What startups can learn from community foundations with Eric Avner

Every founder needs trust and connection. So does every community. In this episode, we sit down with Eric Avner, President and CEO of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, to explore what it means to build a thriving community—socially, financially, and systemically. Eric explains how WRCF is investing in long-term, intergenerational impact: from managing over 420 community funds and endowments to launching new tools like WRgive.ca and GatherWR that make it easier to do good. He also unpacks insights from the latest Vital Signs report, including Waterloo Region’s dramatic demographic shift, and why belonging and social infrastructure matter more than ever. We talk about: The future of philanthropy (hint: it’s hyperlocal) Why belonging is dropping—and how to rebuild it What founders and tech leaders can learn from community building Creative experiments to reconnect neighbourhoods How to make generosity part of your company’s story Listen in now! 01:00 – Why trust and connection matter to founders—and communities 01:34 – What WRCF actually does (and why more people should know) 04:35 – From ToastyToes to the Essentials Fund—local giving in action 05:41 – Making it easier to do more good (without needing millions) 06:55 – Mission-aligned investing and local impact loans 07:59 – Introducing Vital Signs and the focus on social infrastructure 08:45 – In-migration, out-migration, and the churn of change 10:00 – Why growth alone doesn’t make a better place 11:48 – What makes social infrastructure work (and what happens when it doesn’t) 13:35 – Vital Signs report highlights: we’re younger, more diverse—and less connected 15:52 – Sarah’s experience moving back: finding community is hard 17:10 – Loose Change Louie’s, cold emails, and the search for “your people” 18:36 – Eric’s “Lunch of Erics” experiment and accidental connection hacks 19:32 – Gen Z and Millennials: half the sense of belonging of older generations 20:40 – Frequency matters: why recurring spaces beat one-off festivals 22:14 – 60% of Canadians don’t belong to any group or association 23:13 – The loneliness epidemic or the laziness epidemic? 23:38 – Is the pendulum swinging back to in-person connection? 25:00 – Examples of small, local ways to reconnect community 26:45 – Who do you trust to pick up your Amazon packages? That’s your neighbour. 27:24 – What is WRgives? And why it’s like civic Kickstarter 30:00 – How it works (and why some projects aren’t even charities) 31:32 – Why WRCF is acting more like a startup than a legacy institution 31:57 – Other ways to get involved (funds, GatherWR, newsletter, ideas welcome!) 33:06 – There’s no shortage of spaces—we just need to find and use them 34:29 – Be the change you want to see… or just start a neighbourhood potluck