Heather Simpson

Biography

Heather has over two decades of experience supporting the growth and development of socially focused organizations, both in Canada and internationally.  She has worked with a wide variety of organizations (nonprofit, social enterprise, charity, cooperative, NGOs, governments), in a host of sectors (international development, community health care, poverty alleviation, criminal justice, banking and social finance).

Heather started her career working in international development with roles with a small Ecuadorian NGO (translating funding proposals), the Commonwealth Development Corporation (now CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution) and the International Finance Corporation.  She then transitioned into the Canadian non-profit sector, working as a fundraiser at Planned Parenthood Toronto and Wellspring Cancer Support where she was tasked with putting her financial and business acumen to work developing social enterprise strategies.  She subsequently took on a role looking after the nonprofit and cooperative portfolio at Alterna Savings and Credit Union before returning to the nonprofit sector as a consultant.

Through volunteer roles with Ontario Trillium Foundation (grant review team volunteer), Imagine Canada (Peer Reviewer for the Standards Program), her past work at Alterna Savings (Director, Community Accounts), and now in her role as a consultant, Heather has been exposed to the work of and strategic issues faced by hundreds of nonprofit organizations, providing her with a strong understanding of the Canadian non-profit sector.  Though she came to embrace the financial side of things, only after having been dragged there very reluctantly, she is now committed to applying a strategic financial lens to all the strategic work she undertakes, as she feels strongly that good strategy, means financially viable strategy.

Heather is a frequent speaker on non-profit and social enterprise sector issues.  She holds an MBA in marketing and strategic management from the Schulich School of Business at York University, a BA in Liberal Arts (with an Economics major) from Kalamazoo College, a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Chang School at Ryerson University, a Program Evaluation Certificate from Wilfred Laurier University, and a Certificate in Non-Profit and Charity Finance Leadership from CPA Ontario.  Heather speaks English and Spanish.