Title Change for Executive Director

Kitchener, Ontario: On May 11, 2018, Allister Penner, Board Chair at Abundance Canada (formerly Mennonite Foundation of Canada), announced a change in title of the Executive Director, Darren Pries-Klassen, to Chief Executive Officer. With the goal of positioning Abundance Canada more broadly within Canada, it was the consensus of the board that this new title change better reflects Abundance Canada’s organizational structure and is more consistent with other national foundations and their respective nomenclature.

Penner states, “In 2016, the Board made a decision to rebrand the organization to Abundance Canada. Our goal was to position ourselves more broadly within and beyond the Christian community. Our exponential growth over the past 18-months is not only a testament to our continuously widening client base, but also to our values of living generously. Our vision of a world where everyone lives generously is certainly one that appeals to Canadians. Therefore, the title of our senior leader should reflect a strategic leadership role, which Darren has been doing successfully since 2009.”

Darren Pries-Klassen joined Abundance Canada in 1998, as a Gift Planning Consultant. He was promoted to Executive Director in 2009. Darren is a thought-leader on planned-giving and generosity, and speaks regularly across Canada.

In 2017 and on behalf of our clients, Abundance Canada distributed more than $19.72 million to 1,133 charities in Canada and issued charitable receipts for $39.46 million of donated funds.