Background

Led by Imagine Canada in partnership with Volunteer Canada and the HR Council, the Standards Initiative has evolved over several years through a series of meetings, consultations, and one-on-one discussions with leaders of charities and nonprofits from across the country and the sector.

This work started with the Accountability Reference Group (ARG), which was created by Imagine Canada in 2006 to facilitate a discussion of standards for the charitable and nonprofit sector. The ARG released a discussion paper in 2007. Discussion about a national Standards Program continued at the 2008 Sector Summit, which led to the creation of the initial Standards Steering Committee that was formed in late 2008 to lead the initiative through its next stage. In July 2009, the Steering Committee released A Proposal to Implement Voluntary Standards of Excellence in Canada’s Voluntary Sector.

Following positive feedback from the sector, Imagine Canada hosted the Standards Forum in March 2010 to provide a detailed proposal for the development of a national Standards Program based on a shared set of core Standards in the areas of governance; financial accountability; fundraising; staff management; and volunteer involvement. Over 200 senior leaders participated in-person and via webcast. The group confirmed their support and interest in moving forward with the initiative through the leadership of a Standards Steering Committee.

In 2010, 52 organizations became Founding Members of the Standards Program. This group agreed to a shared leadership approach and committed financial support to the development of the Standards Program.

Twenty-seven of the Founding Members participated in the Standards Steering Committee and worked with Imagine Canada to shape the development of the Program and shepherd it to a 2011 launch. The Steering Committee collectively contributed thousands of hours of time on 25 conference calls throughout the summer to chair and participate in Working Groups that advanced the structure of the initiative by developing a model outlining how organizations will be accredited; updating and revising the Standards; identifying capacity-building activities to complement the Standards; proposing a governance structure and budget for the Program; providing input on brand identity for the initiative; and assisting Imagine Canada in identifying sources of funding to seed the start-up of the Program.

The Standards Program will be piloted with the Founding Members in 2011 with a public launch planned with charities and public-benefit nonprofits in 2012.

The 2010 Standards Forum

In spring 2010, over 200 executive leaders from charities and nonprofits across the country joined Imagine Canada, Volunteer Canada, and the HR Council for the first Standards Forum.

An important goal of the Forum was to confirm support and interest in moving forward with a national Standards Program for the sector.  There was much thoughtful dialogue shared among participants in this regard.  In the end, the group agreed that the Standards Initiative is on the right track with its focus on developing a program by and for the sector on foundational standards in governance, financial accountability, paid-staff management, fundraising, and volunteer involvement. 

“We are very pleased at the level of participant interest and engagement at the recent Standards Forum on March 8th.  There is increasing support from community leaders for the development of a national program designed and delivered by the sector on foundational standards.  We look forward to building on this momentum through our ongoing collaboration with founding members and our sector colleagues as we initiate next steps."  Marcel Lauzière, President and CEO of Imagine Canada.

Missed the Standards Forum?

View the recording of the Standards Forum, review the 2010 Forum presentation materials, or read highlights in the March 15^th eNews issue of Canadian Fundraising and Philanthropy.

Steering Committee (2008 – 2009)

A Standards Steering Committee was formed in late 2008 to lead the initiative through its next stage.

In July 2009, the Steering Committee released A Proposal to Implement Voluntary Standards of Excellence in Canada’s Voluntary Sector.

In August and September, Imagine Canada hosted a series of webinars to explain the proposal and address questions about it.

Sector Summit (2008)

In May 2008, more than 250 leaders from charitable and nonprofit organizations across the country gathered at the Toronto Convention Centre to share information and identify practical ways to build a more sustainable sector.

One of the key topics of discussion at Summit 2008 was standards and self-regulation. Summit participants expressed general support for the concept as well as preference for a sector-driven process that builds on existing standards and accreditation programs. Most people also agreed that a standards program should be governed by an independent organization.

The feedback from the Summit was used to created a more detailed discussion paper which was released in September 2008.

Accountability Reference Group (2006 – 2007)

In 2006, Imagine Canada convened an Accountability Reference Group (ARG) to proactively provide guidance on accountability issues and standards of practice for the sector. The ARG, a group of experts and sector leaders, concluded that standards in a variety of areas could be one way to bolster public confidence and enhance the credibility, performance and effectiveness of Canadian registered charities. They released a discussion paper in October 2007 that presents information on how standards are being used in other areas as well as their preliminary conclusions as a point for further discussion and dialogue.

ARG members

Dina Bell-Laroche, Consultant, True Sport Secretariat
Christina Bisanz, Consultant, Newmarket, ON
Peter Broder, Policy Analyst and General Counsel, The Muttart Foundation
Rob Donelson, CFRE President, St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation, Hamilton, ON
Mary Elizabeth Harriman, Associate Executive Director, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and representative for the Health Charities Coalition of Canada
Robert Kleinman, FCA, Executive Director, Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal
Cyndie Kremyr, Vice President, Public Affairs, Coast Capital Savings
Mary Martin, CFRE, Vice President, Atlantic, KCI Canada
Don McCreesh, Chair, Imagine Canada (Chair)
Lyn McDonell, CAE, C. Dir., (Facilitator)
John D. McKellar, C.M., Q.C., Partner, WeirFoulds LLP
Laurence (Larry) Murray, FCA, Consultant (Retired Partner, KPMG)
Nicholas Offord, President, The Offord Group
John Pellowe, C.E.O, Canadian Council of Christian Charities
Tim Plumptre, President, Institute on Governance
Anne Smith, President, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

Lynne Toupin, Executive Director, HR Council for the Voluntary and Non-profit Sector

Katherine Van Kooy, President & C.E.O., Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations
Kernaghan Webb, Associate Professor, Business Law, School of Business Management, Faculty of Business, Ryerson University