The Government of Canada and the NonProfit and Voluntary Sector: Moving Forward Together

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The Government of Canada and the Non-Profit and
Voluntary Sector Moving Forward Together
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CANADA

• Presentation to Civil Society Excellence
  International Seminar on Strategies and
  Agreements between the Public Sector and the
  Nonprofit Sector
• March 2005
• Marie Gauthier, Director
• Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Affairs Division
• Community Development and Partnerships
  Directorate
• Social Development Canada

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Purpose

• Why we work together
• Where weve been
• Challenges
• Approach to moving forward

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Profile of Canadas Non-Profit and Voluntary
Sector

• Diversity in size, scope and purpose
• 161,000 incorporated non-profit and voluntary
  organizations,
• 80,000 registered charities
• 112 billion in annual revenues 109 billion in
  assets (2003)
• Provides jobs to 2 million paid employees
• 6.5 million volunteers giving 2 billion volunteer
  hours
• Source NSNVO, StatsCan, 2004

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Contribution of the Non-Profitand Voluntary
Sector

• A key pillar in Canadas social infrastructure
• Gives voice to community needs
• A key partner in promoting social well-being and
  creating bridges
• A key driver of social innovation and an
  important contributor to the social economy
• Providers of services to Canadians

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Why We Work Together

• The Government of Canada and the non-profit and
  voluntary sector share a commitment to improving
  the well-being of Canadians and the communities
  they live in
• Since we share common goals and interests,
  combining our efforts makes us more effective in
  reaching our shared goals

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Where Weve Been

• Long history of collaboration in some departments
  with some non-profit and voluntary sector
  organizations
• More recent history of a more formal
  collaboration with the non-profit and voluntary
  sector through the Voluntary Sector Initiative
  (VSI)

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Voluntary Sector Initiative Designed to Support
the Sector

• Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI)
• Five-year, 94.6 million joint initiative
  (launched June 2000)
• 6 M over two years announced March 2004, extends
  partnership to March 2006
• Objectives of VSI to
• Strengthen relationship between the sector and
  the Government of Canada
• Increase capacity of the voluntary sector to meet
  the needs of Canadians

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VSI Accomplishments

• Strengthening the Relationship
• An Accord Between the Government of Canada and
  the Voluntary Sector.
• Two related Codes of Good Practice - on Funding
  and Policy Dialogue.

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VSI Accomplishments

• Regulations Improved
• Adoption of 70 changes that improve the
  regulatory framework in which non-profit
  organizations and charities operate.
• Creation of an Advisory Committee to Canada
  Revenue Agency

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VSI Accomplishments

• Increasing Knowledge
• Canada Survey on Giving, Volunteering and
  Participating
• National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary
  Organizations
• Satellite Account
• John Hopkins International Comparative Study

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VSI Accomplishments

• Capacity Enhanced
• Increased capacity to recruit, retain and manage
  both paid and unpaid human resources
• Increased policy capacity through direct
  experience and new resources
• Increased technology capacity

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Continuing Challenges

• Voluntary Sector
• Human resources
• Financing
• Liability Insurance
• Capacity
• Government of Canada
• Horizontal integration
• Culture change

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Where are We Going A Continuing Priority for
the Government of Canada

• 2004 Speech from the Throne identified
  strengthening Canada social foundations as one
  of four priorities for action.
• 6 million over two years announced in 2004
  Federal Budget to
• strengthen the sectors capacity to collaborate
  and innovate and
• support a stronger voice for philanthropic and
  charitable organizations in local, regional and
  national public policy dialogue.
• This extends the Government of Canadas
  commitment and support to the non-profit and
  voluntary sector to March 2006

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Moving Toward an Integrated Communities Strategy

• There is now an opportunity to move ahead to
  address ongoing and new challenges for both
  Government of Canada and the voluntary sector as
  part of an integrated communities strategy.
• Phase One Moving Ahead in the Short-term
• Initiatives to complete VSI.
• Phase Two - Incremental
• Initiatives to address ongoing challenges in the
  context of the budget announcements.
• Phase Three Transformative
• Longer-term community agenda

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Immediate Initiatives

• Initiatives agreed to by the government and the
  sector will include
• Horizontal Integration
• Promote the implementation of Accord and Codes as
  a way of doing business throughout GoC.
• Performance Reporting
• Annual reporting to Canadians on the
  implementation of the Accord and Codes.
• Public Awareness
• Enhance public awareness of the value of the
  voluntary sector
• Establish a Voluntary Sector Portal to connect
  people and organizations to information and
  services.

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Incremental Initiatives

• Financing
• Task Force on Community Investments
• Implementing Regulatory Reform
• Human Resources Capacity Building
• Regular data collection on size and scope of the
  non-profit and voluntary sector
• Work with the key national, regional and local
  non-profit and voluntary sector organizations on
  a transition strategy to move beyond the VSI.

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Transformative Initiatives Toward an Integrated
Communities Strategy
New partnerships
Strong, Vibrant, Innovative, Sustainable
Communities
and synergies
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As We Move Forward..

• We need to continue to develop a more effective
  and collaborative partnership with the non-profit
  and voluntary sector at the national, regional
  and local community level to meet the needs of
  Canadians by promoting
• bottom-up policy dialogue networks
• innovation to identify and meet local community
  needs
• horizontal collaboration across the Government of
  Canada and sector

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Contact

• Marie Gauthier
• Director, Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector
  Affairs Division
• Community Development and Partnerships
  Directorate
• Social Development Canada
• E-mail marie.gauthier_at_sdc-dsc.gc.ca
• [phone]
• Website www.vsi-isbc.ca

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Major VSI Achievements to Date
Annex A

• Strengthening the Relationship
• An Accord Between the Government of Canada and
  the Voluntary Sector.
• Two related Codes of Good Practice - on Funding
  and Policy Dialogue.
• Capacity Building
• National research and the compilation of
  first-ever national data on the voluntary sector
  in Canada (three major studies, one on the
  contribution of the voluntary sector to Canadas
  economy, one on organizations in the sector, and
  one on the contributions of citizens to the
  sector).
• Adoption by the Federal Government (in Budget
  2004) of 70 changes that improve the regulatory
  framework in which non-profit organizations and
  charities operate.
• Tools for human resource management and
  information technology.
• Capacity development projects (67) involving
  voluntary sector organizations in policy dialogue
  with 17 departments, and a formative evaluation
  of the experience.
• Initial work to develop a Voluntary Sector
  Internet Portal.
• A feasibility study for a Sector Council on Human
  Resources in the Voluntary Sector.

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Outstanding Joint VSI Activities
Annex B

• Strengthening the Relationship
• Ongoing implementation of the Accord and Codes.
• Capacity Building
• Work to establish a Sector Council on human
  resources to follow the Human Resources in the
  Voluntary Sector Initiative.
• Completion and launch of the Voluntary Sector
  Internet Portal.
• Release of new national data on the voluntary
  sector, including data from the newly-established
  StatsCan Satellite Account, the National Survey
  on Non-profit and Voluntary Organizations (both
  in September 2004) and the Canadian Survey on
  Giving, Volunteering and Participating (in the
  spring of 2005).
• National awareness campaign on the voluntary
  sector (Request for Proposals issued in July
  2004).
• Final summative evaluation on the impact of the
  VSI.

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Governance Structure
Annex C

• Joint Steering Committee (JSC)
• To provide coordination and oversight for the
  remaining work of the VSI, for the
  implementation, dissemination and delivery of VSI
  products and services and advance new directions
  for the voluntary sector within an integrated
  communities strategy.
• Director General Steering Committee (DGSC)
• To strategically ensure horizontal integration
  across departments and agencies.
• Provide a strong advisory role to ADMs on the JSC
  to advance work on immediate, incremental and
  transformative initiatives.
• Champions Network
• To engage members across the government and
  voluntary sector in further entrenching the
  Accord and Codes into daily business.
• To engage in discussions about the role of the
  voluntary sector in communities.