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I hope that you all had a safe and happy holiday and are as excited about this new year as I am.

Last year I was intrigued by the possibilities of social enterprise in our sector, the role of labour in philanthropy and finding funders around the globe and across cultural differences. These areas led to some of our most popular sessions last year and will be emphasized again in 2013.

In our first session of the year, Starting a Social Enterprise – The first five years  to be broadcast January 24 with Elizabeth Lougheed Green of VanCity will show you how to make your case to funders as well as the stages you can expect to go through with your enterprise in the first five years. Liz is a skilled presenter and few have more practical knowledge to share. Be sure to join us.

Our Social Enterprise theme will continue in April with an international perspective. Umeeda Switlo brought social enterprise and other fundraising ideas to a severely under resourced charity working with the disabled and the mentally ill in Rwanda. She will show you exactly how she did it. This is an inspiring story if you are working in a developing country but what she did can be easily applied right here as well. It is fundraising at its best. Look for this session Apri 4.

I hope to also include a session with B Corps and CICS as well. This is partcularly relevant to those of you in Nova Scotia and British Columbia where this kind of hybrid enterprise has now been approved. There will be a special package rate for those of you wanting to benefit from all the expert advise including the recording of Social Enterprise: Is it Legal?

Diversity Fundraising continues to be one of my passions for two main reasons.

1. We are often failing to engage whole populations with our cause. Why? Fear of doing the wrong thing and ignorance that this is a real opportunity.

2. We live in a diverse, multicultural country. We need to understand each other and talk to each other. Working together to make our world a better place is one of the best ways I know to build lasting bridges between our communities.

I have two sessions in May 2013 which is diversity month at ConnieHubbs.com. Sharon Lee and Parag Tasdon are two practitioners who have done the heavy lifting with charity outreach to Muslim, Sikh, and Tamil communities among others. Learn how you can do this from this sucessess. tune in to Reacihng Di verse Communities May 2.

Alice Ferris of Goalbusters.com will present on Indigenous Philanthropy along with Ann-Mary Macleod a practitioner with Hispanics in New Mexicio and Noah Drezner who has written and presented extensively on this topic as well as working as a fundraiing professional. His special area of experise is Black Giving.

Join us for Opening Your Door – Inspiring Support from Diverse Communities May 23.

You can opt for the special for the diversity duo.

Also follow the important work of AFP Inclusive Giving. Follow my tweets on this and other topics @cvhubbs

I will also be scheduling sessions on Global Giving and Social Justice Philanthropy with details still TBA.

With all of this, we still need much practical advice on working with our boards. February 28 will feature Colleen Bradley and Ed Sluga with Engaging Your Board with Planned Giving.

Are you working with an organization that has to purchase a donor management system? Are you unhappy with the one you have and thinking of switching? I have spoken to so many organizations that are in exactly this situation. I have two of the leading North American experts in this area, Rob Weiner and Jeff Gignac with

Five Common Mistakes in Selecting Donor Databases (And How to Avoid Them) April 25. Never feat a salesman’s call again!

I will also be scheduling as session on choosing a foundation directory. I worked with many of you over the years and I know that this is a tough decision and it is so frustrating to make a mistake and to feel stuck with the wrong product. My session will focus on the ‘how’ of this process. We can all make the right choice if we go about it the right way. Date is TBA but will be announced shortly.

Terry Burton has been doing major gift research across North America since the eighties and he a leading expert on trends in this area. March 21 he presents on the phenomenon of Snowbirds and Philanthropy.

September, the incomparable Kay Sprinkle Grace will talk to us about how we are losing the confididence of our funders and what to do about it. Join us September 26 for How to Inspire Your Donors and Communicate Vision.

Few are as seasoned in fundraising as Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE who presents The 12-Step Cure for Event Addiction October 24.

There will be more, much more so stay tuned and send me any comments, questions or suggestions at your earliest convenience.