Five Good Ideas Podcast

Maytree Foundation
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The Five Good Ideas podcast airs some of the best sessions of Maytree’s popular lunch-and-learn program. For each session of Five Good Ideas, an expert from the non-profit or corporate sector shares five practical ideas on a key management issue facing non-profit organizations today. You find sessions from the past season at https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/.

  1. FEB 6

    Five Good Ideas on surviving succession: How to guide a founder-led non-profit into its next chapter

    In this Five Good Ideas session, Annie Kidder, co-founder and recently retired executive director of People for Education, shares her personal experience of what it's like to hand off your organization to the next generation. What really happens during succession – what works, what hurts, what do you need to let go of, and how does a founder-led organization steer into a future where it can continue to thrive? Her five good ideas:  1. Get a therapist 2. Identify foundational organizational values and beliefs and then build a new path forward 3. Determine where the founder adds value and where they have to get out of the way 4. Let go 5. Celebrate For Annie's full bio and resources, visit the session page.

    51 min

  2. 12/11/2025

    Five Good Ideas on what great non-profit boards get right

    In this Five Good Ideas session, Aleem Punja, Executive Director, Future Ready Initiative, Aga Khan Council for Canada, shared lessons from leading and advising boards across sectors. How can leading with head, heart, and homework transform governance from functional to exceptional?  His five good ideas:  1. Start with purpose, not paper 2. Govern, do not manage 3. Centre equity and pluralism in every decision 4. Build a strong, trust-based relationship with the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer 5. Commit to learning, preparation, and self-reflection For Aleem's full bio and resources, vist the session page.

    48 min

  3. 11/12/2025

    Five Good Ideas on surviving and thriving in social policy

    In this Five Good Ideas session, Sherri Torjman shares lessons from her 25 years at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. In a field as complex and challenging as social policy, how do we stay the course and make an impact? Her five good ideas: 1. Find your North Star 2. Do your homework 3. Dream big - and small 4. Create the pathways 5. Tell your story For Sherri's full bio and resources, visit the session page.

    52 min

  4. 06/03/2025

    Five Good Ideas for building a human-centred workplace in the AI era

    In this session, Zabeen Hirji, former Chief HR Officer at RBC and now in her Purposeful Third Act, explored how AI is reshaping the nature of work. As AI changes the relationship between employers and workers, why should people choose to work for your organization? How can organizations help their people thrive in this new era? Her five good ideas: 1. Help every employee understand their purpose 2. Start small, learn together, and stay curious 3. Build AI fluency, not technical mastery 4. Focus on change management 5. Invest in human skills For Zabeen's full bio and resources, vist the session page.

    46 min

  5. 05/06/2025

    Five Good Ideas for making organizational change work

    In this session, non-profit consultant Claire Forster discussed how to make meaningful and sustainable change in your organization. How do you integrate a new function or program into your current structure? How do you communicate with your teams to ensure that the change is not disruptive or disengaging? What implications are there for the existing teams and culture and how do you manage that? What issues do you need to anticipate and account for? Her five good ideas: Start with the end in mind Communicate what it isn’t Understand that employees and stakeholders have the answers Be opportunistic and leverage change to reinforce culture It’s not over when you think it is For Claire's full bio and resources, visit the session page.

    50 min

  6. 04/23/2025

    Five Good Ideas on supporting caregivers at the workplace

    Liv Mendelsohn and Christa Haanstra joined Five Good Ideas to discuss how to build a culture that recognizes and values caregiving. Their conversation with Elizabeth McIsaac highlighted that creating a caregiver-friendly workplace is compassionate and strategic. Organizations that recognize this gain a competitive edge through improved retention, productivity, and workplace culture. Liv and Christa's Five Good Ideas: Understand your workforce Provide equitable support Prioritize flexible work arrangements Recognize the value of caregiving skills in the workplace Build a caregiver-supportive culture For Liv and Christa's full bios and resources, visit the session page.

    48 min

  7. 03/07/2025

    Five Good Ideas on positive change in uncertain times

    Mohammed Hashim, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, joined Five Good Ideas to share practical strategies to bridge divides and foster positive change in challenging times. His conversation with Elizabeth McIsaac highlights the power of genuine dialogue, community resilience, and grassroots action in creating a more connected future. Mohammed's Five Good Ideas: Embrace difficult conversations Get offline and re-ignite in-person connection Online life is a reality: Trust humans, fact-check content Replenish your dopamine (and your feed) with people who build for better If you don’t like it, join the work to fix it For Mohammed's full bio and resources, visit the session page.

    51 min

  8. 02/10/2025

    Five Good Ideas on working with youth to bridge the democratic deficit

    Sharif Mahdy and Kwaku Agyemang, from the Students Commission of Canada, joined Five Good Ideas to share how organizations can engage youth to participate in systems change. “The deficit that we’re trying to address is this,” explained Sharif. “First, young people don’t get engaged and involved on these issues. Second, the process for engaging in our democracy is eroding. And the process for being able to engage in healthy discourse is being challenged for all sorts of reasons. What we’re offering here through these five good ideas is an approach that we’ve tried over time that could be scaled and could help address some of the deficits we’re currently experiencing.” Sharif and Kwaku’s five good ideas:  Youth engagement is both a process and an outcome Respect, listen, understand, and communicate Mutuality is a key to navigating increasing complexity of intergenerational partnerships  Work with youth to bridge the democratic deficit Youth are catalysts for systems change For Sharif and Kwaku's full bios and resources, visit the session page.

    50 min
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About

The Five Good Ideas podcast airs some of the best sessions of Maytree’s popular lunch-and-learn program. For each session of Five Good Ideas, an expert from the non-profit or corporate sector shares five practical ideas on a key management issue facing non-profit organizations today. You find sessions from the past season at https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/.

Information

  • Creator
    Maytree Foundation
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Five Good Ideas Podcast