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Webinar Summary – Local Elections Rules Every Non-Profit Should Know

Webinar Summary – Local Elections Rules Every Non-Profit Should Know

by | Jul 3, 2026 | Uncategorized

For many non-profits, advocacy and public awareness work are a regular part of advancing their mission. However, during election periods, some communications may be regulated under provincial election financing rules. Understanding when these rules apply can help organizations continue their work with greater confidence.

On June 25, 2026, Vantage Point hosted a webinar with Elections BC to help non-profits better understand the rules around third-party advertising during local elections and how to navigate these regulations. The Elections BC presenters discussed some of the conditions which could lead public communications and advocacy to be deemed third-party advertising under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act,, and highlighted resources available to help organizations stay informed and compliant.

 

What is Third-Party Advertising?

Third party advertising generally refers to public communications that directly or indirectly support or oppose a candidate during the pre-campaign (July 20th – September 18th) or campaign period (September 19th – October 17th) of a local election. It also refers to public communications taking a position on an issue associated with a local candidate or party during the campaign period only. These rules exist to regulate election spending and influence from interest groups on local elections. Any communications that are considered third party advertising require registration as a third-party advertising sponsor with Elections BC, meaning an individual or organization unaffiliated with any local candidates or parties that produces third-party advertising. These rules also require the inclusion of disclosure statements on these third-party advertising communications. Elections BC answered questions around these aspects of the regulation in more detail in our webinar.

Why This Matters for Non-Profits

Understanding if your organization is conducting third party advertising can at times be complex to navigate and it may be unclear whether your organization needs to register with Elections BC. In the 2022 BC Local Elections, many instances of noncompliance penalties from Elections BC were issued to non-profit organizations that were unaware their communications constituted third-party advertising. For 2026, Elections BC has provided numerous resources to support organizations in understanding if they will need to register when the pre-campaign period commences on July 20th, or when the campaign period commences on September 19th. These resources include eLearning, webinars, and contact information to directly discuss your organization’s unique situation with Elections BC staff.

Elections BC is hosting an information session on July 23rd which will cover these rules and requirements in much greater detail and offer the opportunity to ask your situation-specific questions to compliance officers from Elections BC. Register for the session here.

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Key Dates and Resources for the 2026 Local Elections:

review election bc's online resources
WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING
DOWNLOAD THE WEBINAR SLIDES
viaSport announces partnership with Vantage Point

viaSport announces partnership with Vantage Point

by | Jun 19, 2026 | Blog, Education and Consulting, From our Vantage Point

We are proud to have solidified an ongoing partnership with viaSport to provide stronger capacity building and training for sports organizations across BC. Sports are integral to positive experiences in our communities and opportunities for strong relationships and skill-building. We are thrilled to be able to support these organizations with education and consulting services that support their impact and the great work they do.

READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

“We’re thrilled to welcome Vantage Point as the capacity-building partner of choice for our Designated Sport Organizations. The BC Amateur Sport System is only as strong as the organizations that deliver it. Through this partnership, BC’s Designated Sport Organizations get preferred access to Vantage Point’s capacity-building expertise — governance, leadership, organizational development — tailored to the realities of sport,” said Jared Kope, Revenue Development Director, viaSport BC.

“Vantage Point exists to strengthen BC’s non-profit sector, and amateur sport is one of the most community-connected parts of that sector. Sport organizations across BC are navigating real pressures — from governance complexity to leadership transitions to the ongoing challenge of doing more with less — and the communities they serve are counting on them to deliver safe, inclusive, and well-governed sport,” said Gretchen Ferguson, Director, Education and Consulting Programs. “Partnering with viaSport gives us the opportunity to meet those organizations where they are and bring practical, tailored support that helps them build lasting strength. We’re proud to be viaSport’s capacity-building partner of choice, and we look forward to deepening our work together in support of amateur sport across BC.”

viaSport Logo

If you are a sports organization and want to learn about how we can support you, reach out to our Organizational Consultant, Fatima Al-Samak at falsamak@thevantagepoint.ca, and we will get your started. You don't need to prepare anything in advance - just contact us and we will figure it out together!

If you want to partner with us in a similar way for your own organizations, contact Gretchen Ferguson, Director of Education and Consulting Programs, at gferguson@thevantagepoint.ca.

Our Truth and Reconciliation Journey Continues: Defining Decolonization at Vantage Point

Our Truth and Reconciliation Journey Continues: Defining Decolonization at Vantage Point

by | Jun 10, 2026 | Blog, From our Vantage Point

For many years, Vantage Point has been committed to learning, listening, and taking action in support of Truth and Reconciliation.

As a settler-led organization working to strengthen British Columbia's non-profit sector, we recognize that reconciliation is not a destination. It is an ongoing responsibility that requires humility, reflection, relationship-building, and a willingness to continually learn and evolve.

Our journey began over a decade ago.

Over the years, our staff, board, and volunteers have participated in learning opportunities, conversations, and partnerships that have deepened our understanding of Indigenous histories, perspectives, and experiences. We engaged with organizations such as Reconciliation Canada and participated in training and learning opportunities led by Indigenous facilitators, including Nahanee Creative. These experiences challenged us to examine our assumptions, better understand the impacts of colonialism, and consider our place in decolonization, and the role non-profit organizations can play in advancing reconciliation.

As our understanding grew, we recognized the importance of publicly affirming our commitment. In 2021, we released a statement that articulated our dedication to Truth and Reconciliation and provided a foundation that has guided our work for many years. That commitment has continued to influence how we approach our programs, partnerships, governance, and our role within the sector.

More recently, we wanted to deepen our understanding of how Vantage Point could more tangibly and meaningfully contribute to collective efforts related to Truth and Reconciliation.

To support this work, we undertook a comprehensive review of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). We explored where our work intersects with these frameworks and considered how we can continue supporting positive change through the training, resources, convening opportunities, research, and advocacy we provide to non-profits across British Columbia.

Throughout this process, one question continued to surface:

What do we mean when we, at Vantage Point, use the word "decolonization"?

We encountered many different interpretations of the term. While these perspectives offered valuable insights, we also experienced uncertainty and ambiguity about how the concept applied within our organizational context.

We recognized that if we were going to speak about decolonization, we needed to be clear about what we meant, how it connects to our work, and how we would hold ourselves accountable. Rather than relying on broad or undefined language, we wanted to develop a shared understanding that reflects our role, values, and responsibilities.

In September 2025, we began working with Indigenous Perspectives Society to support this work. Over the following months, our staff and board participated in thoughtful discussions, reflection, and learning to develop a definition rooted in Vantage Point's context and informed by Indigenous guidance.

The resulting definition is not an endpoint. It is a foundation that will help guide our future decisions, priorities, and accountability.

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What Decolonization Means To Us

Vantage Point is a settler-led organization located on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxw?7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓?lwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples – our work spans across the territories of more than 200 distinct First Nations in BC. We recognize that we operate within colonial structures, including the BC Societies Act. We know that we have privilege and responsibility as a settler-led organization and commit to examining and disrupting, where possible, colonial patterns in the non-profit sector.

Decolonization has different contexts locally and globally.

For Vantage Point, our scope is provincial, and our definition of decolonization relates to Canada and British Columbia. We understand that decolonization is the framework of acknowledging and addressing the oppression and subjugation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in what is now known as British Columbia, and unlearning colonial ways of thinking and being. Decolonization relates to Indigenous sovereignty, land, culture, practices, knowledge, and self-determination. It includes a perspective that centers both land-based and urban Indigenous peoples.

For us, decolonization is an ongoing process that begins with learning and amplifying truth about Indigenous history, grows through reciprocal relationships, and includes systemic change related to the non-profit sector. It is about understanding power and looking at where power can be shared.

We are committed to:

  • amplifying Indigenous voices, knowledge, and leadership across the sector,
  • clarifying what it means to decolonize our work in practice, and
  • influencing meaningful change in our spheres of influence

Our work related to decolonization will be guided by our organizational values of relational partnerships, creativity, knowledge connection, equity, collective learning, and responsive service.

Decolonization is a long-term journey of learning, accountability, humility, and relationship-building. We are grateful to work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous members, partners, and the broader non-profit sector in this shared responsibility.

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Looking Ahead

We know there is still much to learn.

This definition does not represent the completion of our work. Rather, it provides a shared foundation for how we understand our role and responsibilities as we continue our Truth and Reconciliation journey.

As we move forward, we remain committed to listening, learning, building relationships, and taking meaningful action. We believe that a stronger, more connected non-profit sector requires ongoing reflection about the systems we operate within and the opportunities we have to contribute to positive change.

We are grateful to everyone who has supported our learning over the years and to the Indigenous leaders, organizations, partners, and community members who continue to share their knowledge, perspectives, and guidance.

Our journey continues, and we remain committed to walking that path with humility, accountability, and care.

Sector Research Catalogue

Sector Research Catalogue

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

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:

The Province of BC Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA) recommendations reflect non-profit sector advocacy

The Province of BC Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA) recommendations reflect non-profit sector advocacy

by | Apr 27, 2026 | BC Non-Profit Network, Blog, Government Relations, Policy and Advocacy

On Thursday, April 23, 2026, the Province's Special Committee to Review the Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA) completed their review and released their report of recommendations. Since 2020, when the LTA was significantly updated, Vantage Point has been engaging on this legislation, which includes registration and reporting requirements for organizations engaging public office holders, on behalf of the non-profit sector.

Vantage Point and the BC Non-Profit Network (BCNN) are very pleased to see our sector’s critical advocacy reflected in the report’s recommendations. This includes recommendations from the Committee to simplify and clarify reportable communications, remove the requirement to report meeting requests, and to amend and simplify gift rules – all of which directly reflect Vantage Point and the BCNN’s advocacy on this issue, as well as voices from the rest of the non-profit sector.

The message from the non-profit sector has been clear: The LTA’s current reporting requirements are both onerous and confusing, discouraging non-profits from engaging with elected and non-elected officials. In a BCNN survey, 75% of non-profit respondents agreed that the LTA impacts their overall ability to engage with the BC Government. Taken together, the Committee’s recommendations would significantly ameliorate the challenges our sector faces with the LTA’s requirements - and we are pleased our sector's strong voice has been heard by the Committee.

These recommendations are not yet substantive changes to the LTA's requirements. Vantage Point and the BCNN are eager to continue working with the government and our sector partners to incorporate these recommendations into legislated, permanent changes to the LTA, and we will keep our partners appraised of ongoing work. Our written submission for this review and a transcript of our appearance before the Committee is available below. The Committee’s full report and recommendations are below as well. We look forward to continued work on this file, and permanent improvements to the LTA.

:envelope_with_arrow: Vantage Point | BC Non-Profit Network Submission to the Special Committee for Review | September 2025: https://lnkd.in/gCPvu8ki

:page_facing_up:Transcript of Vantage Point's appearance before the Committee: https://lnkd.in/gAbpcq77

:white_check_mark: Committee's full report and recommendations: https://lnkd.in/gMkdYfTX

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If you have questions or feedback on Vantage Point and the BC Non-Profit Network's initiatives related to government relations and advocacy, please contact our team at engagement@thevantagepoint.ca