History

Inspire was founded by Ebert Hobbs and a number of other business partners in 1988 as Navion Financial Development Systems Inc. It was one of the first major Canadian owned fundraising consulting firms designed to bring the expertise of some of Canada’s most experienced fundraising professionals to our uniquely Canadian charitable sector. In the early years, Navion built a solid reputation serving many community hospitals and faith based charities across the country. Through the years, the firm expanded its scope to include all kinds of charities, and since then it has raised over three billion dollars for causes and organizations that help people and communities.

A key to Navion’s success was creating customized campaigns in an industry where most of its major competitors had – and still have – pre-packaged solutions. An important milestone was reached in Navion’s growth in 2001 when it joined an international network of philanthropy companies and changed its name to DVA Navion. This enabled the company to continue to provide excellent service to local and national clients and be able to draw on international resources and experience for them, where required.

The latest evolution in the company’s growth is its recent name change to Inspire Inc. The new name reflects the company’s belief in and commitment to the idea that donors give more primarily because they are inspired by the vision of the fundraising organization and its campaign. The family values and focus on customized solutions that inspired the creation of the Navion remain as a cornerstone of the firm’s philosophy today.