Woman Philanthropists: Rayla Myhal Of The Myhal Family Foundation On How To Leave A Lasting Legacy With A Successful Nonprofit Organization
A clear directive in your giving. Being very focused on helping in key areas that you believe in and very rarely diverting from that. This allows you to focus efforts and funding, request organizations to be collaborative because you know what others are doing, and make the biggest impact in certain areas of need throughout multiple communities.
The contributions of women philanthropists have reshaped communities and catalyzed change, yet their stories often remain untold. Women bring unique perspectives and approaches to philanthropy, using their resources, networks, and influence to address a wide range of global challenges — from education and healthcare to social justice and environmental sustainability. How do these women navigate the complexities of philanthropy to achieve meaningful impact? In this interview series, we are talking to diverse women philanthropists who have initiated impactful projects or led significant charitable endeavors, to share their insights and inspire others to take initiative and help solve pressing global and local issues. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rayla Myhal.
Rayla Myhal is the President of the Myhal Family Foundation, which focuses on Health Care, Education and Humanitarian efforts globally. She is the Vice Chair of the Royal Conservatory of Music and sits on the St.Joe’s Foundation Board. In 2024, Rayla purchased Featherstone Estate Winery in the Niagara Region.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about a ‘top of mind’ topic. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today?
I think to know me better, you would have to understand that every experience I have had has shaped the person I have become, whether personally or professionally. If I had to highlight just two, the first would be being a child of immigrant parents that came to Canada in search of a better life for our family. The values of hard work and earning a place in society through merit, was something that was not only taught through words, but through actions by my father. His strong work ethic, faith and moral compass, charitable nature and belief in equality for all, is something that was ingrained into my sense of self from a young age.
Secondly, it would have to be the opportunities that I was afforded by Canada as a whole. Although I didn’t end up in nursing as I had planned for myself, the opportunities I was given simply through the generosity and belief that others had in me, allowed me to not only continuously build on my skill sets, but excel and thrive.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? We would love to hear a few stories or examples.
I believe that the three character traits that have been crucial to my success have been the ability to recognize needs, the motivation to do what’s needed, and the ability to work with others collaboratively to affect change.
Three years ago we were personally affected by the Russian invasion, and subsequent war in Ukraine (my husband is Ukrainian). With the mass immigration of refugees fleeing from Ukraine and coming to the Toronto area, we immediately recognized that the community as a whole would need to rally around this vulnerable group of mostly women and children. Our local Ukrainian school, St.Demetrius the Great Martyr, doubled its cohort within the months that followed. Everything from housing to clothes and food staples was made accessible through the support of the community. Our library basically became a rotating pantry for these families.
The one thing I noted that was painfully missing was social and mental health services.
Our local school board was neither prepared or equipped to take on this influx of students (and families) with varying degrees of trauma related to the war. With the help of partners like Native Child, Peel Catholic Services and the incredible Barbara Fallon from the University of Toronto, I was able to create a mental health dream team! Working with the teachers first and dealing with vicarious trauma, to dealing with individual students expressing trauma and their families. This included social services for employment, housing and transition for many into high school.
Thanks to this amazing group of people and agencies, we were able to provide much needed support for almost three years.
Being able to anticipate and recognize problems, taking the initiative to create a group to address the various areas of need, and simply working collaboratively to fill those needs is where I excel. The difference in many students and families who have accessed these services is noticeable and I personally see the effects of the support on a daily basis.
What’s the most interesting discovery you’ve made since you started leading your organization?
I think the most interesting thing of note so far for myself in the realm of Philanthropy, has been the lack of collaboration between agencies that are seeking support. I believe that cooperation between agencies allows for a more thorough approach to addressing certain needs. I have always insisted that the agencies we support work with others to fulfill needs in order to avoid duplication in approach and resources.
Recently I requested that both Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Global Medic work together on a project we are embarking on. It has been a wonderful experience seeing these two organizations work collaboratively and effectively by supporting each other and keeping each other accountable. Their willingness allows the funds we provide to be effectively allocated and reach those that need it the most. I am excited to see this project come to fruition as it has the potential to reach thousands that are facing critical food shortages. Working together allows us to create something that can be sustainable for decades, if not more.
Can you please tell our readers more about how you or your organization intends to make a significant social impact?
The Myhal Family Foundation supports causes that help uplift communities and supports education and healthcare needs. By selecting organizations that have always worked collectively to enhance their surrounding communities or support students that would otherwise be unable to achieve their aspirations due to financial restraints, we aim to affect change by supporting the programs and facilities serviced by these organizations. Case in point, our recent support of Niagara College and their nursing program. The college is an integral part of Niagara, and surrounding communities. Allocating funds to the new Nursing building, while creating endowments for nursing students, allows us to help cultivate the future of health care in Ontario. An area of service that our aging population will be in dire need of. We made an additional endowment that focuses on Indigenous students exclusively, as they are the most vulnerable community members, and require additional support dedicated to allowing them the opportunity to further their education in healthcare without financial barriers. My hope is that they will return to their communities and become integral members offering support to uplift others.
What makes you feel passionate about this cause more than any other?
I think I am most passionate about this work because I can see the change that we are affecting. It’s tangible and we can evaluate the success of the program almost immediately and decide to change course if needed to be more successful in meeting our goals and objectives. It’s immediate gratification for us and leaves a sense of pride and accomplishment when we are successful in meeting immediate needs. This is also about fostering a sustainable outcome for the future of healthcare in Ontario. We are already seeing the negative effects due to a lack of nurses and paramedics, this support looks to fill those gaps. It’s never been about just throwing money at an organization. Once we decide to partner with someone, we are fully invested in making their organization better, and assisting them in meeting the goals they have set out for the various communities that they service. We are very excited about this partnership with Niagara College.
Without naming names, could you share a story about an individual who benefitted from your initiatives?
There are too many individuals and stories that we have heard from people that I could share about how our giving impacts the lives of those that are benefitting from our support. One that will always stand out for me is about a brother and sister that came to Canada from Ukraine shortly after the war started. These children are from Bucha, a town in Ukraine that was highlighted early during the war for a mass murder that took place there.
The kids witnessed the assassination of their father (a leader in the Ukrainian forces) and their town decimated, friends and family members killed. Thankfully they were hidden and subsequently moved out of the country with their mother. They relocated to my area and attend our local school. Children should never experience that degree of trauma, so when I heard their story, I was immediately moved into action. They were the catalyst for my creating the mental health and assistance program for displaced families and refugees that came from Ukraine.
To see those siblings now, adjusting to their new lives here and smiling and laughing with their new friends, brings great happiness to me. They will never be fully healed from what they saw or the generational trauma they will carry forward, but this is a start. There are so many similar stories and each one breaks my heart, but also fills me with hope and happiness because we played a small part in making their lives a little better.
We all want to help and to live a life of purpose. What are three actions anyone could take to help address the root cause of the problem you’re trying to solve?
I think that most people think they can’t help or affect change unless they have the funds to do so. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think three ways that people can help in their local communities is to first seek out organizations that are looking for volunteers. Give your time and maybe some of your expertise to them. Sometimes just being present and offering assistance leads to bigger things.
Secondly, make sure that the organization aligns with you morally. It’s so important and rewarding to work with groups that share your sense of values and desires to support the community.
Lastly, encourage your children to join you. Create an early sense of philanthropy, volunteerism and empathy by leading by example. You would be surprised at what children will remember and what creates core memories for them.
Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Create A Successful & Effective Nonprofit That Leaves A Lasting Legacy?”
1 . A clear directive in your giving
Being very focused on helping in key areas that you believe in and very rarely diverting from that.
This allows you to focus efforts and funding, request organizations to be collaborative because you know what others are doing, and make the biggest impact in certain areas of need throughout multiple communities.
2 . A moral code and ethics
Have a red line. There is nothing worse than working with people that do not align with your core values.
At times you want to work with organizations, but in the process of due diligence (which you should absolutely always do) you discover that they may have accepted funds from others you would never work with. Or they are pivoting support to groups you personally would not support. We try to keep politics out of our decisions, but sometimes you have to look at the politics in order to ensure a full alignment.
3 . Transparency
Keeping best practices when it comes to selecting charities and allocating funds for projects is a MUST.
We are beholden to CRA rules and have to be very stringent on adhering to their rules and processes.
We have regular meetings in which the foundation discusses our selections for support and openly discusses any conflicts.
4 . Collaboration
The most impact we have seen through our support comes when agencies work collaboratively to address needs. Not only does this effectively use the funds we provide, but I find that the collaborative nature lends to increase in awareness across groups that may not otherwise cross paths. I am not a huge fan of duplicating services or administrative waste, so working in this manner checks off two boxes for me.
5 . Empathy
Although charities are meant to give to those in need, sometimes I find those doing the giving lack the empathy that goes with the generous act. Learning fully about a charity, visiting the people that are affected by the needs (when possible), and speaking to those that are offering the support, helps to foster a greater sense of empathy. Being invested wholly in the charity and its mission makes it much more personal for myself and the relationship that is built goes well beyond the financial aspect. Their success becomes ours and there is no greater sense of accomplishment.
How has the pandemic changed your definition of success?
I can’t say that the pandemic affected the way we measure success because the parameters that we set to measure that success never changed. Through our partner relationships, we were still able to provide services and see the results of those efforts in real time. We worked with Global Medic to ensure local food banks had fresh food available to them to meet the increasing needs of local communities that were struggling. The ability to service those communities when they were struggling the most and seeing that difference was success enough, but the fact that we continue to use vertical farms to produce fresh foods and carry on with that work is even better than we had anticipated. If anything, the pandemic allowed us to further streamline the costs and evaluate where the best use of the funds is.
How do you get inspired after an inevitable setback?
Thankfully our setbacks have been very few and have not fully impacted the work we do or the support we give. There have been times when we have cut ties with organizations because of differences in what we hope to achieve through support, but there is never any animosity on our part. It allows the foundation to reevaluate the relationship from an outside perspective. We ask ourselves what went wrong, how was messaging conveyed, were expectations reasonable, and if so, where was the failure. This allows us to ensure that the next organization we work with is better informed and if needed, our expectations are tempered. From there we carry on because there is never a shortage of organizations looking for support.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world who you would like to talk to, to share the idea behind your non-profit? He, she, or they might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I am always open to sharing insights and comparing notes with anyone that reaches out. I think meaningful conversations between foundation leaders is key to creating a network of philanthropy.
You’re doing important work. How can our readers follow your progress online?
We don’t have a website, but they can follow some of the work and partnerships we embark on through my LinkedIn
Thank you for a meaningful conversation. We wish you continued success with your mission.
Woman Philanthropists: Rayla Myhal Of The Myhal Family Foundation On How To Leave A Lasting Legacy… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.