Sustaining Innovative Service Providers

1
Sustaining Innovative Service Providers
Voluntary Organizations

• Laura Ryser and Greg Halseth
• Rural and Small Town Studies
• University of Northern British Columbia
• CRRF - Twillingate - 2005

2
Importance of Innovative Services Voluntary Orgs

• Provide services during transition that may
  otherwise not exist
• Resident and business recruitment retention
• Enhance local quality of life

3
Outline

• Methodology
• Sustainability and Resiliency
• Human Resources
• Financial Resources
• Partnerships
• Communications
• Sources of Information
• Discussion

4
Methodology

• Selection of sites
• NRE site matrix variables
• Regional representation
• 4 NRE sites
• Mackenzie, BC Wood River, SK
• Tweed, ON Springhill, NS
• Selection of organizations
• Purposive sampling (10 orgs / site)
• Tracked from 2003 - 2005

5
How do they sustain themselves?

• Human resources
• Financial resources
• Partnerships
• Communications
• Sources of information

6
Human Resources I

• Is the position voluntary or paid? -
• Response Leadership Board of Directors
• Voluntary 80.6 87.5
• Paid 19.4 12.5
• Compensation 6.5 8.3
• n31 n24
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.

7
Human Resources II

• Challenges with Human Resources -
• Response Total
• Lack of members 50.0
• Volunteer burnout 41.7
• Little participation by members 36.1
• Lack of new leadership 19.4
• Difficulty getting staff 11.1
• n36
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.

8
Human Resources III

• Recruiting over the last year -
• Response Total n
• New general members/employees 65.7 35
• New board members 46.2 26
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.

9
Recruiting Strategies

• General Members / Employees
• Local newspaper ads
• Local radio station ads
• Newsletters
• Posters
• Brochures
• Websites
• Community presentations
• Ads in similar institutions in large urban
  centres
• Hired recruiters / recruiting committees
• Invitations to individuals
• Internal job postings
• Job postings across Canada
• Regional volunteer and information database
• Recruited volunteers from similar service
  providers
• Church bulletins
• Word of mouth

• Board Members
• Local newspaper ads
• Local radio station ads
• Pamphlets
• Meetings at other community activities
• Meetings of the organization
• Through previous experience volunteering for
  their organization
• Hired personnel
• Word of mouth

10
Human Resources IV

• Organizations with paid or compensated leaders /
  board members less likely to face
• Lack of new leadership
• Little participation by members
• Volunteer burnout

11
How do they sustain themselves?

• Human resources
• Financial resources
• Partnerships
• Communications
• Sources of information

12
Changes in Private Funding
13
Changes in Private Funding
14
Changes in Government Programs
15
Changes in Government Programs
16
Financial Resources

• Conditions required to receive funds -
• Response Total
• Have a board of directors 45.7
• Provide services to a particular group 34.3
• Location in a specific geographic area 31.4
• Belong to a professional / sector
  association 25.7
• Have charitable status 22.9
• Have a partnership 22.9
• Have private funding 17.1
• n35
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.

17
Board of Directors Private Funding
18
Board of Directors Govt Programs
19
How do they sustain themselves?

• Human resources
• Financial resources
• Partnerships
• Communications
• Sources of information

20
Partnerships

• Partnerships with volunteer groups, businesses,
  institutions, govt orgs -
• Response 2003 2005
• Outside site 67.5 75.0
• Within site 62.5 61.1
• n40 n36
• Source Innovative Services and Voluntary Survey
  2003, 2005

21
Effectiveness of Partnerships

• How would you rate the effectiveness of your
  partnerships / linkages?
• Response Total n
• Outside 1.31 64
• Inside 1.61 89
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.
• Rating 1very effective 2effective 3neutral
  4not effective 5 very not effective.

22
Partnerships and Private Funding
23
Partnerships and Govt Programs
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Partnerships-Bridging Social Capital

• What did partnerships add to organization? -
• Response Total
• Expansion of networks 36.4
• Change in products / services 27.3
• New expertise 24.2
• Change in administration / org structure 15.2
• New technology 9.1
• Change in regulations 6.1
• n33
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.

25
How do they sustain themselves?

• Human resources
• Financial resources
• Partnerships
• Communications
• Sources of information

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Communication Changes Clients
27
Communication Changes Clients
28
Partnerships and Communication Clients
29
Communication Changes Funders
30
Communication Changes Funders
31
Partnerships and Communication Funders
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How do they sustain themselves?

• Human resources
• Financial resources
• Partnerships
• Communications
• Sources of information

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Sources of Information

• Response Total
• Family and friends 75.0
• Management 69.4
• General media 66.7
• Internet 63.9
• Customers 63.9
• Staff 58.3
• Federal / provincial government depts 52.8
• Business community 47.2
• Universities / colleges / research centres 41.7
• Local government 38.9
• Sector associations 33.3
• Financial institutions 22.2
• n36
• Source INE Innovative Services and Voluntary
  Organizations Survey 2005.

34
Partnerships and Sources of Information
35
Pressure for Change

• Rural and small towns restructuring
• Change produces new service provision pressures
• Innovative services vol. orgs using a range of
  strategies to sustain themselves

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Discussion I

• Challenges with Human Resources
• Lack of members, volunteer burnout, little
  participation
• To cope with human resource challenges
• Range of recruiting strategies
• Some offering paid positions / compensation
• Fewer of these organizations concerned with human
  resource problems

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Discussion II

• Financial resources
• Relying more on revenue from services and
  membership fees
• Board of directors important condition to obtain
  funding
• Boards enhance the accountability of an
  organization

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Discussion III

• Partnerships are increasing
• New ways to deliver services
• Enhances legitimacy
• Groups with partnerships received more private
  and government funding
• Benefits
• Networks, new products services, and new
  expertise

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Discussion IV

• Groups with partnerships use a range of
  communication tools
• Key communication tools to build and maintain
  organizations
• Face-to-face contact
• Print materials
• Internet technology
• Sources of information contribute new expertise

40
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