LynnEakin.com

Gradually, I have come to believe that we require our own language and a new way of approaching the nonprofit and charitable sector if we are to meet its challenges. The new language that I believe we need would have profound implications for how we think not just about organizations serving the public good but [...]

The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN), expert working group has been hard at work on a more detailed study of the legislative options for public benefit organizations and drafting these briefing notes for the field.Act now! Make sure your organization participates in the consultation process and take the time to forward this brief to your networks. [...]

A Study of the Administrative Burden Resulting From Funder Accountability and Compliance Practices.
My research on the administrative burden resulting from funder accountability and compliance practices is now available. Undertaken with the support of the Wellesley Institute, the studies findings will help nonprofit organizations and their funders improve their effectiveness and responsiveness.
Some excerpts:
“The findings are [...]

If there is one galvanizing issue that should unite the nonprofit sector in Ontario, it is the financing and regulatory problems that currently threaten the sector’s well-being. Katherine Scott of the Canada Council on Social Development describes the cumulative impact of these problems as a “perfect storm” in the making.
The sector needs to take action, [...]

Community service organizations are at risk – of failing their mandates, failing their communities, betraying the public trust, and fading away as viable organizations.
We now have a significant body of Canadian research that documents the vulnerability of community social service organizations. New funding practices, widely adopted by governments and others in the early 1990s, have [...]

A survey of voluntary sector organizations was undertaken as part of a larger collaborative problem-solving initiative between Social Development Canada and the Voluntary Sector Forum focusing on the Code of Good Practice on Funding. The survey focused on the funding of administrative costs in federal government agreements with voluntary sector organizations.
The lack of funding to [...]

Community-based nonprofit organizations operate in a complex and complicated funding environment. This report presents a picture of the various revenue streams organizations depend on to fund their programs. It also analyzes the details of their expenditures, including the extent to which program funding covers core costs. This information is enriched with information on [...]

Metro Agencies Resource Council agencies are having significant difficulty balancing their budgets while maintaining service levels. This review was undertaken to explore factors contributing to the financial pressures, what agencies have done to mitigate these factors and what next steps need to be taken to ensure the agencies’ financial health.
Research indicates there is no single [...]

The revenues and expenditures of ten non-profit community organizations were analysed using a structured framework and common definitions. Data was collected on 155 discreetly funded programs totalling 36.5 million dollars (96% government funded). The analysis found that service programs were under-funded on average 14%. Chief areas of under funding are employee benefits, front-line supervision and [...]

For at least a decade voluntary sector organizations have been pushed to adopt more “business” practices. In some sectors this has lead to the opening up of what were traditionally voluntary sector fields to for-profit organizations. In other areas funders have tried to implement “business” practices in their funding agreements.
Unfortunately, the introduction of business [...]