There are over 5,700 registered health charities in Canada. Of those, only a small percentage are likely managed by well qualified executive directors leading a properly trained staff and knowledgeable volunteers. In most cases, the advocacy groups are managed from kitchen tables and the leaders/staff are “trained” by word of mouth and learning from their mistakes. There is no school or program available to teach them how to raise funds, recruit and retain volunteers, write a grant, fund researchers, talk to government agencies, etc.
CACHE (Canadian Advocacy Champions of Health Education) wants to change that. There is a need in Canada to provide patient advocates with a comprehensive program that will properly qualify them to meet the many challenges they encounter when starting, maintaining, and growing their organization.