Mind shifting at PPI

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10 June 2016

Jeff Calbick, United Way British Columbia, and Andrea Harris, Vancity lead a session at United Way’s Public Policy Institute.

How do you measure community progress and change beyond reporting out on the financial return on investment? Not an easy answer. But last month, 24 students who are attending the 2016 edition of the United Way Public Policy Institute (UWPPI) found out. Andrea Harris, Director of Member and Community Insights for Vancity together with Jeff Calbick, Vice President, Community Impact and Investment, United Way British Columbia, co-presented a session on the challenges of measuring social impact. UWPPI Faculty member Ida Goodreau, Adjunct Professor at the Sauder School of Business and former CEO of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, led this 5th monthly session which focused on the real world challenges of implementing public policy, and monitoring and evaluating its impact “Vancity is made up of investors and lenders. Things are pretty linear in the financial world.” Said Andrea Harris. ‘Community change is not linear at all. So we asked ourselves how, as a financial institution, do we measure the social and environmental change that we and our community partners are trying to affect? Addressing this challenge led us on an interesting journey and ultimately a shift in what we measure and the goals we set” Harris went on to say that this mind shift was all part of Vancity’s vision to redefine wealth in a way that enhances its member and community well-being. Vancity is a forward-looking, values-based financial co-operative committed to transforming how banking is done to better help their members and their local communities thrive— financially, socially, and environmentally. The session inspired a lively discussion amongst participants who also recognized the contributions that both Vancity and United Way have made in enabling the kind of change that is crucial to the overall development of healthy, thriving communities. As a Premier Sponsor of UWPPI for a second year , Vancity is helping to equip the leaders, movers, and shakers of the not-for-profit sector with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to drive public policy change. The result? Strong, vibrant, and healthy communities—something United Way and Vancity are both passionate about creating. “All the work we do is dependent on partnerships. We are better together in trying to achieve change and that’s why we are thrilled that Vancity continues to support the Public Policy Institute.” said Jeff Calibick. “Vancity operates less like a financial institution and more like a community institution which makes for a great partnership.” Between January and June of each year, UWPPI brings together not-for-profit leaders from across the province for monthly two-day training sessions. The objective is to help not-for-profits better understand and influence the public policy process. The United Way Public Policy Institute is now in its sixth year. This innovative training and capacity building program would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors and community visionaries like Vancity. From all of us at United Way, thank you for investing in the collective, social good!

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