Initiatives Across Canada

In order to more effectively identify and address nonprofit labour force issues, organizations must work in collaboration to create and share Labour Market Information (LMI). This kind of information provides employers with an evidence-based understanding of the nonprofit sector and its HR needs. This section is meant to showcase the provincial and sub-sectoral collaborations that are already in motion across the country. We believe this information will assist in the development and implementation of labour force initiatives elsewhere at the same time as strengthening the success of initiatives that are already in place. As these initiatives are currently in progress, we will continue to update this section of the site as new developments arise. This section will also be updated as we develop case studies of sub-sectoral workforce strategies that can be used to identify success factors and common patterns to assist others with their own strategies.

British Columbia

Government Non Profit Initiative

The provincial government and the nonprofit sector successfully work together to meet the needs and interests of the people and communities of British Columbia — from increasing the number of British Columbians who are physically active to developing inclusive employment programs to providing supportive housing for vulnerable citizens.

On these and many other fronts, neither government nor the nonprofit sector can be successful without the other. However together they face increasing service demand, a growing complexity of issues and the need to address challenges to the efficiency and effectiveness of their working relationship.

Since the inception of the GNPI in 2007, the broad priority areas for action have been to build capacity in the nonprofit sector (particularly HR capacity), improve the business and financial relationship and improve the climate for social innovation. In the area of HR capacity building, the GNPI has worked to establish the Labour Market Partnership with the Vancouver Foundation and has supported the development of labour market information tools and a sector HR Strategy. The GNPI will focus its efforts in 2011 on improving cross-sectoral understanding of labour force issues and providing a policy monitoring function.

Most recently, the GNPI delivered a new training package which brings government and community based social service provider representatives together to build a better understanding of government procurement processes and how to respond to government opportunities.

Labour Market Partnership — Vancouver Foundation

Through its HR Strategic Plan, the Vancouver Foundation aims to identify high-priority projects that will address HR needs of the nonprofit (social services) sector in British Columbia. The plan provides a snapshot of the issues the nonprofit labour market is currently tackling. It includes 12 areas of action that will be developed into new tools and resources — all with the goal to make HR management in the sector better. The focus is on systemic action that will address issues on a long-term and sustainable basis, supporting and improving the contribution of the sector to our communities and the economy.

This strategy was developed by the sector, for the sector. The development of the plan was a collaborative process, drawing on input from the Labour Market Partnership (LMP) and the Human Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC) of the Government Non Profit Initiative (GNPI) as well as a number of other informants.

The ultimate goal of this strategy is to have a positive impact on the service and results for the sector’s clients and communities. Looking inward at the sector itself, the desired outcomes for the HR strategic plan are:

  • Sector perceived as an employer of choice, with broad awareness of opportunities in the sector
  • Workforce attracted to and retained in the sector because of a compelling value proposition
  • Diverse sector workforce, representing the full range of our communities and generations
  • Increased representation and engagement of Aboriginal employees in the sector workforce
  • Strong leadership at all levels, ready to take on the challenges of the future
  • Readiness and resilience for change and innovation

Alberta

Alberta Nonprofit Workforce Council

The Alberta Nonprofit Workforce Council is a diverse group of organizations and individuals who understand sector workforce issues and are committed to working collaboratively to find long term solutions.

The Workforce Council is:

  • The coordinating mechanism by which the nonprofit sector leads the province-wide, cross-sectoral implementation of the workforce strategy for Alberta's nonprofit sector
  • A convener and facilitator working to establish connections and synergies between local, provincial and national workforce initiatives
  • A mechanism that develops relationships with other industry sectors and governments that rely upon the work of the nonprofit sector

The Workforce Council supports the development of a high-performance, sustainable workforce through WorkforceConnect. WorkforceConnect is a forum for sharing information and resources to foster collaborative and common workforce issues by linking the sector to meaningful information and resources, such as HR training, recent research and other organizations undertaking work to address challenges.

Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations

The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO) operates and supports multiple workforce development initiatives: the Calgary HR Initiative (CHRI) which focuses on practical supports for local nonprofit organizations and acts as the Secretariat for the Alberta Nonprofit Workforce Council.

The CHRI develops strategies, programs and collaborations that support effective HR management practices in order to build capacity within the Calgary nonprofit human services sector. The CHRI is a collective undertaking of local nonprofit organizations, funders, human services networks and governments dedicated to developing short and long term sustainable solutions to address HR issues. Some of the core activities that the CHRI has undertaken are:

  • Practice Makes Perfect: HR Communities of Practice Series - A popular, ongoing series of peer-learning workshops for agencies to share information on workforce issues affecting Calgary's nonprofit sector
  • Harvard ManageMentor Program - Flexible, affordable, world-class management training at your fingertips. See web page for details
  • Haskayne School of Business MBA Program Partnership - MBA students work with nonprofit organizations to address structural issues that affect their HR management abilities
  • CCVO Nonprofit Diversity Strategy - The intention of this project is to increase participation of the immigrant and disabled workforce in the nonprofit sector
  • CCVO Online Job Centre - A cost-effective connecting point for employers to attract candidates looking for work in the nonprofit sector

Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations

The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) provides capacity support to nonprofit organizations in the Edmonton Area. In addition, ECVO is a founding member of Alberta’s Nonprofit Workforce Council and is one of the provincial leads in supporting and promoting activity related to A Workforce Strategy for Alberta’s Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Edmonton Area and Northern Alberta. The ECVO actively supports the improvement of HR knowledge and practice within nonprofits; it promotes and circulates tools, resources, facilitation opportunities, linkages and networking to assist organizations in addressing the workforce challenges they face.

Manitoba

Manitoba Federation of Non-Profit Organizations Inc.

In 2008, the Manitoba Federation of Non-Profit Organizations Inc. (MFNPO) in collaboration with the Manitoba Bureau of Statistics, Competitiveness, Training and Trade established a process to engage other provincial government departments (heath, family services and housing, culture, heritage and tourism, etc.), and their agencies. In addition, partnerships were formed with the Winnipeg Foundation, the United Way of Winnipeg, the Manitoba Immigrant and Refugee Settlement Sector Association, Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg and other organizations. The result was the formation of the steering committee for the nonprofit Labour Market Information Initiative.

Through a collaborative effort between the nonprofit sector and government, the MFNPO aims to facilitate relevant paid workforce research, provide for a sustainable sector-wide outreach strategy, share and exchange labour market knowledge within Manitoba and with others across Canada and guide the development of paid workforce strategies to meet current and future nonprofit organizational requirements.

The initiative saw the MFNPO, in collaboration with the Manitoba Bureau of Statistics, conduct a survey of the nonprofit health and social services sub-sector in Manitoba in the fall of 2009. Research gleaned from this survey indicated, among other things, that there are challenges in this sub-sector surrounding skills shortages and lack of shared service models.

From this came the development of the Non-Profit HR Hub Pilot which aims to bring together Executive Directors to create a shared-service strategy for HR development. The Hub will work with an HR professional to assess and develop cost effective and sustainable solutions for HR processes, practices, tools and resources within nonprofits.

In order to address the skills challenge, the MFNPO implemented 10 skills sessions throughout the province between 2010-2011. For this year, two skills occupation training series have been developed and partnerships with education institutions have been established.

Ontario

Ontario Nonprofit Network

In its recent budget, the province of Ontario announced that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration will have special responsibility for the nonprofit sector. This recognition by the Government of Ontario comes from the work of the Partnership Project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) has been actively engaged in the partnership and identified the need for a workforce development strategy for the sector.

To build an effective and evidence-based human capital renewal strategy for the nonprofit sector in Ontario requires strategic data collection, analysis, and evaluation as foundational elements. There is also a need for partnerships across sectors to create and implement a strong strategy.

Elements of this strategy could include:

  • A study of the labour force factors in our sector (e.g. pay, benefits, required certificates, etc.)
  • A joint table to bring employers, trainers, educators, unions and employees together to build a strategy
  • Government investment in evidence-based planning to support the social and economic development the nonprofit sector brings to our communities as an employer, service provider, and a way to build civic engagement
  • Partnerships with colleges, universities, The Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to develop a human capital advisory group to the sector
  • Support for existing initiatives in community economic development, including co-ops, work experience opportunities, etc.

Quebec

Comité Sectoriel de Main-d’oeuvre Économie Sociale et Action Communautaire (French only)

In both the community and social economy sectors in Quebec, there is increasing awareness about issues related to paid employment, including succession and succession planning. This is in large part due to the work of the Comité Sectoriel de Main-d’oeuvre Économie sociale et Action Communautaire (CSMO-ÉSAC), a nonprofit organization that has been in existence for ten years with a mandate to address issues of paid employment in both community-based organizations and enterprises of the social economy.

The CSMO-ÉSAC engages in extensive work on labour force initiatives throughout the province and as such updates occur frequently. Please visit their website to see the most current information available.

Nova Scotia

Halifax Federation of Community Organizations
Phoenix Youth Programs

The Halifax Federation of Community Organizations’ (FOCO) mission is to connect and strengthen the nonprofit sector throughout the province. Phoenix Youth Programs is a nonprofit that offers programs and services for at-risk and homeless youth between the ages of 12-24. Phoenix provides an innovative continuum of care from prevention to follow-up.

Phoenix and FOCO partnered in 2007 to conduct a first of its kind labour market study on the nonprofit sector in Nova Scotia. Funded by HRSDC, the data was collected over several months and the research results were shared in October 2010 at a provincial conference. Conference participants were also given the opportunity to speak to the findings and ask for further data analysis. Since the conference, Phoenix and FOCO have been approved for a second stage of research, focusing on labour market development with support from the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education. This second stage, called the NS Not-for-Profit/Voluntary Sector Research Project, is currently underway and seeks to research and share models on sector leadership, agency partnership and core competency development and will include an extensive series of consultations across the province and country.

Newfoundland & Labrador

Community Sector Council of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Community Sector Council of Newfoundland and Labrador (CSC) was established in 1976 as an independent nonprofit organization. It is committed to strengthening and promoting the essential role that nonprofit organizations play in building healthy and prosperous communities by promoting social and economic well-being.

Research can be a powerful tool for social change. Over the years CSC’s landmark research has helped shape the face of public policy in Newfoundland and Labrador. CSC initiates, undertakes and collaborates in research related to community capacity building, social and economic development, the social economy, volunteerism, the community-based sector, public policy and other issues of concern.

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homeless Network

Beginning in 2008, the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network (NLHHN) completed a study of workforce recruitment, retention and training needs in Newfoundland’s housing and homelessness sector. This study led to a second phase activity during 2009 that developed communications tools to profile the sector to potential recruits and devised a sector training delivery model and curriculum. In 2010-2011, the NLHHN is securing resources to create the recommended training vehicle, and has raised nearly $1 million to construct the facility in St. John's. Complete reports on both phases of this initiative are available online.

The NLHHN also partnered with the HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector in 2008-2009 to host a regional forum in Newfoundland on the HR Council's workforce recommendations.