Charity and Social Capacity

Researching, thinking, talking, building, and envisioning in this space is no esoteric investment, a quaint concession or a salve for the guilt of our overextension and collective greed. In this paper, we explore the deep renewal we need in our conceptions of the charitable sector—how we fund, empower, and even define our charities. (click image for full infographic) Introduction IN 2012 CARDUS CONVENED A CHARITABLE SECTOR ROUNDTABLE in Ottawa to examine three questions: 1. What is the state of Canada’s social infrastructure? 2. What role does taxation play in Canadian social infrastructure? 3. What if the charitable sector disappeared? While aspects of these three questions are still important, other aspects seem prudent to attend to today. On April 28, 2016, Cardus convened another group of leaders deeply acquainted with the charitable landscape in Canada to engage in a structured conversation on the social capacity of the charitable sector. This was not intended to preclude exploration of taxation, legal, and organizational realities, but given the size and extent of the sector and limited time, the core theme of social capacity was the orientation that balanced our engagement and exploration. The goals of the Charity and Social Capacity conversation were intended to both take stock of our current understanding of the charitable sector and to identify potential pathways for ongoing collaboration in research and policy development. The specific goals of the roundtable were as follows