Building Capacity from the Inside Out: A 3-Part Workshop Series for Nonprofits in Southeastern Alberta

Nonprofits across Southeastern Alberta are carrying extraordinary responsibility. You are responding to rising needs in housing, food security, mental health, and workforce development. You are navigating funding uncertainty, volunteer decline, staff recruitment challenges, and increasing complexity — often across large geographic regions. In rural communities, nonprofits are more than service providers. They are connectors, conveners, and critical pieces of community infrastructure. This three-part workshop series is designed specifically for nonprofit leaders serving Southeastern Alberta.

Together, we will explore how to:

· Strengthen personal leadership capacity in stretched environments

· Build sustainable organizational systems that reduce overwhelm

· Strengthen collaboration and shared problem-solving across communities

· Clarify your organization’s role within the broader rural ecosystem

This series is practical, reflective, and grounded in rural realities.

Hosted by Tamarack Institute In partnership with the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta

Thanks to the generous support of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta, this workshop series is offered at no cost to participating organizations.

About Tamarack Institute

Tamarack Institute supports communities across Canada and beyond to strengthen collaboration, build capacity, and advance community change. Through learning programs, coaching, and applied tools, Tamarack works alongside leaders committed to improving quality of life in their communities.

What You’ll Experience

This series is structured as a developmental arc — moving from inner leadership to organizational stability to community-level collaboration.

April 13, 2026

Workshop 1 — Strengthening Your Inner Capacity

Practical tools for people wearing many hats.

In this session, we will explore:

· Leadership under constraint

· Preventing burnout and setting sustainable boundaries

· Values-based decision-making

· Clarifying what is — and is not — yours to hold

Participants will leave with:

· A personal leadership plan

· A simple decision-making checklist designed for small teams

April 20, 2026

Workshop 2 — Strengthening Your Organizational Capacity

From reactive service to strategic stability

This session introduces rural-specific tools to help reduce structural strain and strengthen your organizational foundation.

Together, we will explore:

· Clarifying mission and systems role

· Reducing duplication and capacity overload

· Simplifying internal processes

· Applying a practical funding filter to protect stability

Participants will leave with:

· A customized Rural Nonprofit Capacity Canvas

· A 90-day organizational stabilization blueprint

April 13, 2026

Workshop 3 — Strengthening Your Community Capacity

From doing it all to holding it together

Strong rural communities are built on strong relationships and shared responsibility.

In this session, we will:

· Map the rural ecosystem and identify structural gaps

· Explore collaboration strategies that reduce capacity strain

· Practice structured collective problem-solving

· Build a 90-day community alignment plan

Participants will leave with:

· A 90-day collaboration plan

· A structured template for ongoing community conversations

· Stronger connections with peers across the region

Who Should Attend?

This series is designed for:

· Executive Directors

· Program Managers

· Board Members

· Emerging nonprofit leaders

· Volunteer-led organization coordinators

Whether you are a small grassroots organization or a larger regional service provider, this series is grounded in the realities of rural Southeastern Alberta.

Building Capacity from the Inside Out (9)

Why This Series Matters

Recent regional engagement across Southeastern Alberta has surfaced common challenges:

· Housing shortages impacting workforce stability

· Transportation barriers limiting access to services

· Volunteer decline and burnout

· Increasing demand on social services

· Funding instability and reporting burden

Nonprofits are often acting as informal systems integrators — connecting housing, health, workforce, and community belonging — without the structural recognition or support that role requires.

This series offers space to pause, reflect, and strengthen your organization from the inside out.