Communities across Canada are facing complex and evolving social challenges. As these realities shift, so too must the role of United Way Centraides. Guided by the theme Leading Forward (#LeadingForward2026), the 2026 United Way Centraide National Conference brought more than 300 participants from United Way Centraides across Canada, including staff, senior leaders, and board members together in a shared national space. These connections fostered knowledge exchange, peer learning, and a renewed sense of collective impact across the network.
Held at the Halifax Convention Centre on April 21–22, 2026, the conference featured keynote addresses, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and special events that celebrated collaboration, innovation, and growth. Together, participants explored future‑focused strategies, strengthened partnerships, and shared ideas that drive lasting, community‑led change across the country.
Connections
“Being here has been such a breath of fresh air. Leading Forward gave us the opportunity to come together, (re)connect, recognize our collective strength and resilience, and celebrate our network’s leadership and innovation,” shared one attendee.
By gathering together every two years, the United Way Centraide Movement galvanizes engagement across the country around topics that are core to our mission: tackling complex social issues like poverty, mental health, homelessness and food insecurity.
As the host city member, the team at United Way Maritimes provided invaluable support to make this conference possible. “At some point we have to stop being fascinated with the problem and act collectively,” said Sara Napier, President and CEO of United Way Maritimes.
Inspiration
Plenary speaker Armine Yalnizyan brought forward sobering perspectives on the care economy and the future of our sector. With public services becoming increasingly in demand as the population ages, she reminded us that care work is the work that makes all other work possible, and that equitable participation is key.
“One thing we’re not doing systematically is talking about who’s being turned away and what happens when they don’t get the service,” she said in her presentation.
In times of increasing complexity and uncertainty, conference speakers challenged participants to lean into the strength of the movement and continue leading as changemakers.
Keynote speaker Zita Cobb offered a powerful reminder:
“In the world of ideas, the most important thing is enthusiasm. In the world of doing, the most important thing is perseverance.”
These insights, paired with thoughtful breakout discussions, left participants energized, motivated, and equipped with practical tools to apply in their local work. The conference brought together workshop presenters from across the Movement as well as the voices of external subject matter experts, offering a wealth of knowledge and practical experience that was shared with attendees. With workshops touching on topics of Indigenous leadership in our Movement, demystifying AI, fundraising trends and strategies, digital marketing, using data to tell stories and how to scale community impact, the conference was an opportunity to share insights and leverage local expertise to strengthen our work and accelerate our impact across Canada.
Celebration
On Tuesday, April 21, we held a Celebration Dinner and National Awards Night. Five national awards were presented to recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, dedication to mission, and community impact among United Way Centraide staff and volunteers across the country.
Recipients were selected by a four‑member committee, including UWCC’s Board Chair, UWCC’s President and CEO, and senior United Way Centraide leaders, one of whom was a previous award recipient.
👉 View the full list of award recipients.
Together, we left Halifax committed to leading forward, sharing knowledge, strengthening partnerships, and turning collaborative learning into bold, community-led action that advances equity and lasting impact nationwide.
