The Early Years 1999 to 2007
While serving as Vice Chair of the International Leadership Task Force of the SPEBSQSA (1992-1999), J.R. Digger MacDougall developed the concept of establishing a national Canada-wide charity to support the vision and mission of the SPEBSQSA. For six years he researched how to establish and operate a totally Canadian charity that was structured and organized to mirror Harmony Foundation (which perpetuated Harmony Foundation International, Inc.), the official charity of the SPEBSQSA (which perpetuated the Barbershop Harmony Society).
In 1993, Digger was serving as Vice Chair of the International Leadership Task Force of the SPEBSQSA (1992-1999) and submitted an application for the position of Executive Director of the SPEBSQSA, in response to a posted career opportunity advertisement. From over 100 applicants he was selected as one of 5 finalists to be interviewed by the Society Board of Directors. Although he was not selected to succeed Joe Liles in 1995, his identified strengths in leadership, strategic planning, organization and governance, were recognized. A few years later, he was asked to resubmit his resume as a candidate for the Board of Trustees of Harmony Foundation. Digger was elected by the Board of Directors of the SPEBSQSA to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of Harmony Foundation, the official charity (at the time) of the SPEBSQSA (Barbershop Harmony Society). During his tenure of 7 years as a Trustee, Digger contributed to and directed several changes in the organization, structure, vision, mission and purpose to Harmony Foundation. He was one of 3 officers on the Selection Committee that recommended the hiring of Clarke Caldwell as CEO of Harmony Foundation. The hiring of Clarke Caldwell resulted in a wholesale change of the purpose and direction of Harmony Foundation, which was directed to support the Barbershop Harmony Society. Coincidentally with this change was a decision by the Society to move its headquarters from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Nashville, Tennessee. Interestingly enough, the decision to move the headquarters from Kenosha came, following an address by Digger MacDougall to the Society Board of Directors at a meeting in Kenosha, which was called to consider the options recommended. Had it not been for Digger’s intervention, an “Abilene Paradox” would have resulted. The headquarters would have remained in Kenosha.
Further changes were planned, and these provided an opportunity for Digger to resign from the Harmony Foundation Board of Trustees in 2006, to allow for the election of the first woman to the Board of Trustees. This also allowed Digger an opportunity to set up a Canadian charity that was planned to parallel the vision and mission of Harmony Foundation.
On numerous occasions, the Harmony Foundation CEO and Digger discussed the importance of setting up a Canadian charity for all Canadian Barbershoppers so that Canadian Barbershoppers, like their American counterparts, could financially support a charity that would support the Barbershop Harmony Society’s activities, including training and outreach in Canada while giving Canadians an opportunity to benefit from the generous tax rebates provided by Government of Canada/CRA. Note: Prior to the establishment of Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund, it was not possible for Canadians to donate money to a charity (like Harmony Foundation) that:
- supported Barbershop Harmony, the society and its activities particularly for Canadians;
- was headquartered in the United States;
- did not have a Canadian Board of Directors;
- did not allow for Canadians to control and direct the finances of the corporation;
- conducted its business and most of its activities outside Canada; and,
- receive an income tax credit.
There were advantages to creating the Canadian charity so long after the establishment of the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony Foundation, namely:
- the Canadian charity could take advantage of all the lessons learned by the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony Foundation throughout their history;
- the Canadian charity could offer support to Canadian Chapters, Choruses and individual Barbershoppers of Harmony, Inc. and Sweet Adeline’s International;
- the Canadian charity could offer support to vocal music and all activities related to vocal music in all the schools and communities of Canada while promoting Barbershop Harmony and the activities of the 3 Barbershop Harmony singing organizations: BHS, HI and SAI;
- The Canadian charity could support the youth and community outreach programs for Canadian youth, children, and choral leaders as well as Canadian Barbershop leaders and members of the 3 singing organizations;
- the Canadian charity would be headquartered in the nation’s capital at Ottawa; Ontario. An office was set up in the residence of Digger MacDougall and maintained therein through moves to Stittsville, Arden, Orleans, Cumberland and Rockland, Ontario. All of these communities are in the National Capital Region.
The “Sing Canada Fund” of The Community Foundation of Ottawa
In December 2005, JR Digger MacDougall and Larry Martens two officers of the established not-for-profit entity called “Sing Canada ” signed an agreement to establish and operate an endowment fund within the Community Foundation of Ottawa, which included both flow-through donations and a permanent endowment. The purpose of this relationship with the community foundation was to allow an income tax receipt to be issued by the community foundation to donors, who made gifts to Sing Canada before Sing Canada became a registered charity in its own right. This arrangement was particularly effective in satisfying the needs of Sing Canada as a not-for-profit entity, the requirement for Canadian donors to have a tax receipt and to have the accounts of the Sing Canada Fund maintained in compliance with Government of Canada regulations. Note: At this time, donations had to be made by cheque made out to the Community Foundation of Ottawa – Sing Canada Fund. Canadian Barbershoppers slowly became accustomed to trusting this arrangement. Donations were submitted to the Sing Canada Harmony office, which was located in the residence of the founder, JR Digger MacDougall. Every donation made at that time, and since, has been acknowledged with a thank you letter which bears the logo of Sing Canada Harmony, the address and a list of the Board of Directors of Sing Canada Harmony and/or Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund. Thereby, Barbershop donors could see the names of their representatives of the Board of Directors of Sing Canada Harmony. Once Sing Canada became The Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund, a registered charity regulated by the Government of Canada, the flow-through funds of The Community Foundation of Ottawa were transferred to Sing Canada Harmony. The endowment portion of the Sing Canada Fund, as per agreement with the community foundation, remained with the community foundation and to this day in 2014 bears over $1100 per year in income which now becomes part of the Paul Tamblyn Community Leadership Award Fund, of the Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund and is used to support the mission of Sing Canada Harmony. According to the agreement with the Community Foundation of Ottawa, if the Canadian charity, Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund Incorporated, were to be dissolved, the funds held by the Community Foundation of Ottawa would be used to support vocal music, particularly barbershop harmony, across Canada in perpetuity.
Establishing the Canadian Charity
The original plan was to set up a Canadian charity to mirror Harmony Foundation International. To this end, over a period of six years, Digger MacDougall sought the pro bono assistance of Canadian lawyers. While all of lawyers were well-intentioned, it was difficult to impossible to set up a (Harmony Foundation Canada). One of the main reasons was that an organization with that name already existed. The other main reason was centered around how different were the tax laws of Canada and the United States. One after one, the lawyers gave up while trying to find a way to support Barbershop Harmony singing organizations headquartered in the United States while providing Canadian supporters some sort of tax relief.
During these arduous six years, Digger was promoting the concept of a Canadian charity to support Barbershop Harmony and the activities of the three Barbershop Harmony singing organizations. Notwithstanding that there was no existing national charity in Canada that supported vocal music in all the schools and communities of Canada particularly barbershop harmony, this idea met with a lot of resistance from Canadian male Barbershoppers. The resistance came because like their American counterparts, they had supported a different charity or charities for a long period of time. The charity that male Barbershoppers supported through Harmony Foundation did not support the Barbershop Harmony Society nor the activities of that Society directly related to organization, structure, development, training, outreach and promotion of youth, schools and colleges, or the operations of the Society itself. Nor did the official charity of Ontario District of the Barbershop Harmony Society financially support any of these activities, training or the Society or District. Resistance was predicted and encountered. As it was anticipated, the greatest resistance came from within Ontario District.
Any change brings about resistance from those who are asked to undergo the change. This is a naturally occurring phenomenon. The resistance was experienced in the United States from American Barbershoppers when Harmony Foundation chose the new direction to support the Barbershop Harmony Society and the same type of resistance was experienced in Canada for the same reasons. In Ontario District, the only all Canadian District, there was considerable resistance to the establishment of a Canadian charity that benefited Barbershop Harmony and Barbershop activities. In fact, in the early 2000’s, following the announcement by Digger MacDougall to the Ontario District Board of Directors and District Management Team, of the establishment of an all Canadian charity to support Barbershop Harmony in Canada named Sing Canada with the website which used the name Sing Canada, most domain names (.ca, .org, .net, etc.) were quickly snatched up by a member or members of a resistance group. This required the ultimate selection of the name Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund in order that a new registered domain name be founded and registered. Today the name Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund is registered with Industry Canada as a bona fide Canadian corporation and by Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, as a registered charity. Both of these Canadian government ministries and the banks with which sing Canada harmony does business also recognize the following names: Sing Canada, and Sing Canada Harmony.
The SPEBSQSA Board of Directors passed a motion to recognize Sing Canada as its official charity. It took several years for the Ontario District Board of Directors to formally recognize Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund as one of the official charities of the District. At the same time Sing Canada Harmony was realizing financial support from Canadian Chapters of the BHS. Today, Sing Canada Harmony is recognized as an official Barbershop Charity by the Barbershop Harmony Society, including Ontario District and the 4 Canadian American Districts, Harmony, Inc., and several chapters, choruses and members of Sweet Adeline’s International.
By 2006 most of the footwork had been done. That year, Digger MacDougall met with Sandra Dunlop, Pres., and Jeanne O’Connor, Past President of Harmony Inc. They agreed in principle to support Sing Canada Harmony as a Canadian charity, and subject to the incorporation and registration of Sing Canada Harmony with CRA, recommend that all Harmony Inc. Chapters and Choruses consider supporting Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund. The full endorsement of Sing Canada Harmony by Harmony Inc. occurred following a meeting of the Board of Directors of Harmony Inc. in 2008.
During 2006 Digger MacDougall engaged the services of Ted Manthorp, an Ottawa-based Canadian lawyer, quartet singer and member of the Ottawa chapter to research and make recommendations on the establishment of a Canadian charity with the vision and mission of Sing Canada Harmony. Digger also engaged Larry Martens, an Ottawa-based entrepreneur and president of DLM Industries to assist in the establishment of Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund. Both Ted and Larry did considerable work and provided considerable service towards the establishment of the charity and along with Digger MacDougall became the original 3 board members that established and incorporated Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund.
Having encountered numerous problems in establishing a Canadian charity that totally mirrored Harmony Foundation with the same vision, mission and purposes, Digger MacDougall contacted Jane Burke-Robertson of Carter’s Law Firm in Ottawa to assist in the establishment of the Canadian charity. Digger worked with Jane for an additional 6 months with input and legal documentation from Ted Manthorp and Larry Martens. Jane Burke-Robertson as one of the top charity lawyers Canada had assisted CRA in the development of policy papers and recommendations on the operation of Canadian charities. Jane recommended that the Canadian charity, which at the time was yet to be named, be a scholarship fund that could support vocal music, particularly barbershop harmony, in the communities and schools of Canada while providing support to training and other activities in vocal music and in support of the 3 barbershop singing organizations, BHS, HI, and SAI.
Starting in 2006, Digger also contacted a number of Canadian Barbershop Leaders with the intent of forming the Board of Directors for the Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund with representation from the Ontario District of the BHS, the four Canadian-American Districts, Harmony, Incorporated and Sweet Adeline’s International. The initial board of directors of the Digger MacDougall, Chair, Ted Manthorp, Secretary, and Larry Martens, Treasurer. Following discussions with other Barbershop Leaders, the following were appointed then elected to the corporation’s Board of Directors: Sandra Dunlop, Past President HI; Charlie Metzger Chorus Director and Senior’s Quartet Gold Medalist, EVG; Don Bazley, PEng, PIO; Steve Wheaton, Co-Chair of the 2013 International Convention in Montreal, NED; and Sharon Towner, Barbershop Harmony Coach, Consultant and later Co-Founder of the award winning Ontario Youth A Cappella Chorus, SAI. This was the initial body that operated the charity, the only one in Canada to support vocal music, particularly Barbershop Harmony, in all the schools and all the communities of the nation. Approximately one year later Norman Silverberg, LOL, a Winnipeg Accountant, was asked to join the board and several years later, Carol Argue, officer of Region 26 of SAI (the only all-Canadian district of SAI), accepted invitation and was elected to the board. Later, Doran McTaggart, Past President of the Pioneer District was elected to succeed Don Bazley, Gerry Borden, Past President of EVG was elected to succeed Charlie Metzger and Murray Phillips, Past President of NED, BHS committee chair and member, and the other Co-Chair of the 2013 International Convention in Montreal was elected to succeed Steve Wheaton. Trinda Ernst, a highly esteemed Canadian lawyer who was to become president of the Canadian Bar Association and Past President of Harmony, Incorporated, was elected to succeed Sandra Dunlop.
Following a full term on the board by Carol Argue, Judy McAlpine, officer of Region 26 of SAI, was elected to succeed her. To minimize expenses the Board of Directors met mostly by telephone conference. In addition to meetings of opportunity at barbershop conventions, the SCH Board met once per year in the central Canada location of Toronto for a board retreat, training sessions and meetings.
A second representative, James Thexton of EVG, a Calgary accountant accepted a nomination and became Treasurer. David Pearce, retired RCMP Chief Superintendent, of Regina Saskatchewan was elected to the board as the first representative from LOL and later Gordon Billows of Winnipeg, was elected as the second representative from LOL. Following completion of 3 terms of office the board accepted the resignation of Larry Martens and elected John Wilkie of Guelph Ontario to succeed Larry. In order to maintain the high ratio of representatives from Ontario district, David Smith was elected to the board, but resigned after a period of one year.
Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship fund was incorporated under the laws of Canada and in accordance with policies prescribed by Industry Canada, in 2007. Approximately 6 months later Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund was registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, with Registration Number 85470 3014 RR0001
Resistance – There have been accusations that SCH is not a “real charity” because it doesn’t support the afflicted, diseased or handicapped.
The accusers have just passed judgement on most of the charities on the planet
What Sing Canada Harmony Supports
Typically, principal learning opportunities that are supported by Sing Canada Harmony scholarships and grants for Canadians are:
- Those sponsored by the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), Harmony, Incorporated (HI) or Sweet Adelines International (SAI) such as:
- Harmony Explosion Experiences or Harmony Explosion Camps for children, youth and music educators;
- Harmony University, Harmony Colleges and Directors College;
- Leadership Academies for Chapter Officers (Chapter Officer Training Seminars), Harmony Intensive Training School (HITS), Harmony Education Days, Harmony Education Programs (HEP) and Chorus Director Development Training;
- University and College degree and diploma programs or courses in vocal music;
- Other approved programs, seminars, courses and training in vocal music or vocal music support.
Sing Canada wants to share those opportunities with every Canadian who wants to sing and be part of a better Canada. We want to share those opportunities with the men and women who make all happen; who sing and share the joy of song and who strive to be worthy members of the worthwhile singing organizations that sing, perform, promote and train in the Barbershop Harmony art form.
Ted Manthorp, Ottawa, barrister and Ontario District Barbershopper, provided guidance on the type of structure that should be assumed by Sing Canada Harmony. Among the initial choices were those of a charitable foundation and a charitable organization. When finally formed, it was agreed that the interests of Canadian men and women Barbershoppers and the needs of choral and other singers of Canada, could be best served by a scholarship fund. Hence, the scholarship fund format was chosen. The laws and regulations promulgated by the government of Canada through the Canada Revenue Agency preclude the funding of travel, food and accommodation by Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund.
This regulation can work to the advantage of barbershop choruses, quartets and individuals, as well as, school and community choirs and non-barbershop singers. What Sing Canada Harmony
can do within the regulations of CRA, is award funding for anything that addresses the music needs of the singers or group; this in turn allows the freeing up of personal or choral group resources which can be used to pay for travel, food and accommodation.
Relationship of Sing Canada Harmony to the Benefits of Singing
We know that music changes lives.
We know that music has the power to give meaning to our lives and the lives of everyone we touch through song.
We know that helping Sing Canada Harmony achieve its mission helps all Canadians. Helping Sing Canada Harmony gives men and women Barbershoppers the support they need to preserve and encourage the Barbershop Harmony art form through their respective organizations. This in turn, provides all with a feeling of satisfaction, love and harmony as we work together through song to create better communities, betters schools, a better country and a better world.
Source of Funds and Recognition
Any person may contribute a gift to Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund. Notwithstanding, the gifts of men and women Barbershoppers, Chapters , other singers and their families friends and fans (audiences) are the principal sources of funds for the Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund.
Gifts to Sing Canada Harmony may take any form including cash, scheduled giving (i.e. monthly), real estate, equities, after-life legacies and gifts, art or any other legal form of gift permitted under the laws of Canada.
Finances, reports to CRA annual financial review by external accountant
full review signed back from CRA
the strength of sing Canada harmony as demonstrated by an invitation for the chair of sing Canada to facilitate learning and how to establish a Canadian charity to a third-year law class at the University of Ottawa
Growth and Development of Sing Canada Harmony Since 2008
The Current Board of Directors and Areas of Representation
all volunteer board members
all Barbershoppers
Scholarships and Grants committee
what has been Awarded and to whom for what
selection process and amounts awarded; amounts are subject to funds available in the account
criteria for award of scholarships
academic ability, need, demonstrated interest in vocal music, a cappella harmony or barbershop harmony,
children and youth
Communications with Barbershoppers and Canadian choirs and vocal ensembles
newsletter and announcements in various barbershop media
Certificate of continuance as a Canadian charity under recent Canadian legislation Canadian not-for-profit continuation act
The future of sing Canada harmony
people give to charities the values of which are aligned with their personal values
sing Canada harmony respects the fact that Barbershoppers and other Canadians singers and other Canadians singing organizations may and do give financial support to other charities of their choosing. Although support of Sing Canada harmony by Canadian barbershop harmony singers is encouraged, sing Canada believes that Barbershoppers should financially support the charity of their choice. However if Canadian Barbershoppers and other singers believe in the power of music and in the power of singing to change lives, they are invited to support sing Canada harmony as a charity of choice
Relationship to the coalition for music education in Canada
Constitution, bylaws, and policies are ratified and approved
Transparency always asking how we can serve Barbershoppers better