Building capacity in the cultural sector: Lunch and Learns support member growth

SaskCulture’s support of a culturally vibrant province is not just about providing funding or supporting event organizers; it’s also about equipping cultural leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive. One of the ways it is helping build capacity is through its ongoing Lunch and Learns.

In 2024, over 400 members of the cultural community accessed learning opportunities through SaskCulture’s Lunch and Learn webinars, building on the initial success of its webinars in 2023. The sessions reached around 70 registrations each, with the most popular sessions engaging over 100 people at a time.

Nichole Williams, executive assistant, SaskCulture, who also coordinates the webinars, says the interest in the webinars has grown significantly with more cultural leaders tuning in for quick introductions to emerging topics and actionable ideas to take back to their teams. She notes that the online format of the sessions has received positive feedback, as it offers participants greater flexibility and easier access to the learning opportunities.

“People really appreciate that they can access the recordings afterwards, so even if people are not able to attend the actual day, they can still access it when it works for their schedule, and share it with their staff and Board,” Williams says.

The year kicked off with Governance Basics in April 2024, presented by Dawn Martin, which shared an overview of non-profit governance fundamentals. In August, the Informing Queer & Trans Inclusive Funding Practices webinar, presented by Ivy + Dean, shared key findings from a secondary research project commissioned by SaskCulture. Also in August, SaskCulture launched a five-part webinar series focusing on the Nonprofit Lifecycles approach to highlight the key capacity areas of governance, management, administrative systems, and financial resources. The series provided participants with tools to assess their organizational sustainability and align resources with their mission.

Other highlights included Identifying Leading Equity Funding Practices to Support People with Disabilities in January 2025, Media Relations for Non-profits in February, and Trauma-Informed and Cultural Sensitivity Training in March, presented by Eliza Doyle and Holly Rae Yuzicapi of the Community Arts Mentorship Program.

Looking ahead, Williams says SaskCulture will continue to offer webinars that share insights and emerging ideas with the cultural community, further strengthening the province’s cultural network.