I’ve known Stephanie Warner since our time working together at Heart & Stroke. Stephanie is well-known in the non-profit world for her marketing expertise, technical skills, and leadership capacity. I’m glad that we’ve stayed connected via LinkedIn and that I noticed this post from her a few months ago.
Having worked with many grassroots organizations, the post sparked my curiosity about Stephanie’s experiences as a co-founder of Protecting Talisman Lands Association (PTLA) and the decision she made alongside fellow PTLA board members to join into Escarpment Corridor Alliance.
Burnout is very common in the non-profit sector and with volunteer leaders in particular. I wondered how much this factored into the decision.
I knew that I had to ask Stephanie for an interview. Fortunately, she agreed! I’m so thankful for Stephanie’s time and agreement to share part of our conversion with you.
JPP: Tell me how you started PTLA. What drove you to become a co-founder of this environmental non-profit?
SW: My family has had a weekend place in Beaver Valley for my whole life. Beaver Valley is in the middle of the Niagara Escarpment and has significant environmentally sensitive ecosystems within a UNESCO-designated biosphere. It’s also used for agriculture and low-impact recreation like skiing, hiking and cycling.
A ski resort used to operate here, but closed in 2011. The resort came back briefly to focus on golfing, but closed again in 2018. In 2021, the Municipality of Gray Highlands, sold two pieces of land adjacent to the former resort in secret to a developer. At least to the public eye, there was no due process and no competitive bidding.
The developer proposes to turn this land into a huge subdivision, almost bigger than the closest town. This makes no sense because of its location in the middle of the Niagara Escarpment and the nearest town is a twenty-minute drive away.
The more I read, the more nonsensical this development proposal sounded. I was introduced to four other women through grassroots networks and together, we incorporated PTLA as a non-profit. Three of the others and I stayed on to lead the organization as hands-on board members.
JPP: Why did you make the decision to incorporate instead of operating as a grassroots group?
SW: Protection and legitimacy. Incorporation protected us personally; we as individuals had separate legal status from the organization.
Incorporation gave us the legitimacy to raise more money to fund scientific research, planning, and legal services to stop the development. In two years, we raised over $100,000 as a 100% volunteer-run organization.
Because we were in a niche cause area, we had to find niche experts who can and should charge a premium. This includes lawyers who are focused on the Niagara Escarpment Plan, planners who are booked months in advance, and geological experts on karst.
JPP: What’s karst? A type of rock?
SW: Karst is a very specific type of rock formation based on limestone, which affects how drainage works. It is rare in Ontario, and what’s almost as rare is karst experts in Ontario!
We also funded a fish study and a natural heritage study to bring evidence to our advocacy work.
In fact, hardly any money we raised went towards non-expert vendors. The only one I can think of is our website.
JPP: Paying experts is important and the amount you fundraised is incredible! From what I saw on the PTLA website, you were able to issue tax receipts as part of the Small Change Fund. Were they a trustee organization?
SW: No, Small Change Fund is a registered charity that has projects within their mandate. PTLA became a project and essentially, they became a funder of our work.
JPP: Besides the four board members, were other volunteers involved with PTLA’s work?
SW: We had almost 1,000 supporters, including the hundreds of people who would show up for local meetings, but 90% of the work was done by the four board members. We are all busy women. One is an emergency room doctor, another is a teacher and mom, the third is a student who was already actively volunteering in other areas. And then there’s me: I’m a mom, serve on two other boards, and work full-time.
We were in a big time-sensitive battle against developers with deep pockets and a municipality that was quite happy to see us characterized as a bunch of NIMBYs.
JPP: Tell me more about your relationship with your fellow board members. I guess I was wrong to assume that you were lifelong friends.
SW: We had no idea who each other were until we were introduced. It was honestly a blur; someone who knew all of us also knew that we wanted to start taking more direct action on opposing this development.
Once we were introduced, we found our different niches. Made much easier that we liked and respected each other.
Was it always perfect? No. But we were all driven by the same passion and had the same goal.
JPP: That’s very interesting because a common misconception about board service and volunteer service in general is it's sunshine and rainbows.
“You're doing good stuff. It's for a good cause. There's no conflict.”
We know that’s not true. So how did you keep conflict with your peers healthy?
SW: It’s interesting to consider conflict in a volunteer role versus in a paid role. There is no monetary gain through volunteer work, and as a board, there was nobody gauging our performance except ourselves. So, it was understanding what I felt strongly about. And, much like in a marriage, understanding what is something that you're going to make a case for and what you’re willing to let go.
Often, this meant compromise. Sometimes, it meant saying “you’re right” to my peers. Having that self awareness and being willing and open to listening to others' perspectives was key.
Throughout our time on the board, we found our stride with collaboration. There's been times when some of us have been more engaged than others, for sure, energy ebbs and flows, too. Frankly, it’s important to back off sometimes and do a little self care.
JPP: What does self care mean to you in this context?
SW: To me, it’s stepping away and taking time to reflect. Then coming back with an open mind and an open heart.
We were also lucky to have a group where each person had our own “lane” of skills and interests. I’m aware that this luck made things smoother for us too.
JPP: So with fundraising and collaboration going so well, why did PTLA dissolve and join into Escarpment Corridor Alliance?
SW: We knew that a larger organization could accomplish more.
This was a decision that took some time. Primarily, we wanted to be respectful of our donors. People had given us money because of our mission and because of our personal asks.
When you're joining an organization that has a broader mission, no matter how closely aligned, maintaining that trust and respect is important. So, we did due diligence to really think through this.
JPP: So you’re a few months out from making that decision. Was it the right one?
SW: It was 100% a great decision. We have no regrets. The people at Escarpment Corridor Alliance, both staff and volunteers, are amazing. They bring a huge skill set on their own and a huge amount of passion. Also, they're devoting just as much, if not more time than we had been.
For my fellow founders and I, this has allowed us to focus on what we do well. We don’t need to worry about holding an AGM, preparing financial statements, issuing tax receipts, and all that bureaucratic stuff.
JPP: So what's your role within the Escarpment Corridor Alliance now?
SW: I volunteer as a committee member, mostly working to galvanize supporters and advising on marketing. This has let me then free up some of my time, which is great for the other two boards I volunteer with.
JPP: Tell me about your other board service work.
SW: I’m the Vice Chair of Alpine Ontario Alpin, the provincial sport organization for ski racing. My kids were ski racers and I initially got involved because I wanted to understand where my money was going and support the growth of ski racing. The sport has also been really important for our family and has given a lot to both my kids. So, I reached out and applied.
I’m also the Vice Chair of North Toronto Aquatic Club, a non-profit swim school. It’s very grassroots and neighbourhood-focused. We keep the fees for lessons low and employ people from the neighbourhood. Both my kids took swimming lessons with them and I was happy to support the policy work through being a board member.
JPP: What are the main differences you see between serving on these sports organization boards and founding PTLA?
SW: Alpine Ontario Alpin and North Toronto Aquatic Club are both established organizations. My work with them is governance-focused. You can imagine that with both these sports, and involvement of children, there needs to be a lot of policy. Both these organizations have wonderful staff who run the day-to-day operations.
On the other hand, PTLA’s board was a working board. We did everything that didn’t need to be outsourced to expert vendors.
JPP: As a busy parent and professional, serving on three boards must have taken a lot of juggling. How did you make the time and energy?
SW: My children are now young adults so I have some more time to give. What I would advise to individuals who are thinking of joining a board is to be realistic. Ask yourself: are you passionate enough to give your time and energy for a sustained amount of time? Most board service is a two-or-three-year commitment. Meetings can be once a quarter or once a month, and if you serve on multiple boards, meeting times may conflict.
JPP: This is great advice! And I want to point readers towards your fantastic LinkedIn post that outlines your top ten insights and questions for individuals interested in board service to consider.
Do you have any other advice to add to this list?
SW: Yes, be very clear on what the expectations are. In the past, I had a bad experience where I wanted to share my marketing expertise. But what the organization wanted was for me to organize a gala.
It was very unsatisfying and I resigned. I wish I had asked more questions.
JPP: What questions should folks ask? Would you recommend that they review the bylaws and role descriptions in detail?
SW: Yeah, but there's the bylaws and role descriptions, and then there's how the board's actually living them. Folks should learn:
What's the board working on right now?
What are the goals of the board?
What's the contribution of the board to the organization (both on the financial side and on the skills and time side)?
Asking questions is also important when deciding on whether to commit to any volunteer role, not just a board role. To be honest, many times, giving money can be a lot easier than giving time. And, it’s a lot easier to give your time when you have clarity on what you’re doing and what will be valued.
JPP: Thank you Stephanie! A final question for you: what are some unexpected benefits that have come from your board service experiences?
SW: Through all three organizations, I’ve gained some technical skills with reading official plans and planning reports, and communicating that back in plain English. Safe Sport policy development and bylaw rewrites have also been fascinating.
On the soft skills side, I’ve expanded my social network and got to work with people that I like and respect. It’s been very gratifying.
JPP: Thank you for sharing your experiences with me and for making a difference through board service!
SW: You are very welcome.
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