eNewsletter: Spring 2003

 In This Issue:    

1. Breakthrough Thinking - Book Review
2. Voluntary Sector Leadership Competencies Developed
3. Building the Human Resource Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations
4. Where do most charities actually get their revenue?
5. On-line Discussion and Resources
6. Program Instructor Recognized
7. New Data on Global Non-Profit Sector
8. Contesting Citizenship and Civil Society in a Divided World
9. Submit an Article or Information Item

Executive Directors interested in organizational change processes and strategic planning with find great value in the new (2002) book: Breakthrough Thinking for Non-Profit Organizations by Bernard Ross and Clare Segal. The book uses examples from innovative organizations in both the corporate and non-profit world to explore organizational life cycles, change processes, creativity and innovation strategies. The authors, both based in the United Kingdom, use diagrams, tables and bulleted points to convey concepts clearly. The strength of the book as an "ideas toolbox" lies in its liberal use of examples from real organizations, its "global fee" and the inclusion of actions and exercises to help generate, using both "sides" of the brain, "Creative Strategies for Extraordinary Results".

www.josseybass.com

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If you are interested playing a leadership role in the voluntary sector you might want to consider what competencies or skill areas the sector needs for it to thrive in the future. One hundred diverse senior staff from voluntary sector organizations were invited to participate in 5 regional workshops held across Canada during October and November of 2002. Through the process participants identified the competencies required of tomorrow's leaders, how organizational requirements have changed over the past 10 years, and what learning opportunities are preferred.

The competencies have been compiled into a national skills and learning framework. To read the full report or get a brochure on t he Leadership Competencies click here.

This project is part of the National Learning Initiative, led by the Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations (NVO) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). The project has been funded through the Voluntary Sector Initiative by HRDC.

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The United Way of Halifax Region is helping non-profit organizations build their human resource management capacity. This spring, United Way will host four HR Roundtable sessions designed to provide nonprofit organizations and board volunteers with practical tools, and peer learning and networking opportunities:

April 30: How to Keep Good Employees: Achieving Work-Life Balance

May 14: Developing Employees and the Not-for-Profit Sector

May 28: Compensation Issues in the Not-for-Profit Sector

June 11: Board Leadership in Creating A Workplace of Choice

Session fee is $10 per staff person, or register for all four for $25. Board volunteers register for free. Limited seating available. Deadline for registration is the Friday before each session. To register contact Susan Whitty, United Way, 422-1501 or swhitty@unitedwayhalifax.ca.

The HR Roundtables are one of five HR Peer Pilot Group project across Canada, part of the Developing Human Resources in the Voluntary Sector (HRVS). HRVS is designed to help strengthen the ability of voluntary sector organizat ions in Canada to attract, support and keep committed employees. Its focus is building awareness on the importance of good HR practices and on providing information and tools on effective HR policies and procedures for use by volunteer boards and executive directors.

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You might be surprised to learn that Canadian charities get 56% of their revenue from government, 30% from fees, 10 % from individuals, 1% from foundations and 1% from business. The public thinks that charities get 15% from government, 33% from individuals, 20% from foundations and 10% from business. Reliance on government funding is probably much higher for other non-profit organizations (i.e. those without charitable status) especially those providing health and social services. For more details and sources click here.

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The Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program is pleased to announce a new "Student log-in" section on our web site that will enable program participants to exchange ideas, ask for help, exchange information and get access to additional on-line resources.

This section includes a "bulletin board" to facilitate discussion by program participants seeking to enhance their own learning and the cap acity of their organizations. The bulletin board will be organized around topic or themes that correspond to our course areas.

This new feature will be accessible to participants in regular courses and off-campus workshops. If you are interested in participating, pl ease contact Linda McEwen at linda.mcewen@dal.ca or (902) 494-7137.

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Kaireen Chaytor, our enthusiastic and dedicated lead instructor for the Program Evaluation for Community Organizations course, is the recipient of the 2003 Contribution to Evaluation in Canada Award for the Canadian Evaluation Society. The award recognizes Kaireen's contribution in the area of evaluation both personally and professionally. The award will be presented at the 2003 CES conference in Vancouver in June.

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The Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University has recently released new data comparing civil society organization workforce (paid and volunteer) by country. Of the 23 countries surveyed (Canada was not one of them) the Netherlands was at the top of the list with 14.4% of economically active citizens involved in the sector. Belgium, Ireland and the U.S were the next highest in active participation. At the bottom of the list, with less than 1% of citizens involved in the sector, were Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Mexico. The survey also includes countries in Africa, South America and Asia.

www.jhu.edu/~cnp/compdata.html

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Ryerson University and York University will be the hosts of the sixth International Conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR), July 11-14, 2004. The 2002 ISTR Conference was in South Africa, the previous one in Ireland.

This conference will bring together researchers from universities, government and NGO's from every continent. The theme "Contesting Citizen ship ..." will see presentations on a range of topics including citizen dissent, human rights, gender and development, the voluntary sector an d the market, and government-community relations.

For voluntary organization leaders wanting a taste of what is happening globally, this conference is an opportunity that is close to home.

The deadline for the submission of proposals for presentations is September 30, 2003. For more information check out the ISTR website.

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We would welcome the submission of short articles or information items for this newsletter relevant to voluntary sector learning, research and public policy issues >> Submit to eNewsletter

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• Fall 2006/Winter 2007
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• Winter 2005
• Fall 2004
• Spring/Summer 2004
• Winter 2004
• Fall 2003
• Spring 2003
• Winter 2003

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