“A masterclass in generosity meeting grit”

Lessons in Philanthropy: The Legacy of Barb McInnes is a vivid, human portrait of how one woman’s vision reshaped the Ottawa Community Foundation and, through it, the very idea of what philanthropy can be. Told through thirty-six lessons grounded in lived experience, the book traces how Barb McInnes helped redefine community-giving through relationships, trust, and […]

Youth in Philanthropy

I am a young professional who’s worked in the nonprofit sector my whole life. In 2004, I met Barb when I was in university, and she interviewed me to be an advisor for a newly launched youth philanthropy program at the Community Foundation. My introduction to philanthropy was a completely new experience. Barb didn’t know […]

There are many kinds of community

Barb deeply understood community and what community meant. She understood it was about geography and neighborhoods in the City of Ottawa and the larger Ottawa Region. She knew the geography. She understood that community was about people. And relationships with people. And she understood that within those relationships, there were different communities of particular interest […]