Jim Pitblado’s advice for how to involve next generations in philanthropy

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Jim Pitblado’s successful career is matched by his and his wife Sandra’s philanthropic generosity.

Pitblado has held positions including chairman of RBC Dominion Securities, a member of the board of governors of the Toronto Stock Exchange, as well as national chairman of the board of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada. He has most recently been a Board member of the Ontario Arts Foundation, Business for the Arts, and The National Ballet of Canada Endowment Foundation. He is past chairman of the boards of The National Ballet of Canada, The National Ballet of Canada Endowment Foundation, The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, the board of trustees of The Hospital for Sick Children and the board of trustees of Rosedale United Church.

Pitblado was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998, and his wife, Sandra, was appointed in 2022, both for their decades of volunteerism and philanthropic leadership in Canada.

He received the Edmund C. Bovey Award for leadership in business and the arts in 2000, and he and his wife were jointly named the outstanding philanthropists of the year by the National Society of Fundraising Executives in 1999. They also jointly received the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts in 2003.

Pitblado comes from a prominent law family in Manitoba, dating back to the 1800s. Here, he shares his advice for bringing children and grandchildren into philanthropic leadership, and says the secret lies in letting the next generation foster their passions.

Why did you decide to create a foundation?

We’ve always, both Sandra and I, been brought up to believe in community. We both grew up in Winnipeg. We didn’t have hardships, but it was a fairly tough life out on the prairies. Our families imbued in us a sense of community and the need to get involved in your community of choice. After we were married and came to Toronto in the late 1950s, we started to get modestly involved in a few things, and I was transferred to Montreal.

When we came back to Toronto, we got more involved with communities in healthcare, in performing arts, and more. We had five children, and we wanted to instill in them an interest and stimulate a desire in what I would call volunteerism in general.

I’ve always looked at it as more than just pure philanthropy, if you look at philanthropy as giving financially. Equally important is volunteering your time to your organization of choice and trying to move it forward by serving as a volunteer, joining a board, and rolling up your sleeves with the heavy lifting, the meetings, the involvement and the advocacy.

How did you decide on your philanthropic focus?

When we started out, our children were relatively young. We started out with supporting some of the institutions that we were involved with and that we thought were important. We encouraged them to become involved in their community. They always knew that if they had to make a financial contribution as a board member or as a volunteer, the foundation would support them.

Gradually, over time, the foundation has broadened out. It’s not a strategic or overarching vision. It’s not simply ‘Let’s help find a solution for cancer,’ or ‘Let’s help educate this group of people.’ We’ve let individuals find organizations that they’re passionate about, the primary purpose being to let family members find where they want to make their commitment.

How did your philanthropic initiatives evolve and what are the goals of your foundation today?

It’s continually changing, of course. It’s not a big foundation. Sandra and I do our own philanthropy away from the foundation, and after our demise there will be more funds in the foundation. It’s continuing to evolve along the lines that we established at the beginning. Every one of our kids is involved in the community. It’s trying to instill in our family a sense of responsibility to give back, starting with time and energy and effort, and then philanthropy being a part of it but not the only driver.

How did the next generations get involved in philanthropy?

We put the onus on them. We wanted to encourage them to give back to the community, and so whatever area that they were particularly interested in, they could come to the board of the foundation and ask if the foundation would support them. That way, the children took ownership of whatever it was that they advocated for.

We feel pretty good about it and we’re now in the throes of moving onto the next generation. We’ve got 14 grandchildren, so we don’t have a shortage! That’s a broad age span, as well. What we’ve done in the last few years, is we’ve had our annual meeting at the lake.

We’ve invited grandchildren, if they’d like to come and audit our meeting to see what is being done. Then if they want to express an interest, we would have them consider joining our board. One of our daughters has taken over as president of our board, but this year we might add some more next-generation members to our board. It’s not a heavy-duty operation. We want them to pick the areas that they’re going to be interested in. If they’re willing to become a volunteer or an advocate, then the foundation would be there to support them.

Do the initiatives you support reflect other family dynamics, such as next-generations’ interests?

We’re still a small a foundation. That’s the important thing. It’s not how big the pot is. It’s more the instilling into people and family the need to give back. It’s pretty simple. Give back. If we are fortunate and successful as a family, give back to the community. You’ll be a better citizen; you’ll meet people in a different walk of life.

For example, I was a businessman all my life, but when you get involved in a hospital or an educational institution, or the performing arts, it puts you in contact with a different group of people. You benefit from that. Yes, you can bring something to the organization, but you get back. In many cases you get back more than you give.

Do you have any advice for other families that may be looking at preparing next generations for leadership roles in the family’s philanthropy?

Sandra and I did our own volunteer and philanthropy as well. We just didn’t want to say that was what we wanted our children to do. What motivates you? What cause do you feel is most important? Hunger? Mental health? Education? Physical health? Musical theatre? Ballet?

Whatever it is, get involved. Don’t just write a cheque. Get involved and know what it is that you’re supporting. That’s what not-for-profits are – they’re there to make a difference in the world. Writing a cheque is important, but it’s not the only thing. We started 30 years ago, and it’s been a pretty good experience.

Do you have any examples of the results of your philanthropy that you are particularly proud of?

It isn’t the foundation directly, it’s my wife and I, but our children are aware. We set up an endowment at the University of Manitoba, my alma mater, to honour my father and my grandfather, who were both prominent lawyers in Manitoba for many years. We set up, working with the faculty of law, to award scholarships in the law department.

We go out every year to be part of the giving ceremony. It’s been very rewarding because you have a direct personal touch with people, and you can really see what philanthropy has done. If our foundation one day becomes big enough, we can do more of that within the foundation. This was set up by Sandra and me, and we’ve incorporated our family in that.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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