Reflections: Outgoing AFP Canada Chair Jennifer Johnstone

FRANÇAIS

‘Kindness continues to be most important in the way that we do our work’

Jennifer Johnstone has served as the chair of AFP Canada’s board of directors since January 2023. As her term comes to an end, we asked her to reflect on her two years as chair. While she served in this role, a new code of ethics was introduced for AFP members globally. Significant progress was made on AFP’s work on Truth and Reconciliation including a partnership with The New School of Fundraising and Indspire, while efforts around inclusion, diversity, equity, access (IDEA) expanded to include an anti-racism audit which is currently underway. Additionally, AFP strengthened its work with the federal government, including its request for a secretariat, as the charitable sector continued to address the aftereffects of COVID-19. Johnstone has had a celebrated career as an equity-seeking leader in the charitable sector, one that focused on equity, nonprofit leadership and community resource development. She has been president and CEO of Central City Foundation since 2006, a past president of the AFP Greater Vancouver chapter and currently serves as a director for several local charities. 

Being the head of a national organization is a major achievement in anyone’s books. What kind of accomplishment did that feel like for you personally? 
As someone entering the “sunset years” of my career, it felt very good to be able to serve my profession and the organization that has supported me these past three plus decades, in this leadership role. The role of chair at AFP Canada brings with it a tremendous amount of work and I’m grateful to my organization, Central City Foundation, for supporting me to give back in this way. It was an amazing two years in serving alongside our global chair, Birgit Smith-Burton and my colleague here in Canada, Vincent Duckworth, chair of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy - Canada. Finally, AFP Canada is an unusual national organization with a very specific mandate and a governance structure with a strong shared leadership model that lifts-up the tremendous skills and abilities of all our board members in service to membership and the philanthropic sector. It has been truly inspiring to serve with these leaders.

What were your goals when you set out at the beginning of your term two years go? 
I wanted to build on the great work that AFP Canada has done since 2017, deepening the impact of our actions to embed IDEA and decolonizing our work, our profession, and our sector. The clear focus on achievable and valuable goals that serve members across this country remained a priority in both our communications and government relations work. Finally, I made it a personal priority to further the work of building an inclusive board of directors where all our members share not only a sense of belonging but are deeply engaged in changing the way that we work together.

Do you feel you’ve achieved them? 
I do believe we’ve made progress on all our goals and look to examples including the new career-track fundraising initiative for Indigenous students across the country, a program developed by The New School of Fundraising and Indspire and supported by AFP Canada, that had its first cohort of graduates. We made significant progress embedding IDEA in all our work including the Narrative for Canadian Fundraising and through curating and hosting two very-well attended and received leadership retreats for fundraising leaders from coast to coast to coast at AFP in Canada. I’m not sure I can identify a specific “successful achievement” as we navigated the challenges associated with the experiences of anti-Black racism in Toronto, and the continuing impacts on members across the country. I am sure that the AFP Canada board was both thoughtful and intentional in their decisions and actions, remaining committed to their IDEA principles, good governance and to ensuring no further harm.  

Did equity issues change the way you viewed your job as AFP Canada Chair? 
Equity issues were the top of my agenda coming into my term as chair and I believe we accomplished much through changes in both what we are doing and how we work. At the board we continue to recruit an amazing group of leaders with diverse lived and learned experience who are intentionally building a space of inclusion and belonging. Our work on IDEA and Truth and Reconciliation these past two years has seen measurable impacts for members and our profession. Of course, there is always more work to be done as we struggle within our society that is steeped in colonialism and inequity, and I will continue supporting our new chair and the board as we make more changes.

Is there something that stands out to you as a singular achievement, one that stays in your mind as you think about the last two years?
There isn’t one thing that stands out for me, but I am a little proud and deeply honoured to have had the confidence of the amazing group of leaders at AFP Canada to be their chair and to facilitate our work these past couple of years. I have also been inspired by the extraordinary work of our vice president, Lisa Davey, in supporting the board, our goals and members.

What do you think are the biggest issues facing fundraisers today?
I think we are still struggling to work through the impacts of the pandemic: organizations that are struggling with capacity in the face of exponential growth in demand for services with a concurrent reduction in charitable giving across our communities. Navigating the deeply divided political spectrum that we find ourselves in today. And continuing to challenge the rising backlash against the progress made on issues of inclusion, diversity, equity and access in the past five years.

Lightning Round: One sentence answer 

Your biggest takeaway from the experience? 
This work always has been and will continue to be about relationships—when we are committed to a good relationship with each other, we can struggle together to make positive change and do great things together.

Any regrets in your term? 
While I don’t have any specific regrets, there is work left unfinished and, despite some very creative and consistent efforts to communicate the complexity of the AFP ecosystem and the role of AFP Canada within that structure, confusion remains for some folks.

One lesson learned? 
Kindness continues to be most important in the way that we do our work together in this sector.

A line of advice for your successor? 
Breathe and never hesitate to reach out to the amazing colleagues who are serving with you in leadership at AFP Canada.

Anything you’d like to say to the members of AFP? 
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have met so many wonderful colleagues from all over Turtle Island and beyond, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve.