The Dollar A Day Foundation is both a charity and funder that supports grassroots mental health and addictions organizations across Canada. In this episode, Executive Director Heather Spratt explains the foundation’s unusual model—recurring donations pooled and granted out, with 100% of individual gifts going to grantees—and its trust-based approach that lets organizations decide how to use funds.

We discuss the origin story of the “dollar a day” idea (featuring Canadian music legend Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea), how an overemphasis on accountability can create barriers, and how stories help people see the impact their support is making.

00:00 Introduction

02:07 Meet Heather Spratt

02:55 A Dollar A Day Foundation’s Mission and Origin Story

06:44 Their Trust-Based Funding Model

12:13 Lean and Transparent Operations

13:12 Storytelling And Stigma

16:13 Impact At Scale

17:28 Workplace Giving Program

19:38 Advice And New Priorities

21:57 Final Thoughts And Outro

Find out more about A Dollar A Day Foundation

• Website: adollaraday.ca
• Facebook: facebook.com/adollaradayfdn
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dollar-a-day-foundation
• YouTube: youtube.com/@adollaradayfoundation
• Instagram: instagram.com/adollaradayfdn
  

About the  Raising Impact: Storytelling for Nonprofits podcast

Raising Impact: Storytelling for Nonprofits is a podcast for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and community-minded professionals who want to use storytelling more intentionally. Each episode features conversations about how story builds connection, strengthens fundraising, and supports long-term growth. Grounded in the realities of nonprofit work, the podcast explores practical ideas, lived experience, and real-world approaches to communication, community, and impact.

If your organization could use help turning its stories into stronger fundraising, visit collaborativecause.ca.

New episodes are released monthly. Follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to be notified when they’re published. The podcast is hosted by Tanya Wall and Michelle Samson, and is produced by Storied Places Media.

YAMM Services works with nonprofits on fundraising, communications, storytelling, and community-centred growth. Founder Janine Ayoub has seen how nonprofits struggle to capture and communicate their impact, but she’s also seen the approaches that move the needle. In this episode, Janine offers practical starting points for telling better stories, and makes a case for prioritizing consistency and authenticity over perfection. She also introduces Anqido, a beta impact and project-management platform that turns nonprofit work and data into dashboards, reports, and clearer impact stories.

00:00 Introduction

02:04 Janine’s Journey

04:07 The Common Struggle to Communicate Impact

06:16 Beyond the Numbers

08:11 How a Narrative Shift Increased Grant Approvals

10:17 Where to Start

12:27 Centering Communities Over Donors

15:21 Authenticity Over Perfection

16:37 Anqido Platform Preview

19:33 Final Reflections

20:57 Outro and Resources

Find out more about YAMM Services

• Website: yammservices.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yamm-services
• Instagram: instagram.com//yamm_media

About the  Raising Impact: Storytelling for Nonprofits podcast

Raising Impact: Storytelling for Nonprofits is a podcast for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and community-minded professionals who want to use storytelling more intentionally. Each episode features conversations about how story builds connection, strengthens fundraising, and supports long-term growth. Grounded in the realities of nonprofit work, the podcast explores practical ideas, lived experience, and real-world approaches to communication, community, and impact.

If your organization could use help turning its stories into stronger fundraising, visit collaborativecause.ca.

New episodes are released monthly. Follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to be notified when they’re published. The podcast is hosted by Tanya Wall and Michelle Samson, and is produced by Storied Places Media.

Can small in-person storytelling circles drive big change in the nonprofit world? After her own experience with burnout, Jennifer DeCoste founded FireLoch as a place where her fellow burnt out peers in the nonprofit sector could rest and reconnect with their work. In this episode, Jennifer shares how untold stories catalyzed the creation of FireLoch, what kinds of storytelling feel most authentic to her, and why she’s prioritizing intimacy over scale.

• 00:30 Jennifer DeCoste's Journey and FireLoch's Mission
• 05:27 The Power of Speaking Up
• 06:53 Jennifer’s Burnout and Recovery Journey
• 10:18 FireLoch’s Funding Model - Who Supports Helping the Helpers
• 14:33 Adapting the Narrative for Government Grant Programs vs Philanthropists
• 16:01 Collecting Outcome Stories in an Authentic Trust-Forward Way
• 19:23 Collaboration and Partnership in Atlantic Canada
• 21:15 Small Group In-Person Storytelling: Prioritizing People Over Promotion
• 27:22 Evolving Language of Burnout, Wellness, and Success

Find out more about FireLoch

• Website: fireloch.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/fireloch
• Instagram: instagram.com/fireloch
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/fireloch

About the Atlantic IMPACT podcast

Atlantic IMPACT is a podcast that helps nonprofits across Atlantic Canada use storytelling to drive fundraising and awareness. Each episode features conversations with people working in community, sharing how story supports connection, impact, and long-term growth. Whether you're part of a nonprofit or simply care about your community, this podcast invites you to listen, reflect, and engage.

 Is your organization ready to tell its story? Take the free Storytelling Readiness Quiz at collaborativecause.ca/stories.

The podcast is hosted by Tanya Wall and Michelle Samson, and is produced by Storied Places Media.