Management Resources

The not-for-profit and charitable sectors face many challenges such as volunteer recruitment and retention and volunteer leadership. Many not-for-profit and charitable organizations also face unique management challenges in their efforts to achieve success. As a funder of this sector, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) seeks to support the needs of these organizations whenever possible.

The following on-line resource links are provided to inform not-for-profit and charitable organizations on a range of management topics.  Please note that these links are not an endorsement by OTF of their contents.

  • Community-based Strategies - Measuring Community Change
    Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement has two main program areas: Vibrant Communities and the Learning Centre, both focused on capturing, organizing and animating community ideas and processes to increase the capacity of networks to build vibrant and collaborating communities.  Measuring Community Change is a great tool to support community engagemen
  • Changes to Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profits (pdf)
    Accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations are proposed to change for annual financial statements relating to fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.
  • Finance for the Arts in Canada
    Finance in the Arts is an excellent resource, very easy to read and understand, although focused on the arts, applies to all sectors
  • Understanding your Organization's Financial Statements
    Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs
  • Industry Canada: This website provides a primer for directors of not-for-profit corporations.
  • HR Counci for the Voluntary & Non-profit sector:
    The HR Council for the Voluntary & Non-profit Sector (HR Council) works with organizations, educators, labour and government to identify and address issues related to paid employment in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector. View and download an HR Toolkit from the HR Council's home page.

Canadian Web Portals

A Web portal is a point of access to information on the Web. Portals present information from diverse sources in a unified way.

The two portals listed below provide access to a broad range of information on not-for-profit management, including financial management, board governance, human resources and other management related topics.

  • Voluntary Sector Knowledge Network
    The Voluntary Sector Knowledge Network is a program of The Centre for Non Profit Management in British Columbia. It provides management assistance for staff and volunteers in not-for-profit and voluntary organizations. View a range of management topics.
  • Nonprofit Library Commons
    The Nonprofit Library Commons is a program of Imagine Canada. This organization, among other roles, delivers tools, resources and networking opportunities to not-for-profit organizations and charities. Its website provides access to practical resources, promising practices and up-to-date intelligence on the state of Canada's not-for-profit sector.
Specific items of interest are: