Global Best Practices for CSO, NGO, and Other Nonprofit Boards

CHAPTER 9North America

CANADA

Krishan Mehta

This section provides a summary and analysis of the frameworks and best practices that characterize NGO boards in Canada. Author Krishan Mehta, PhD, begins with an overview of the size and scope of the sector, followed by an outline of the organizing bodies and guidelines that are supporting nonprofit boards. He then briefly explores the work of DiverseCity onBoard, an organization that provides inclusion training and board-matching services for potential NGO volunteer candidates and employers from coast to coast. Finally, he outlines key policy and legislative and governance issues that are shaping the future direction of voluntary organizations at national, regional, and local levels.

NGO Volunteering in Canada

The majority of Canada's population of 36.4 million lives and works in urban settings from coast to coast. Against this backdrop, Canada boasts a large and robust NGO sector, with an estimated 170000 nonprofits and charities spanning all of the major metropolises and regions. While 54% of these organizations are run solely by volunteers, the sector employs over two million people, and together these organizations represent US$84.6 billion¹ in economic value, or 8.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP), a figure larger than the automotive and manufacturing industries. The top 1% of organizations command 60% of all revenues, which speaks to the powerful influence of larger NGOs on the entire landscape in Canada.

Given that ...