Making our voices heard
Board Voice is the only pan-provincial community social services organization in BC working at the governance level. We are leading discussions in the non-profit community social services sector and collaborating with our members and other organizations to provide innovative approaches to challenges. We are an effective advocate for our members with government and the media.
There are two ways you can be part of Board Voice:
Members: For boards of legally constituted not-for-profit organizations actively involved in direct provision of social services in British Columbia.
Associates: If you are an individual who wants to support the work of Board Voice, or an organization that does not deliver direct social services but wants to support our work, you can become an associate of Board Voice (non-voting). You will receive many of the same benefits as membership, including our monthly newsletters and weekly e-blasts keeping you up to date on advocacy efforts, policy trends, funding and engagement opportunities, and more.
Join us! Board Voice has an impressive membership of diverse community non-profit agencies from around the province, all delivering services relevant to the social determinants of health. View a list of member organizations here.
Board Voice focuses its work in three main areas:
Advocacy
As a collective of board-level volunteers and senior staff of community social service organizations – and as an agency funded exclusively through membership fees – Board Voice can approach government without fear of agency reprisals and without the perception that those presenting are concerned only for their agency. We work hard to establish respectful relationships with decision-makers, policy makers and political leaders, and are resolutely non-partisan.
Board Voice provides a go-to resource for news outlets looking for subject matter and background on issues relevant to our sector. We have been successful in approaches to media to gain more balanced representation of the work our sector does and the importance of our partnership with government in providing quality social care to all British Columbians.
Inter-Board Connectivity
We create opportunities to connect with other board members and senior staff in similar services or geographic areas strengthens all the organizations involved. New solutions to capacity issues, new opportunities to provide service to the community and new ways to approach contracts are all possible. Our annual conference in November provides an excellent opportunity for connecting, learning and sharing about the critical issues facing the social service sector and gives ‘voice’ to our members’ concerns.
Education and Skill Sharing
Effective governance can be challenging. It is often a new experience for volunteers or even professionals from the sector. Board Voice is a peer-to-peer organization that brings our members together to share and develop their expertise on governance issues and emerging practices, and to connect with the right people for important conversations around social care and the role of non-profits in providing it. We arrange workshops and bring in experts at our annual conferences to offer education and facilitate skills sharing.