The very first summit on philanthropy in Quebec, the Sommet sur la culture philanthropique au Québec, was held on November 12 and 13 in Quebec City. Institut Mallet, which organized the event, brought together a large number of directors, administrators and other people active in the philanthropic community, and offered us the opportunity to reflect on the subject, discuss our ideas and share our best practices.
First, Institut Mallet merits a warm thank you for organizing the event and addressing what we feel was a real need for our community to meet. We hope that this first step toward dialogue is just the start of a much wider discussion.
The place of business and families in the world of philanthropy
With so many talented people in attendance, numerous topics were tackled during the two-day summit. Much of the discussion quickly turned to the question of philanthropy in the private sector.
When a company donates and contributes to social causes and thus becomes a major “funder” for a non-profit organization (NPO), is there a risk that the company will take control? Is it also possible that some social causes will be neglected in favour of others that are better for the company’s image?
At the De Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, we believe that companies, families and even individuals can act as a social catalyst for a variety of causes. In addition to providing financial support for a cause, a social catalyst informs, advises and alerts, while not having any formal authority. A social catalyst gets involved in processes that lead to results. Some fears may be legitimate, of course, and certain practices may be questioned. But private philanthropy still represents only a small portion of NPO funding, as evidenced by the existence of still-large government contributions and crowdfunding, which account for the bulk of funding for philanthropic works.
The changing face of volunteering?
A full discussion forum was launched on the notion of volunteerism. Given the younger members of the Summit, the word seems increasingly misused.
For many of our young people, the term volunteerism has become somewhat meaningless. They prefer to view volunteerism as action arising from civic engagement. Volunteerism should provide them with a means for good citizenship. More specifically, the younger generations are interested in civic engagement with a clear mission and concrete actions. They want to be invested in the process.
What is the meaning of volunteering? One thing is clear, for us and Quebec’s entire philanthropic community: no matter what you call it, being engaged and donating one’s time must continue to be significant elements in the advancement of social causes. Foundations and NPOs alike must tailor their volunteering assignments to the aspirations of the young and the not-so-young.
Philanthropy in Quebec
We also realized, with great pleasure, that there is a culture of philanthropy in Quebec. That culture, which historically grew out of the actions of the Church and the State, must find its direction in the multicultural society that we now live in.
It is at the crossroads of two prevailing models: the European vision of the welfare state with strong social responsibility, and the North American model of philanthrocapitalism with a strong presence of the private sector.
One thing we know for sure: much of the story of philanthropy in Quebec remains to be written, and the Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is more motivated than ever to meet the challenges of our time.
October 24 2013,
The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation introduced the world to a new way of doing philanthropy work, the concept of the social catalyst, during the International Forum on Health that took place from October 22 to 24 in Montreal. The Forum was organized by the 5 University Health Centers of Quebec to provide an opportunity to promote the health sector and find new approaches to improve health care and services offered to the population.
The Troïka
Yves Lachapelle, General Director of the CSSS des Sommets, Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien II, creator of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation and Alain Rondeau, Associate Director of the Pôle Santé-HEC Montréal joined forces to explain how they came to develop the idea of the Social Catalyst through working together to help improve the structure and operations of the CSSS. “A good social catalyst advises, counsels and warns without having authority…without laying blame or giving criticism”, said Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien II during the Foundation’s workshop.
The concept
The concept of the Social Catalyst includes several innovative features, describing the merging of three actors as well as guiding principals to help orient their actions and ensure the desired social impact. The model stems from the idea that the Foundation does more than invest by taking a risk, it accepts to play the role of a representative of a society in order to support current projects that will improve the system and the community in which it exists. The members of the Foundation created a unique way to intervene that generates a social engagement from the beneficiary.
The Foundation’s ultimate goal is to inspire and mobilize other families and community leaders by encouraging them to get personally involved in effecting change. It believes in the potential of social innovation and hopes to be the example for other groups that wish to get directly involved in their community. The Foundation will continue to share and develop the idea of a Social Catalyst to help other organizations benefit from this form of philanthropy.
For more information on the project click here: http://ancien.fondationdegaspebeaubien.org/en/initiatives/improving-the-healthcare-system
Montreal, June 26, 2013 – The de Gaspé Beaubien Family Foundation has just concluded an agreement with the CSSS des Sommets to carry out the final phase of an agreement that began in 2006. On the menu: coaching, business development between medical directors and clinical administrators, consolidation of the reception area and integration of CSSS doctors, incentive management and co-management model workshops, as well as themed workshops for physicians in leadership positions.
Spread over a 12-month period, the overall objective of this final phase is to mobilize caregiver teams by implementing various aspects of a totally new co-management model.
What changed for the CSSS des Sommets
In addition to the time and energy invested by members of the Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, a donation in the amount of $50,000 will be made to CSSS des Sommets to realize the final phase. In total, since the beginning of their collaboration in 2006, the Foundation has awarded well over $500,000 in donations to CSSS des Sommets, in addition to the multifaceted organizational support the organization has benefitted from.
The benefits? There were many. Various organizational problems, mainly related to human resources, have been improved. Staff turnover has been reduced, the work environment improved, and management style greatly transformed by providing a more participatory approach. “At the Foundation, we believe our health system faces very complex challenges. We also believe that doctors need to be involved in the decision making process in collaboration with the administrators of the system. It is an essential avenue in finding solutions. It is why we are passionately engaged in building a co-management approach between doctors and administrators. We strongly believe in medical leadership and the CSSS is working in that direction,” comments Dominique Monchamp, General Director of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation.
Health for everyone
Through its “Health for everyone” outreach program, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation chose to engage directly with a local institution, the CSSS des Sommets. With this commitment, the Foundation wanted to provide local support for the development of this highly complex environment, that is the local health system.
The Foundation members are also specifically involved with the CSSS des Sommets, offering their time, management expertise and financial resources in the context of what is commonly called “venture philanthropy” or “entrepreneurial philanthropy“. The first results of the project were unveiled to the public in September 2012. Meanwhile, project partner, HEC Montreal, held a conference last October about the “social guarantor” concept that was developed and applied to the project. Under this formula, the Foundation acts a partner to identify different groups of employees that have projects likely to improve the operation. It invests in these projects and is involved in their implementation so that staff is committed and able to measure progress. The social guarantor concept is based on a relationship involving the beneficiary (CSSS des Sommets), the donor (the Foundation) and an intermediary (HEC researchers) to legitimize and support the process.
The need for results
The goals of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation concerning its involvement with the CSSS des Sommets include making the health centre an attractive destination for both patients and medical staff, helping it become a centre of excellence in its field, and contributing to the overall review of its caregiving approach, by upgrading its human resources and putting the patient at the heart of all activities. All interventions and investments of the Foundation have been made in accordance with the traditions and philosophy of the organization: create a direct link with recipients, contextualize the intervention, listen respectfully, and develop an ongoing relationship and open communication.