A guide to supporting organizations

For more than 145 years, the YWCA Quebec has been working for and with women, proudly accompanying them towards the best of themselves. Among its actions aimed at empowering women, the Y has implemented a customized coaching service for 3 years for organizations wishing to increase the number of women in their decision-making bodies. From 2017 to 2020, the Y’s leadership department accompanied some 40 organizations toward achieving parity.

A guide to supporting organizations
towards parity governance

In order to allow other organizations to benefit from this great experience, we are pleased to make the new Guide to support organizations towards parity governance available online. You will find downloadable tool templates that can be adapted to your organization’s situation. Based on these models, you can implement the process of achieving and maintaining parity in your organization.

To view the previous edition titled Guide to Parity Governance: for Equal BODs released in 2016, click here.

Recruitment of candidate directors

The steps to promote parity are varied and can be simple to take. Posting in an area dedicated to seeking female candidates is one way to increase the number of women on your decision-making body. The YWCA provides an opportunity for organizations to find the right woman and for female director candidates to meet the right board via our online Directors Wanted posting area.

A successful support

One year after developing and adopting their Policy on Parity and Gender Balance, the Pôle des entreprises d’économie sociale de la région de la Capitale-Nationale has achieved parity on its Board of Directors and is seeing the beneficial effects of this approach. With Catherine Benoit (Co-President), Garry Lavoie (Vice-President), Félix Bussières (Executive Director) and Dianne Maltais (Treasurer).