CCVO News

Alberta's Nonprofit Sector to get Updated Information

April 14, 2010

Nonprofit organizations are an essential part of creating and sustaining healthy communities across Alberta. With over 19,000 organizations providing an array of services to virtually every Albertan, billions of dollars in revenues, 2.5 million volunteers and more than 100,000 employees, the nonprofit sector is a foundational component of the province's social and economic infrastructure. Surprisingly, given the importance of the nonprofit sector to our quality of life and its economic size, little comprehensive, up-to-date information is available regarding the current state of the sector in Alberta.

The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO), in partnership with CanadaWest Foundation and other key sector stakeholders, is undertaking a year-long project to develop the first Alberta Nonprofit State of the Sector Report, which will provide a source of consistent and credible sector information for organizations, funders and policy makers.

Scheduled to be released in March 2011, the Alberta Nonprofit State of the Sector Report will reveal a picture of the overall state of the sector in Alberta as well as insights into regional characteristics. This project is made possible through the generous financial support of the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada through the Labour Market Partnerships program. CanadaWest Foundation will provide research expertise and will develop the final report by combining information gathered through province-wide primary research, which will be supplemented by data from a variety of existing sources.

An advisory committee comprised of representatives from nonprofit organizations, industry experts, research specialists as well as partner organizations will oversee the project. Committee members include the following:

  • Katherine van Kooy, Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations
  • Roger Gibbins, Canada West Foundation
  • Peter Boland, Peter Boland and Associates
  • Peter R. Elson, Mount Royal University
  • Carol Moerth, Alberta Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector Initiative and Alberta Culture and Community Spirit
  • Rhonda Barraclough, Alberta Association of Services for Children and Families
  • Russ Dahms, Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations
  • Punch Jackson, Board Member, Imagine Canada

The Alberta Nonprofit State of the Sector Report will provide invaluable information to a variety of audiences and will help staff and Boards of nonprofit organizations, government officials, and funders gain an accurate view of the nonprofit sector in Alberta.

For further information on this project, contact Mike Grogan, CCVO Director of Workforce Development.