Page 25 - Suncor 360 - October 2014

23

FEATURE
OCTOBER 2014
360

INNOVATIVE PROJECT TAKES

LONG VIEW OF NON-PROFIT WORK

Having worked in stakeholder relations at Oil Sands & In Situ, Kim Nordbye thought she knew a lot

about the Wood Buffalo region. After spending the past two years seconded to Social Prosperity

Wood Buffalo (SPWB), Suncor’s manager, community investment has a new perspective.

“I underestimated the need for “There’s lots of evidence that Kim says the collaboration “A project like this takes a lot

the non-profit sector,” she says. the non-profit sector in any “opened their eyes to the need more work from Suncor than
“Working on this project community is a key part of to work together to plan for the just donating money and

showed me why it’s a key
quality of life,” Kim told the future. And that even though waiting for a report,” Kim says.

part of the quality of life in Canadian Association of they are non-profit, they need “But we recognize that
a community. It also showed Petroleum Producers’ Context to think like a business.”
traditional philanthropy

the need for strong magazine in a recent article is not always
relationships between about Suncor’s Responsible With the project’s initial appropriate to
timeline of five years up in the
members of the sector.”
Canadian Energy President’s help resolve
Award. “They provide essential spring, the participants are complex
Kim got involved in SPWB in measuring results.
services, recreation services social issues.”
2011. The project brought and the extras in a person’s
together the Regional As Kim told Context, the project
life that give that sense of
Municipality of Wood Buffalo, quality of life and connection has “shifted the thinking and
the Suncor Energy Foundation conversation among the
to the community.”
(SEF), the University of Waterloo non-profit groups and other
stakeholders. It’s opened
and a range of non-profit (also Kim and members of SPWB
called social profit) groups, “worked alongside other people’s minds to collaborating
together; it’s definitely
including the United Way of stakeholders from the Wood
Fort McMurray.
Buffalo region to reach out to strengthened networks and
increased knowledge.”
more than 350 non-profit
Its aim is to strengthen the organizations operating in the
sector, allowing groups to be SPWB also resulted in three
community. The team engaged similar organizations merging
more proactive, better equipped these groups through a range
to deal with rapid regional into one strong social profit
of activities designed to build
growth and able to support networks, foster collaboration entity, FuseSocial (fusesocial.ca).
vibrant communities. Doing so In addition, the project
and share ideas and knowledge,
would help the groups go particularly on strategic introduced workshops to help
groups achieve accreditation
beyond simply getting their approaches and innovative
day-to-day work done to think social tools.”
with Imagine Canada, and is
hosting a session to discuss the
strategically about the future.
results of a ‘community
well-being’ survey conducted in

the early summer.

AIMING FOR SOCIAL PROSPERITY IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

We’re working to apply what we’ve learned from Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo in St. John’s, N.L.,
where the growth in offshore exploration and production is straining community services. Still in its early

stages, a partnership with the Community Sector Council of Newfoundland and Labrador will address Kim Nordbye
similar challenges in the social profit sector to those experienced in Wood Buffalo.