Mark Surman

What does decolonizing journalism mean? It's actually not that difficult and it's very much related to the current discussions in the media about community building and journalistic methods to report on trauma or navigate polarisation. In a webinar organized by the Indigenous Journalists Association, Associate Professor of Carleton University J-School Duncan McCue mentioned how Indigenous journalists are at the forefront of decolonizing the profession. I took note of these five points: 1. Change the way you interview: don't just focus on "getting" information, also focus on what happens before and after the interview. Think of the impact it afterward, also for the interviewee. 2. Practice harm reduction. “That family, that person has let you into their life. You are part of their story now, you’re not a casual observer.” You can’t erase harm, but you can reduce harm. 3. Humility: as a journalist, you need to have a healthy amount of ego to believe your story is worth telling the rest of the world. But it doesn't mean you stop being humble. 4. Don't portray people in your story as stereotypical victims or angry or sad personas. Use humor to show that there is joy in communities and go beyond the stereotypes. 5. A high level of accountability to the communities you report on is important. Don't just disappear back into the city you came from. -------------------------- In the upcoming Writing for Transformation course, you'll learn more about decolonial theory and how to apply it in your stories and communication. From five guest speakers who all navigate the topic differently. 🔗 Read more on the website: https://lnkd.in/eCMiPrAv 📆 If you sign up before March 23, you can join a week of one-hour live sessions with alumni, the Community Circle. 📍 An online course with an equitable fee, open to global storytellers

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For a sector that demands so much from people, nonprofits kinda suck at appreciation (and I’m not talking about donors). I’m talking about the staff who constantly bank ‘lieu time’ they never expect to take. The EDs who spend years of their life building up organizations. The board chairs who step up when no one else will, learning governance on the go so they can leave the board in a better place. These roles are often thankless in the most literal way. We ask people to give and give, usually until they simply can’t keep giving, and then we just kind of . . . forget they ever existed? Maybe they’ll get a card or a blurb in the annual report when they go? But there’s no stewardship, there’s no relationship, and many of these people are left with the feeling that they never really mattered to the org. We are busy. But we can build simple touch points into our work to show appreciation for the people doing the hard work, while they’re in it and after they move on. This is something that benefits everyone, builds a more human organizational culture, and strengthens your support networks.

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Good philanthropy can complement government and/or collaborate with government and/or challenge government to make our communities and our country stronger. Even people who generally think this is true don’t always know the specific ways philanthropy has made a difference. One of my favorite specific examples is our 911 system. Imagine (or remember) life before we had 911. When you were experiencing an emergency – a crime in progress or a fire or a medical event – you could dial the operator who could transfer your call, but they generally didn’t have the tools or training for emergency assistance. Or you could look in the phone book to figure out who to call. If you called one hospital, you had to hope they had an ambulance free to come get you or you might have to call another. It was a chaotic non-system that did not serve people in crisis or our emergency responders very well. AT&T, which provided phone service for most of the county at that time, designated 911 for emergency response in 1968. But just designating the number didn’t make it happen. Enter the @Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Beginning in 1973, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported 44 communities in 32 states around the country – including hard-to-serve rural communities – to figure out how to bring 911 to life. It took a LOT of community problem solving. It required getting firefighters and police and hospital systems to work together in new ways. Between 1973 and 1977, the percentage of Americans covered by a coordinated 911 emergency response system in those communities went from 11% to 95%.  The success of these communities gave other communities both inspiration and a playbook. And federal money followed. Today nearly everyone in the country can dial 911 to get help when emergency hits.  It is a remarkable story of transformation that made us all safer. And philanthropy played a critical role. For philanthropy to continue to play its most valuable roles, we need to make sure the charitable sector stays flexible and independent. #UniteinAdvance Council on Foundations Independent Sector Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows

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Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) has released two reports focused on the prevalence of accessibility barriers related to "communication" and "Internet use" across various disability-related and sociodemographic characteristics. 1) "Barriers to accessibility related to communication: Findings from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability" 2) "Barriers to accessibility related to Internet use: Findings from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability" Additionally, an infographic and data tables with findings from the SSA-EAICT exploring the experiences of persons with disabilities or long-term conditions with barriers related to ICT are now available. According to the survey, in 2022, out of 8 million Canadians aged 15 years and older with one or more disabilities, 3.8 million (48%) faced communication barriers and 1.4 million (17%) faced Internet use barriers during a12 months period prior to the survey. Furthermore, in 2024, 46% of persons with long-term conditions or disabilities had experienced difficulties, during the preceding three months, while using a technological device such as a smartphone or laptop because of their condition. https://lnkd.in/gn6chq4Q

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Canadian fundraisers are facing burnout—and budget pressure. According to the 2025 Status of Canadian Fundraising Report, grant writing remains one of the most time-consuming tasks for non-profit professionals. Yet many organizations still rely on manual, repetitive approaches. It’s time to talk about how AI can support grant writing—not replace fundraisers, but empower them. ✅ Reuse and tailor past applications ✅ Create workplans ✅ Quickly summarize funder guidelines 💬 Are you already experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT or Grantable? What’s working—and what’s not? Interested in learning more? Join myself and Peter Davison of Coffai Shop for our upcoming summer workshop: https://lnkd.in/gg5NfTdY #nonprofits #grantwriting #AIforGood #canadianfundraising

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It used to be lonely being Indigenous in tech. But that’s changing thanks to leaders like Ryan St. Germaine ♾️. He asked a simple question: Where are the Indigenous tech people? The answer became the Indigenous Tech Circle. Over 300 Indigenous tech professionals and founders connecting, growing, and leading across Turtle Island. This isn’t just a community. It’s a movement. One that’s reshaping who gets seen, who gets funded, and who gets to lead in Canadian innovation. More on Ryan’s story on BetaKit: https://lnkd.in/gQ4M4pjB #IndigenousTech #RepresentationMatters #IndigenousFounders #TechForGood #CommunityBuilding #InnovationInclusion

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Why AI literacy must be a key part of Canada's AI strategy - and has to include and involve our youth. Literacy drives sustainable development, enables greater participation in the labour market, improves child and family health and nutrition, reduces poverty and expands life opportunities (UNESCO). Literacy is having the skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to create, communicate, and understand information. We are literate when we can access the data, transform it into knowledge, and respond meaningfully - all within the material and social frameworks that enable connection. For the first time, humans are not unique in having literacy skills. Machines are also literate. Video in the comments. Evan Solomon Anna Gainey Mélanie Joly #ailiteracy #literacy #innovation #education #aieducation #skills #knowledge #power #canadastrong

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🚨 The #1 mistake nonprofits make in grant writing? Treating the budget like an afterthought. A persuasive grant budget is not just numbers, it’s a story in disguise. Your budget is one of the most powerful credibility signals to funders. Done right, it shows you have the capacity, sustainability, and systems to deliver real impact. Done wrong, it raises red flags. Here are 7-steps our grant writing agency uses to design a budget that tells a story: 🔹 Anchor Budget to the Narrative Every budget line should connect to the proposal’s activities. Outreach in the narrative? Outreach costs in the budget. Alignment builds funder confidence. 🔹 Signal Organizational Capacity Include realistic salaries, overhead, and service costs. Underpricing staff undermines credibility; show you know what it takes to manage responsibly. 🔹 Demonstrate Sustainability Illustrate how costs evolve post-grant. Share co-funding, partner uptake, or transition plans to show this is an investment, not a one-off. 🔹 Highlight Leverage & Cost-Share Show in-kind support or co-financing, no matter how small. It signals commitment, stakeholder buy-in, and efficiency. 🔹 Prioritize Transparency & Realism Skip vague round numbers. Break expenses into logical subcategories to show precision and financial discipline. 🔹 Demonstrate Impact Efficiency Frame costs against outcomes: “$200 per participant trained” is more persuasive than a lump sum. Funders see value-for-money clearly. 🔹 Leave a Trace of Institutional Strength Include modest but real indirect costs. Zero admin = red flag. Reasonable overhead = institutional maturity. ✨ Grant budgets are strategic storytelling tools. When numbers and narrative align, your proposal becomes unforgettable. ♻️ If you found this helpful, please repost so others can benefit too 🔔 Follow me for more resources and grant writing advice #grantsconsultant #nonprofitfunding #grantwriting #donordevelopment #fundraisingstrategy #communityimpact

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