It is rewarding for me to serve on the board of directors of LIFT Philanthropy. In addition to pioneering venture philanthropy in Canada, I am privileged through my board membership to work with very accomplished people – people who are making a difference in our nation.
Ms. Judy Rogers, for instance, is one of the directors with whom I serve. Judy has been very influential in her career, having served as city manager of Vancouver (the first woman to hold this position) from 1999 – 2008. She is passionate about municipal development and is highly regarded for having created Neighbourhood Integrated Services, a program that brought city departments and outside agencies together to help residents solve difficult issues in their neighbourhood. She also pioneered an urban development agreement between the federal, provincial and city governments to revitalize Vancouver’s downtown eastside.
Under Judy’s leadership, the city of Vancouver won the right to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In fact, a lot of the discussions and prep work by the Games bid committee took place after hours in the kitchen of Judy’s home.
Hanging out between LIFT board meetings with Judy Rogers in her renowned Vancouver kitchen.
The LIFT Philanthropy board held its quarterly meetings last week. One of the issues for discussion was succession planning. We learned that later in 2016, the terms of three board directors (including Judy’s) will come to an end. It became apparent to me that the impending loss of my esteemed colleagues would be profound. Each of the three departing directors still brims with brilliant ideas, network contacts and sage advice. Each ‘gets’ venture philanthropy.
I have served on many committees and boards. It seems to me that organizations that implement a plan to retain the commitment and skills of former members have a strategic advantage. They represent a sustainable resource. Non-profit board members remain devoted to good causes well beyond the expiration of their terms. University of Calgary senators continue to bleed Dino red long after their last committee meetings. Astronauts remain passionate about space exploration for a long time following the landing of our last missions. It therefore makes sense that astute organizations would continue to tap these unique human resources.
I welcome next year’s board turnover at LIFT Philanthropy. New directors will bring novel perspectives and ideas that will elevate LIFT to a higher plane. As chair of the Governance and Human Resources committee for LIFT, I will participate in the search for new members who have skills and drive comparable to that of our departing members. The talent pool in Canada is deep.
In parallel, LIFT will develop a systematic process to remain engaged with Judy Rogers and our other valued board alumni. It will not be enough to simply stay in touch. We will put in place a process to continually extract benefits from our former directors’ deep experience and boundless energy.
