Across Nova Scotia, we’re hearing that governance matters – and it’s getting harder to do well.

IONS is excited to announce the launch of a new Community of Practice for Good Governance. This will be a cohort hosted over the course of 9 months, including live online learning sessions, expert guidance, peer support, and exploring the Imagine Canada Standards Accreditation.

The IONS 2025 State of the Sector research indicates that good board governance correlates directly with higher impact. It also reveals that nonprofits are struggling to recruit and retain experienced board members, with only half of respondents having onboarding processes or leadership development activities.

In a recent series of interviews with nonprofit leaders, we heard that Good Governance makes it possible for organizations to:

• Retain strong leaders in the sector and build sustainability.
• Be accountable to communities and funders.
• Take bold action to achieve their missions and work in new ways.
• Share power and work more collaboratively.
• Understand and respond to deepening community needs.
• Foster trusting relationships that drive impact and attract opportunities.
• Meaningfully engage equity-deserving people in governance.

That is why IONS, with support from the Nova Scotia government, has partnered with Imagine Canada and Lisa Villeneuve Consulting to offer the Good Governance Capacity Building Initiative. Using the Imagine Canada Standards – the only national best practices framework created by the sector for the sector – we’re helping organizations strengthen their practices around key areas related to governance. Today, only 8 impact organizations in Nova Scotia are accredited, and we’re working to change that.

As part of the broader Capacity Building Initiative, the IONS Good Governance Community of Practice offers 15-30 organizations the opportunity to gain practical governance knowledge and explore equity-centered approaches. Up to 10 qualifying organizations will have their Imagine Canada Standards Accreditation application fees covered through our partnership with Nova Scotia’s Workplace Initiatives. 

Benefits for participating organizations:

• Stronger skills across your team. Staff and board members build practical governance knowledge through a Community of Practice, training modules, guided support, and peer learning — skills they can apply from day one.
• Governance that reflects your values. In a peer learning space, you will be supported to identify the barriers your organization faces and explore equity-centered practices designed for your reality.
• A guided path to accreditation. You’ll get hands-on experience with the Imagine Canada Standards framework, including the tools, assessments, and a roadmap to national accreditation.

By the end of the project, participating organizations will be better positioned to access national and international funding opportunities, recruit in-demand employees, demonstrate accountability, and make stronger, more strategic decisions—all while embedding inclusive, locally relevant governance practices.

Community of Practice Session Details

There will be 8 live online Community of Practice Sessions on Wednesdays, on the dates listed below.

The sessions will be held at 12pm Atlantic Time, and are 1.5-2 hours long.

Session Dates:

June 24 – Initial Session Launch

Sept 30, Oct 28, Nov 25, Dec 16, Jan 27, Feb 24, Mar 24

Office hours will be made available in July and August to help organizations assess their current governance systems and needs.

Applications will be accepted until June 5, 2026. We encourage both board members and executive directors to apply. Multiple participants from one organization are encouraged to join.

If you have questions about the initiative, the research or the Community of Practice program, please contact Lisa Villeneue at [email protected].