Voluntary Sector Links |  Liens au secteur bénévole |
Page révisée le 13 décembre 2011
[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]
Voluntary Sector Links | Liens au secteur bénévole |
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The content below
is mostly Canadian, and it's organized in reverse chronological order,
more or less...
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Charity Intelligence Canada (Ci)
Who is Charity Intelligence Canada?
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1087646--who-is-charity-intelligence-canada
November 15, 2011
Charity Intelligence Canada is a registered charity launched in 2008 to do
for donors what financial analysts do for investors: provide research-based
advice that helps people decide where to put their money. The services are
free. Based out of a downtown condo unit, Charity Intelligence is run by two
paid staff members and about 25 volunteers, including 10 Bay St. financial
analysts who come in after work to crunch numbers. (...) As well as providing
advice, Charity Intelligence will take your money and distribute it to one
or more charities on your behalf. In 2010, it handled $442,000 in transactions
for donors across the country. And no, it does not keep a cut.
Source:
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/
---
Charity Intelligence Canada (Ci)
http://www.charityintelligence.ca/
Ci's Mission: To help donors make informed and intelligent giving decisions
that have impact for Canadians in need. Ci is one of the only objective analysts
with a national scope working for donors in Canada. Ci has been doing rigorous
research and analysis on Canadian charities since 2006, analyzing over 350
Canadian charities, and re-reviewing some on an annual basis.
Top Picks for 2011 - Report (PDF - 1.9MB,
80 pages)
http://www.charityintelligence.ca/images/toppicks/ci_top_picks_2011.pdf
NOTE: This report contains the profiles of all 33 recommended charities for
2011, as well as a section that explains how Ci analyzes charities for its
list of top picks. Because Ci itself is a registered charity, donors can write
one cheque to Ci which will be forwarded to the Top Picks according to the
donor’s instructions. For example, a donor may want to give to a few
Top Picks that are of particular interest, or with one cheque support all
the Top Pick Charities. (...) Furthermore, you can either have all your money
go to your designated charities or, if you wish, you can provide a stipend
to support Ci’s on-going research. Your money, your choice. No charge.
Top Picks for 2011 - Charity Profiles
http://goo.gl/WMI0J
Profiles for each of the top 33 charities recommended for 2011 (from a total
of 237 charities contacted). Each profile includes:
* Mission Statement * About * Social Results * Financial Overview * Investment
Highlights * History * Management * Community Needs * Funding Need * Investment
Risks * Audited Financial Statements.
Here’s how we can be both smart and
good
http://goo.gl/uS9dd
By Margaret Wente
October 28, 2011
(...) I only have a dim idea how much I give away, or what good it does. I
have no idea whether it makes a difference. “As donors, it’s time
for us not just to give more but to give better – to make sure our giving
is going where we think it’s going,” says Kate Bahen, managing director
of Charity Intelligence Canada, a Toronto-based organization that advises
donors.The competition for money has created a sort of charity arms race,
which pushes charities to spend more and more money in order to raise their
profile and attract donations.
Source:
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
New from
Statistics Canada:
December 5, 2011
Charitable donors, 2010
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/111205/dq111205a-eng.htm
Canadian taxfilers reported making charitable donations of just under $8.3
billion in 2010, up 6.5% from 2009. At the same time, the number of donors
increased 2.2% to just over 5.7 million. Data are based on income tax returns
filed for 2010. Nationally, 23.4% of all taxfilers claimed charitable donations
on their tax return, in line with previous years. Manitoba (26.3%) had the
highest percentage declaring a donation, followed by Prince Edward Island
(25.3%) and Saskatchewan (25.3%).
Related subjects:
* Income, pensions, spending and wealth
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/subject-sujet/theme-theme.action?pid=3868&lang=eng&more=0
* Household spending and savings
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/subject-sujet/subtheme-soustheme.action?pid=3868&id=2180&lang=eng&more=0
* Society and community
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/subject-sujet/theme-theme.action?pid=75&lang=eng&more=0
* Volunteering and donating
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/subject-sujet/subtheme-soustheme.action?pid=75&id=80&lang=eng&more=0
Volunteer
Canada / Bénévoles
Canada
Volunteer Canada works on public policy issues in order to assure that the
views and concerns of its members – and of all Canadians engaged in volunteerism
– are front in centre in Parliament, in the public service, among political
parties, and in the worlds of research and policy formation.
Our Vision : Involved Canadians. Resilient communities. A vibrant Canada.
Our Mission : To provide leadership in strengthening citizen engagement
and to serve as a catalyst for voluntary action.
- incl. links to:
* ABOUT US * MEMBERSHIP * ABOUT VOLUNTEERISM * I WANT TO VOLUNTEER * CORPORATE
CITIZENSHIP * ISSUES AND POLICY * TOPICS AND RESOURCES
---
NOTE : When I checked out the Topics and resources link on this website, I found the 2006 series of reports below on Volunteering and Mandatory Community Service that I wanted to share with you. It's not the latest cutting edge research on the subject, but I sure wish I'd seen this when I did a volunteer stint at a local NGO some years ago. I found it quite bewildering at the time to relate to the group of volunteers at that NGO, because it wasn't really a homogenous group but rather two camps : the smiley, outgoing volunteers who supported the NGO with helpful hands-on front-line work with the public on the one hand, and, on the other, surly, moody, unhelpful and generally "why-the-heck-are-you-even-here" people. That would be the mandatory volunteers, who were there under duress as part of their mandatory community service, as opposed to a desire to do good. I toughed it out as long as I could, but eventually found an excuse to leave the NGO, largely because I felt that volunteerism had been cheapened by the introduction of mandatory community service. Reading the material below might offer you some fresh perspective if you can relate to my tale, or if you just wish to find out more about the types of mandatory community service.
Volunteering and Mandatory Community Service:
Choice – Incentive – Coercion – Obligation
In 2006, Volunteer Canada produced this series of three documents on mandatory
community service:
Exploring
the Theme (PDF - 292K, 23 pages) is an overview that highlights
the central concepts connecting mandatory community service and volunteering.
In Chapter 3, we learn that the continuum of volunteering and community service
ranges from the stick and carrot approach (Volunteer or else) to altruistic
volunteering. Under "Forms of community service", this paper explores
mandatory community service and alternative sentencing in the contexts of
(1) the criminal justice system, (2) the school system, (3) public housing,
(4) rehabilitation/insurance benefits, and (5) workfare/welfare reform.
"Mandatory community service is quite simply not volunteering. Most importantly, it is the opposite of volunteering. While a range of other forms of community service may be said to be volunteering, there can be no question that the mandatory varieties that, by definition, involve forced servitude, severe penalties, or the loss of the necessities of life such as housing and money for food are not volunteering."
[Excerpt. p. 10]---"Community leaders and organizations concerned with the well-being, advancement, promotion, and/or nature of volunteering (and the plethora of its byproducts, including social capital, civic engagement, democracy, community development, human service delivery mechanisms, and so on) must, of necessity, concern themselves with mandatory community service and its potential to affect the future shape and well-being of volunteering."
[Excerpt, p. 12]
A Discussion Paper (PDF - 793K, 52 pages) takes an in-depth look at mandatory community service, the evolving definition of volunteering, and the importance of language to how citizens understand volunteering and subsequently act – or do not act – toward it.
Implications for Volunteer Program Management (PDF - 320K, 22 pages) suggests adjustments that may need to be made to best practices in volunteer coordination and to organizational management systems to effectively engage mandatory community service participants.
July 29, 2011
Canada’s Voluntary
Sector and Public Policy
Symposium report (PDF - 732K, 24 pages)
July 2011
(...) There is a range of training and support programs underway across the
country that aim to improve the policy capacity of Canadian VSOs.
Taken together, they help VSOs:
- understand how governments work
- access and interpret credible evidence
- effectively communicate and collaborate
- understand the latitude permitted them under the Canada Revenue Agency’s
advocacy rules.
Symposium participants lauded these programs, and argued strongly for more
of them. (...)
As an important next step, symposium participants identified the need for
widely available in depth case studies to demonstrate how VSOs have successfully
contributed to public policy development. Max Bell Foundation and a number
of partners have committed to this task, and will launch a series of such
case studies in late 2011.
(...) Canada has a network of dozens of individuals and organizations from
across the country who share a strong belief, rooted in evidence and experience,
that VSOs can and do make important contributions to public policy in Canada,
for the betterment of all Canadians.
[Excerpt from the Executive Summary, which is part of the PDF report]
Source:
Max Bell Foundation
New from
Imagine Canada:
What's the state of charities across Canada?
Sector
Monitor Launch
May 13, 2010
We released our first Sector Monitor report from a new survey program designed
to monitor the state of charities across the country and their ability to
deliver their missions.
The first sector report:
Imagine
Canada’s Sector Monitor (PDF - 870K,
16 pages)
By David Lasby and Cathy Barr
File date April 2010
Highlights:
* Many charities are experiencing challenges associated with the economic
downturn.
* One in eight charities is experiencing high levels of stress.
* Operating charities are taking a range of actions in response to the economic
downturn.
* Operating charities and foundations have different experiences.
* Charities remain confident about the future, particularly when they look
further out.
Source:
Blog @ Imagine Canada
[ Imagine Canada ]
Imagine Canada is a national registered charity with offices in Toronto, Calgary
and Ottawa. Our cause is Canada’s charities and nonprofits. It is our
mission to support and strengthen charities and nonprofits so they can, in
turn, support the Canadians and communities they serve.
Also on the Imagine Canada website:
Programs
& Services:
* Canadian Directory to Foundations & Corporations * Caring Company
Program * Ethical Code Program * Standards Initiative * Risk Management *
Charity Tax Tools * Nonprofit Library * Awards Programs
Research
& Public Policy:
* Public Policy * Giving & Volunteering * Charities & Nonprofit Organizations
* Corporate Citizenship
Imagine
Canada’s Nonprofit library
"Canada’s largest online collection of charitable and non-profit
sector resources on topics that relate to operating and managing charities
and nonprofits."
Canada’s
non-profit maze:
A scan of legislation and regulation
impacting revenue generation in the non-profit sector
(PDF - 672K, 34 pages)
Lynn Eakin & Heather Graham
May 2009
Canada’s third sector – the vital web of non-profit, charitable
and voluntary organizations that provide programs and services, and knit together
communities – is also a significant economic force. In recent years,
governments have increasingly relied on non-profit groups as the delivery
agent of choice for government services. “Canada’s non-profit maze
” is powerful new research by Lynn Eakin and Associates, commissioned
by the Wellesley Institute that provides a troubling picture of the financial
and regulatory burdens facing the third sector.
Accompanying documents:
A
policy perspective on Canada’s non-profit maze of regulatory and legislative
barriers
Mapping the way forward for third sector organizations (PDF -
160K, 5 pages)
Policy Brief
By Lynn Eakin, Heather Graham, Rick Blickstead, and Michael Shapcott
May 2009
Supporting
Tables: Canada’s Non-Profit Maze (PDF - 419K, 4 pages)
Tables were generated from software used to survey respondents of the Wellesley
Institute’s research in Third-Sector regulation and legislation
Source:
Wellesley Institute
2009 Canadian Administrators of Volunteer
Resources (CAVR) Conference
Edmonton, May 31-June 3, 2009
Try to imagine your work or personal life without community structures in
place. Thousands of nonprofit/voluntary sector organizations exist because
of the magnitude of volunteer engagement - engagement needing constant tending
and nurturing to sustain our enviable quality of life in Canada. Volunteerism
in the 21st century has moved far beyond motherhood and apple pie – requiring
educated, connected, competent leaders to recruit, retain and recognize the
volunteers presently engaged and able to meet the challenges of engaging new
Canadians, youth and highly skilled baby boomers as volunteers for the next
decade.
Registration
details (PDF - 362K, 1 page)
Online registration
Source:
Canadian Administrators of Volunteer Resources
CAVR strives to promote competence and excellence in the professional administration
of volunteer resources and to acknowledge the accomplishments of its members.
CAVR is the only National Professional Association that offers ongoing certification
in the field of volunteer resources management.
The
Fraser Institute: Manitoba Rated as Canada's
Most Generous Province but Data Shows Americans Are Far More Generous
Press Release
December 8, 2008
VANCOUVER -- Manitoba continues to be Canada's most generous province, according
to the Fraser Institute's annual generosity index. The report, Generosity
in Canada and the United States: The 2008 Generosity Index, shows that Manitoba
has the highest percentage of tax-filers among all provinces donating to registered
charities (28.1 per cent). The total amount donated is also the highest in
Canada at 1.14 per cent of total income earned in the province.
Complete report:
Generosity
in Canada and the United States: The 2008 Generosity Index (PDF
- 90K, 10 pages)
"(...) The highest-scoring Canadian province is Manitoba (3.9 out of
10.0), but its performance ranks only 37th overall out of 64 North American
jurisdictions."
Source:
The Fraser Institute
Recent release from the
Caledon
Institute of Social Policy:
Social
Profits (PDF - 49K, 7 pages)
Sherri Torjman
September 2008
This essay discusses the various dimensions of the
social economy - a unique and burgeoning sector of the economy in which business
enterprises and economic activity seek not only to generate revenue but also
to advance social goals. There are hundreds of thousands of hybrid businesses,
also known as social enterprises, which are taking their place on the world
stage - and increasingly in stock market portfolios. They try both to generate
profit and create social value. They are sometimes referred to as ‘blended
value’ organizations because that is precisely what they do. This paper
explores their many different forms and puts forward policy proposals to bolster
social enterprises within the Canadian economy.
The
Canadian Federation of Voluntary Sector Networks
The Federation reaches out to both existing and emerging initiatives that
work to build connections, cohesion, and capacity in the non-profit and voluntary
sector, as well as informal networks of voluntary organizations that wish
to explore the many models that we have discovered. [ About
Us ]
Centre
for Voluntary Sector Research and Development (CVSRD)
The Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development (CVSRD) "...works
with networks of practitioners, academic researchers, and policy makers to
undertake collaborative research and to provide innovative learning opportunities
on emerging issues in the non-profit and voluntary sector, with a focus on:
Sustainability and Leadership - Policy and Practice - Connections and Community
What's new from the Wellesley Institute:
The Inter-agency Services Collaboration
Project
By Joan Roberts and Pauline OConnor
Launched January 11, 2008
This report examined collaborations among non-profit organizations (NPOs)
that directly or indirectly enhance service delivery. This includes collaborations
to enhance organizational operations, and collaborations to enhance service
planning and delivery. Examples of such collaborations include shared administration,
budgets, or administrative staff; shared infrastructure such as co-location;
joint service planning, or joint program delivery such as single intake and
information-sharing. The project investigated the characteristics of service
delivery collaborations critical success factors and barriers, and similarity
of NPO collaborations with public sector and business sector collaborations.
Complete
report (PDF file - 3.8MB, 234 pages)
Fall 2007
[Click the report title above to access PDF files for each chapter - smaller
individual downloads]
---
We Can't Afford To Do Business This Way
September 2007
by Lynn Eakin & Associates
This study paints a clear portrait of how service flexibility and innovation
in the nonprofit sector are affected by onerous grant application and reporting
processes. It graphically illustrates how the shift from long-term core funding
in the early 1990s to short-term targeted and program funding has placed an
enormous administrative burden on the nonprofit sector in Canada. Read about
the experiences of the current funding regimes on several organizations in
the Toronto area, and find out about what needs to change to ensure the health
and effectiveness of the nonprofit sector.
Complete
report (PDF file - 1.9MB, 64 pages)
September 2007
Media
release - (PDF file - 56K, 1 page)
September 27, 2008
Source:
Wellesley Institute
The Wellesley Institute advances the social determinants of health through
community-based research , capacity building , and the informing of public
policy.
Voluntary
work, Australia, 2006
Australian Bureau of Statistics
5.2 million people (34%) of the Australian population aged 18 years and over
participate in voluntary work, contributing 713 million hours to the community
across diverse activities according to this ABS survey. Posted 18-07-2007
Canada
Revenue Agency launches consultations with small and rural charities
News release
October 9, 2007
"Minister of National Revenue Gordon O'Connor today announced a series
of consultations with small and rural charities. As the federal charities
regulator, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) wants to better understand the
unique service needs and compliance challenges of small and rural charities.
(...)
A series of workshops will take place in October 2007 in Toronto, Saskatoon,
Lethbridge, Kelowna, Trois-Rivières and Moncton. A panel containing
six to nine individuals from small and rural charities, chaired by the CRA,
will then meet in November 2007 to develop recommendations for the Minister
of National Revenue. The panel is expected to deliver its recommendations
by the end of December 2007."
Source:
Canada Revenue Agency
World
Volunteer Web
Volunteerism worldwide: News, views & resources
Charity
Village Canada's supersite for the nonprofit sector
- 3,000 pages of news, jobs, information and resources for executives, staffers,
donors, and volunteers. If philanthropy and volunteerism are part of your
world, this is your place
Support
to the Voluntary Sector
- links to a dozen online resources in the area of voluntarism
Source:
Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada
Pan-Canadian Funding Practice in Communities
September 11, 2006
A new report by Katherine Scott: Pan-Canadian
Funding Practice in Communities (PDF file - 483K, 93 pages) was
commissioned by the Task Force on Community Investments, and examines the
Government of Canada's current funding practices for the voluntary sector.
This report has been submitted to the Independent Blue Ribbon Panel, which
is advising the federal Treasury Board on guidelines for grants and contributions.
- Also available: the
executive summary
Source:
FUNDING MATTERS...
Building an enabling financial environment for the voluntary sector
[ Canadian Council on
Social Development ]
The
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Ontario (PDF file - 788K, 78
pages)
June 29, 2006
"This report kicks off a series of regional reports on the vital 'third
pillar' of Canadian society. Written by Katherine Scott from the Canadian
Council on Social Development, the research is based on the National Survey
of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations, which was conducted by a consortium
of organizations in partnership with Statistics Canada."
Source:
Canadian Council on
Social Development
What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:
September 11, 2009
Canada
Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2007
Related subjects
o Labour
o Unpaid
work
o
Society and community
o Social
networks and civic participation
o
Volunteering and donating
What's New from the Canadian Council on Social Development:
Making
Connections:
Social and civic engagement among Canadian immigrants
April 2006
By Katherine Scott, Kevin Selbee and Paul Reed
New
Canadians participate, despite obstacles
April 24, 2006
OTTAWA – Immigrants give larger donations, on average, than the Canadian-born
population but they are slightly less likely to volunteer their time than
people born in Canada, according to research by the Canadian Council on Social
Development (CCSD). Making Connections: Social and Civic Engagement among
New Canadians also shows that the rate of volunteering is increasing, particularly
among recent immigrants.
* Full
Report (PDF format, 1.5MB, 50 pages)
* Executive
Summary
Related Links:
Go
to the main page of the report for links to the following content:
* Powerpoint Slideshow
* Fact Sheet #1: Patterns in Participation, Engagement, and Informal Caring
* Fact Sheet #2: Profile of Volunteering
* Canadian Story #1: Building a Life in Canada
* Canadian Story #2: Organizing Ourselves
* Canadian Story #3: Finding a New Direction
* Canadian Story #4: Keeping Faith
* Appendix 1: The Changing Face of Canadian Immigrants, using 2001 Census
data
* Appendix 2: Portrait of Canadian Immigrants, using 2000 NSGVP data
* Appendix 3: Data Sources
* Letter to the editor, March 3 2006
* Selected Charts
o Chart 1: Volunteer rate and average hours volunteered, by length of time
in Canada, 2000
o Chart 2: Volunteer rate and average hours volunteered, by age group, 2000
o Chart 3: Volunteer rate and average hours volunteered, by level of education,
2000
o Chart 4: Donor rate and average donation, by length of time in Canada, 2000
o Chart 5: Donor rate by age group, 2000
o Chart 6: Membership rate by level of education, 2000
o Chart 7: Voting rate by age group, 2000
Volunteer
NWT "...promotes and supports volunteers
and voluntary groups in the Northwest Territories.
We are the Northwest Territories Network for the Canada Volunteerism Initiative
(CVI), a national program funded by the Government of Canada."
- incl. links to : What's New? - About Volunteer NWT - NWT Voluntary Sector
- Resources - Events - Research & Policy - Feedback - Keep Connected -
Contact Us - Site Map
Resources
- For volunteers and voluntary organizations
- includes links to online resources in the following areas: Board Governance
and Management - Community Resources - Event Management - Freebies - Fundraising
- Marketplace - Organization Development Resources - Resources for Volunteers
- Societies Registration Resources - Training Opportunities - Volunteer Management
Funding
Matters … For Our Communities:
Challenges and Opportunities for Funding Innovation
in Canada’s Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector (PDF file - 242K
, 22 pages)
[September 8, 2005]
This report summarizes the findings of workshops and presentations undertaken
through this project, including common themes and innovative community practice.
It also includes an analysis of the different proposals for funding reform
raised over the course of the project.
Source:
Canadian Council on Social Development
Voluntary
Sector Awareness Project
July 5, 2005
"The Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) is one of eight national
organizations that have come together to launch a new project intended to
raise awareness about the Canadian Voluntary Sector. (...) The Voluntary Sector
Awareness Project (funded by Social Development Canada and lead by Imagine
Canada) is one of the last "deliverables" of the Voluntary Sector
Initiative. The purpose of the project is to develop and launch a public awareness
campaign in the summer of 2006 to be delivered by the sector using communications
tools and resources provided by the project. The campaign will be directed
inside the sector and out toward the public and will be informed by a series
of Community Conversations to be held across the country in the fall of 2005."
- incl. links to : Tools | Resources | Canadian research | Social innovation|
Funding Matters Home
Also from the CCSD:
Funding
Matters...for our community - Phase 2 of the Funding Matters project
In 2003, CCSD released Funding Matters [see below], a report on the
impact of current funding arrangements on nonprofit and voluntary sector organizations
in Canada. We are now in Phase 2 of the Funding Matters project, and asking
the question: What can we do to create a more stable and predictable funding
environment, where adequate levels of funding cover the cost of operations
and enable the pursuit of key goals. [October 29, 2004]"
Source:
Canadian Council on Social Development
(CCSD)
Also from the CCSD:
Funding
Matters: The Impact of Canada's New Funding Regime on Nonprofit and Voluntary
Organizations (2003)
June 2003
Katherine Scott
- incl. Summary Report, Communiqué, Fact Sheets and the [free!] complete
report broken down into individual chapters.
The full report is approx. 175 pages.
Revenue
Minister McCallum announces new funding program for charities
News Release
May 17, 2005
"John McCallum, Minister of National Revenue, today launched the Charities
Partnership and Outreach Program, a funding program designed to support compliance-related
education and training projects for charities.Beginning today, up to $3 million
in funds will be available to the voluntary sector annually for education
and training on charities regulation. More specifically, up to $1 million
in years one and two, $2 million in the third year and $3 million per year
on an ongoing basis. Organizations will be able to receive contribution funding
of up to a maximum of $500,000 per year per project."
Source:
Canada Revenue Agency
The
Journey Continues: The Second Report to Canadians on Implementing
An Accord Between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector
December 6, 2004
"In many ways, this report is an important milestone. First and foremost,
it fulfills the two sectors’ commitment to report on progress in implementing
An Accord Between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector. As the
first formal accounting since the Accord was signed in December 2001, it also
provides a benchmark for measuring future progress as the two sectors put
in place the products, processes and spirit of good will that the Accord envisioned."
- incl. links to all sections of the report: A Message from the Joint Steering
Committee - Some Context - The Foundations for Change - Progress on Priorities
- Looking Ahead
Complete report in PDF format:
The
Journey Continues - PDF (244K, 25 pages)
December 2004
Source:
Voluntary Sector Initiative
(VSI)
Citizen’s
Handbook : A Guide to Building Community
By Charles Dobson & Vancouver’s Citizen Committee
Updated Oct. 2003
"For grass-roots community building and development"
- includes 90+ links to info organized as follows: Community Organizing -
Community Building Activities - Full Text Articles - The Citizen's Library
- Short Case Studies - Links
- Vancouver Information
Source:
Vancouver Community Network
Charities
Directorate
The Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
registers qualifying organizations as charities, gives technical advice on
operating a charity, handles audit and compliance activities, and provides
donors with relevant information about donating to charities.
- incl. links to charities listings, operating charities and information for
donors
Source:
Canada Revenue Agency
Registered
Charities Newsletter No. 19 - June 2004
(PDF file - 96K, 9 pages)
"In the Federal Budget delivered March 23, 2004, the government announced
several new initiatives that will affect the regulation of the charitable
sector. These initiatives bring dynamic changes that will benefit the sector
by continuing to build public trust and confidence in charities and in the
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a regulator. This Registered Charities Newsletter
provides an overview of those Budget announcements."
More selected content from the Charities Directorate:
Charities Regulatory Reform updates - April
6, 2004
Canada
Revenue Agency: Charities Regulatory Reform - Increasing Public Awareness
and Sector Outreach
Canada
Revenue Agency: Charities Regulatory Reform - Highlights
Canada
Revenue Agency: Charities Regulatory Reform - Working With Federal, Provincial
and Territorial Governments
From the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (former name of the Canada Revenue Agency):
Consultation
on new CCRA policy: "Registered Charities - Political Activities"
News Release
January 22, 2003
"Elinor Caplan, Minister of National Revenue, has released for comment
a draft policy entitled Registered Charities - Political Activities.
'This consultation is part of the CCRA's commitment to greater openness and
dialogue with registered charities and the Canadian public,' said Minister
Caplan."
Facing
Current Realities: New Knowledge in the Canadian Voluntary Sector
2004 Community of Inquiry [COI] Symposium (Third national symposium)
July 9th & 10th, 2004
Ryerson University, Toronto
"The COI Symposium is a national network of practitioners, consultants
and academics committed to strengthening research capacities in the voluntary
sector and sharing knowledge in a climate of mutual interdependence and inclusiveness.
The COI currently has close to 300 members from voluntary organizations, academic
institutions, all levels of government, independent think tanks, and private
consultants. The COI Symposium is an opportunity to
bring together individuals with an interest in voluntary sector issues to
share and learn from a variety of experiences and disciplines. Held over two
days, the COI Symposium will showcase 15 panel papers disseminating new knowledge
in the Canadian voluntary sector. These panel papers are grouped into six
themes: Financial Resources Issues in the Voluntary
Sector - Human Resources Issues in the Voluntary Sector - Building Sector
Capacity - Partnership and Collaboration Strategies - Diversity and Values
- Evaluation and Performance Assessment - Overcoming Barriers and Seizing
Opportunities
Program
of Events
Hosted by:
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Community of Inquiry (COI)
[ Nonprofit and Voluntary
Sector Network ]
Co-sponsored by:
Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and
Development
Canadian Centre for Philanthropy
Contesting
Citizenship and Civil Society in a Divided World"
ISTR Sixth International Conference
Ryerson University and York University
Toronto, Canada
July 11-14, 2004
- exchange of ideas and research findings about Civil Society, philanthropy,
and the Third Sector
Source:
International Society for Third-Sector Research
(ISTR)
"...a major international association promoting research and education
in the fields of philanthropy, civil society and the nonprofit sector. ISTR
reflects the growing worldwide interest in Third Sector research and provides
a permanent forum for international research, while at the same time building
a global scholarly community in this field."
Federal
Budget 2004 information pertaining specifically to the voluntary sector
March 23, 2004
Source:
The Importance of Communities
[ Budget 2004 - Budget
Plan ]
[ Finance Canada ]
February 23, 2004
Fact Sheets
- The Application of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act to Charitable and Non-Profit Organizations
Source:
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
New
advocacy guidelines a start but more needs to be done
September 29, 2003
By Nicole Zummach
"For the past few years, organizations such as the Canadian Centre for
Philanthropy (CCP) and IMPACS (Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society)
have worked hard to improve the legislation surrounding advocacy work by charities,
including the so-called 10% rule, which limits advocacy spending to only 10%
of a charity's revenue. Earlier this month, the Canada Customs and Revenue
Agency (CCRA) quietly released their new guidelines regarding political activities
by registered charities. It's a document that many hoped would introduce much-needed
changes to the way advocacy work is defined and regulated in Canada."
Source:
Charity Village
Megasite for the Non-profit sector
Related Links:
Canadian Centre for Philanthropy
IMPACS - Institute for Media, Policy
and Civil Society
Canada
Revenue Agency - CCRA
Charities
(section of the CCRA website) : incl. links to the following info: Find your
Topic - Becoming a Registered Charity - Operating Day-to-Day - Keeping your
Registered Status - Policy - Forms and Publications - Lists of Canadian registered
charities - Joint Regulatory Table - Consultation on Proposed Policy - Contact
us
CCRA Policy updates posted September 15, 2003:
- Policy
Statement : Political Activities (Effective September 2, 2003)
- Registering
Charities that Promote Racial Equality
NVO-CCP Agree to Co-Found a New Organization
[dead link removed.]
May 13, 2003
"The Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations (NVO) and the Canadian
Centre for Philanthropy (CCP) agreed to co-found a new organization 'to strengthen
communities and advance social development through collective effort'. The
new organization will be established by June 2004, after which the two existing
organizations will be wound-up."
Related Links:
Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations
Canadian Centre for Philanthropy
Volunteerism in Canada
"Welcome to volunteer.ca – Canada’s
site for information on volunteering.
The Canadian voluntary and nonprofit sector is made up of more than 180 000
organizations, 6.5 million volunteers and 1.3 million paid staff. In Volunteerism
in Canada find out the facts and trends, read the latest research, learn about
national events, search the directory of organizations, find answers to your
questions and more."
VolunteersOnline.ca
"ITAC Ontario partnered with the Ministry of Citizenship of the Government
of Ontario to launch the Making IT Work for Volunteers initiative. We are
establishing strategic online and offline components, including a knowledge
network and resource library housed at VolunteersOnline.ca. The program will
create opportunities for the high-tech sector and the voluntary sector to
assist one another to bridge, and ultimately close, the digital divide."
Voluntary Sector
Evaluation Research Project
"The Voluntary Sector Evaluation Research Project
(VSERP) is a three-year initiative to improve the capacity of voluntary organizations
to evaluate their work and communicate their effectiveness to their funders,
stakeholders and the public. "
Source : Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development
GPI Atlantic - Genuine
Progress Index for Atlantic Canada
"GPI Atlantic is a non-profit research group, founded in 1997, to
develop an index of sustainable development and well being - the Genuine Progress
Index. The Nova Scotia GPI consists of 22 social, economic and environmental
components, including: Time Use - Natural Capital - Environment/Quality -
Socioeconomic issues - Income Distribution - Social Capita"
Voluntary
Sector Initiative (VSI)
This Web site is
an important tool in our dialogue with Canadians on the voluntary sector. The
VSI is a joint initiative to strengthen the capacity of the voluntary sector and
to enhance the relationship between the Sector and the Government of Canada. (...)
The Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) is a joint undertaking between the voluntary
sector
and the Government of Canada. It is a unique opportunity to
focus on the voluntary sector as one of the three pillars of Canadian society,
equal in importance to the public and private sectors.
- incl. links to
: About the VSI - Management Structure - Reports - Speeches - Joint Tables - Related
Working Groups - News - Calendar - Subscribe
Government
Of Canada Welcomes Report To Help Canadian Voluntary Sector Innovate
(VSI) Strengthening
Voluntary Sector Capacity Through Technology |
Public
Policy and Advocacy Toolbox
April 25, 2002
Commissioned
by Canada's Voluntary Sector Initiative, this set of Web-based resources includes
sections on how government makes policy, non-profit initiated policy development,
knowledge and skill sets necessary for successful policy intervention, effective
advocacy, and hundreds of resources on think tanks, funding sources, information
sources, and much more.
-incl. links to : Policy Making
in Canada - Voluntary Sector Directed Input - Knowledge and Skills - Government
Relations and the Policy Development Process - Resources
-16 public policy
case studies
-50 documents for downloading
-23 Canadian foundations that
fund policy development
-100 Canadian public policy institutes and lobby groups,
plus dozens of American resources
-21 online advocacy resources
-138 links
to general and government information
Source : Ginsler
& Associates Inc.
NOTE : the Ginsler site is rich with content about
the non-profit sector and homelessness and affordable housing
Free
Resources - large collection of links to articles and reports about homelessness
and affordable housing (incl. five links relating to resources for non-profits
and charities)
Nothing
left to give : Cuts to jobs and services are strangling volunteerism, just
when we need it the most
"Last year was the International Year of the Volunteer, acknowledging
important contributions people make to their communities. This year, cuts
to jobs, services and freedoms in the public and private sectors threaten
the very conditions fostering those contributions."
Source : UVic
Ring("University of Victoria's community
newspaper") - February 7, 2002 issue
- Go to the UVIC Ring website (you can
read back issues of the Ring from 1995 to date...)
[University of Victoria]
British
Columbia : Nothing
left to give : Cuts to jobs and services are strangling volunteerism, just when
we need it the most
"Last year was the International Year
of the Volunteer, acknowledging important contributions people make to their communities.
This year, cuts to jobs, services and freedoms in the public and private sectors
threaten the very conditions fostering those contributions."
Source :
UVic Ring("University
of Victoria's community newspaper") - February 7, 2002 issue
- Go
to the UVIC Ring website (you
can read back issues of the Ring from 1995 to date...)
Voluntary
Service Overseas (VSO) Canada
"VSO
enables men and women to work alongside people in poorer countries in order to
share skills, build capabilities and promote international understanding and action,
in the pursuit of a more equitable world."
NOTE: this site works
better for me in Internet Explorer v.5.5 than in Netscape v. 4.75
Free
Management Library(SM) (U.S.) - "Complete, highly integrated library
for nonprofits and for-profits"
- links to resources covering everything
from advertising and promotion to managing volunteer programs
IMPACS - INSTITUTE
for MEDIA, POLICY and CIVIL SOCIETY
"IMPACS is a young and dynamic registered Canadian charity, filling
an important niche in civil society. We work to strengthen communications
between not-for-profit organizations, government and the media, both in Canada
and internationally."
Let
Charities Speak : Report of the Charities and Advocacy Dialogue
- IMPACS (PDF file - 935K, 35 pages)
March 2002
[version française
- fichier PDF, 1445KB]
IMPACS and the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy are leading a national effort
to fix the Revenue rules affecting the ability of charities to perform an
advocacy role.
"Canada’s charities are limited in their ability to participate
in public policy debate or to advocate for changes to legislation, regulations,
or government policy. Activities of this kind may be deemed “political”
by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), which interprets the common
law and the federal Income Tax Act and applies them to charities. The CCRA
enforces a “10 Percent Rule” which forbids charities from using
any more than 10 percent of their resources annually for “political activity,”
which is how they categorize advocacy. This limit on charities has been recognized
by many as a serious impediment to modern Canadian democracy, for it limits
the voices of charities and the people they serve, very often the most vulnerable
members of society."
Source: IMPACS and the Canadian Centre for
Philanthropy
Community Sector
Council Newfoundland and Labrador
Established in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization, the Community
Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador (formerly known as the Community
Services Council is committed to strengthening and promoting
the essential role that voluntary and nonprofit, community organizations play
in building healthy and prosperous communities. Our vision is a prosperous
and inclusive society that supports individuals, families and communities.
Our mission is to encourage citizen engagement, to promote the integration
of social and economic development and to provide leadership in shaping public
policies.
- excellent collection of resources for the voluntary sector!
Launch
of PolicyLinkNB project
Family and Community Services
Nov. 16, 2001
FREDERICTON (CNB) -- A group of voluntary organizations in New Brunswick will
undertake a project that will focus on building the capacity of the voluntary
sector to influence the policies that affect their organizations and the people
they represent
Partnership
with the Voluntary Sector - Health Canada
March
2001
Volunteers are fundamental to the social and
economic landscape of Canada. This web site describes the voluntary health sector,
its contribution to the health and well-being of Canadians, and explores the Health
Canada's partnership with the sector. It outlines Health Canada's specific involvement
with national voluntary organizations working in health.
A
deceptively simple-looking home page offers you information under the following
headings : Voluntary Health Sector - Benefits of Volunteering - Building Partnerships
- Joint Initiatives - Knowledge Base - Beyond Health Canada - Glossary
The
Early Childhood Development Initiative : Challenges for the voluntary sector
Perception: Volume 24, No. 3 - December 2000
"...the level of funding is clearly insufficient, and there
is a lack of clarity about exactly how the funds will be spent and how governments
will report back to Canadians"
Source : Canadian Council on Social
Development
Nonprofit
Good Practice Guide (U.S.)
-incl. links to : Fundraising and Financial
Sustainability - Governance - Staff Development and Organizational Capacity -
Accountability and Evaluation - Volunteer Management - Communications and Marketing
- Management and Leadership - Advocacy - Technology
United
Nations Volunteers Page
The United Nations
Volunteers programme (UNV) was created by the General Assembly of the United
Nations in 1970 to serve as an operational partner in development cooperation
at the request of UN member states. It is unique within the UN family and
as an international volunteer undertaking. It reports to the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and works through UNDP's country offices around
the world.
World
Volunteer Web - international site, includes National reports on the International
Year of Volunteers (over 60 national reports) and Global Evaluation of the International
Year of Volunteers
- incl. links to : News - Events - Initiatives - Development
- Policy - Research
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