Next Program

FALL 2026
Online Version: starts September 16, 2026

Program Duration

Your Community, your career, your move!

Whether you are looking to lead or deepen your impact in administration — this program is developed in collaboration with West Island Community Shares for upcoming and new administrators and executive directors or Board of Directors administrators. This course is designed for individuals currently working or volunteering in the non-profit sector as leaders, board members, volunteers, or administration staff.

Led by a dynamic and experienced team of professionals, participants will learn the fundamentals of leading in the non-profit sector, deepening their knowledge and skills, and learning from a range of resources and perspectives.

What You’ll Gain

• Learn about effective management practices and strategies to drive impact
• Apply practical management tools grounded in real-world case studies
• Develop leadership skills
• Build a network with current non-profit leaders and participants

Program Topics

Module one – Introduction to the sector, Governance and Strategic Planning

• The Non-profit Ecosystem in Quebec and Canada
• Governance Models
• Board-Executive Director Relationship
• Diversity and Governance
• Strategic Planning
• Strategy Implementation and Impact Measurement
• The Role of Technology and AI in Nonprofits Operations
• Sources of Government Financing

Module two – Operations, Human Resources and Finance

• Winning HR Policies and Procedures
• Staff and Volunteer Recruitment and Management
• Financial Management
• Government Financing
• Grant writing and funding sources

Module three – Fundraising and Communications

• The Donor Landscape
• Principles of Fundraising
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Fundraising
• Types of Fundraising: Annual Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Legacy Giving, Events, Direct Mail
• Communications and Stakeholder Management and more

Amanda Fritz, CFRE, MPNL
Director, Major Gifts and Campaign Tracking
CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation

Amanda Fritz is a fundraising matchmaker! Her passion is to connect philanthropically-minded people with the high-impact projects and ideas that will truly make a difference in the world. Amanda has completed degrees in Psychology and Public Relations at McGill University. In 2013 she earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive accreditation (CFRE), becoming one of the youngest CFRE professionals in Quebec. In 2020, Amanda obtained her Masters in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership from Carleton University.

Amanda’s 18-year career in the non-profit sector spans education, health, and community. She is passionate about leveraging data and modernizing the way our field’s professionals approach major giving, capital campaigns, and volunteer management. In addition to her role as Co-Chair of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy – Canada, Amanda proudly serves on the Board of Directors of the Montreal Children’s Library and Champions for Life. 

Yves Picard: General Manager, Carrefour jeunesse emploi Ouest de l’Ile and CJE Marquette

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sexology, Yves Picard has worked with young people and adults since 1986, first at a youth center and then at a youth consultation office. In 1998, he became General Manager of Carrefour Jeunesse-emploi (CJE) Marquette; in 2001, he also accepted the general management of CJE Ouest-de-Île.

Since then, Yves has managed both effectively and led to exceptional results while implementing mechanisms and internal policies. He is one of the initial promoters and now president of the Regroupement Lachine Social Economy Project that has enabled the conversion of a former IGA into offices for community groups.

Yves currently sits on the board of directors of CDEC LaSalle-Lachine, Réseau réussite Montréal, Concertation Montréal and PME MTL West-Island.

Marlo Turner-Ritchie: Founder and Principal Consultant at Social Impact Consulting / Conseil Impact Social

Marlo Turner Ritchie is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Social Impact Consulting / Conseil Impact Social. For the past twenty five years she has dedicated herself to grassroots organizing, non-profit management and governance. As a former Executive Director, she understands first hand the challenges that leaders in the field face. Marlo and her team are deeply committed to social justice, anti-oppression and de-colonization work and have consulted with over eighty non-profits, coops and foundations of varying sizes and missions over the past six years. She is a founding member of the NDG Art Hive and President of the Unitarian Church of Montreal. She identifies as a queer woman and white settler and lives with her partner and eight year-old in NDG.

Adrienn( Adri) Lukács: Consultante Principale / Principal Consultant at Social Impact Consulting / Conseil Impact Social

Adri joined Social Impact Consulting in 2020 after over 15 years in the domestic and international nonprofit sectors promoting human rights, arts, culture, and women’s rights.  As the Interim Director of Women Aware, during the pandemic Adri re-built the organization by recruiting a vast network of new volunteers, stabilizing its finances through a new fundraising strategy, and coaching volunteers and staff. Before that, as the Co-Director of NDG Arts Week, Adri coordinated the 2018 edition of the NDG Arts Week Festival, which drew over 10,000 attendees, and launched the Imagine Monkland Festival, which welcomed 180,000 people during its first edition.

At Social Impact Consulting, Adri helps clients strengthen their governance structures, refine their strategic plans and fundraising strategies, and introduce bylaws and policies tailored to their institutional cultures.

Outside of work, Adri enjoys camping, body moving, and activities with friends and family, and her dog Jazz.

Madeleine Aldana Cohen: Principal at Madeleine Aldana Cohen Consulting & Facilitation

Madeleine Aldana Cohen (she/they) is a facilitator and consultant. She helps community organizations to thrive by supporting them to develop HR policies and practices that provide the foundation for cultures of care, communication, and generative feedback. They draw from 15 years in Montreal’s community sector, and weave together perspectives gained through their experiences in frontline, leadership, and consulting roles. Madeleine identifies as a white settler with mixed Guatemalan Jewish ancestry, and has an approach grounded in anti-racism, feminism, and queerness.