Group representing non-profits gets new leader amid ‘challenging’ times

It can be a challenge trying to explain what it’s like to work in the world of non-profit organizations, says Erin Strachan.

Work in the non-profit sector can be hard to explain, says Erin Strachan, the new executive director of the Nunavut Association of Non-Profit Organizations. (Photo courtesy of Erin Strachan)

“My brother works for a beer and wine distribution company,” said Strachan, the new executive director of the Nunavut Association of Non-Profit Organizations, in an interview from Ottawa where she is based.

“My dad called me recently and said, ‘What do you actually do, Erin? It’s easy to tell people what your brother does, but not you.'”

Strachan said her career has involved running training programs and workshops, and managing non-profits to help them grow while remaining efficient.

Originally from Saskatchewan, she has worked with Inuit for the past 16 years including in Baker Lake where she helped start the Abluqta Society’s thrift shop and food bank.

She also previously worked for Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and as an instructor at Algonquin College in Ottawa.

Strachan joined the Nunavut Association of Non-Profit Organizations in early January after former executive director Jessie Hale moved to Annauma Community Foundation in Iqaluit in October.

In addition to Strachan, there is one other employee plus an eight-member board made up of representatives from different Nunavut non-profit groups.

The association supports Nunavut non-profits and acts as a “collective voice” for its members in working with the territorial and federal governments.

There are about 250 non-profits across Nunavut; 92 are members of the association.

“I think it’s probably one of the highest numbers of non-profits per capita anywhere in Canada,” Strachan said.

“I feel like it has to do with Inuit culture — the culture of contributing to the community and making things better for the community.”

She said she comes in at a “challenging” time for Nunavut non-profits.

That’s due to changes with the Inuit Child First Initiative, a federal program that helped fund non-profits in Nunavut and offered a universal food voucher program for families with Inuit children and youths.

Because of those changes, some non-profits directly funded through the initiative were forced to cut services, such as Ilitaqsiniq and its early years program in Baker Lake, Naujaat, Rankin Inlet and Arviat.

At the same time, the end of the federally funded universal food voucher program — replaced with one that considers the needs of each individual child — puts additional strain on food banks. In Iqaluit, the Iqaluit Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre is serving record numbers of meals per day, organizers say.

And with federal funding for Nunavut non-profits put on hold, funding from the territorial government can be difficult to access for many organizations.

“The [Nunavut] government has many different departments and the way they issue funding has been kind of complex,” Strachan said.

The association has long advocated for a more centralized process for the Nunavut government to approve funding for non-profits.

“High priority for us is working with different funding agencies and governments, to create conditions for success for our non-profits,” Strachan said.