Standards Initiative
Ensuring Excellence: Standards & Promising Practices for Canada’s Charities & Nonprofits
Please join Imagine Canada, Volunteer Canada, and the HR Council as we look at creating a Standards Program for Canada’s charities and nonprofit organizations and facilitating access to Promising Practices in the areas of governance, human resources (paid and unpaid), and financial accountability.
Over the past three years, we have been talking to leaders of charities and nonprofits from many sectors about organizational standards and practices. This work started with the Accountability Reference Group, which was created by Imagine Canada in 2006 and released a discussion paper in 2007. It continued with discussions at the 2008 Sector Summit, which led to the creation of the Standards Steering Committee that is overseeing the current efforts.
Many people we have spoken to have encouraged us to create a full-fledged Standards Program. Others have told us they are more interested in accessing tools, resources, and training that will help them improve their practices. With this feedback in mind, we have decided to work towards the development of two parallel initiatives: (1) a Standards Program and (2) a Promising Practices Initiative.
The goals of these initiatives are to:
- support and strengthen good practice in the sector,
- foster public trust and confidence in the sector,
- protect both the credibility of the sector and the interests of the public, and
- demonstrate the accountability of the sector.
This initiative is supported by:
Did you know that there are 161,000 nonprofilts and charities in Canada?
Did you know that Canada’s nonprofit and voluntary sector is the 2nd largest in the world?
The sector represents 7.1% of the gross domestic product
The sector is larger than automotive and manufacturing. It generates $112 billion in revenues and employs 2 million people
Canadians donated $9 billion in 2004
Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island have the highest donor rates in the country at 93%
Canadians gave 2 billion volunteer hours in 2004
Teenagers volunteer more than any other age group
One percent of nonprofits command 60% of all revenues flowing to the sector
Canadians with the lowest household incomes give a greater percentage of their income than others
Saskatchewan has the highest volunteer rate in the country, followed by the Northwest Territories and the Yukon
Canadians give the most money to religious organizations, followed by health and social services
