to be there in the moments before them too, when it feels like nothing is landing and the confidence starts to slip.

That's what a real partnership means to us. Not just the wins, ALL OF IT. And we're genuinely thrilled when the phone rings on a hard day, because that's what we're here for.

10/09/2026

This Thanksgiving, we're taking our own advice.

The work of the non-profit sector is important, and it needs us at our best. Today, we're stepping away from the inbox, gathering with the people who matter most, and taking stock of what we're grateful for.

To everyone in the non-profit sector reading this: you give so much of yourself to your mission. This weekend, we hope you get to receive too. Rest. Connect. Be with family. The work will still be there, and so will we.

From all of us at ViTreo, happy Thanksgiving.

10/07/2026

Would you volunteer for your own organization?

Imagine that you don't know the people. But you believe in the mission and want to help. So you sign up.

🔵Is it easy to get involved?
🔵Does someone respond?
🔵Is your time used well?
🔵Do you feel like your contribution matters?
🔵When it's over, do you want to come back?

We spend a lot of time talking about volunteer recruitment, but sometimes the question isn't, "How do we find more volunteers?"

It's, "Have we created an experience worth returning to?"

Before you invest in recruiting more people, take a look at what happens after they say yes.
If you want to talk to us about your volunteer program, we welcome the conversation.
🌐 https://loom.ly/scbZ6pI | 📩 [email protected] | 📞 403.210.3157

10/02/2026

There's a crisis in non-profit fundraising: the average development professional now stays in their role less than 18 months, and the sector is losing senior fundraisers faster than it can replace them.

An article from Stanford Social Innovation Review, shared in a recent ViTreo Weekly Recap email, talks all about it.

The author's core argument is one we've believed for a long time: this isn't a compensation problem or a pipeline problem; it's a culture problem. When fundraisers aren't recognized as relationship builders, when the gift matters more than the giver, burnout isn't a surprise, it's the natural result.

We've spent the past 10 years on the other side of this. We've sat with fundraisers who gave everything to their mission and then had nothing left to give. And we've watched what happens when an organization shifts from transactional to relational, not just with donors, but with the people doing the asking too.

The sector needs more partnership; more organizations willing to build cultures where fundraising feels like an expression of the mission instead of a burden. That's the work. That's always been the work.

If this resonates, and if you're feeling the weight of it in your own organization, we'd love to talk. This is where we do our best work with you.
📩 [email protected] | 📞 403.210.3157

🔗Read the full piece here: https://loom.ly/_Q2kJ-Q

If you want this type of industry insight delivered to your inbox weekly, subscribe to our Weekly Recap (we include good news and great life hacks too): https://loom.ly/EgidFtI

To solve the talent crisis, we must move from transactionalism to transformation.

10/01/2026

This month, we're celebrating two incredible people who make ViTreo what it is, and the years of heart, expertise, and impact they've poured into our work and the sector.

KATHY BHANA | 6 Years 🎉

Six years ago, Kathy joined the ViTreo team. Today we're celebrating her, and everything she's brought with her since.

Kathy has one of the most beautiful human spirits on our team. Her passion for the non-profit sector, and for every person doing the work within it, runs deep, and after 20+ years in fundraising, that passion has never dimmed. She brings genuine commitment to every client and every colleague, along with a sense of humour that makes the hard days lighter and the good days even better.

We're lucky to have had six years with Kathy, and we're already looking forward to the next six.

Happy work anniversary, Kathy.

More about Kathy: https://loom.ly/3D7Em2U

TAMARA McCARRON | 2 Years 🎉

Two years ago, Tamara joined the ViTreo team. Join us in celebrating her and what she brings to everyone around her.

What makes Tamara's impact so valuable is how she uses her brilliance. She has a gift for taking the most complex ideas and bringing them down to a human level, so the people in the room feel equipped rather than overwhelmed. She brings that same gift, along with a great sense of humour, to everything she touches, from client strategy to team conversations.

We're grateful for these two years with Tamara, and for everything still ahead.

Happy work anniversary, Tamara.

More about Tamara: https://loom.ly/f5F9-ew

09/30/2026

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation calls on us to reflect on the painful history of residential schools and their lasting impact on Indigenous communities across Canada. At ViTreo, our commitment is to learn, listen, and support Indigenous voices and rights.
Learning is not a one day commitment, but September 30 is a meaningful place to start or continue. Here are a few ways to mark it in Calgary and beyond.

📅Attend on September 30:
Orange Shirt Day at The Confluence (Hosted by the City of Calgary): 9AM – 10:30AM | The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at The Confluence: 10AM – 5PM | The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland
Dancing in Their Honour: Truth & Reconciliation Pow Wow: 4PM – 9PM | Heritage Park
Pokaiks 10th Annual Children’s Commemorative Walk & Gathering: 11AM & 12PM – 5PM | River Hall
Every Child Matters Pow Wow for Truth and Reconciliation: 11:30AM – 6PM | Bob Bahan Soccer Field
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Werklund Centre:| 11AM – 5PM | Werklund Centre
NMC Presents: Jeremy Dutcher: 7PM | Studio Bell Performance Hall

📖 Read:
The 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission remain one of the clearest roadmaps we have
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

📽️ Watch:
We Were Children (NFB documentary)
Bones of Crows (Marie Clements)
Angela Sterritt: A Journalist's Reckoning with Indigenous Storytelling or similar author talks, often hosted by Calgary Public Library around this time

More in Comments

Reconciliation isn't a single day, a single reading list, or a single organization's job. It is ongoing work, and we are committed to staying in it. Let's commit to understanding more and doing better.

09/29/2026

Fewer Canadians are giving to charity than a decade ago.
But total donations haven't dropped as much, because a smaller group of donors is giving more.

What's happening?
The non-profit sector is leaning harder on an aging, wealthier donor base, while the next generation of donors is still finding its footing.

Gen X and younger donors are just getting started, and their incomes are growing. Many are also starting to inherit wealth, often choosing to give collectively through family foundations rather than writing individual cheques the way their parents did.

The opportunity
Organizations that build real relationships with these donors now, taking the time to understand how and why they want to give, will be the ones with sustainable support for years to come.

This isn't about chasing every demographic; it's about deepening the human relationships that make giving last, at every age and income level.

The question
Is your organization built to grow with your next generation of donors, or just to hold onto the ones you already have?
We'd love to hear how you're thinking about this, drop a comment below.

09/23/2026

The non-profit sector moves fast. New research on giving trends, funding models, and what drives donor behaviour comes out all the time, and most leaders don't have the hours in the day to track it down and make sense of it.

So we have someone who does it for you.

Our team includes a dedicated researcher, Ken Kempcke, who stays close to what is shifting in philanthropy and brings it back to our clients and our community in a way that is useful.

On our site you will find free papers on catalytic giving, alumni engagement strategy, how Indigenous non-profits are using social enterprise to build economic resilience, and much, much more.

No cost, no catch. Just research we think your organization can use.

Take a look and see what's there: vitreogroup.ca/vitreo-research

09/22/2026

Innovation in the non-profit sector doesn't always look like innovation.

It isn't necessarily a new technology, a groundbreaking platform, or a big investment. Sometimes it's:
🔵 A new partnership that stretches resources further
🔵 A different approach to engaging donors
🔵 A revenue model that creates greater stability
🔵 A program redesigned because the community said it needed something different

Some of the best innovation happens when organizations ask a simple question: IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS?

We've had the privilege of seeing non-profit organizations across Canada answer that question in remarkably creative ways, often with limited resources and enormous expectations. That's something worth celebrating.

And one of the best things we can do for the sector is create more room for it: room to experiment, invest, learn, adapt and occasionally get something wrong. Because innovation requires more than good ideas; it requires the capacity to try them.