By Danielle Rocheleau, CEO, Laridae
The recently published People First report by Imagine Canada delivers a powerful portrait of our sector – both inspiring in its scale and sobering in its systemic inequities. It underscores the critical, yet often undervalued, role of non-profit employees in Canada’s economy, and provides compelling evidence that culture is not a “soft” concept. It is foundational to our impact.
Culture is a Strategic Asset, Not an Afterthought
Organizational culture often feels intangible, but the numbers in this report make its implications concrete. Compared to the general Canadian workforce, non-profit workers are
- More educated
- More likely to be racialized or women
- Paid significantly less
This systemic compensation gap is not only unjust, it also:
- Erodes morale
- Fuels turnover
- Limits our sector’s potential
For those of us leading in this space, this calls for urgent cultural reflection. If our missions are rooted in equity, justice, and community well-being, our internal practices must mirror those values. Culture shapes whether staff feel seen, respected, and safe. It determines whether we retain our talented team members or burn them out in an underfunded, overburdened system.
From Awareness to Action: Culture in Practice
Culture isn’t built by accident – it’s cultivated through deliberate practices and courageous leadership. At Laridae, we often ask our clients: does your internal culture reflect your external mission? The People First report prompts all of us to revisit this question.
Here’s what we believe culture-forward organizations should be doing in response:
- Prioritize Decent Work Principles: Fair compensation, benefits, and job security must be non-negotiable. Pay transparency and equitable wage practices are powerful levers for trust and inclusion.
- Invest in Equity-Centered Leadership: The workforce is increasingly racialized and highly educated, yet structurally under-compensated. Leaders must actively dismantle inequities – not just through statements, but through hiring, policies, and everyday behaviours.
- Make Development and Recognition Core to Culture: Growth opportunities signal to staff that they are valued for who they are and what they bring. This is essential for morale, engagement, and retention.
For Boards and Organizational Leaders: Culture is a Leadership Responsibility
While funding constraints are real, the responsibility for cultivating equitable, people-centered workplaces also lies squarely with organizational leadership, especially boards and executive teams. The People First report makes it clear: without bold, values-aligned leadership, our sector risks deepening existing inequities and undermining its future workforce.
Here are key leadership priorities this data compels us to act on:
Make Decent Work a Strategic Priority
Boards and executives must treat fair compensation, job security, and supportive working conditions as essential to organizational health, not as nice-to-haves. This means budgeting for living wages and benefits and prioritizing staff well-being as part of strategic planning.
Integrate Equity into Governance and Oversight
Review your board’s own composition, practices, and assumptions. How is equity being embedded into your hiring, policy-setting, and performance evaluation processes? Is your board supporting management in implementing anti-racism and anti-oppression practices?
Champion Pay Transparency and Fairness
Boards can play a pivotal role in ensuring organizations adopt pay transparency, regularly audit for wage gaps, and align compensation strategies with equity and inclusion goals.
Invest in Leadership and Talent Development
Strategic leadership includes ensuring staff—especially racialized and younger employees—have access to mentorship, development pathways, and leadership opportunities. A robust, inclusive talent pipeline doesn’t emerge by accident.
Model Values-Driven Leadership
Culture starts at the top. Are board and leadership decisions reflecting the organization’s stated values? Are you creating space for feedback, acknowledging lived experiences, and demonstrating a willingness to grow and adapt?
Putting Insight into Practice: Questions for Non-profit Leaders
To turn this data into impact, we need to ask ourselves, and each other, the hard questions. Here are a few practical prompts to support reflection and planning within your organization:
Compensation & Equity
- Do we have a clear and transparent compensation framework?
- Are we auditing our pay practices for racial and gender-based disparities?
- Are we advocating to our funders for the resources needed to close wage gaps?
Organizational Culture
- Do our values show up in how decisions are made and communicated internally?
- How are we nurturing psychological safety, especially for those from historically excluded groups?
- Are our HR policies and day-to-day practices truly inclusive and equity-informed?
Workforce Development
- Are we providing meaningful growth opportunities and career pathways for staff at all levels?
- How do we support staff well-being beyond occasional perks? What’s embedded in our everyday culture?
Leadership Accountability
- Do we, as leaders, model the kind of workplace culture we want to see?
- How often do we seek feedback from staff, and how do we respond?
- Are we equipping our managers to lead with empathy, fairness, and inclusion?
By engaging with these questions, leaders can take purposeful steps to align workplace culture with the sector’s mission-driven ethos – and, importantly, to retain and uplift the people who power that mission every day.
Closing Thought: If your mission is the seed, then your culture is the soil
We cannot expect strong, sustainable outcomes without nourishing the environment our people grow in. The People First report offers more than just statistics; it’s a call to action. It reminds us that our ability to serve communities is inextricably linked to how we care for those doing the work.
Let’s take that seriously. Let’s lead with culture.
What’s next?
Downloadable resource: Board meeting discussion guide
If you’re ready to take this conversation to your boardroom, we’ve created a free, practical resource to help you do just that.
Reflecting on People First: A Board Meeting Discussion Guide offers structured prompts, framing language, and reflection questions to help boards examine compensation, culture, and equity as leadership responsibilities.
Use it to:
- Spark a values-based conversation about culture and compensation
- Equip your board to align governance with workforce realities
- Turn national sector data into local, actionable insights
👉 Download the PDF guide here.
Want support to strengthen your culture?
Culture isn’t just talked about – it’s built, nurtured, and practiced every day. If you’re ready to go deeper, Laridae can help.
We offer hands-on support to help non-profit organizations:
- Align internal culture with external mission
- Train values-based leaders who model inclusive, courageous leadership
- Build equity-centered practices across teams and governance
Our Coach Training Program is specifically designed for non-profit leaders who want to grow cultures of trust, accountability, and care. Whether you’re looking to develop your internal coaching capacity or shift how your team leads from within, we can support you.
Let’s talk about what culture change could look like in your organization.