Courtney Baker

As the kids head back to school, it is important to remember that learning isn't just for the young. September is also a great time for nonprofit organizations and professionals to think about professional development and make learning part of their plans for the year ahead. Nonprofits are expected...

My first job in the nonprofit sector was with the Fernie & District Arts Council, aka The Arts Station. What began as a job quickly became an introduction to the incredible impact nonprofit organizations can have on a community. Every exhibition, concert, workshop, and community event showed me that...

I feel like I have had a lot of unsuccessful things happen as of late – programs with low attendance, projects taking too long to close out, partnerships stalled, grants unsuccessful… The nonprofit world is often just a series of rejections. It doesn’t mean that your project is not a good one or...

For some time now, I have written this article, The Common Good, without addressing what the common good is. The common good refers to the shared benefits, resources, and social conditions that benefit all or most members of a community, rather than just individuals. It encompasses material...

Every year people around the world celebrate Earth Day by planting trees and turning off lights. It’s a day that reminds us how connected we are to the planet. But there’s an important question many people don’t stop to consider: who organizes the work behind these efforts? The answer is...

As my Instragram story recently pointed out, I work best when something is due five minutes ago. Much like this article was due yesterday…. literally. But I was desperately thinking of what to write and coming up with nothing, so I decided to scroll through my phone, as one does, and was hit with...

In every community, nonprofits fill gaps that the government alone cannot cover. They feed and house people, mentor newcomers, support seniors, protect the environment, and respond to urgent needs with creativity and flexibility. Government, of all levels, naturally want to support these efforts but...

Although the majority of Fernie has a different kind of season on their mind this month, local nonprofits are deep into a different one — budget season. From arts and culture to youth programs, environmental organizations, recreation, and social services, this is the time of year when many...

Immediately after the consumer chaos that is Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday rolls around on the first Tuesday of December. Giving Tuesday is meant to remind us to give back but let’s be honest, for most people, it’s a hashtag at best. That’s why this year, maybe it’s time we do...

We often hear that life has a rhythm, a beat that our lives naturally subscribe to and that guide our actions and planning. Myself, I tend to subscribe to more of a chaos theory especially when it comes to nonprofit work. There is this idea that nonprofit work can be described like the seasons...