Ms. Ann Rosenfield

Principal, Charitably Speaking

Helping You Make Smart Charity Choices | Executive Director | Board Leader | Philanthropy | Nonprofit Expert

Media

Nonprofit overhead is money well spent

Why money for charity administration is well spent

Chasing Charity

The AgendaTelevision

URL: http://tvo.org/video/programs/the-agenda-with-steve-paikin/chasing-charity

From runs and bike rides to festivals and galas, summertime is filled with fundraisers and charity drives. With so many options, it can be hard to decide where to donate your money. The Agenda in the Summer discusses how to narrow down the options, and examines the strategies charities use to nudge people to donate more.

CBC Radio, January 9, 2020Radio/Podcast

URL: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-92-all-in-a-day/clip/15754752-australia-wildfires-donations

As enormous fires continue to wreak havoc in Australia, a charity expert gives advice on how to decide which aid groups to donate to for support.

FrontStreamRadio/Podcast

URL: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/force-cdn/highwinds/askingformorepodcast/Frontstream_ep5-ann-final_v3.mp3

"We chat with Ann Rosenfield, MBA, CFRE, 2018’s AFP Toronto Congress Chair, all-around awesome person, and award-winning professional fundraiser! She is the Principal for Charitably Speaking and the Editor for Hilborn Charity eNews."

Ask The Experts | Our company's not associated with a single charity how do I pick a cause

Globe & Mail, October 26, 2021Print

URL: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-ask-the-experts-our-companys-not-associated-with-a-single-charity-how/

Report on Business deep dive into corporate giving. Interviewed by Rosemary Couter for the Globe

Etobicoke teacher turns kindness into full-time hobby

Toronto StarPrint

URL: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/03/01/etobicoke_teacher_turns_kindness_into_fulltime_hobby.html

...Foster-Martin met me at the door. She is 60, white-haired and painfully shy. She teaches kindergarten to autistic children. She told me about the #26Acts of Kindness movement, inspired by NBC correspondent Ann Curry’s simple tweet: “Imagine if everyone could commit to doing one act of kindness for every one of those children killed in Newtown.” (There were 20 children, but she soon added the six school staff killed that day.)...

There is more to this story.

Foster-Martin sent her colleagues’ money for Daigle’s meals to Ann Rosenfield, the executive director of the Woodgreen Foundation. Rosenfield, she discovered, is another #26Acter.

She carried out No. 20 this week by thanking the garbageman for working in the cold and slush. “I’m trying to come up with things I wouldn’t normally do — to expand my idea of kindness,” Rosenfield told me.

Last month, she organized 30 members of her synagogue to visit an acquaintance in the congregation who’d recently moved into Sunnybrook Hospital’s veterans centre. They brought food, a guitar, candles and spices to celebrate the end of the Sabbath together.

“The look on his face. He was so happy. That was awesome,” Rosenfield said. “I did this to rebalance in a small way a terrible thing that happened. I didn’t expect how much joy I’d get back from it.”...

Doubt cast over Trudeau's assertion that only WE Charity can run $900M student grant program

CBC News, July 3, 2020Online

URL: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-we-charity-volunteer-1.5635501

Expert quoted in article on WE Charity Government scandal. Article by Mark Gollum.

What Drive People of Faith to Give Generously, or not

Financial Post , November 4, 2022Online

URL: https://canadianfamilyoffices.com/philanthropy/what-drives-people-of-faith-to-give-anonymously-or-not

Three faith leading fundraisers - Irshad Osman, Lori Guenther Reesor, and I, discuss anonymous giving in the Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions. Article by Natalya Anderson

Charitable Giving Can't Wait for Disaster

Huffington Post, July 7, 2017Online

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ann-rosenfield/is-giving-only-disastrous_a_23018355/

People give fast and big when there is a tragedy. After the terrible Grenfell Tower fire, U.K. charities raised over £11M. Gifts have poured in from all kinds of places. Simon Cowell, who is better known for being cranky than kind, quickly developed a charity CD, "Bridge over Troubled Water," with dozens of artists donating their time and talent to support the cause...

Activism Without Borders Gives Canadians A Voice In U.S. Politics

Huffington Post, January 30, 2017Online

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ann-rosenfield/trump-muslim-ban_b_14485290.html

Saturday night, Sia pledged $100,000 to match gifts to the ACLU to help overturn the Trump administration's de facto ban on travellers coming from several Muslim-majority countries.

Within hours, people had tweeted donation receipts including Rosie O'Donnell and Judd Apatow. It wasn't just Sia. Other people, famous and ordinary alike, also issued gift challenges starting at $500. This is a new use of a backroom fundraising strategy for a greater purpose...

Canadians Know That True Generosity Goes Beyond Giving Cash

Huffington Post, December 19, 2016Online

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ann-rosenfield/canadians-giving-back_b_13674792.html

I say "Bah Humbug" to The Fraser Institute for saying an average Canadian is less generous than their American neighbour. Their 2016 Generosity Index makes Canadians look bad because Canadian give much less to charity. Cash gifts are only one part of the generosity story. The Fraser Institute research leaves out that Canadians volunteer way more than Americans. So they are only telling part of the story when they report on generosity.

I don't have to tell you that volunteering is another important way to be generous. If you have ever coached a kid's hockey team, you know the countless hours of practice as well as all the time reserving ice, collecting payments, giving out uniforms, and developing drills...

Canadian management lessons from the Trump and Clinton charity scandals

Hilborn Group, October 24, 2016Online

URL: http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/canadian-management-lessons-from-the-trump-and-clinton-charity-scandals

The charitable activities of the two Presidential candidates have had much scrutiny this election year. On the one side there are allegations of influence peddling by the Clinton Foundation and on the other claims of bribery with the Donald J Trump Foundation.

These kinds of statements come as little surprise to those of us in the know because charities, like any enterprise always have some issues. The news coverage does highlight the important, and often overlooked, role that proper management should play in running a charity...

Goodwill Didn't Pay Their CEO Enough

LinkedIN Pulse, February 9, 2016Online

URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/goodwill-didnt-pay-its-ceo-enough-ann-rosenfield-cfre?trk=mp-reader-card

The problem with Goodwill's leadership is not that they paid the CEO too much money. Allow me a moment to be unpopular and just hear me out before filling up the comments section.

According to their filing with the Canada Revenue Agency combined with media reports, the CEO job includes

-running a $28,000,000 enterprise,
-leading 536 full-time and part-time employees,
-operating 16 stores,
-maintaining 10 donations centres, and
-managing 2 offices.

This means the head of a complex, multi-site multi-million dollar retail business with a lot of variability in supply chain management in a changing sector makes a salary that equals less than 1% of revenues...

Vital Signs report, The Toronto Foundation’s Community Knowledge Centre: Getting involved in improving your city

Toronto StarOnline

URL: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/vitalsigns/2014/10/07/vital_signs_report_the_toronto_foundations_community_knowledge_centre_getting_involved_in_improving_your_city.html

In a city full of interesting organizations and people doing interesting things, finding the ones that deliver results that really build communities can be a challenge. The Toronto Foundation’s Community Knowledge Centre (CKC)... can be a handy tool for sniffing out what’s worthwhile.

“It’s certainly one way to keep track of who’s doing what,” says Ann Rosenfield, executive director of WoodGreen, a community services agency in East York that works to reduce poverty and promote well-being. She was one of the people who tested an early beta version of the CKC. “For a donor, it’s a way to kick the tires and have a better understanding of which charities not only are a good fit, but are credible.”

Biography

An award winning nonprofit professional with expertise in fundraising and nonprofit governance, Ann's experience includes work in both Canada and the US.

Ann taught nonprofit strategic planning, fundraising, and volunteer management at Georgian College for 8 years. She is 1 of only 4 people in Canada certified as a Master Trainer by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

She is sought after as an association conference speaker and university guest lecturer. She has spoken on philanthropy across Canada and internationally including a master class for the International Fundraising Conference in Amsterdam and several courses in San Francisco. She serves as a Mentor through the Association of Fundraising Professionals Inclusive Giving initiative.

Ann has a strong understanding of the governance, financial, and legal regulatory requirements for running a charity. Her expertise is called on in her volunteer work with the Imagine Canada Charity Voluntary Standards program.

Ann's MBA focused on NonProfit Management and she has completed the Institute for Corporate Directors Non For Profit Governance Program. She also serves as an active volunteer for Endeavour Volunteer Consulting, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Her own Board work includes serving as Board Secretary for Rainbow Railroad.

Currently Principal for Charitably Speaking, she's overseen major gifts, and personal and corporate giving for large organizations like CNIB, and small groups like the WoodGreen Foundation. She also serves as Editor for Hilborn Charity eNews, Canada's largest weekly charity sector professional publication.

She is humbled and proud to share that to date she's had the privilege of winning awards in 5 domains of fundraising from 5 different associations. She is also proud to have led the acquisition of more than $100M in ongoing giving by networking, partnering, and building high performance teams.

Recognition/Reconnaissance

Outstanding Community Leader | Professional

NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) NTENny Award
For "outstanding community members from across all areas of the nonprofit sector who embodied NTEN’s values and contributed to this unique community with our NTENny Awards. Each recipient generously gave their time, knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm to the nonprofit technology sector and community. Their contributions were key to the inclusive, welcoming, and supportive culture that makes the NTEN community great."

Outstanding Contribution to Community | Personal

Recognized by the Western Alumni Association for Excellence

Excellence in Fundraising Award | Professional

Awarded by the AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals). Only person to win this organizational award as both an Executive Director and as a Board member.

Best Alumni Event | Professional

This award from the CCAE (Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education) was thanks to collaboration of a terrific staff team of 4 and a volunteer team of 20.

Best Planned Giving Program In Canada | Professional

Developed the strategy and led the team that won this national award for the community based AIDS Committee of Toronto from the AHP Canada(Association for Healthcare Philanthropy). The runner-up for this award was a major research hospital with more than 10x the fundraising staff.

Additional Titles and Affiliations

Master Trainer | Association of Fundraising Professionals, 2017-present

Certified Fund Raising Professional, member of the 1st Canadian cohort

Chair, Ethical Code Advisory Committee & Member Standards Committee | Imagine Canada, 2008-2021

Board Member | Canadian Association of Gift Planners, 2004-6

Conference Chair, Board Member, Speaker, Committee Chair, Senior Leader, Inclusive Giving Mentor & Author | Association of Fundraising Professionals, 1994-present

Conference Chair for Canada's largest fundraising conference (2018).

Board Vice Chair, Governance Chair, & Volunteer Fundraising Consultant | Rainbow Railroad, 2013-present

Advisory Board member, Expert Speaker, Guest Expert - Tweet Chat | Endeavor Volunteer Consulting, 2016-present

Past Talks

What if everything we think about charity is all wrong

Association for Fundraising Professionals International Conference

San Antonio, TX, March 20, 2019

The Changing Philanthropic Landscape

Ignite! Conference

San Francisco, May 17, 2017

Using Your Size to Your Advantage

Canadian Association of Gift Planners

Toronto, March 30, 2017

Philanthropy > Fundraising

Guest Lecture

Schulich School of Business, October 20, 2015

Mighty Major Gifts

Association of Fundraising Professionals

Kingston, Ontario, January 30, 2017

Management and Accountability

Association for Fundraising Professionals

Ryerson University, February 9, 2016

Fundraising in a post Trump/Brexit world

Association of Fundraising Professionals

Toronto, June 8, 2017

Becoming a Successful Charity Director Masterclass

International Fundraising Conference

Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 14, 2014

Expertise

  • Women & Nonprofit
  • Volunteer Development
  • Volunteer Engagement
  • Volunteer Leadership and Development
  • Trends in nonprofit sector
  • Philanthropy and Non-Profits
  • Philanthropy and the Non-Profit Sector
  • Philanthropy Trends
  • Nonprofit Management
  • NGO's
  • Management & Leadership
  • Governance and leadership
  • Governance
  • Governance & Board Relations
  • Giving
  • Giving and Planned Giving
  • Giving Trends
  • Fund Development
  • Fund Raising
  • Donations
  • Charity Event Fundraising Best Practices
  • Charity Fund Raising
  • Charities
  • Charity Ethics
  • Board & Volunteer Management
  • Board Development
  • Board Director

Education/Éducation

  • Schulich School of Business
    Non-Profit Management
    MBA, 2011