Bob McInnis

I have been a member of the Calgary South Rotary Club for almost five years and it was at a recent meeting that I started reflecting on what being a member of this service organization has meant to me.

The Rotary Four-Way Test has been a cornerstone for how I operate in the world and how I envision my company operating.  In large part it is this test that helps articulate my corporate values internally and externally and also that which provides my team as a guiding framework for decision making – as a way to self-authorize decision making.

Read more »

Guest Blogger - Bob McInnis, Remarkable People: Bob is a provocateur and storyteller making meaning through the snippets, posts, presentations, and short stories he creates. Living in Calgary and California, he watches remarkable sunrises and amazing sunsets and tries to raise a bit of a ruckus between them.

On Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19, I was please to attend a Dexterity Ventures event exploring the question “Is your investing strategy undermining your philanthropic efforts?”

The Saturday night panel challenge the participants at Hotel Arts  to consider where we have our financial investments including RESPs and RRSPs and if these specific funds or companies were positively or negatively impacting our philanthropic efforts and the causes we are passionate about. The choice to invest in the environment versus opting to divest from energy companies was handled without the rancour and contempt that often arises. All the panelists understand that a measured transition is needed and a careful analysis of any unexpected or unintended side effects implemented.  Jenna Nicholas from Phoenix Global Impact shared with the group that they are undertaking a measured Divest/Invest approach that tests the thesis along the way rather than making a once and for all sell/buy decision.

Thank you to Nadine Riopel, Bob McInnis, Derek Brechtholdt and the others who tweeted out the draft of this brief, and most especially provided valuable feedback.

This brief was developed in response to a call from the House of Commons Finance Committee as they undergo a review process of Canada's charitable sector and the tax laws that govern the sector.  Recommendations range from the creation of a government appointed Ambassador of Philanthropy, creating clearer legislation around "reasonable profit" and social enterprise, and addressing the inconsistencies in the T3010 tax filing that do not address the critical information that donors need in order to make informed charitable decisions.