This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Steedman, E. Articles by Rabinowicz, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Changing dynamics in the Canadian voluntary sector: challenges in sustaining organizational capacity to support healthy communities

Consultant, Montreal, Canada, eric{at}metaconsult.ca

Jane Rabinowicz

Santropol Roulant, Montreal, Canada

The voluntary sector is recognized, by citizens, industry and government, as an increasingly vital contributor to healthy communities within Canadian society, called upon to provide front-line service delivery in areas of community support that were in the past often served by government and or religious charity. (The voluntary sector is large, consisting of an estimated 180,000 non-profit organizations [of which 80,000 are registered as charities] and hundreds of thousands more volunteer groups that are not incorporated [Statistics Canada, 2002].) The dynamics of the sector have changed considerably over the past decade, as government has pulled back the level of core organizational funding support and the role of the church has diminished.

As community health is directly related to the organizational health of service-providing non-profits and charities, these organizations are looking increasingly towards corporate and individual donors, along with new self-financing approaches that generate revenues. They are also facing challenges in attracting and retaining skilled and motivated volunteers.

As the scope of the voluntary sector and its overall influence grows, so do the organizational and financial challenges it faces. This article will address in particular the issue of funding support for healthy communities and examine a number of potential and existing best practices for sustaining community health in Canada. We will also look at the issue of volunteerism and human resource capacity challenges for organizations. This is an area in which the Canadian government has decided to focus as a result of explicit policy decisions taken in the late 1990s.

Key Words: Capacity • community • funding • health • policy • voluntary sector

References

• Public Health Agency of Canada, The Glossary of Terms. Available online at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/vs-sb/voluntarysector/glossary.html (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Healthy City Fall River. What is a healthy city? Available online at: http://www.gfrpartners.com/HealthyCity-WhatIs.html (accessed 14 September 2006).
• National Association of County and City Health Officials, The. Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships program: MAPP Glossary. Available online at: http://mapp.naccho.org/MAPP_Glossary.asp (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Community Service Volunteers.‘Giving Time’ Beats Stress. Available online at: http://www.csv.org.uk/News/Depression.htm (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Voluntary Sector Initiative, The. Research on the sector. Available online at: www.vsi-isbc.ca/eng/knowledge/nsgvp.cfm (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Imagine Canada. Homepage of Imagine Canada: http://www.imaginecanada.org (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Statistics Canada. National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Organization, 2004. Available online at: http://www.statcan.ca/english/sdds/5023.htm (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Santropol Roulant. Homepage of the Santropol Roulant: http://www.santropolroulant.org (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Centraide. Homepage of Centraide: htttp://www.centraide-mtl.org (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Chagnon Family Foundation, The. Homepage of the Chagnon Family Foundation: http://www.fondationchagnon.org (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Vartana Bank, The. Homepage of the Vartana Bank: http://www.vartana.org (accessed 14 September 2006).
• Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), The. Charities Directorate. Available online at: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/charities/menu-e.html (accessed 14 September 2006).

CiteULike

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Steedman, E. Articles by Rabinowicz, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?