Governance Q&A: Why organizations don’t always draw on the knowledge of their volunteers

I have been a volunteer at an agency for four years. In that time it has grown and I feel like a part of that and have particular insight where my volunteer function is concerned. Yet the organization does not...

Don’t call me, I’ll call you: Implications of a national do-not-call registry

Long before the Internet introduced us to spam and those annoying web pop-ups, businesses were using the telephone to deliver their message to consumers...whether they liked it or not. Last year, the federal government decided it was finally time to...

A summary of highlights: Project management overview

Introduction Lola went to a party last week. Besides being the first free time she had since starting her database development initiative, it was a party to celebrate the launch of the project! After a number of months of very...

Stakeholder consultations

Two years ago, I was involved in a three-day multi-stakeholder consultation that gathered veterinarians, slaughterhouse operators, meat processors, farm representatives, regulators, research scientists, and animal welfare activists. The goal was to develop a code for the humane handling of farm...

Governance Q&A: Should alcohol be served during internal events at a nonprofit?

Should alcohol be served during board meetings, retreats, staff parties and other internal events at a nonprofit? Is this normal practice? If so, who should pay for it? This simple-sounding question raises a set of thorny questions that each organization...

The art and science of setting objectives

Introduction As part of the way we manage and govern our organization, we often talk about setting objectives or goals. However, the setting of those objectives or goals is not always as easy as it initially appears. Picking objectives that...

Project evaluation: Measurements of success

Introduction It is increasingly common for funders to request a project evaluation. They want to know that they got some bang for their buck. This is especially true in the not-for-profit and public sectors, where the budget is tight. Lola...

Governance Q&A: Who on a board of directors needs to know what the executive director earns?

I am a board member of a local charity with seven staff members. I have no idea what the Executive Director earns or how it is determined. The Chair says only the Executive Committee needs to know, and they are...

Ten myths of global civil society

Dr. Lester Salamon, author, professor and director of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies was the keynote speaker at Imagine Canada's Symposium "Learning from the World: Canada's Charitable & Nonprofit Sector through...