The Social Profit Project (SPP) Speaker Series brings together social profit leaders, board members, community investment professionals, and cross-sector partners who are shaping how impact is designed, funded and governed across Canada.
Grounded in Bespoke’s commitment to advancing a thriving social profit sector, the series creates space for informed, cross-sector dialogue that connects insight to action and examines what it actually takes for organizations to start, shift and scale.
Speaker Series Lineup
Each session is designed to address a critical shift shaping the future of the social profit sector.
January, 2027
Coming Soon
The Evolving Story of Giving: From Charity to Community Investment
Philanthropy and charitable giving have deep roots in faith, community, and the human impulse to help. But as our understanding of social change has grown, so too has the conversation about how generosity is most effectively expressed. Our keynote will trace the arc from traditional charity to modern community investment, exploring how shifting values and lived experience are reshaping the relationship between donors, organizations, and the communities they serve. A thought-provoking look at where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and where the greatest opportunity lies ahead.
May, 2027
Coming Soon
Be The Board to Be On
When a board and its executive leadership become a formidable team, everything changes — culture, performance, and the impact an organization can have on its community. That kind of partnership doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through the right skills around the table, a shared understanding of where the board’s role ends and management’s begins, and the honest choices that get an organization there — including the ones that are hard to make. Join us to meet a board and leadership team who’ve built exactly that, and to explore what it takes to become the board every strong organization wants to be.
October, 2027
Coming Soon
When Everything is Pulling Us Apart, What Pulls Us Together?
The data is clear. The feeling is clearer. Something in our civic fabric is loosening — and it’s happening exactly when we need each other most. In a polarized, post-pandemic, economically strained Canada, the social profit sector sits at the intersection of fracture and solidarity. But good intentions aren’t enough. This session asks what it actually looks like to choose community — deliberately, structurally, honestly — and what role we’re willing to play in making that possible for everyone, not just those who can afford to show up.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship of the SPP Speaker Series positions you alongside the leaders shaping strategy, investment and governance across the social profit sector.
As a sponsor, you are part of a curated network of decision makers and influencers across public, private, philanthropic and social profit sectors. This is a space to build relationships, contribute perspective and engage in the conversations that move work forward.
Previous SPP Speaker Series
Sept, 2025
Hosted at RGO
Eye’s High: Setting Sights Higher and Scaling Your Strategy
Our inaugural Social Profit Project Speaker Series session opened with Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, President Emerita of the University of Calgary, who shared the story behind the groundbreaking Eyes High strategy, a vision that inspired community confidence and laid the foundation for the university’s highly successful Energize Campaign. She was joined by Dr. Jim Dewald, Professor of Strategy and Global Management at the Haskayne School of Business, and Michael J. Tims, Vice Chairman of MATCO Investments Ltd., who explored how strategic partnerships, visionary leadership, and community alignment helped propel the campaign to $1.4 billion.
February, 2026
Hosted at cSPACE
Women Leading in Social Impact: Why It’s Working
Women are leading some of the most innovative and effective social impact work happening in Canada today. This Social Profit Project Speaker Series brought together Dr. Michele Fugiel Gartner, CAP®, IPA, Shelley Kuipers, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The51, Jerilynn Daniels of RBC, and Joy Bowen-Eyre, CEO of The Alex Community Health Centre to explore the conditions that enable women to lead effectively across complex, cross-sector systems. Through both the keynote and panel discussion, one message consistently emerged: today’s most pressing social challenges require leaders who are collaborative, adaptive, relational and strategic.
June 2026
Hosted at AspiHer
In Pursuit of Revenue Diversification
As organizations navigate growing demand and an increasingly complex funding landscape, revenue diversification has become one of the social profit sector’s most important strategic conversations. This Social Profit Project Speaker Series brought together Jeff Loomis, Executive Director of Momentum, Wafa Kadri, social impact and corporate partnerships leader, and Angie Gélinas, CEO of the Nonprofit Chamber, to explore how organizations can build more resilient revenue models while staying true to their mission. Through both the keynote and panel discussion, one theme consistently emerged: long-term sustainability depends not only on diversifying revenue, but on creating the conditions for innovation by funding organizational capacity, learning, and strategic risk-taking.
October 2026
Hosted at AspiHer
A Marvellous Merger
What does it take to bring two social profit organizations together, and what becomes possible on the other side? Our October SPP Speaker Series explored the amalgamation that created Trellis Society. Moderated by Meaghon Reid, Executive Director of Converge Mental Health Coalition, the conversation featured Jeff Dyer, CEO of Trellis Society, Karen Macdonald of Viewpoint Group, Karleen Batty, Calgary Managing Partner at EY and former Trellis Board Chair, and James Stauch, co-author of Merging for Good. Together, they explored the governance, leadership, cultural and financial considerations behind successful mergers, challenging conventional thinking about mergers as a response to financial pressures and highlighting their potential to strengthen organizations, expand capacity and increase community impact.
Interested in exploring mergers further? Read Merging for Good, a report co-authored by panellist James Stauch that examines the opportunities, challenges and considerations involved in bringing social purpose organizations together.