INTEGRALIntros
INTEGRALIntros are FREE 1-hour webinars on topics of interest to your organization's management, board members, and staff. If there is a topic that you would like to learn about, please let us know. Watch our webinars on demand.
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Do you want to level up your knowledge? You may be interested in IntegralOrg's additional training in governance, finance, legal compliance, or risk management.
INTRO to Human Resources for Nonprofits
Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 1-2pm with Mariana Nimara
Join IntegralOrg for a free interactive virtual workshop designed for nonprofit leaders, managers, and multitasking team members alike.
No matter your role or the size of your organization, this session will give you the HR fundamentals you need to support your team and strengthen your impact.
We’ll cover:
- Why HR matters in today’s nonprofit landscape.
- 2025 trends shaping Alberta’s nonprofit sector.
- How leadership and culture drive performance.
- Key HR functions, legal must-knows, and common challenges—with real-world solutions.
You’ll leave with practical tools, helpful resources you can start using right away, and clarity on when to seek outside HR support. Ready to build a healthier, more effective workplace?
Instructor Mariana Nimara is a seasoned HR Consultant and People-First Strategist with over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources and nonprofit sector. She is the Principal Consultant & Founder of Thrive Consulting Services Ltd., a provider of HR and nonprofit management consulting services. Mariana brings a strong understanding of the unique challenges that nonprofits face, especially those without in-house HR teams. Over the years, Mariana has helped nonprofits improve staff recruitment, clarify policies, boost employee retention, and create inclusive, resilient workplace cultures. Her ability to mobilize people and resources makes her a trusted advisor to mission-driven organizations.
INTRO to Leadership: The practice of leadership for nonprofit organizations
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 1-2pm with Leslie Tamagi and Mike Grogan
Leaders in the nonprofit sector - at any level of an organization - are dedicated individuals who are passionate about serving our communities. They strive in creative ways towards change.
Effective nonprofit leadership is an ongoing journey and intentional practice. Whether you are working on systems level community change, running a nonprofit organization, or leading a team – impactful leadership requires an understanding of self and an openness to learning. The past few years have intensified the long-standing threats to our sector’s ability to deliver on mission with higher demand for services, limited resources, and major shifts to the way we do work. Now more than ever we need to support the passionate individuals at the helms of their cause so we can continue to sustainably serve our communities.
In this free 1-hour workshop for senior leaders, team leads, and aspiring leaders, Leslie Tamagi and Mike Grogan give an overview of leadership theory balanced with ways to put knowledge into practice.
Topics include:
- The three Domains of Leadership: Developing leadership within your self, your team, and your community.
- The need for intentional leadership development.
- Evolving leadership to meet emerging needs in the nonprofit sector.
- Common myths of leadership and the most desired traits of leaders.
Leslie Tamagi has more than 25 years' experience as CEO of diverse organizations and understands firsthand the complex challenges facing management, staff, and boards in the nonprofit sector. For more than a decade she has worked with nonprofit organizations, providing training and supporting them through their risk management journeys. She is passionate about supporting leaders to be successful and is currently consulting in the nonprofit sector in many aspects of leadership, including risk management.
IntegralOrg President & CEO, Mike Grogan, has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years and is recognized for his ability to inspire nonprofit organizations to tackle complex issues and create sustainable solutions to organizational and community issues. Mike’s passion is helping organizations understand the ever-evolving ecosystem and working with organizational teams to build capacities to respond and adapt to a changing environment.
INTRO to Risk Management: Building resilience for nonprofit organizations
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 1-2pm with Leslie Tamagi
Risk management allows us to ask the question of whether we are taking the most appropriate risks to effectively and responsibly serve our communities.
You’ll come away inspired by what a risk-aware culture could look like at your nonprofit, with a deeper understanding of how to plan proactively for both the threats facing your organization day-to-day and the exciting opportunities on your horizon that require bold but risk-informed decision-making. As we emerge from a turbulent chapter, we will explore the lessons we take forward in addressing the top risks facing nonprofits in late 2025.
The workshop will also include a demonstration of IntegralOrg’s Risk Management Toolkit, a free, interactive online tool to help organizations track and monitor progress in the development of best practices and proactive strategies to mitigate risk.
Leslie Tamagi has more than 25 years' experience as CEO of diverse organizations and understands firsthand the complex challenges facing management, staff, and boards in the nonprofit sector. For more than a decade she has worked with nonprofit organizations, providing training and supporting them through their risk management journeys. She is passionate about supporting leaders to be successful and is currently consulting in the nonprofit sector in many aspects of leadership, including risk management.
INTRO to Strategic Planning: Crafting the future of your nonprofit
Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 1-2pm with Mike Grogan
Leading a nonprofit or charitable organization in today’s rapidly changing environment can be challenging, as is navigating a route forward when much of the world we know is shifting and the future remains uncertain.
Strategic planning processes enable organizations to understand their current and past operating states, create a vision for the future, and determine what steps they should take to achieve that vision.
In this interactive virtual session, we will introduce participants to the concepts of strategic planning as well as tools to use in an emergent and uncertain environment.
Topics include:
- Tools and processes to better understand an organization’s current capacities.
- External trends and forces that will impact organizations moving forward.
- The process for turning a broad vision into a coherent strategy with well-defined objectives and a plan of activities.
- The components of the cycle of strategic planning and how to adapt these within a rapidly changing environment.
- How to develop approaches to keep strategy front and centre and building ownership throughout the organization.
IntegralOrg President & CEO, Mike Grogan, has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years and is recognized for his ability to inspire nonprofit organizations to tackle complex issues and create sustainable solutions to organizational and community issues. Mike’s passion is helping organizations understand the ever-evolving ecosystem and working with organizational teams to build capacities to respond and adapt to a changing environment.
INTRO to Continuity Planning: Preparing your nonprofit for the unexpected
Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 1-2pm with Matt Sawatsky
This interactive session is built for nonprofit leaders, managers, and operational staff who want to stop “hoping for the best” and to start planning for the unexpected.
No matter what your organization’s size or area of focus, this introduction will show how continuity planning can safeguard your mission and the people who rely on the services it provides.
What we will cover:
- What business continuity really means and why it matters to your organization.
- Why nonprofits in Alberta need continuity programs to survive natural and man-made disruptions to their day-to-day operations.
- The essential building blocks of a continuity program.
- Simple, practical steps that you can take today to protect your organization’s programs and people.
You will leave with clear takeaways, helpful resources, and the foundations to start building resilience in your own organization. Don’t wait for the next crisis to test your readiness. Register now and take the first step toward protecting your mission
Matt Sawatsky is a Certified Emergency Manager and Certified Business Continuity Professional with 15 years of experience in risk management and emergency planning field. He is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Highwood Continuity, a Calgary and surrounding areas based consulting firm, specializing in helping nonprofits and private organizations reduce risk, minimize interruptions, and strengthen resilience through comprehensive continuity programming. Matt has helped organizations prepare for everything from the 2013 Southern Alberta floods and the Fort McMurray wildfires, to cyberattacks, staff shortages, facility closures, and sudden funding cuts. He brings a practical, nonprofit-centered approach that makes complex planning feel manageable and directly relevant to the realities that Calgary and Alberta nonprofits face every day.
INTRO to Fundraising: Effective strategies for nonprofits
Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 1-2pm with Derek Bechthold
For many nonprofits, fundraising is not only hard work, but it can be overwhelming – and the resources required to fundraise successfully can take away from your core work. But this does not have to be the case.
For organizations large and small, raising needed funds through donor support can – and must – be a powerful part of any nonprofit’s financing model. For “fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.” (Hank Rosso)
This session will introduce the basics of fundraising, with an emphasis on practical tools, tactics, and strategies that smaller organizations can utilize to build capacity and sustainability for their organization. We have updated this session to include discussions about artificial intelligence, the culture of giving with your board of directors, and trends of 2026.
Participants will come away from this workshop with:
- An understanding of the current giving trends in Canada and how this can impact your organization in 2026.
- A greater appreciation for the cost benefit analysis and return on investment in fundraising (or “Fundraising from the corner of your desk”.)
- Strategies on ‘The Ask’ – who to ask, when to ask, how to ask.
- A firm grasp on stewardship – the science and art of thanking.
- Essential tools that will enhance your fundraising efforts.
Derek Bechthold's career, spanning 24+ years has had him the honour of contributing to a myriad of nonprofits and charities from a multitude of sectors including Wood's Homes, Inn from the Cold, The Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured, and The Brenda Strafford Foundation. These agencies have ranged in budgets from $500,000 to $85 million, and fundraising departments from 7 full-time employees to one-person shops. Derek has dabbled in every manner of fund development and is well versed in high-level strategic development down to the tactical minutiae of fundraising.
INTRO to Governance: Principles of good governance for nonprofits
Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 1-2pm with Mike Grogan
Understanding the principles of governance is integral to the smooth and effective running of any nonprofit or charitable organization. No matter the size or scope of your organization, taking the time to make sure the board is engaged and aligned is critical.
This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the three interconnected areas of responsibility – fiduciary, strategic, and generative – and the board’s role in focusing on the entire organization and working together as a whole.
This session will include:
- Understanding principles of good governance and the foundations of working together as a board.
- Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of individual board members and the board as a whole including understanding three interconnected areas of responsibility for boards – fiduciary, strategic, and generative responsibility.
- Understanding the role of the senior executive, and the differences between board and staff and how they work with each other.
IntegralOrg President & CEO, Mike Grogan, has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years and is recognized for his ability to inspire nonprofit organizations to tackle complex issues and create sustainable solutions to organizational and community issues. Mike’s passion is helping organizations understand the ever-evolving ecosystem and working with organizational teams to build capacities to respond and adapt to a changing environment.
Watch past events!
Click below to watch a workshop - or for workshop recordings, slides, and resources, watch on demand.
INTRO to Fundraising: Effective strategies for nonprofits
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
This session introduces the basics of fundraising, with an emphasis on practical tools, tactics, and strategies that smaller organizations can utilize to build capacity and sustainability for their organization. Topics include: An understanding of the current giving trends in Canada and how this can impact your organization; the cost benefit analysis and return on investment in fundraising; strategies on ‘The Ask’ – who to ask, when to ask, how to ask; stewardship – the science and art of thanking; essential tools that will enhance your fundraising efforts. Watch the video or access the on-demand workshop package with recording, slides, and resources.
INTRO to Governance: Principles of good governance for nonprofits
Wednesday, May 15, 2025
Understanding the principles of governance is integral to the smooth and effective running of any nonprofit or charitable organization. This workshop provides an overview of the basics of governance and board functioning including the three interconnected areas of responsibility – fiduciary, strategic, and generative – and the board’s role in focusing on the entire organization and working together as a whole. Watch the video or access the on-demand workshop package with recording, slides, and resources.
INTRO to Strategic Planning: Crafting the future of your nonprofit organization
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Leading a nonprofit organization in today’s rapidly changing environment can be challenging, as is navigating a route forward when much of the world we know is shifting and the future remains uncertain. Strategic planning processes enable organizations to understand their current and past operating states, create a vision for the future, and determine what steps they should take to achieve that vision. This workshop introduces participants to the concepts of strategic planning as well as tools to use in an emergent and uncertain environment. Watch the video or access the on-demand workshop package with recording, slides, and resources.
INTRO to Risk Management: Building resilience for nonprofit organizations
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Risk management allows us to ask the question of whether we are taking the most appropriate risks to effectively and responsibly serve our communities. Discover what risk-aware culture could look like at your nonprofit and gain a deeper understanding of how to plan proactively for both the threats facing your organization day-to-day and the exciting opportunities on your horizon that require bold but risk-informed decision-making. Watch the video. or access the on-demand workshop package with recording and slides.
INTRO to Leadership: The practice of leadership for nonprofit organizations
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Leaders in the nonprofit sector are dedicated individuals who are passionate about serving their communities and striving in creative ways towards social change. Effective nonprofit leadership is an ongoing journey and intentional practice. Whether you are working on systems level community change, running a nonprofit organization, or leading a team – impactful leadership requires an understanding of self and an openness to learning. This workshop covers: developing leadership within your self, your team, and your community; evolving leadership to meet emerging needs in the nonprofit sector; and responsive leadership - adapting your role to real time. Watch the video or access the on-demand workshop package with recording and slides.
INTRO to Finance: The controls and policies every nonprofit needs
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
This workshop provides an overview of the basics of nonprofit financial responsibilities, controls, and policies including: the respective roles of the board, the treasurer and the bookkeeper or accountant; financial information that the board needs to make informed financial decisions; the purpose of “internal controls” and key controls to put in place; and how budgeting relates to internal controls. Watch the video or access the on-demand workshop package with recording and slides.
INTRO to Human Resources: Managing the employee lifecycle and regulatory issues
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
This session introduces the basics of human resources management, with an emphasis on the employee lifecycle – from attracting talent to managing transitions – and the regulatory environment both external (laws and regulations) and internal (policy and procedures). This workshop provides an understanding of the Employee Life Cycle, an overview of the provincial and federal employment standards, Occupational Health and Safety considerations, and information about laws impacting human resources. Watch the video, get slides and resources.
INTRO to Social Enterprise: Which legal structure should we choose?
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Enterprising charities and nonprofits should understand that the restrictions around earning revenue and generating profit and the optimal legal structure for a social enterprise may vary widely depending on what legislation the organization is incorporated under, as well as the organization's strategy and circumstances. This session covers: CRA-related business rules for charities; The most common statutes (Societies Act, Companies Act, CNCA) for nonprofits and charities operating in Alberta; and the legal regulations on social enterprises imposed by the Income Tax Act. Watch the video.