What it means to us

Remembering our roots as a community based social service agency that grew out of responding to critical needs in our communities, it is important to us as a larger established organization to lend our infrastructure to emerging and grassroots organizations who are also responding to the needs of their communities and to support their efforts and amplify their successes. All of which increases the health and vibrancy of our great city.

The Trustee Hub emerged organically to address the growing need to provide curated supports for community initiatives and provide community leaders with capacity building opportunities. Through creating a mentorship framework that coexists within our trusteeship program, our aim is to provide a platform that encourages and mobilizes community members to use their own agencies to tackle the unique issues found within their communities. We leverage our resources and institutional supports to further the impact of the work of community leaders. The aim for this shared platform is to encourage our community leaders to participate in long term engagement in regards to community development, decision making and social change.

What is Trusteeship?
Trusteeship is a legal term referring to holding assets for the benefit of another group. The duties of a trustee are primarily “fiduciary”. A trustee is legally, ethically and morally bound to manage the trust assets in a responsible and productive manner, and to act solely for the benefit of the trust’s beneficiaries. In the case of trusteeship of social services activities, there are multiple parties involved including the donor, the trusteed group, and the participants of the services, all of whom are beneficiaries of the trust. There is usually a legal agreement in place with the donor (such as the City of Toronto) outlining restrictions on the use of the funds.

In the charitable sector, “trusteeships” or “shared platforms” are commonly defined as a situation where an organization adopts and provides a legal home for a project or initiative that is unincorporated and thus does not have its own legal status. The host organization provides administrative support and oversight, assuming all legal and financial responsibility for the activities of the project. Although each project might have its own “brand” and operate independently of other projects within the shared platform, all projects become an integral part of the host organization as a legal entity.

What do we offer to our Trusteed Groups?

Personalized Coaching and Mentorship
Year-round Trainings and Capacity Building Opportunities
Co-Problem Solving
Access to TNG’s networks to amplify successes and for program promotion

Institutional Supports
‍
Dedicated Trustee Hub Staff
 Accountable Administration
(real-time spending updates, online portal to submit invoices and receipts, budget management support)
Support with completing reports
    Human Resources Support
Access to internal/organizational expertise
Communications with Grantors
     Access to affordable space rentals at our numerous sites and with the TDSB
 Liability Insurance
 Co-attendance in Funders' Meetings
     Issuing charity tax receipts & collecting donations