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PHOTO BY AARON PEDERSEN
TINA THOMAS
CEO, Edmonton Community Foundation
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
ast year Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) released its three-year Strategic Plan. It’s an ambitious and exciting road map that will guide us through 2026
as we work with our partners to enrich communities now and for generations.
At the heart of our strategic vision lies three pivotal goals: delivering impact, expanding community awareness and delivering exceptional experiences to our stakeholders. To achieve these goals, we need to understand the perspectives of our donors, grantees and community collaborators.
Following the recent completion of donor and grantee perception surveys this spring, we are ready to build on our
strengths — such as fostering meaningful staff-donor interactions, and our pivotal role as a pillar of support for charities in Edmonton — while actively addressing areas for improvement. This includes increasing awareness about the work we do and spending
more time with our community partners to better understand their work.
These survey results have filled us with renewed enthusiasm as we embark on an eventful summer. Notably, Edmonton will host Connect & Collaborate, the inaugural conference for the newly established Association of Grantmakers in Alberta (AGA).
The AGA provides opportunities for grant makers to build relationships, increase understanding of the role each one plays, enhance knowledge of community needs, share practical learning to increase the effectiveness of granting and strengthen the impact
of grants for the betterment of the communities we
all serve. The AGA brings together a mix of granters who serve Alberta communities, including United Ways, Community Foundations, Private Foundations, Governments and Government Agencies.
We strive to be a catalyst for thriving communities, and hearing stories of people coming together to support each other inspires us. This is why we’re thrilled to announce Tareq Hadhad, CEO of Peace by Chocolate, as our keynote speaker for the 2024 Annual Luncheon on June 20th.
Originally from Damascus, Tareq will share his harrowing journey from a Lebanese refugee camp to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where he and his family started Peace by Chocolate — a thriving business with a sense of community at its heart. Despite losing everything, he was able to rebuild a life in the Canadian Maritimes thanks to the generosity
of Canadians and the transformative power of compassion. We hope you enjoy this issue of Legacy in Action magazine.
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