Inventory of Effective Practices in Financing and Resourcing
of Voluntary Sector Organizations in Canada
Atlantic Canada: Summary Comments
The early stages of project development
set the tone for the final outcomes of this project. From the
outset it was clear that there was a mutual interest in working
collaboratively on the outcomes of the project and where possible
engaging key stakeholders in the process. In the early weeks of
the initiative approximately 15 key stakeholder interviews were
held resulting in a list of 35 organizations as possible participants
in the survey. Of this group of 35 organizations, 20 agreed to
participate in the survey. From the surveys received 10 organizations
were chosen to be presented as "Best Practices". Care was taken
with the selection of the case studies to ensure a good cross
section of organizations ranging from urban to rural, large to
small and representing all the provinces in the Atlantic region.
The approach for the case study development
on the project involved the development of a Word based survey.
Discussions on the design of the survey resulted in the addition
of a number of questions to help provide a more complete understanding
of the organization being profiled as well as the projects and
programs they were involved in.
The surveys were completed by Executive
Directors of the organizations, in some cases with help from the
treasurer or financial manager. Follow up phone calls were held
to clarify information and add detail where necessary. Organizations
who agreed to participate worked collaboratively with the research
team; this cooperation appears to be a core attribute not only
in this project but also in the projects profiled in this report.
The interest in capturing both organizational
and project approaches to financing and resourcing practices has
helped to create a clearer picture of the overall approach of
each organization to their mission-related work. There was also
some interesting information gathered in the questions related
to Board involvement in resource allocation. In the case of TEAMWORK
the Board is being restructured to reflect the changing needs
associated with organizational sustainability.
What is clear after working with these
organizations is that a "Best Practice" is not easy to define
or capture. Often a good program results from a combination of
very diverse skills and activities and perhaps in the case of
Atlantic Canada may result from the nature of the environment
itself. As part of considering whether "Effective Practices" are
transportable, community context is an important consideration.
As illustration, many of the stakeholders consulted commented
that the funding environment in Eastern Canada was significantly
different from other locations across Canada. Many of the organizations
expressed the difficulty in attracting corporate sponsorship due
to the weak economy in the area. This often meant increased reliance
on government funding for the strategies being developed. This
funding context is considerably different than other jurisdictions,
for example, in Ontario, government dollars have been on the decline
with the private sector being expected to pick up the difference.
Conversely, there was a very strong sense of community collaboration
within the Atlantic Region that extended beyond the organizations
themselves and included key government officials. This community
focus was particularly apparent in both Phoenix Youth Programs
and the Moncton Volunteer Center where the focus of the programs
profiled was on rebuilding the community role for youth and families
impacted by mental or physical disabilities.
Using a participant driven approach to
the writing of the cases allowed us to capture a number of very
candid comments about issues organizations experience in the work
they do both with funders and other community organizations. It
did require a higher degree of responsibility on behalf of the
participants, which did not present any issues despite the timing
of the project. Many organizations were in the midst of funding
proposals or project start ups but generously contributed their
insights and comments to the project.
Please
click here to link to the Atlantic Canada case studies.
As part of building an overall perspective
for the project, a number of funders were asked to submit a brief
article with their views on the funding and resource raising environment
in Canada. Those submitted have been included in this final report
along with an article from the Annie E. Casey Foundation addressing
the issues of sustainability, End
Games: The Challenge of Sustainability.
The following three funders submitted
articles:
Sherry Hudson
ASSOCIUM Consultants
Grant MacDonald
Dalhousie University
This
site uses PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required for viewing.
Click the image to download it now.
