The strength of Calgary’s voluntary/nonprofit sector is firmly rooted in the passion, commitment and expertise of its staff and volunteers. Yet attracting and retaining qualified personnel has become one of the greatest challenges facing the sector today. Across all facets of the sector, the demand for workers is increasing while competition for personnel is fierce due to a local economy that continues to grow at unprecedented levels. As organizations strive to deliver high quality programs and services, we face increased pressure to recruit, develop and retain high quality staff and volunteers.

Who We Are

The Calgary HR Initiative is a collective undertaking of local nonprofit organizations, funders, human services networks and governments, dedicated to developing short and long term sustainable solutions to the human resource issues facing Calgary’s nonprofit human service organizations.

Our Goal

To build a vibrant and sustainable nonprofit sector capable of attracting and retaining a workforce today and in the future.

Key Messages

• The work done by the nonprofit human service sector is directly linked to quality of life in Calgary.
• Recruitment and retention of staff is a critical issue facing the sector.
• The tight labour market, increasing demand for services, insufficient levels of funding and restrictive funding practices, are the core pressures creating the staffing issue.
• The economic and demographic forces facing the nonprofit sector are expected to continue and increase in the foreseeable future.  
• Addressing the human resource issues in the nonprofit sector requires collaborative effort from all partners – the sector, governments, and funders.

Our Work: 3 Key Aspects

The Calgary HR Initiative is working on three key aspects of the human services crisis:

• Building awareness and facilitating educational opportunities.
•  Addressing funding levels and practices.
•  Providing human resource and organizational effectiveness resources.

Initiative Mandates

• Advocating for adequate funding levels to ensure programs are properly resourced to address workforce challenges.
• Developing clear human resource principles and guidelines which funders will require from agencies as they consider funding requests.
• Exploring the intersection of paid and voluntary (unpaid) human resources to address workplace challenges.
• Partnering with educational institutes to elicit their support in addressing the challenges in the sector.
• Information sharing and awareness building with sector organizations and external stakeholders with respect to the importance of building strong and healthy communities.
• Educating the sector on workforce issues and seeking collaboration in the development of long and short term strategies and action plans.

Philosophy of the HR Initiative

The Calgary HR Initiative works collaboratively with all stakeholders towards the common goal of a vibrant and sustainable nonprofit sector. The Initiative acts as a connecting point for discussion, as a catalyst for initiating actions, and as a central point for information on workforce issues.  Purposefully adaptable and systematic in approach, the strength of the Initiative is its unwavering focus on understanding core issues, and a commitment to fostering effective solutions.

These pages will provide you with a wide array of resources and information on human resources that can be used and adapted to the needs of your organization. The focus is on local voluntary sector organizations, though due to the nature of the issues, information from other sectors is also included. The intent of these pages is provide a comprehensive collection of human resource tools, practices, information and resources that will help voluntary sector organizations address workforce issues.

Employing New Ideas:
The Calgary HR Initiative
#940, 1202 Centre St. S.E., Calgary AB T2G 5A5

Phone: (403) 261-6655 | Fax: (403) 261-6602
mgrogan@calgarycvo.org