Making a difference on the ground, one dollar at a time

“Anyone can go consult for-profit, but there’s a certain skill set required for working with not-for-profits,” says self-proclaimed events junkie Edward “Ed” Byers. 

Byers (Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2009) has built a career out of professional association and not-for-profit management. As a student at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Byers was a member of the Ted Rogers Student Society (external link)  (formerly the Ryerson Commerce Society) and President of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Course Union (external link) . 

His involvement with Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) continued after graduation; while working at the Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac), Byers partnered with Ted Rogers’ Executive and Corporate Education to develop the Real Property Investment Certificate. He remains on the Ted Rogers Hospitality Alumni Association (external link, opens in new window)  (formerly the Ryerson Hospitality Alumni Association), supporting their annual Golf Tournament fundraiser and promoting the Hospitality and Tourism program outside the university. 

A few months ago, Byers was connected with the Global Indigenous Development Trust (external link)  (GIDT), an organization that supports nation rebuilding, including good governance and resource management, in communities across Canada and the world. Byers is supporting the GIDT’s Champions of Change (external link) , a two-hour, 16 week online nation rebuilding program designed around the importance of protecting the self-sustainability of Indigenous communities in Canada. 

“[Champions of Change] incorporates proven tools and methodologies honed from years of collective experience for the revitalization of local communities,” explains Byers. The program promises Indigenous to Indigenous peer learning, teaches localized economies in practice among Indigenous communities through food system resilience and offers virtual tours of “green tech” companies. 

In this first iteration, the program is aimed at leaders in Indigenous communities that are looking to help their community prosper while still maintaining values that are traditional to the Indigenous ways of living. 

“I help them grow through facilitating sponsorships and partnerships with like minded organizations that want to support the GIDT,” says Byers of his involvement with the Trust. “I reach out and highlight the importance of their involvement and build relationships that extend the Trust’s reach.” 

GIDT’s partnership with Toronto Met is poised for growth. The Ted Rogers School of Management is financially supporting Champions of Change and sponsoring an Indigenous youth’s enrollment in the inaugural program. Byers is confident the Trust will begin facilitating on-the-ground activities with the university in the coming few months.

Throughout the course of his career, Byers has raised over 15M CAD for various professional associations and not-for-profit organizations. “The challenge working with clients,” he explains, “is educating stakeholders on the other end of the phone why this particular not-for-profit is more important than the others competing for resources.”

This spring, he decided to take on his biggest challenge yet—leaving his full time job at the Canadian Society of Association Executives to start CANRev Collaboration. “My cumulative knowledge has led me to this new venture where I work with multiple clients. I love being able to work directly with decision-makers, executives and smaller teams,” says Byers. “There’s the satisfaction of being able to bring in money for organizations like the GIDT that really need the funding.” 

CANRev continues Byers’ work of assisting not-for-profits grow their revenue streams while guiding strategic growth and broad management. “Not-for-profits are always looking to grow, even if they do not have the capacity with small to medium-size teams. We help them by doing the work they need done, including education, partnerships and monetizing assets,” he adds. “In our first few months, we’ve raised around $300,000 CAD.” 

“Both in school and in career, what you get out of it is what you put in, and I’ve always preferred boots in the ground to help people who need the support,” says Byers of his passion for the not-for-profit space. “I actually get to see the impact of what I’m delivering.”