Vancouver Foundation

VITAL SIGNS SURVEY p a g e 2 6 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l 2 0 1 7 SINCE 1943, Vancouver Foundation has been supporting community projects and programs around the province to the tune of more than a billion dollars. Private citizens, corporations and charities work with the Foundation to create endowment funds, and income generated is given out in grants to initiatives throughout British Columbia. In order to gain a better appreciation of where money can be directed, Vancouver Foundation often surveys residents to gauge where our heads and hearts are at. ink about it as a doctor checking your temperature, pulse and blood pressure. In 2016, the Vital Signs survey was conducted in conjunction with market research firm Mustel Group and community foundations across the province. More than 7,100 British Columbians took part. "It helps us to understand what priorities are emerging in various regions," says Lidia Kemeny, who oversees the project as Director of Partnerships at Vancouver Foundation. "at's really important to understand because we fund throughout British Columbia but we don't always have knowledge and information about what is happening, what trends are shaping and influencing the lives of residents across the province." One of the findings that stood out to Kemeny was that 53 per cent of respondents who said they wanted to be more involved in their community also claimed they would participate in a local project to help strengthen their neighbourhoods. But when asked whether they had actually participated in a local project in the previous 12 months, only 18 per cent indicated that they had. Vancouver Foundation's Vital Signs survey captures the most important concerns of people across B.C. By Guy MacPherson Pulse of the Province "What this tells us is that we have this amazing opportunity to engage people who are interested in being more involved but may not have found a project or vehicle," says Kemeny. Another interesting dichotomy is that 70 per cent of us trust our neighbours and 78 per cent feel safe walking alone in our communities, but only 45 per cent feel that someone moving onto their street would be welcomed. "Our work is all about creating healthy, vibrant and livable communities," says Kemeny. She suggests one way these findings can help is to get us thinking about ways to take action. "What are those things that we can do in our neighbourhoods and communities to actually welcome people? I think that is a pretty important component to our work across the whole province." But overall we're positive people. When asked to rank the statement "How often do you feel positive?" on a scale of 0 to 10, the average response was 7.4. e same ranking emerged from the question, "To what extent do you lead a purposeful and meaningful life?" Despite some concerns, our vital signs are looking good. But those concerns still need to be addressed if we want a clean bill of health. Vancouver Foundation uses the collected data to discover all the issues and challenges in our province. at, in turn, informs the various committees and allows them to prioritize where they put resources. "As a funder, we look at Vital Signs as a tool to help us make good decisions," says Kemeny, "and also to help other community foundations do the same across British Columbia." Full results of the survey and data can be accessed at vancouverfoundationvitalsigns.ca. 53% of respondents say they want to be more involved in their community, but only 18% of them indicated they have in the last 12 months. of respondents say they trust their neighbours, but only 45% feel new neighbours would be welcomed. 70% average response out of 10 when asked "How often do you feel positive?" 7.4

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