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Sector Research Catalogue

Sector Research Catalogue

May 7, 2026 | BC Non-Profit Network, Blog, Government Relations, Policy and Advocacy, Sector Research

A curated guide to key publications on the non-profit sector in BC and Canada

About This Catalogue

This resource gathers key research publications about BC's and Canada's non-profit sector. Publications are organized by source/organization and grouped by topic area. Click any publication title to access the original source. This catalogue is intended for use by non-profit leaders, researchers, funders, and policy advocates.

Last Updated: March 2026

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About the Sector: Counts, Statistics & Economic Profile

Statistics Canada

Publication

Contents

National Insights into Non-Profit Organizations, Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, 2023 (March 20, 2024)

The one-time 2023 National Insights into the Non-Profit Sector provided important sector data updates to what was released in 2003.  Note: Statistics Canada announced the CSBC will be discontinued after August 2026.

Related:

Satellite Account of Nonprofit Institutions and Volunteering (Quarterly and annually released)

Macroeconomic data (employment, revenues, GDP contribution), includes the Human Resources Module (paid workforce)

Referenced in:

General Social Survey – Giving, Volunteering and Participating (Every 5 years)

Volunteering, including volunteer rates, hours, activity. Latest released data collected in 2023.

Referenced in:

Non-profit organizations in rural and small town Canada, 2022 (Feb 17, 2025)

Estimates of active NPO counts, revenues, and employment

OrgBook BC

Publication

Contents

OrgBook: Active Societies (Live database)

Count of societies (registered non-profits) with active registrations

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Current and Emerging Topics, Issues, and Challenges

Statistics Canada

Publication

Contents

Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (Quarterly)

Note: Statistics Canada announced this will be discontinued after August 2026. Economic events and issues, perceptions, expectations among private and nonprofit organizations. The 2023 National Insights into the Non-Profit Sector provided important sector data updates from 2003.

Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP)

Publication

Contents

Survey reports

Weekly results reports, quarterly and annual briefs

Key themes:

Results dashboards

Themed dashboards

Infographics and visual insights

Visuals that highlight data and findings

Imagine Canada

Publication

Contents

Research

Various research resources, complements Imagine Canada’s policy priorities

Front burner priorities (research available under “Learn more” on each page below):

Other research resources:

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Financial – Revenue, Expenses, and Giving

Statistics Canada

Publication

Contents

Tax filers with charitable donations by income (April 1, 2025; Annual)

Charitable donation data from individual tax returns

Canada Revenue Agency

Publication

Contents

Report on the Charities Program 2024–2025 (Oct 1, 2025)

Operational and regulatory reporting: registration, compliance, directorate operations

Related:

Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP)

Publication

Contents

Weekly reports and briefs (Ongoing)

Canada Helps

Publication

Contents

The Giving Report 2025

Trends in charitable giving from 2018-2024; eighth edition

  • Total charitable contributions reached $12.8 billion in 2023, the highest on record, yet the donor base has shrunk 18% since 2020, with growth increasingly driven by wealthy, older Canadians rather than broad participation
  • Local causes surpassed health as the top online giving category in 2024, and donations to Indigenous-focused charities rose 416% since 2018, though they still represent only 0.8% of total donations
  • Monthly giving hit a record $86.9 million (18% of all online donations), securities donations grew 39%, and early 2025 giving surged 24%

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Publication

Contents

The Impact of US Tariffs on Canada's NFP Sector (May 2025)
  • Tariffs impact the sector through: decreased funding, increased costs, and greater service demands
  • Estimated philanthropic giving could drop up to $100M in 2026 vs. pre-tariff expectations
  • 70%+ of donations come from 9% of donors giving $5K or more, so even modest pullback from major contributors could have outsized impact on local organizations, with small and rural nonprofits facing greatest vulnerability

Fraser Institute

Publication

Contents

Generosity in Canada: Generosity Index 2025 (Dec 2025)

Uses tax data to compare giving patterns across jurisdictions. Note: interpretations of this index are contested in the sector.

  • Fewer Canadians tax filers are donating (dropped to 16.8% in 2023), and those who do give are also giving a smaller proportion of their income
  • Every province saw a decline in donor participation between 2013 to 2023
  • American tax filers donate at roughly triple the Canadian rate, as of 2022

Blackbaud

Publication

Contents

The Status of Canadian Fundraising 2025: A Benchmarking Report for the AI Era

Benchmarking on fundraising performance and attitudes toward AI/tech in fundraising.

  • AI adoption surging sharply, however governance has not kept pace, with only 11% of respondents having formal AI policy in place for 2025, up from 5% the previous year
  • Fewer than one third of respondents said they get the most out of their donor management system, a gap between technology investment and effective use
  • Ethical AI use and digital capacity are urgent discussions, with respondents ranking the top opportunities as: improved data management, seamlessly integrated technology, and training

Other: SROI Research

Social return on investment figures are sometimes useful. Below are citable figures from Canadian non-profit organizations and research. Note that SROI values are not directly comparable due to methodology and assumptions. If using any of the figures below, it’s worth citing the source and methodology.

Publication

Contents

Food Banks Canada (2025)

$7.76 : $1

An independent third-party estimate by Constellation Consulting Group found that Food Banks Canada generated $7.76 in social value for every $1 donated. The full methodology report has not been made publicly available.

Calgary Food Bank (2024)

$9.84 : $1

An independent third-party estimate by Constellation Consulting Group found that for every dollar donated to the Calgary Food Bank, the organization generates $9.84 in social value and potential societal savings. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 31 clients and a survey of 1,000 participants, with outcomes including improved food security, mental health, and financial stability.

Inn from the Cold (Family Homelessness Prevention, Alberta) (2023)

$6.79 : $1

An updated SROI analysis conducted by Constellation Consulting Group found that for every dollar invested, Inn from the Cold creates nearly $6.79 in social and economic value, experienced by families, governments, landlords, volunteers, and communities. The analysis used conservative estimates to avoid overclaiming.

BC Child and Youth Advocacy Centres (2022)

$5.54 : $1

In 2021/22, a $3.5 million investment generated an estimated $19.6 million in value across wellbeing outcomes, workforce quality, and system efficiencies in healthcare, education, justice, and policing.

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Workforce, Human Resources and Labour

Imagine Canada

Publication

Contents

People First: A Portrait of Canada's Nonprofit Workforce (Apr 2025)
  • 2.7M employees nationally; sector is Canada's largest employer – surpassing construction by 70%, manufacturing by 60%, retail by 20%
  • Sector is the largest employer of women in the Canadian economy, employing 21% of all working women
  • Average salary is 13% lower than the Canadian average; 31% lower among community nonprofit workers; but higher levels of formal education than average Canadian worker
  • Women's average salary is 18% below the Canadian average; men's gap is just 3%
  • Workforce more likely to be women, hold a university degree, and be racialized compared to broader economy
  • The report identifies three priority areas for change: reforming funding models to give organizations flexibility to invest in their people; advancing decent work through fair pay, benefits, and stability; and adopting anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices to address persistent pay gaps for racialized workers

Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP)

Publication

Contents

Weekly reports and briefs (Ongoing)

Charity Village

Publication

Contents

2025 Canadian Nonprofit Sector Salary & Benefits Report (2025)
  • Salary growth has moderated compared to post-pandemic spike in 2023-2024; compensation rising fastest at senior levels (3.1%–7.1%); support staff (level 6) saw 14.9% increase in 2024
  • When indexed to 2020 levels, compensation growth for most staff levels has only marginally kept pace with or slightly lagged behind the Consumer Price Index — meaning many nonprofit workers have seen real wage stagnation through the cost-of-living crisis
  • Health and education organizations pay the most
  • Male Chief Executives earn 18% more than female counterparts on average, a gap that narrowed in 2023 but has since widened again; gap exists at all levels (2%–8%)
  • 58% of organizations offer retirement benefits to at least some employees; RSP plans considerably more common than pensions

Future of Good

Publication

Contents

2025 Changemaker Wellbeing Index (May 22, 2025)
  • 70% of non-profit workers feel burned out at least occasionally
  • 36% face poor or very poor wellbeing
  • Financial precarity is severe and unevenly distributed: 30% of nonprofit workers face food insecurity overall, rising to 49% among frontline service workers — rates that are disproportionately higher than those seen in the general Canadian workforce
  • 38% rarely or never save money from their salaries
  • 42% may quit within the next six months
  • Findings point to structural factors — particularly resource constraints, underfunding, and frontline working conditions — as key drivers of the wellbeing crisis, with the report calling on sector leaders, funders, and boards to take data-informed action to strengthen recruitment, retention, and organizational culture

YMCA Workwell

Publication

Contents

Insights to Impact 2024 (2024)
  • Burnout is pervasive: 1 in 4 non-profit employees experience burnout often or extremely often; 1 in 3 non-profit leaders
  • Only about half of workers feel appropriately recognized; 1 in 3 have unhealthy recognition scores; workers with unhealthy recognition scores are 4x more likely to experience regular burnout – this is a powerful but underutilized lever
  • 1 in 5 respondents considering leaving their role in the next 6 months; top reasons are inadequate pay (61%), burnout (41%), and feeling underappreciated (37%)
  • Organizations with higher employee burnout deliver lower-quality community outcomes

Volunteer Canada / NVAS

Publication

Contents

What We're Hearing: Summer 2025 Report (October 2025)

National engagement findings feeding into the National Volunteer Action Strategy

  • Both formal and informal volunteering are in decline across Canada (from Statistics Canada GSS-GVP data), driven by shared pressures including burnout, financial trade-offs, and unsustainable working conditions
  • Costs of volunteering are a significant and often overlooked barrier to participation: many prospective volunteers are effectively priced out by expenses such as uniform requirements, training courses, parking, and criminal record checks — pointing to an urgent need for national approaches to stipends, subsidies, and shared infrastructure
  • The report calls for a reimagined, broader narrative of volunteering — one that recognizes mutual aid, grassroots organizing, kinship networks, and political engagement as legitimate forms of civic participation, and calls on the sector to redesign volunteer infrastructure to match how people actually want to contribute across different life stages and circumstances

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Digital Technology and AI

Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR)

Publication

Contents

Bridging the Digital Divide: A Strategic Vision for Canada's Nonprofit Sector (March 2025)
  • Sector-oriented synthesis focused on digital equity framing and implications for nonprofits; the report argues that nonprofits are uniquely positioned to address digital equity disparities given their proximity to marginalized communities
  • Digital Equity Iceberg strategic framework
  • Calls on the sector to move communities from digital consumers to digital creators, emphasizing that true digital equity encompasses not just hardware and internet connectivity, but meaningful content, the ability to create and share knowledge, and full civic and economic participation in the digital world
  • Consultation with 8,000 nonprofit professionals confirmed that technology adoption, cybersecurity, data management, and funding and skills gaps are the sector's most pressing digital challenges

Addressing the Digital Skills Gap in Canadian Nonprofits: Designing Options for Solutions (Jan 2025)
  • 4 prototype options to address digital skills gaps
  • Critical skill areas: data privacy and security, digital leadership, advanced data management

Related:

The State of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Canadian Nonprofits (Jan 2026, with Imagine Canada)
  • One of the first Canada-wide benchmark reports on nonprofit AI adoption
  • AI use is widespread but still shallow in scope: 80% of nonprofits report using AI in some way, yet half use it for only three or fewer organizational activities, with use concentrated in communications and fundraising (67%) and data and information tasks (50%) — and far fewer applying it to complex internal functions like strategy, HR, or program design
  • Primary barriers to adoption are skills, time, and knowledge; financial resources matter more for how extensively AI is used once adoption has begun
  • Governance is significantly lagging behind adoption: while majorities are aware of AI-related reputational (62%), legal and ethical (60%), and equity-reinforcing risks (54%), only 10% of nonprofits have formal AI policies in place, 21% are developing them, and nearly two thirds of AI-using organizations have no policies and no plans to create any
  • Organizations using AI extensively are more confident in its potential and less likely to view it as overhyped, while those with limited or no use are far more uncertain — pointing to a growing adoption divide within the sector that is likely to widen over time

Other research resources:

Under Pressure: 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector

Under Pressure: 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector

Jun 6, 2024 | BC Non-Profit Network, Blog, Sector Research

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Jun 6, 2024

Report Release:

Under Pressure: 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector

Vancouver, British Columbia - Vantage Point, together with City of Vancouver, Vancouver Foundation, Vancity Community Foundation, Victoria Foundation, and United Way British Columbia, is proud to release the 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Report. 

Our first two reports, No Immunity (2020) and Unravelling (2021), were published during the COVID-19 pandemic, both outlining the pandemic’s impact on non-profits across BC. These reports contributed to key non-profit sector advancements, such as the creation of the 2022 Recovery and Resiliency Fund through a historic $30M investment from the Province of BC for organizations disproportionately affected by the pandemic.   

As the BC context evolved and we entered an endemic stage of the pandemic, the third report Safety Net (2023) focused on providing a snapshot of trends, challenges, opportunities, and successes for non-profits in our province. The findings reflected that there were signs of stabilization, and feelings of hope and motivation within the sector. However, the report also underlined the significant pressures the sector continued to face, and the increased community need for services. 

"There has historically been a lack consistent data for the non-profit sector in BC. Vantage Point's annual State of the Sector surveys of non-profits across BC, and resulting reports, are starting to demonstrate the needs and opportunities for the sector,” said Vantage Point CEO Zahra Esmail. After the release of the 2023 report, Vantage Point focused its efforts on sharing the data across the province, presenting findings to varied audiences including to government, funders, and non-profits. Many non-profits in BC have used the data from these reports to support grant applications, advocate for additional core and administrative funding support, and educate supporters to better understand the realities of the sector.  

For this year’s State of the Sector Survey, our intention was both to check-in with the non-profit sector around various trends while also probing deeper into the underlying challenges highlighted in the last report.

Findings:

In BC, there are approximately 33,019 non-profit organizations, including community, business, and government non-profits. Together, they represent 360,000 jobs and contributed approximately $30 billion to BC’s economy in 2022. The sector reported experiencing a complexity of feelings by operating in extremely difficult times as well as revealing a sense of being needed now more than ever to promote equitable and thriving communities. As the sector continues to evolve, our report, Under Pressure, provides a snapshot of and insights into the state of the sector in British Columbia through the following two themes: 

Theme 1: Less resilient times

Non-profits in BC continue to combat soaring expenses as costs rise and revenue streams remain fixed. Over the last 12 months, the sector reported all revenue sources to be decreasing, except for revenue from government sources, which has remained stable. More expenses are being incurred on salaries and benefits, programs, services and activities, and general administration, which has resulted in reduced funding available for programming. Moreover, the sector survey also revealed the impact of rising inflation and climate change on operating costs. As charitable donations decline across the country, there is immense pressure on non-profits to reduce programming, diversify funding sources, or close their doors. 

Theme 2: Overburdened

Our findings reveal that the non-profit sector in BC is grappling with skyrocketing demand for services and supports from clients and communities, while its capacity to deliver programs and services has remained the same. Additionally, volunteerism, crucial to the sustainability of non-profits has not recovered from pre-COVID-19 levels within the sector. In responding to increasing community needs, the sector has become overburdened, as evidenced by staff burnout, high staff turnover, and the necessity to offer higher wages and salaries to retain staff, often stretching available funding.

Recommendations

While considering the successes, pressures, and challenges the sector reports experiencing this year, we have made recommendations to all levels of government, funders, and sector stakeholders and partners to address:

  1. Sustainability of the sector workforce
  2. Funding reforms
  3. Nurturing a collaborative ecosystem

“Data is an important part of empowering our sector to start to show up in a stronger way as an important partner to government and resource heavily relied upon by BC communities. Data helps us tell our stories,” said Vantage Point CEO Zahra Esmail. Our commitment remains to provide consistent, high-quality data, crucial to understanding the non-profit sector in BC, and equipping funders, policy makers, and other sector stakeholders with relevant data to make informed decisions and better support the current needs of BC’s non-profit sector.

The Under Pressure: 2024 State of the Sector Report will be used to help BC’s non-profits in their advocacy efforts and to strengthen the sector’s ability to support the communities we serve. The full report and a complimentary media kit are available to download here.

Media Contacts:

Rachelle Smalldon, Operations and Communications Manager rsmalldon@thevantagepoint.ca

Find our free downloadable resources

Unilateral NDA Template

Unilateral NDA Template

Sharing sensitive organizational information is often a necessary part of discussing a merger, amalgamation, or other form of collaboration. This template provides a starting point for establishing confidentiality when one organization is disclosing information to another during preliminary discussions.

read more...

Find our free downloadable resources

PayPal Webinar

From Overwhelmed to Action: Diversify Your Charity’s Revenue Mix with No-Cost Digital Giving Tools

Join Vantage Point and PayPal Giving Fund for this practical webinar to explore how giving is changing in Canada and what it means for your organization. Through current sector data, real-world examples, and practical strategies, you’ll discover no-cost digital giving tools and community-led fundraising approaches that can help diversify your revenue and create new opportunities for donor engagement.

read more...
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viaSport announces partnership with Vantage Point

viaSport and Vantage Point are proud to announce a new partnership. Through viaSport’s shared services program, Vantage Point will deliver practical training and capacity-building support to more than 70 viaSport Designated Sport Organizations across the province.

read more...

Safety Net: The 2023 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Report is now available

May 23, 2023 | BC Non-Profit Network, Blog, Sector Research

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May 23, 2023

NEWS RELEASE: Safety Net: 2023 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector

Non-Profits in British Columbia Lifting Communities Up Under Pressure 

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Vantage Point, together with Vancouver Foundation, Victoria Foundation, Vancity Community Foundation, and United Way BC, is proud to release the 2023 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Report. 

Vantage Point and its partners surveyed 757 organizations for this report, and the publication is the third in a series. The first report, No Immunity, was published in May 2020 and detailed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BC’s non-profit sector. The second, Unraveling, was published in February 2021 as the pandemic began to become less of a health and economic emergency. 

“Since the first two reports, the BC context has changed. We are now entering an endemic state of the pandemic, a softening of physical distancing, the sunsetting of emergency funding supports, and the creation of an initial sector development fund administered through four funders – the BC Recovery and Resiliency Fund,” said Vantage Point CEO Zahra Esmail. “The time is right to ask how the non-profit sector is currently doing.” 

The report finds that BC’s non-profits continue to be a safety net for communities, providing services and bridging gaps between government and the private sector. But the safety net is under pressure and there are steps that funders, government, and leaders can take to ensure that social impact organizations thrive. 

“The sector is doing more with less in the face of new and growing challenges in 2023, including inflation, record-breaking climate events, and a housing crisis. This State of the Sector report will provide evidence needed by policymakers to determine the areas of opportunity and needs in BC’s non-profit sector today,” said Kevin McCort, CEO of the Vancouver Foundation. 

Findings: 

There are approximately 31,000 non-profit organizations in B.C. They employ 335,000 individuals, representing 12.6% of the provincial workforce. In 2023, leaders from community non-profits reported that social impact organizations are: 

1. Doing more with less 

  • Revenues remain stable, but wages, benefits, and the cost of goods to deliver services are increasing.

2. Facing HR concerns 

  • Non-profit leaders are preparing for changes as senior staff retire, benefits and wages meet the realities of inflation, and early-career entrants seek training to get their start. 

3. Stabilizing, but for how long? 

  • BC non-profits are seeing some stabilization as they emerge from the pandemic, but given the HR challenges and cost pressures – how long can this equilibrium last? 

Calls to Action: 

1. Investments in Capacity Building 

2. Improved Funding Practices 

3. Workforce Development and Labour Force Strategies 

 

“The non-profit sector is critical for creating a vibrant, caring community for all. The sector provides a wide scope of services and offerings and is also a major employer,” said Sandra Richardson, Victoria Foundation CEO. “The report underlines the significant pressures the sector continues to face, and the increased community need for services as we continue to move through the pandemic and other crises. Now more than ever, we must support these vital organizations.”  

“We encourage the BC government to consult the sector whenever the province undertakes policy development activities for economic programs,” said Michael McKnight, CEO of United Way BC.  

“BC’s non-profit organizations are both service deliverers and job creators,” said Vancity Community Foundation CEO Genesa Greening. “Over the next ten years, community services job openings are projected to be among the top five occupational groups in the province. More work is needed to ensure these are good jobs.” 

The Safety Net: 2023 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Report will be used to help BC’s non-profits in their advocacy efforts and to strengthen the sector’s ability to support the communities we serve. The report and a complimentary media kit are available to download from thevantagepoint.ca/sector-reports/

 

Media Contacts: 

Cherie Payne, Director of Sector Development and Government Relations, Vantage Point 

cpayne@thevantagepoint.ca or 236-521-8476 

Joyce Lin, Sector Development Coordinator, Vantage Point 

jlin@thevantagepoint.ca or 604-630-5826 

Latest Posts

Find our free downloadable resources

Unilateral NDA Template

Unilateral NDA Template

Sharing sensitive organizational information is often a necessary part of discussing a merger, amalgamation, or other form of collaboration. This template provides a starting point for establishing confidentiality when one organization is disclosing information to another during preliminary discussions.

read more...

Find our free downloadable resources

PayPal Webinar

From Overwhelmed to Action: Diversify Your Charity’s Revenue Mix with No-Cost Digital Giving Tools

Join Vantage Point and PayPal Giving Fund for this practical webinar to explore how giving is changing in Canada and what it means for your organization. Through current sector data, real-world examples, and practical strategies, you’ll discover no-cost digital giving tools and community-led fundraising approaches that can help diversify your revenue and create new opportunities for donor engagement.

read more...
viaSport image

viaSport announces partnership with Vantage Point

viaSport and Vantage Point are proud to announce a new partnership. Through viaSport’s shared services program, Vantage Point will deliver practical training and capacity-building support to more than 70 viaSport Designated Sport Organizations across the province.

read more...
Unraveling: Non-Profits, Covid-19, & the Fabric of BC Communities

Unraveling: Non-Profits, Covid-19, & the Fabric of BC Communities

Feb 8, 2021 | BC Non-Profit Network, Blog, Sector Research

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Feb 8, 2021

Unraveling: Non-Profits, Covid-19, & the Fabric of BC Communities

By Omar Dominguez

With the newest evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BC’s not-for-profit sector, we are reminded of just how critical and delicate the vast web of relationships are that make possible the wellbeing of our communities. Our sector and the people we serve continue to tread water in this deepening crisis. Even with vaccines on the way to immunize much of our population, the challenges we are facing do not currently have an end in sight. The restrictions put in place to slow down the spread of the pandemic will continue to challenge the strength of individuals, the institutions that support them, and the economy in which they co-exist. How should we respond?

Adapting and supporting the sector to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic

At Vantage Point, we know that healthy and sustained not-for-profits are the cornerstone to community resilience and wellbeing. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have transformed every aspect of our organization to meet the evolving needs of not-for-profit leaders across the province. Just like our peers in the sector, our team has also been stretched to the edge of its capacity. But we have remained true to our values and committed to our mission to convene, connect and equip not-for-profit leaders in BC.

The new UNRAVELING Report reminds us that “the future health and vitality of our province depends on the not-for-profit sector being able to continue balancing the space between governments and the private sector to address unmet community needs and interests. This ongoing crisis will impact the not-for-profit sector--especially smaller organizations, arts and culture organizations, sport and recreation organizations, and organizations serving racialized people-- significantly over the long term if thoughtful support isn’t provided.”

Our team at Vantage Point will continue to support and advocate on behalf of not-for-profit leaders, particularly those at the helm of smaller organizations. These leaders, their teams, and volunteers are a critical fabric that hold the strength of our communities together. The prospect of loosing one half of this vital community infrastructure, if our current crisis is prolonged, calls for urgent and decisive action by all sectors of our society, and specially by our government representatives. Up until now, all levels of government still need to demonstrate that they understand, and value, the vital role of the not-for-profit sector helping our communities recover from one of the worst global emergencies we have faced in recent memory.  The not-for-profit sector has always been committed to the pursuit of a more robust, collaborative, and equitable society. But we can’t do this alone! We call on everyone to partner with us to leverage our expertise and resources to help our communities recover from the overlapping crisis facing our communities.

Join us at BOSS

In the face of these challenges, Vantage Point’s upcoming BOSS (Building Organizational And Sector Sustainability) conference has been designed as an opportunity to leverage our sector’s expertise and resilience as a pathway to a stronger future for our province. Through online engagement, BOSS will catalyze the potential for extensive public participation and collaboration to strengthen BC’s not-for-profit sector. Together we will identify solutions, develop capacity, share resources, and reimagine the conditions which will lead to transformational change in the communities we serve.

For a detailed data summary, find an interactive review of Unraveling on Tableau.

Latest Posts

Read the Report
View the Infographic
View the Executive Summary

2020 Data

View the 2020 No Immunity Report
View the 2020 No Immunity Infographic

Find our free downloadable resources

Unilateral NDA Template

Unilateral NDA Template

Sharing sensitive organizational information is often a necessary part of discussing a merger, amalgamation, or other form of collaboration. This template provides a starting point for establishing confidentiality when one organization is disclosing information to another during preliminary discussions.

read more...

Find our free downloadable resources

PayPal Webinar

From Overwhelmed to Action: Diversify Your Charity’s Revenue Mix with No-Cost Digital Giving Tools

Join Vantage Point and PayPal Giving Fund for this practical webinar to explore how giving is changing in Canada and what it means for your organization. Through current sector data, real-world examples, and practical strategies, you’ll discover no-cost digital giving tools and community-led fundraising approaches that can help diversify your revenue and create new opportunities for donor engagement.

read more...
viaSport image

viaSport announces partnership with Vantage Point

viaSport and Vantage Point are proud to announce a new partnership. Through viaSport’s shared services program, Vantage Point will deliver practical training and capacity-building support to more than 70 viaSport Designated Sport Organizations across the province.

read more...
Unraveling: Non-Profits, Covid-19, & the Fabric of BC Communities

No immunity: The Impacts of Covid-19 On Our Sector

May 13, 2020 | BC Non-Profit Network, Blog, Sector Research

No Immunity: The Impact of Covid-19 on Our Sector

Culture: People First
All Blogs

by Vantage Point | May 13, 2020

As of November 18, 2020, the second No Immunity survey is available until December 7, 2020. We ask every organization to select one leader to take 15 minutes to respond to the survey to support accurate results on how COVID-19 has impacted BC's not-for-profit sector.

Vantage Point exists to lift and support not-for-profits across the province. When COVID-19 hit, we immediately reignited our core purpose - to convene, connect, and equip not-for-profit leaders. We saw our history of providing training and one-on-one support in governance, planning, HR, and leadership was needed more than ever.

Another part of our team focused on the convening and connecting aspects of our core purpose. Early on, we saw the value of a sector-wide survey. As active participants in national discussions with organizations like the Ontario Non-profit Network, Imagine Canada, SaskNonprofit, Volunteer Canada, and others, it was obvious how helpful data could give perspective to our sector’s needs and experience. Alone, Vantage Point simply did not have the capacity. We could see subsectors, especially the arts community, managed to collect data about their subsectors and were beginning to communicate their findings throughout their respective communities.

In our interactions with the Vancouver Foundation and the City of Vancouver, it became clear many players were considering surveys. The Victoria Foundation joined us and with a combination of resources – human and otherwise – we collaborated to create the BC Non-Profit Impact Survey.

A special thank you to Trina Isakson and Kylie Hutchinson, who were able to support the partnership with their data and research analysis skills and produce a draft report in record time.

What have we learned?

We heard the deep need for information and support regarding funding sources and opportunities. We will leverage Vantage Point’s knowledge of funders, revenue development, and grant writing to support the sector.

COVID-19 has uncovered the impact of decades of pressures to limit spending in our organizations only to direct program delivery. The ‘overhead myth’ pushing our organizations to limit investment in contingency funds, technology, employee benefits, and stable governance is part of what has created the precariousness of our vital work.

The results show us the resiliency and optimism of this sector – although the optimism is more for our own organizations than the whole sector. As we begin to recognize the digital divide which has always existed throughout the growing use of technology, the challenges organizations have are transitions to cloud-based home offices, relying on outdated software and hardware, and bridging the gap between the technology available and the lack of capacity to access it. Clearly, we look to the private sector for support in these areas, and Vantage Point can contribute to advancing opportunities for private/not-for-profit partnership.

We also hear the unique challenges of our arts, sports, and recreational subsectors. The Arts are central to our recovery as we process the impacts of this crisis together. Sports and recreation organizations are central in keeping many of us healthy and active. They give opportunities to gather and play with our own communities and chosen families. Festivals, tournaments, events, and arts groups are designed to showcase and celebrate all British Columbians' lives. We will continue to work with umbrella organizations like the Arts Alliance to align our advocacy work to ensure our sector's full scope is understood and visible to decision-makers in the province.

And Vantage Point will seek solutions to the challenges equity-seeking groups have in participating in surveys like this. We will strive to make the needs of our most vulnerable organizations central to the dialogue. While surveys like this can tell a story, we must always pay attention to stories that fall through the cracks, supporting people with disabilities, Indigenous voices, LGBTQ2+ British Columbians, refugees and newcomers to Canada, and those marginalized by income inequality.

Thank you to everyone who was able to participate. We look forward to continuing our support of the sector in all its diversity.

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Author

Alison Brewin

As Executive Director, Alison Brewin is responsible for executing the Vantage Point’s mission and vision. Alison graduated with a Law Degree from the University of Victoria in 1991 and was called to the Bar in 1992. Throughout the 1990s, she worked in non-profit management, as political assistant...

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