In This Issue

Hi First name / there,

 

As we reflect on International Women’s Day and the conversations that filled March, one theme has been echoing across our work: women in the social profit sector aren’t just leading programs—they’re building the systems our future depends on.

 

This month’s feature on the Get Shit Done Foundation (GeShiDo) reminds us what’s possible when we take an angel investor approach to our philanthropy – investing in ideas, possibility and leadership. Gena Rotstein’s work challenges philanthropy to move from optics to outcomes, and from reports to real results. It’s adaptive, bold, and exactly the kind of thinking our sector needs more of.

 

The women featured in this issue aren’t waiting for permission or perfection. They’re designing infrastructure, shifting narratives, and redefining what it means to lead, all while finding the balance between 'we move at the speed of trust' and 'move fast and break things.' Let’s keep backing them like the social entrepreneurs we need - because our communities need new social innovations, swift action and less red tap to address the complex pressing issues facing our society. 

Warmly,

 

This Month In One Number

87%

Percentage of funded projects under the Women’s Program initiative (aligned with the UN SDGs) successfully developed and implemented solutions to systemic barriers faced by women in 2021-22. These projects supported leadership, economic security, and equitable conditions for women, many of which were nonprofit-led initiatives.
Source: Government of Canada

A bimonthly feature where sector thought leaders dive in on timely social profit topics.

 

Women aren’t just participating in the social sector—they're shaping it. From nonprofit boards to corporate community investment portfolios, women are influencing how decisions are made, how funding flows, and how systems evolve.

 

Nearly 80% of Canada’s social profit workforce is made up of women, yet leadership roles and funding remain disproportionately out of reach. While women consistently lead with vision, resilience, and deep community insight, their leadership is too often undervalued—seen as caretaking rather than changemaking.

 

And yes, many women leaders can stretch a $25,000 grant into something that sustains impact. But should they have to? We don’t solve homelessness, food insecurity, or mental health crises by rewarding scarcity. We do it by investing in the right people, with the right strategies, to drive scalable solutions.

 

At Bespoke, we are engaging with enterprising women who bring not just passion, but strategy—leaders with a clear vision, an evolving business model, and a sharp understanding of the gaps in our systems. These are not simply program managers. They are social architects.

 

Let’s move past the idea that women are just better at doing more with less. Let’s recognize and fund them for what they really are: builders of a more equitable, sustainable future.

The Get Shit Done Foundation (GeShiDo), founded by Gena Rotstein, offers a different approach. GeShiDo doesn’t fund programs or reports. It builds infrastructure. Its goal? Move one million people from crisis to stability by 2030.

 

GeShiDo pools donor funds and allocates them to vetted cohorts addressing issues like housing, addiction, and food insecurity– offering unrestricted, multi-year funding to leaders closest to the problem. This is adaptive philanthropy: collaborative, responsive, and grounded in trust.

 

“We’re not dictating outcomes from a boardroom,” Rotstein says. “We’re co-creating them with the people doing the work.”

 

GeShiDo pools donor funds and allocates them to vetted cohorts addressing housing, addiction, and food insecurity. But they don’t fund symptoms – they fund solutions. “We look at the problem, not the symptoms. And we fund people working at the infrastructure level to remove the root causes.” 

 

Systemic change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The women leading it know that even the most transformative ideas need the right conditions to take root. Beyond visionary leadership, it takes coordinated effort, long-term thinking, and access to funding models that match the scale of the work.

The Social Profit Sector Index

Need to know 

NICE to know

CAUSE For Applause

Critical to address

pAGE TURNER WITH A PURPOSE

Spotlighting partnerships between social profit providers, public and private interest holders and philanthropic contributors.

P4 Spotlight

A Global Vision Rooted in Feminist Leadership

While Calgary is home to incredible women-led initiatives, one Canadian organization is redefining what global feminist leadership looks like. The Equality Fund, originally founded as The MATCH International Women’s Fund, is a bold, Ottawa-based initiative that brings together public, private, philanthropic, and social profit sectors to fuel long-term solutions for gender equity around the world.

 

At its heart lies a powerful idea: shift power and capital directly to women, girls, and gender-diverse people leading change in their communities. The Equality Fund isn’t just supporting this work—it’s reimagining how it’s funded.

In 2019, the Equality Fund launched with a landmark $300 million commitment from the Government of Canada, catalyzing a new model of feminist finance. Rather than relying solely on traditional grants, the Fund combines impact investing and strategic philanthropy to build a sustainable platform for global gender justice.

 

By partnering with financial institutions, private funders, and feminist leaders—especially from the Global South—the Fund ensures its approach is both innovative and deeply grounded in community expertise.

 

Through its P4 approach, the Equality Fund offers more than funding—it offers a blueprint for collaboration, sustainability, and transformative impact on a global scale.

Join us for an evening of inspiration and action as we explore bold, community-driven solutions to the housing crisis—alongside our partners at Partners for Affordable Housing, who will be celebrating their national launch. This exclusive gathering will spotlight the power of P4 partnerships and elevate innovative approaches that prioritize people, dignity, and possibility.

 

 

 

Keynote by Mitchell Cohen, CEO of The Daniels Corporation, sharing lessons from Regent Park’s transformation through the power of P4 partnerships

Performance by Wakefield Brewster, Calgary’s first Black Poet Laureate, with spoken-word reflections on resilience and housing

Western Canada launch of Mitchell Cohen’s new book Rhythms of Change

Fireside conversations and campaign spotlights

 

✅ Register Your Team: Ensure key stakeholders are in the room