Over 100 professional fundraisers from across Canada enjoy food, drink and fireside chat with Ottawa Hospital Foundation

Professional fundraisers from across Canada received a special Ottawa welcome last month when the WCPD Foundation played host to the National Conference for the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP).

More than 100 professionals arrived by school bus to the home of Peter Nicholson, WCPD’s President & Founder, and braved the unusual weather that shifted from rain, to sleet, to a snow storm.

Inside the warmth of the Nicholson family home, the delegates were not only treated to a cocktail party and home-cooked Filipino meal, but also a unique “fireside chat” with leaders and donors from the Ottawa Hospital Foundation. 

Moderated by Jeff Todd, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the WCPD Foundation, the panel focused on the victories, failures, history and pitfalls of the hospital’s historic $500 million fundraising campaign.

Known as The Campaign to Create Tomorrow, this project will build a new state-of-the-art hospital campus to replace the 100-year-old Civic Campis. To date, the campaign has raised about $310 million.

“It was a rare honour to host both CAGP and the Ottawa Hospital Foundation at our home,” Peter Nicholson said, who is also a major donor to the project.

“Anabel and our whole family are no strangers to hosting parties here in Ottawa. So when we learned about CAGP’s National Conference coming to our nation’s capital, we wanted to step up and offer both a fun and educational opportunity for these fundraisers from across the country.” 

The panel featured an informative mix of speakers, including Tim Kluke, President of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, Janet McKeage, Senior Investment Counsellor at RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, donor and Chair of the foundation’s Board of Directors, and finally, Nicholson, in his capacity as a major donor of the campaign.

“This hospital is so important our community, and I think the delegates particularly enjoyed the candid conversation on such a historic fundraising campaign,” Nicholson added.

The CAGP National Conference shifts to Edmonton, Alberta, in April 2025.