Bow Valley Non-Profits
The Bow Valley is home to a diverse collection of not-for-profit, charitable, and grassroots organizations. This website acts as a central resource hub. Featuring capacity building resources such as funding and training opportunities. You’ll also find a list of over 225 organizations, updates and more.
Register for the 2026 Bow Valley Non-Profits Summit
Join fellow changemakers from across the Bow Valley for two inspiring days of connection, collaboration, and collective impact.
Open to people involved with Bow Valley non-profits, charities and grassroots organizations, as well as socially responsible businesses, including those engaged in social enterprise or making a positive social impact in the Bow Valley. This is your space to exchange ideas, spark partnerships, and strengthen the heart of community work in our region.
Event Schedule:
- Monday, April 27th | 6:00pm-8:30pm at artsPlace in Canmore. Appetizers and light refreshments provided.
- Tuesday, April 28th | 8:45am-3:45pm at Rocky Mountain Resort in Banff. Full day of sessions with light breakfast, lunch, and snacks included.
Flexible Pricing:
Pricing for this event has given consideration to the variety of available funds for professional development organizations may have. Please select your registration fee based on your organization’s budget.
- Standard rate: $200
- Supported rate: $70
- Accessible rate: $40
If financial barriers exist, please contact: fcss@banff.ca.
Monday, April 27th – 6:00-8:30pm
Location: artsPlace Canmore, 950 8th Ave.
‘Spotlight on Stories: Local Non-Profits Take the Mic’
Hosted by Kristy Wolfe, Kristy Wolfe Stories
Celebrate our local non-profit community with a vibrant evening of storytelling and connection. Together, we will shine a spotlight on the inspiring organizations that make our community’s social impact network so strong. This work is fueled by creativity, courage, entrepreneurial thinking, and a kind of nimble magic that keeps things moving forward. Will you step up to the mic and share your story?
About Kristy Wolfe (she/her)
Based in Canmore with her family, Kristy Wolfe splits her time between serving as Executive Director of the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation and leading her business, Kristy Wolfe Stories. The Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Wolfe Automotive Group, works across Alberta to Give, Amplify, and Connect with charities supporting children and families, access to the outdoors and athletics, and women’s education and leadership.
Kristy’s storytelling practice lives at the intersection of education, advocacy, and lived experience. As a Level 3 Common Language digital storytelling facilitator and trainer, she helps individuals and organizations to co-create stories of impact that honour storyteller wellbeing while fostering connection, conversation and meaningful change.
Tuesday, April 28th – 8:45am-3:45pm
Location: Banff Rocky Mountain Resort, 1029 Banff Ave.
Morning Program
‘What’s Possible – A Pathway Forward for Your Organization’
Keynote address & workshop- Presented by Kristi Rivait
The non-profit sector is navigating increasingly complex challenges. Rising community needs, limited resources, and increasing costs put immense pressure on organizations. These challenges reveal the growing limitations within our traditional funding model. So, what can you do about it?
Explore how organizations can align and integrate their economic and social objectives to increase their own financial resilience and community outcomes.
You will learn about different revenue diversification strategies and the culture and mindset shifts needed to build strong, responsive organizations that can navigate and thrive in today’s changing world.
The workshop component will be participatory and engaging-designed to help you understand the revenue streams you may want to consider and generate tangible ideas you can take back to your organization.
About Kristi Rivait
Kristi Rivait brings 20+ years of executive-level experience in the non-profit sector. In 2014, she co-founded Scale Collaborative and is their Director of Partnerships and Programs.
Kristi is renowned for her expertise in organizational transformation, sustainable financial growth and building community wealth. Kristi has coached and empowered hundreds of nonprofits to achieve greater impact through diversified revenue, scaling programs, asset and real estate acquisition, social enterprise, partnerships, and investment.
Kristi co-developed Thriving Non-Profits, initially a local initiative in Victoria, BC. Over the past three years, she has scaled the Thriving Non-Profits Revenue Diversification Infrastructure across Canada. Thriving Non-Profits is social innovation in action. Participating organizations all across our country are transforming, creating secure financial futures, building community wealth, and supporting the workers who are on the ground every day doing the good work.
Kristi is the co-founder and Board Chair of the Thrive Impact Fund. This impact investment fund provides patient, flexible capital to non-profits, charities, and social enterprises across BC.
In 2022, Kristi was awarded BC Business’s Runner-up for Non-Profit Leader of the Year. She is also a TEDx Speaker, focusing her talk on how nonprofits are key to an economy that cares.
April 28th – Afternoon Program Selections
‘It’s About the People’
Panel discussion- Moderated by Kristy Wolfe, Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation
Panelists:
- Ruth Pryor, Bow Valley Connections Centre
- Theresa Radwell, Bow Valley Palliative
- Jamie McCulloch, Rocky Mountain Adaptive
Join us for a human centered conversation as we share best practices, lessons learned, and unique approaches to building strong teams that help non-profit work thrive. Together, we will explore topics like volunteerism, board recruitment, employee burnout, and retention.
This panel creates space for honest conversations while also looking ahead to new possibilities, highlighting how resilience and adaptability can open the door to fresh ways of tackling challenges.
April 28th – Afternoon Program Selections
‘Planning for Success’
Presented by Tara Gilchrist, Town of Canmore FCSS
A well-developed strategic plan provides a multitude of benefits for organizations of all sizes. By identifying where you want to be, determining how you will get there and creating the realistic steps to do so – strategic plans are a vital tool for those working within your organization and for partners in your work.
Dive into your planning journey as Tara shares practical and scalable tips for organizations to maximize the impact of strategic planning tools, processes and documents.
About Tara Gilchrist (she/her)
Tara Gilchrist is the Supervisor for the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) team at the Town of Canmore. She has spent most of her career focused on capacity building with individuals, organizations, and the community. She has been involved in strategic planning from the perspective of a non-profit Executive Director, as a learner with Alberta Community Development, and as strategic planning facilitator for grassroots and non-profit organizations.
Questions? If you have any questions or need to contact someone regarding this event, please email fcss@banff.ca or call 403-762-1229. Detailed program information, along with what to expect and program timing, will be emailed to registrants the week prior to the event.
Thank you to the Summit event organizers, funders, and sponsors!
2025 Fall Collective Event Recap
Thank you to everyone who attended the Bow Valley Non-Profit Fall Collective event! This year’s themes, Harvesting Connection and Amplifying Impact, truly came to life because of your participation and energy.
We sincerely appreciate all the valuable feedback you provided. Attendees shared that one of the aspects they found most valuable was networking & connecting! Here are a few reflections on what attendees found most enjoyable…
- “The collaboration and group discussion around narrative was really good. It’s always great to bounce ideas off other people in the sector and make new connections.”
- “Connecting and discussing challenges and themes in the space. Organic conversations that spawned from communal challenges.”
- “How interactive it was and really focused on building connections but self growth as well.”
- “Time to have a quiet chat with others, know what’s happening around the Bow Valley.”
- “Updates from different organization, discussing collaboration, shared resources, and connection.”
View the 2025 Collective event update slides below…
Capacity Building Resources
Number of Bow Valley Non-Profits (BVNP)
Number of Non-Profit Resources
“As I stepped into a new role in the non-profit world, the BVNP Speaker Series gave me manageable amounts of information to think about on a variety of topics. Each of the speakers were generous with their time and many I have ended up connecting with following the sessions. This is an invaluable resource. Huge thank you to the Town of Canmore and the Town of Banff for the foresight.”
Kristy Wolfe Stories
Podcast: Bow Valley Non-Profits: Innovation, Collaboration, and Community
Thank you to Kristy Wolfe at Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation for inviting Laura and Jessica on the Give, Amply, Connect Podcast and for featuring Bow Valley Non-Profits.
Bow Valley Non-Profits are carving a niche within the ever-evolving landscape of charitable work in Alberta. In a recent podcast episode, community leaders Laura Wellman and Jessica LaBonte explore the challenges nonprofits faced during the pandemic and how they are now integrating collaborative initiatives to enhance their impact.
Podcast Key Messages
• Exploring the impact of the pandemic on nonprofit organizations
• Overview of the Bow Valley Non-Profits and its web platform
• Insights from recent surveys addressing nonprofit challenges
• Initiatives for collaborative funding discussions among local funders
• Importance of collective events and asset mapping for nonprofits
• Details about the successful Bow Valley Non-Profit Summit and attendee feedback
• Focus on fostering trust and authentic relationships within the community
The core concept of the conversation centers on the evolution of nonprofit collaboration in the Bow Valley, providing insights on how a web-based platform created in response to COVID-19 serves as a foundation for rekindling lost connections. This platform not only facilitates resource sharing but also acts as a nexus for various nonprofits to convene, share ideas, connect, and collaborate on critical projects. By understanding local needs and leveraging collective strengths, Bow Valley Non-Profits are setting a precedent for community-driven growth.
A significant highlight from the episode is the discussion surrounding the recent survey that illuminated the ongoing needs of nonprofits in the area. Feedback showed that many organizations were struggling with limited access to operational funding, emphasizing the need for more flexible financial support systems. Wellman and LaBonte are stepping up to this challenge by fostering conversations between local funders and nonprofit leaders, striving to create avenues for easier access to necessary funds. Their initiative to establish a joint portal for grant applications could revolutionize how organizations secure financial backing.
Additionally, the episode dives into the organization of collective events designed to foster deeper relationships among nonprofits. The first of these gatherings included an asset mapping exercise, allowing participants to collectively identify resources within the community, driving home the message of collaboration. The summit that followed was an emblem of this spirit — marking a turning point in local nonprofit engagement. The summit provided robust programming that allowed attendees to shape their learning experiences while networking with peers.
Feedback from participants reflects a strong desire for ongoing connection and actionable tools they can implement within their organizations. This call for practical applications illustrates a shared hunger for growth, learning, and cohesion among the nonprofits in the Bow Valley. The episode underscores the belief that when nonprofits unite around a common goal of community enhancement, they can surmount challenges and elevate their collective impact.
Images from the Bow Valley, Alberta
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