With over 50 years as an international economic development organization, we’ve seen how private sector development and strengthening governing structures drive both economic and social change at local, national and international levels.
Our Volunteer Advisors (VAs) are senior-level professionals who help to catalyze local economic growth by transferring their skills and knowledge to our partners and clients.
Our success comes from partnering our VAs with communities and organizations where they mentor and advise clients and partners in ways that they can develop their own long-term prosperity. This prosperity ripples through the community, which in turn strengthens the region, often having impacts at national and international levels.
Stronger Economies. Better Lives.
To catalyze and strengthen sustainable economic and social growth in Canada and globally through the collaborative approach of our highly-experienced Volunteer Advisors.
A profound respect for diversity and inclusivity is a part of our DNA, and it comes from a natural openness to and deep appreciation for different perspectives and new ideas. It permeates everything we do and guides our work in Canada and around the world.
We believe the best solutions come out of the convergence of multiple perspectives. We actively seek opportunities to work with others to identify common goals and synergies, and to develop mutually enriching and balanced outcomes. We believe through partnership and collaboration we will continue to push beyond the status quo to achieve exceptional results.
We believe there is always a way to push the boundaries to find new ways of solving problems, and that the best ideas emerge from challenges. We know to be truly innovative and creative, we must be open to taking risks and to reimagine ‘failure’ as a tool for learning.
We believe our activities are defined by the impact they produce for those with whom we work, and by their sustainability, long after our work is done. We accomplish this through the transfer of knowledge and skills by our highly-experienced Volunteer Advisors in a mentorship and advisory capacity.
We are consistent, transparent, and accountable in our decisions and actions. Our direction is fuelled by integrity, and we consider the responsibility we bear to our stakeholders to be of vital importance. We employ a rigorous performance measurement and feedback system both to ensure the effectiveness of our impacts, and to continually learn, improve and evolve from every experience.
Active volunteers are an essential element of healthy communities. We encourage and support volunteerism that yields meaningful impacts for our clients and partners, and rewarding and professionally challenging opportunities for our volunteers. We aim to deliver the highest standard of service in everything we do.
