CharityVillage Connects

Season 4 Episode 10  The Human Cost of AI: Work, Wellbeing and Connection AI has quickly become a part of everyday life. It’s changing how we work, find information, and solve problems. For many people, it’s also become a place to turn to for advice and support. In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we look at what that means for our mental health, from chatbot companionship and youth wellbeing to cognitive burnout, as well as the risks of relying too heavily on AI for thinking and creativity. We also ask whether these tools are making work easier or just raising expectations for how much gets done, and what nonprofit leaders can do to use AI without losing the judgment, care, and human connection their work depends on. Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance ·         Alexandra Samuel, AI and Digital Workplace Expert, Alexandra Samuel·         Jason Shim, Chief Digital Officer, Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience·         Dr. Olga Morawczynski, Founder and CEO, Heal-3·         Michael Cooper, Vice President of Data and Partnerships, Mental Health Research Canada·         Rebecca Shields, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone·         Betty Zhang, Head of Innovations and Operations, Kids Help Phone·         Meena Das, Founder and CEO, Namaste Data·         Donna Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO, Workright Ltd. About your HostMary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads. Additional Resources from this EpisodeWe've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:·         Me + Viv (Alexandra Samuel)·         Thrive (Heal-3 / Olga Morawczynski)·         AI Equity Project (Namaste Data / Meena Das)·         Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task (MIT Media Lab, 2025)·         AI Readiness: Building Resilience in a Changing Workplace (CharityVillage / WorkRight, 2026)·         Leading Change Through AI: The HR and Leadership Playbook (CharityVillage / WorkRight, 2026)·         The State of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Canadian Nonprofits (Imagine Canada / Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience, 2026)·         7 Tenets of Human-Centric AI (Meena Das, 2022)Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.#podcast #charity

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we explore Canada’s growing volunteer challenge and what it will take to rebuild a stronger culture of giving time and contributing to community. With demand for charitable services rising while organizations struggle to recruit, retain, and support the volunteers they depend on, how can the sector adapt to changing expectations around volunteering? Join us as sector leaders discuss how organizations can rethink the way they engage volunteers and why a strong culture of volunteerism may be essential to Canada’s social and economic resilience.Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance·         Dr. Tara McWhinney, Postdoctoral Fellow, Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP), Carleton University·         Sara Lyons, Chief Strategy and Programs Officer, Volunteer Canada·         Alyssa Brierley, Executive Director, National Institute on Ageing·         Olga Stachova, CEO, MOSAIC·         Adam Janes, CVA, President, Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada (VMPC)·         Michael Burns, Chair, Engage Canada About your HostMary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads.Additional Resources from this EpisodeWe've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:·         Volunteering and charitable giving in Canada, from 2018 to 2023 (Statistics Canada)·         New Results from Statistics Canada’s Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating – Volunteer Vibe | Parlons Bénévolat (Volunteer Canada)·         CICP 2026 Survey on Volunteer Workforce Trends & Challenges·         CICP 2025 Survey on Volunteer Recruitment and Retention·         CICP 2024 Survey on Volunteer Recruitment Post COVID·         CICP 2023 Survey on Volunteer Recruitment·         National Action Strategy on Volunteering (Volunteer Canada)·         2025 Ageing in Canada Survey (National Institute on Ageing)·         Young Volunteers, Big Opportunity: What the 2023 Data Tells Us About Youth and Volunteering (Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering, 2026)·         National Profile for the Volunteer Engagement Profession (VMPC, 2026)·         Announcing the relaunch and expansion of Volunteer Success (2026)Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.#podcast #charity

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a close look at a crisis in Canadian volunteerism, where a sharp decline in both participation rates and total hours has left the already depleted nonprofit sector struggling.At a time when Canada needs strong communities more than ever, the people and organizations that hold many of those communities together are under growing strain. With a trade war with the United States threatening our economy, challenges to our sovereignty, a rising cost of living, a growing demand for charitable services and an urgent need to strengthen unity at home, nonprofits are being asked to do more—while struggling to recruit and retain the volunteers they depend on to deliver on their missions. But this is about more than a shortage of volunteers. In this episode, we speak with leading experts about the demographic, economic and social forces reshaping volunteerism in Canada—and why rebuilding our volunteer capacity matters to the country's social and economic resilience. We explore how nonprofits can better engage younger Canadians, newcomers and older adults, what needs to change in the way organizations recruit and support volunteers, and whether Canada needs to think much bigger about how we invest in service and civic participation.#podcast #charity

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we examine what Canada’s 2026 Spring Economic Update means for the nonprofit and charitable sector. Where do the federal government’s priorities lie? Where does the care economy fit within Canada’s future? Sector experts explore the opportunities and challenges ahead, including potential impacts on funding, regulation, service delivery, and community wellbeing. Tune in to The Spring Economic Update: Where Does the Nonprofit Sector Fit in Canada’s Future? Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance Nicole D'Aoust, Charity and Non-Profit Lawyer, Partner, McCarthy TétraultTyler Meredith, Founding Partner, Meredith Boessenkool & Phillips Policy AdvisorsArmine Yalnizyan, Economist and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers, Atkinson FoundationDr. Susan Phillips, Professor Emerita, Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton UniversityAbout your HostMary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads.Additional Resources from this EpisodeWe've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:Spring Economic Update 2026: Canada Strong For All (Government of Canada, 2026)Registered Charity Information Return T3010 (Canada Revenue Agency)Charity Insights Canada Project (Carleton University)Million-Dollar Murray (The New Yorker, 2006)Dunn House Social Medicine Housing Model (University Health Network, 2026)Charities and Giving: Guidance CG-032 – Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees (Canada Revenue Agency, 2023)Disbursement Quota Calculation (Canada Revenue Agency)Canada Strong Fund (Government of Canada, 2026)Build Canada Homes (Government of Canada, 2026)Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.#podcast #charity

On the next episode of Charity Village connects.Where do the federal government’s priorities lie? Where does the care economy fit within Canada’s future? Sector experts explore the opportunities and challenges ahead, including potential impacts on funding, regulation, service delivery, and community wellbeing. Tune in to The Spring Economic Update: Where Does the Nonprofit Sector Fit in Canada’s Future? #podcast #charity