Recommended Resources

The website of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) has very useful business planning tools, including a “How to” document for preparing a business plan. A business plan is a critical step in developing a successful business. Prepared for you is a presentation which can be downloaded. The presentation offers an easy look at the key elements that make up a business plan. 

Boardmatch is a program developed by Altruvest Charitable Services.  Its mission is to expand the talent pool, and enhance the governance skills of charitable sector Boards and senior leaders.

BoardSource is a U.S. based nonprofit organization that aims to increase the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations by strengthening Boards of directors through consulting, publications, tools, and a membership program. 

Building Sustainable Non-Profits:  The Waterloo Region Experience.  A useful manual on partnership formation and community capacity building. 

Canada Helps offers a low-cost online fundraising option for Canadian Charities through facilitating online donation using electronic fund transfer (EFT) and electronic communication methods.

The Canadian Outcomes Research Institute (CORI) is a Canadian non-profit organization with an educational and research oriented mandate. CORI’s mandate is to increase the effectiveness of human service organizations to meet the needs of those they serve by providing education, research, training, and services regarding outcomes and evidence-based practice.

The Carver Model promotes policy governance is a means of governing non-profit organizations.  These policies identify the many ways in which a not-for-profit organization needs to show accountability and provide a framework for the responsibilities of the Board. 

Check out the Partnership Agreement and Assessment Checklists by clicking here. Feel free to adapt and modify as you see fit to best suit your agency.  Courtesy of Skills for Change, Toronto.

You can also check out a sample Partnership Agreement here.  Feel free to adapt and modify as you see fit to best suit your agency.  Courtesy of KEYS, Kingston.

From the Free Management Library, an on-line service which provides free and easy-to-access resources regarding the leadership and management for the non-profit sector.  This document is a well-written guide to strategic planning for non-profits that has a very detailed section on SWOT analysis.

The Human Resource Council for the Voluntary/Non-Profit Sector (HRVS) is a is a great resource for HR and leadership information relevant to the non-profit sector in Canada

IMIT Canada is a network of charities and non-profits that provide professional technology advice and services that strengthen the work of voluntary sector organizations.

Excellent resources for nonprofit agencies wanting to build strategic communications plans are available at: 

Different schools and organizations offer leadership development courses and programs for non profit Executive Directors and managers. These programs are for existing management within the sector and the costs are off-set by private foundations.

For instance the Schulich School of Business:

•York-Maytree Executive Directors’ Institute on strategic leadership.
•Emerging Leaders 2007: A Middle Management and Leadership Certificate Program to support the   new generation of leaders in the nonprofit sector.

ONESTEP: Delivering Value CBET Performance Indicators and Benchmarks

Outcomes Management Resource Network is a comprehensive site of program evaluation resources developed by the United Way of America.

The Partnership Platform serves as the central meeting point between charities and non-profits, information technology companies, and volunteers. The Platform is a tool to define and initiate IT projects, work with strategic experts to assist with planning next steps, and connect with potential partner corporations and volunteers.

The website contains a wealth of information as well as links to several other sites of value to non-profits.

Primer for Directors of Not-for-Profit Corporations (Rights, Duties and Practices).  A good resource on governance for both staff and Board members - very clearly laid out with excellent definitions. 

Proving and Improving is a British based on-line guide to program evaluation and improvement.

Reboot is a non-profit organization that provides computer hardware, training and software and technical support to charities, non-profits and people with limited access to technology.

Secrets of Power Marketing - Promote Brand You
By Peter Urs Bender and George Torok

Secrets of Power Presentations
By Peter Urs Bender

Social Capital Partners invests in social enterprises that employ populations outside the economic mainstream in Canada.  The goal of these social enterprises is to acquire scale, to exist without external subsidy, and to create improved social outcomes and financial self-sufficiency for the populations they employ.  SCP also hopes to encourage and catalyze other innovative funding mechanisms for social initiatives.

An excellent resource on social enterprise.

Financial Fitness 101: Building a Financially Healthy Not-for-Profit Organization
Vancity and Human Resources and Social Development Canada

Social Entrepreneurship: The Art of Mission-Based Venture Development
by Peter Brinkerhoff
Business Plan Pro: Social Enterprise Edition