GOOD ENDINGS FEED HEALTHY BEGINNINGS

What stands between now and next? The Endings Hotline invites Canadians to collectively bring a different future forward.

The Endings Hotline seeks to be frontline support for those insiders looking for strategic ways to wind things down that not only care for themselves and their colleagues, but also attend to the fabric of our healthy civil society. Bringing a project or organization to a conscious close isn’t failure. It is opening space for new life to take root. Whether it is a leadership transition, program ending, merger, or organizational wind-down, these moves create space for that which has been crowded out.

FEED THE

We need your help and support to demonstrate and bring forward better endings. By calling on us to support you, we seek to be a bridge to connect now to next. As a public Canadian project, we are committed not just to serving people and organizations directly that constitute our social fabric, but also to share what we learn.

The Hotline is an experiment to strengthen civil society by closing down what no longer serves to make space for what might come next. If your organization is wondering whether it’s time to close down—or transition into something else—our Navigators are standing by to help that decision.

REGENERATIVe

cycle

Regenerative cycles of death to rebirth are necessary for our social systems to flourish, but are rarely practiced in good ways.

HOW DID THAT LAND?

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QUESTIONS

The ENDINGS Hotline is dedicated to openly sharing our learning with other organizations in Canada, and those doing similar work in other countries. The following inquiries will shape what we initially collect and share data about:

✸ Can civil society organizations embrace endings as part of the system’s thriving?

✸ Who is in most need of support, and what is most valuable to help them navigate good organizational endings?

✸ What is the role of funding in good endings?

✸ What unique qualities does Canadian civil society have based on our history, narratives, & culture?

✸ Can civil society closures be an active part of the reconciliation and reparations process?

✸ How can the Hotline support thinking systemically about civil society wellbeing?

OUR DEFINING

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

In this prototype phase, we greatly need the support of those allies who see the importance of this work to take place in Canada. While sister projects such as Stewarding Loss  and The Decelerator in the UK have been fiscally supported and have had strong success, Canada lacks any large scale civil society projects focused on endings. The most critical support at this stage are:

Share your advice.

We would welcome feedback about our language and framing.

Share with others.

Please circulate this to others in civil society organizations, particularly those considering or facing endings.

Offer assistance.

If you would like to either contribute your time to helping people navigate endings or the work of those who do, please reach out.