Cathy Barr

Biography

Cathy Barr is Vice-President of Research & Strategic Relationships at Imagine Canada, a national charitable organization whose mission is to strengthen and support Canadian charities and nonprofits. She’s been with the organization since 2002, when it was known as the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy. From 2002 to 2007, she was Imagine Canada’s Director of Research and was involved in several major research projects, including the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating; the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations; the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Project; and the Canada Volunteerism Initiative’s Knowledge Development Centre.

In 2007, Cathy became the founding Director of the Insurance & Liability Resource Centre for Nonprofits, which was established to help charities and nonprofits understand and manage their risks and become informed insurance consumers. She later took on responsibility for Imagine Canada’s Ethical Code Program, which led to her involvement in the creation of Canada’s first Standards Program specifically designed for registered charities and public-benefit nonprofits.

As Vice-President, Cathy has also been responsible for Imagine Canada’s internal operations; public policy and advocacy activities; the research program; grant-writing and reporting; and relationship development and nurturing.

Before working to the charitable sector, Cathy was an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. She’s currently on the Board of Directors of the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) and the Editorial Advisory Committee of The Philanthropist Journal.