Vital Signs

Orientation

Community foundations taking the pulse of Canadian communities

January 12th 2009

Sara Lyons, Program Manager, CFC

Introductions

• Name

• Foundation

• Role with the Foundation

• One thing you’d like from today

Agenda

• The Vital Signs Initiative

• Producing Vital Signs

• National Coordination & Support

• The Benefits

• Next Steps

The Vital Signs Initiative

The Starting Point

• Toronto’s Vital Signs - mid-1990’s

• National program - 2006

• 5 foundations published - 2006

• Expansion - 2007: 11 reports

2008: 15 reports

2009: Anticipate approx 17

Vital Signs Goals

• To measure the health of community• To provide accessible information• To engage community• To encourage action on issues• To inform the community foundation’s

ongoing work• To build the profile of the foundation

Vital Signs Issue Areas

• Arts & culture• Belonging &

leadership• Environment• Gap between rich &

poor• Getting started in our

community

• Health & wellness

• Housing

• Learning

• Safety

• Work

Headlines

Region under microscopeThe Cambridge Times

Homeless, crime, cost of living dominate concerns in report on city

Red Deer Advocate

Hat’s OK, but there’s room for improvementMedicine Hat News

Sudbury booming, but poor get poorer: report

The Sudbury Star

Much work to do: ReportNB Telegraph Journal (Saint John)

2008 Reports

Producing Vital Signs

What it Includes

• Community consultation & engagement

• Data collection & interpretation

• Indicator selection & grading

• Publication of the report

• Promotion of the report’s release

• Evaluation & integration into rest of foundation’s work

The Cost

• Human Resources– Planning – Coordination– Production

• Financial– Research– Publication– Events

Funding Options

• Grants

• Donors

• Discretionary funds

• Sponsorships

• Operational funds

National Coordination & Support

CFC’s Role

• To help members do Vital Signs, & do it

well

• To administer, promote & monitor the

program

• To build the national profile of the program

and of the CF movement

CFC Support

• Vital Signs manual• Training & coaching• Web site/collaboration space• Promotion tools (e.g. FAQs, news releases)• Evaluation tools (in development)• National report• Centralized research

Common Elements

• Annual release date• Ten issue areas• Ten core indicators• Description of what Vital Signs is• Report title• Registered trademark• Wordmark• CFC attribution

The Benefits

Why do Vital Signs

• Links Foundation’s work to the community

• Provides community leadership

• Increases Foundation’s understanding of the

community

• Supports donors need for information

• Informs Foundation’s work

• Increases profile of Foundation

Success Stories

• Community needs addressed

• Awareness/profile

• New funding, new donors

• Partnerships

• Community involvement

Organizational Impact

• Strategic planning • Increased awareness• Increased donations• New donors• Grantmaking• Community participation• Resources

Next Steps

Environmental Scanning

• Questions to ask about Vital Signs for your community:– What exists in your community?– Is there room for another?– Is there a unique role Vital Signs can play?– Can it add value?– Can it extend the reach or build on existing capacity?– Is there an opportunity to work with another

community foundation and provide a regional report?

Getting Started

• CFC Application– Agreement to terms of participation– Implementation plan overview– Community engagement description– Resourcing methods (human & financial)– Applying Vital Signs to your work intentions

Tele-Seminars

• Getting Started

• Indicators

• Marketing & Communications

• Integrating VS into your work and Evaluation (planned)

Wrap-up

• Questions/comments

• Discussion items

Thank you!

Community foundations taking the pulse of Canadian communities