Please join Imagine Canada, Volunteer Canada, and the HR Council for the Voluntary and Non-Profit as we look at creating a Standards Program for Canada’s charities and nonprofit organizations and facilitating access to Promising Practices in the areas of governance, human resources (paid and unpaid), and financial accountability.

Over the past three years, we have been talking to leaders of charities and nonprofits from many sectors about organizational standards and practices. This work started with the Accountability Reference Group, which was created by Imagine Canada in 2006 and released a discussion paper in 2007. It continued with discussions at the 2008 Sector Summit, which led to the creation of the Standards Steering Committee that is overseeing the current efforts.

Many people we have spoken to have encouraged us to create a full-fledged Standards Program. Others have told us they are more interested in accessing tools, resources, and training that will help them improve their practices. With this feedback in mind, we have decided to work towards the development of two parallel initiatives: (1) a Standards Program, and (2) a Promising Practices Initiative.

The goals of these initiatives are to:

* support and strengthen good practice in the sector,
* foster public trust and confidence in the sector,
* protect both the credibility of the sector and the interests of the public, and
* demonstrate the accountability of the sector.

1. Standards Program
By "standards" we mean a voluntary set of good practices intended to encourage Canada’s charities and nonprofits to enhance their operations and increase their effectiveness. Standards have been created in the following areas:

* governance,
* human resources (paid and volunteer), and
* accountability, transparency and financial management.

On August 19, 2009 (English) and September 22, 2009 (French) we will be hosting web conferences from 1:00-2:00pm EDT so that interested organizations can learn more about the Standards Program. Further web conferences and meetings will be held throughout the fall. In early 2010, we will host a Forum at which interested charities and nonprofits will be asked to debate and approve governance structures/processes, membership criteria, values, and design principles for the Standards Program.

Join the dialogue and learn more:

* Read the executive summary or the full proposal.
* Register for a free web conference to learn more and share your thoughts.
* Join our mailing list to stay informed.

2. Promising Practices Initiative
Canada's voluntary sector is large and diverse. While many organizations have told us that they are interested in participating in a Standards Program, others are more interested in accessing information, resources, and training that will help them improve their practices.
We are committed to supporting the sector in its quest for continuous improvement by facilitating access to practical and user-friendly tools, resources and training in the areas of governance, human resources (paid and unpaid), and financial accountability.

If you would like to receive updates about the Promising Practices Initiative, please join our
mailing list
.