CCVO is currently undertaking the following two studies in the local voluntary sector:
Study of the Better Business Bureau Charity Review Program
Anticipated Release: Fall 2005
As part of CCVO’s ongoing work to address key issues facing Calgary’s voluntary sector, CCVO is undertaking a study that examines the Charity Review Program being re-launched by the Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta (BBB). The BBB’s Charity Review Program evaluates charities according to 14 standards and publishes the results in The Giving Guide: Your Resource for Charitable Giving. The goal of CCVO’s current study is to determine the value of the BBB’s review program and to identify the potential impact on the voluntary sector of this type of evaluation program.
In July, CCVO members participated in two focus groups, and provided feedback about the BBB’s review process and the 14 standards it applies to evaluate charities. The final study will combine the on-the-ground practical information gathered in the focus groups with an analysis of similar programs in the United States. The report will provide insight into the effects of applying the standards to organizations in Calgary and reflect the concerns the sector has about this type of evaluation.
During August, we shared our initial findings with members of the local voluntary sector. In response, we received numerous phone calls and emails from sector members expressing their support for the study and applauding CCVO’s leadership on this important issue.
Effects of Funding Practices on Calgary’s Voluntary Sector
Anticipated Release: 2006
CCVO has launched a study to better understand the impact of current funding practices on local voluntary sector organizations. We know from previous local and national research that organizations are facing significant challenges related to funding. Results from Toronto-based researcher Lynn Eakin’s Community Capacity Draining: The Impact of Current Funding Practices on Non-Profit Community Organizations study is a foundation that CCVO will build on to explore the specific characteristics of funding practices in Calgary.
Inital Stages
The study will use a Workbook for Financial Analysis, a tool developed by Eakin, to gather study data. This summer, CCVO’s research team piloted the study with two organizations to refine the workbook before the full study was launched with up to 30 local organizations in September. It is anticipated that the participating organizations deal with a range of funders and that the study will provide insight into the funding practices of all types of funders, not just government.
The Workbook for Financial Analysis is an internal budgeting tool to help senior management and Boards understand true program costs and revenues, agency core costs and other expenses. Participants will keep their workbook. Over the long term it can provide the following information:
- Assess if revenues are fully covering the cost of delivering your programs.
- Measure the funding for front-line supervision in each of your programs.
- Assess the extent to which funders are covering their share of core administrative costs.
- Tool for human resource planning, allowing you to assess the impact of various staffing scenarios on other staff members’ time and your overall financial situation.
The workbook uses financial data you already have on hand and is flexible enough to work with your own internal chart of accounts and staff categories.
Although we anticipate that Calgary’s voluntary sector will have unique characteristics, Eakin’s Toronto-based study found that program funding often failed to cover direct program costs and routinely did not pay for, or seriously under funded, program supervision, agency administration and governance.
This study is funded by the Voluntary Sector Forum, Social Development Canada, The City of Calgary Family and Community Social Services, and the United Way of Calgary and Area.
Research Participants
Organizations that participate in this study will work with the research team to complete the Workbook for Financial Analysis for their organization’s programs. Participating organizations will have the cost of the workbook covered, be trained on the use of the workbook, and will keep the workbook to use once the study is completed.
Participants will keep the study’s Workbook for Financial Analysis that can help with the following:
- assess if revenues are fully covering the cost of delivering programs,
- measure the funding required for a program’s front-line supervision,
- measure the extent to which funders are covering their share of core administrative cost; among other items.
If your organization is interested in participating in this study, or you have questions about what participation entails, please contact Kristina Cherneski, CCVO's Research Analyst at 261-6655 or kcherneski@calgarycvo.org
Release of the Study
In addition to providing specific information for participating organizations, the study’s results will be pooled to build a local profile and identify key community issues. The research results are slated for release in 2006. Watch CCVO’s newsletter, website and email bulletins for more information as this study progresses.
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