|
|
|||||
|
|||||
| Path: Main Street : NewsWeek : Archive : NewsBytes : Article |
This is an archive of CharityVillage NewsWeek. To find a word on the page,
use your browser's "find" feature (CTRL-F or CMD-F). Please note: While we ensure that all links and e-mail addresses are accurate
at their publishing date, the quick-changing nature of the web means that some
links to other web sites and e-mail addresses may no longer be accurate.
To view other articles in the archive, use our Chronological Index.
NewsBytes: August, 2006
Articles are arranged in reverse chronological order.
Welfare payments dropping
August 28, 2006
According to a new report from the National Council of Welfare, fewer people are qualifying for welfare in Canada and those that do qualify are receiving less money. The report of the citizens' advisory group, which reports to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, found that many 2005 welfare incomes were lower than they were in 1986. Across the provinces, one-third of households experienced losses of $3,000 or more.In Alberta, the income in real dollars of a single person on welfare has dropped by almost 50 percent since 1986. Since 1992 in Ontario, the welfare income of a lone parent with one child has decreased by almost $6,600 and a couple with two children has lost just over $8,700. Council Chairperson John Murphy calls the present situation “shameful and morally unsustainable in a rich country.” For more information, visit: www.ncwcnbes.net
August 28, 2006
A parcel of land between Calgary and Cochrane, Alberta, will become a new provincial park, thanks to the generosity of Tim Harvie and his family. Harvie, whose family has farmed the property for three generations, sold the land to the provincial government for $40 million, just over half of its assessed value of $67 million. The Harvies also donated $6 million to establish the Harvie Conservancy Foundation, which will help support the new Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the recently created Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park near Edmonton. For more information, visit: www.gov.ab.ca/home/index.cfm?Page=1491
August 28, 2006
Shell Canada announced its largest-ever gift to a post-secondary school last week with a $3 million gift to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology's (NAIT) $50 million capital campaign. Shell’s donation will support the creation of the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre and will create $500,000 in trades bursaries and entrance scholarships for students pursuing apprenticeship and technical training. For more information, visit: www.nait.ca/announcements.htm
Fast Fact: More women bringing home the bacon
August 28, 2006
In 1967, an estimated 11% of wives earned more than their husbands did. By 2003, this proportion had nearly tripled to 29%. A woman was the primary breadwinner in nearly 1.4 million of the 4.7 million dual-earner couples in 2003. Unfortunately, the male-female earnings gap still persists. In general, primary-earner wives earned less than primary-earner husbands in each of the occupational groups the study examined. For example, primary-earner wives in managerial and professional occupations earned on average $68,000 a year, while their male counterparts earned $83,000.-- Statistics Canada
August 28, 2006
Rick Hansen travelled to Cape Spear, Newfoundland last week to mark the 20th anniversary of the final leg of his Man in Motion fundraising tour. By August, 1986, Hansen had spent 17 months wheeling through 33 countries, but had only raised $172,000 of his $10 million goal for spinal-cord research. During the final phase of his trip, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, Hansen raised $26 million. Since his initial tour, the Rick Hansen Foundation has raised nearly $180 million. For more information, visit: www.rickhansen.com
August 28, 2006
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has nailed down plans to break ground on a new building in early 2007. The multi-use Festival Centre will house the festival's offices, screening rooms, meeting spaces and a series of condo apartments. Organizers also announced two large gifts to the support the campaign: $1 million from Allan Slaight, executive chairman of Standard Broadcasting Corporation, and $500,000 from the BMO Financial Group Learning Fund. For more information about the new centre, visit: www.festivalcentre.ca
August 28, 2006
Kin Canada presented a ceremonial cheque in the amount of $1 billion to the People of Canada and The World during its annual convention held in Saint John, New Brunswick last week. The cheque represents the cumulative amount given by Kin to Canadian and international communities since 1920. "This staggering amount of money clearly demonstrates the phenomenal impact that volunteer efforts have had on Canadian communities," says Kin Canada Executive Director Ric McDonald. For more information, visit www.kincanada.ca
August 28, 2006
Gary McPherson, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and long-time disabled rights advocate, is tossing his hat in the ring to replace Ralph Klein as premier of Alberta. McPherson will not formally announce his candidacy until Klein steps down in mid-September, but he has started seeking feedback on different campaign issues on his blog at: www.teammcpherson.com/blog/
August 28, 2006
Several leaders of the Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) have spit with the progressive Muslim association to form the newly established Canadian Muslim Union (CMU). The new group emerged after MCC leaders and members failed to resolve internal differences about strategic direction and the best way to respond to recent events such as the war in Lebanon and the arrest of 17 people in Ontario this spring on bomb-plot charges.In announcing the new group, CMU founders stated that it will "seek to engage the larger Muslim community in issues of human rights, human dignity, social justice and alternate progressive and inclusive visions of Islam." For more information, visit: www.muslimcanadiancongress.org and www.muslimunion.ca
August 28, 2006
Blaming bad weather that kept visitors away from its revenue-generating outdoor events, the Canadian Tulip Festival announced last week that it has $390,000 in debts still outstanding from the May event. Festival organizers say that they hope to repay the creditors eventually, and plan to send out a letter to that effect soon. In the meantime, some creditors are threatening to take the matter to small claims court. For more information about the festival, visit: www.tulipfestival.ca
August 28, 2006
A thief stole more than 10 limited edition prints that were on display at grocery stores around Halifax last week. The prints were part of a silent auction taking place for Ducks Unlimited. People could view the prints and then place bids on them in boxes at the different locations. Organizers say that they are planning to continue with the fundraiser. For more information, visit: www.ducks.ca
August 21, 2006
The Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) claimed a big victory last week after the federal court ruled that where a deaf or hard of hearing person receives services or participates in programs administered by the federal government, sign language interpreters must be provided. In the past, deaf Canadians had to pay for interpreters themselves."This is vindication for the equality of Deaf people," proclaimed Sheila Carlin, president of CAD which represents 300,000 Deaf people. "The Federal Court has said unequivocally that we are entitled to equal treatment. Now we want to see all levels of government live up to that truth." For more information, visit: www.cad.ca
August 21, 2006
Last week, Paul Desmarais Sr., chairman of Power Corporation, donated $15 million to the University of Ottawa to help with construction of a new 12-floor multi-use building. The gift will help to build a downtown tower to house the university's management school and faculty of social sciences and is part of the university's $200 million capital campaign. For more information, visit: www.media.uottawa.ca/mediaroom/news_details-e.php?nid=941
August 21, 2006
The federal government's Blue Ribbon Panel reviewing federal grants and contributions programs has launched a series of online consultations to seek feedback from individuals. The program will help shape the future of how grants and contributions will be administrated federally. The online consultation program will be available until September 15. Find it online at: www.brp-gde.ca
August 21, 2006
Last week, Hamilton businessman David Braley announced a $5 million gift to McMaster University to help fund the university's new athletic complex. Braley is president and CEO of auto parts manufacturer Orlick Industries. It's believed to be one of the largest donations to any university athletics program in Canada. For more information, visit: dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=4159Meanwhile, the women's volleyball program at the University of Manitoba is getting a bump from alumnus Theodore David Einarsson. Einarsson gave the university $360,000 to create an endowment fund for the volleyball program, a record donation for the Bison sports program. For more information, visit: myuminfo.umanitoba.ca/index.asp
August 21, 2006
Although 68% of Canadians used the Internet in 2005 for non-business reasons, there are still gaps in usage based on household income, age, and education. About 88% of adults with household incomes of $86,000 or more used the Internet last year, well above the proportion of 61% among adults living in households with incomes below $86,000. Similarly, 80% of adults with at least some post-secondary education used the Internet, compared with just under one half (49%) of adults with less education. Canadians between the ages of 18 and 44 (85%) were over one and a half times more likely to use the Internet than those 45 years of age and older (50%). -- Statistics Canada
August 21, 2006
Volunteer Canada has published a series of papers exploring the theme of mandatory community service as it relates to volunteering. The four-part series explores the issues around mandatory service and suggests some of the modifications that should be made to volunteer management practices in order to effectively engage mandatory community service participants. Find the series at: www.volunteer.ca/volcan/eng/whatsnew/index.php?month=07&year=2006
August 21, 2006
Canada ranked 10th out of 21 rich nations ranked in the annual Commitment to Development Index by the Centre for Global Development. The annual report card measures developed countries by how much they help poor countries build prosperity, good government, and security. The report praised Canada for supporting technological innovation and low barriers against developing country exports. However, it was critical of tied foreign aid, arms exports to Saudi Arabia, and environmental record. For more information, visit: www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_active/cdi
August 21, 2006
When fire struck Hand in Hand, a Halifax-area charity, last week, it didn't take long for the community to respond. The organization offers clothing, furniture and household items to those in need. A suspicious fire destroyed a storage trailer behind the organization's store. The trailer had held donated school supplies, clothes, Christmas and Halloween decorations. Donors have since stepped up to offer new shipping containers, as well as gifts of cash and other clothes and furniture to replace the lost items. For more information, visit: www.chebucto.ns.ca/Religion/StPeters/handinhand.html
August 21, 2006
The Leisure Information Network (LIN) launched a new collection on its website last week that includes a variety of sample surveys and questionnaires along with reference material for designing quality customer service research. Most of the resources are recreation-focused, but many can be applied in other organizations. Find out more at: www.lin.ca
August 21, 2006
Vancouver's Playwrights Theatre Centre issued a call recently for a new development "Colony" to take place this fall. Five playwrights with plays underway will be welcomed during the one-week residency, where they will be able to workshop their plays with actors, dramaturges, and other playwrights. The deadline for applications is September 6, 2006. For more information, visit: www.playwrightstheatre.com/news.php?newsid=50
August 21, 2006
The United Church of Canada will invite its members to adopt a pro-peace investment strategy with companies that engage in ethically responsible business in the Middle East. In a resolution passed at its General Council meeting last week, the church denounced investments in companies that provide products or services to groups that engage in violence against Palestinian or Israeli persons, or that sustain, support, or maintain the occupation.The resolution backed away from an earlier proposal that would have seen it promote boycotting or imposing sanctions against companies that profit from the violence in the region. For more information, visit: www.unitedchurch.ca/news/2006/0801.shtm
August 14, 2006
Last week, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a gift of $500 million over five years to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "The Global Fund is one of the most important health initiatives in the world today," said Bill Gates in a statement announcing the donation. "The fund has an excellent track record, and we need to do everything we can to support its continued success, which will save millions of lives." Since its launch four years ago, the Global Fund has become a major funder of global efforts to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, providing grants to help fight these diseases in 132 countries worldwide. For more information, visit: www.theglobalfund.org.
August 14, 2006
The fifth annual CAJ/CIDA Fellowship to Africa is still accepting nominations from Canadian journalists. The purpose of the fellowship is to encourage in-depth and informed reporting on international development issues. Recipients will be offered a first-person experience through visits to development projects and interaction with the people of developing countries within Africa. The deadline for submissions is August 30th. For more information, visit: www.caj.ca.
August 14, 2006
Giving by US foundations increased to an estimated $33.8 billion in 2005, according to the preliminary numbers in a new report from the New York-based Foundation Center. This represents an increase of 5.5% last year. The report also reveals that 88.6% of foundations are independent and that they account for 73.3% of all giving by foundations, or $23.3 billion in 2004. Operating foundations are the next largest group, accounting for 6.5% of all foundations and giving 6.8% of all gifts, or $2.2 billion. Giving by corporate foundations declined by 1% in 2004, although they make up 3.8% of all foundations and gave 10.8% of all giving. Community foundations are the smallest subgroup of foundations in the US (1% of all foundations), however, they account for almost 9.2% of all giving. -- Foundation Center
August 14, 2006
Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, joined the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG) and the Make Poverty History Campaign in calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take decisive action in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Global AIDS Crisis: Four Steps for Canada is a civil society platform for action to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS globally and to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. The platform has already been endorsed by more than 80 organizations across Canada, including the labour movement, faith groups, AIDS organizations, student groups, human rights advocates, and humanitarian and development organizations.
"Of the five million people who will be infected with HIV this year, 95% live in low- and middle-income countries. The Canadian government has the moral responsibility to take action," Lewis said. "The world's eyes are on us. We must show that we are ready to lead." Lewis and GTAG members are asking Canadians to support the platform, already widely endorsed across Canadian civil society, by visiting www.aidslaw.ca/gtag and sending a letter to the Prime Minister and their local Member of Parliament.
August 14, 2006
Organizers of the 2007 Recreation Connections Conference are looking for presentations in a number of areas including (but not limited to) children and youth, community development and leadership, program innovation, skill development, personal enrichment, fundraising, customer relationship management, marketing techniques, proposal writing, and communication skills. The theme for the 2007 conference is "Recreation is the Strongest Link". The conference is geared to recreation practitioners and professionals from all aspects of the field: recreation directors and programmers, therapeutic recreation practitioners, volunteers, outdoor recreation leaders, facility managers, health promotion specialists, students and others interested in the field. The deadline for submissions for keynote and workshop presenters is September 15, 2006. The conference will be held from February 28th to March 2nd in Winnipeg. For more information, contact the conference administrator at (204) 487-7481 or via e-mail at recmb@mts.net.
August 14, 2006
Americans in the lowest income groups are much more likely than their Canadian counterparts to be in fair or poor health, according to a study comparing health status and access to healthcare services between the two nations. The study found that almost one-third (31%) of Americans with the lowest incomes reported fair or poor health, compared with 23% among their Canadian counterparts. However, there were no differences in health status between Canadians and Americans in the highest income group. In terms of access to healthcare services, the situation for Canadians was more like that of insured Americans. Canadians and insured affluent Americans were similar regarding their access to physicians, including access to a regular medical doctor. However, Canadians experienced fewer unmet healthcare needs overall. -- Statistics Canada
August 14, 2006
Arts Partners in Organizational Development (ArtsPOD), a program of the Centre for Sustainability, is now accepting applications from arts and heritage organizations in BC that would like to work with an experienced consultant to enhance organizational effectiveness. The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 15, 2006. For more information, visit: www.centreforsustainability.ca/programs/ArtsPOD.html.
August 14, 2006
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) reports that CFRE International has released data about the 2005 Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) exams. The exam, which is required of all fundraisers who wish to attain the CFRE credential, contains 225 questions, and scores range from 200 to 800. Candidates must score at least 500 to pass the exam. In 2005, a total of 525 new candidates applied for the CFRE. The mean (average) score was 527. In the US, scores ranged from 259 to 686, while Canadian scores varied from 264 to 647. The CFRE exam covers six major areas of fundraising knowledge. US candidates fared the best in volunteer involvement, while Canadians scored highest in relationship building. US candidates scored lowest in relationship building, which includes marketing and communications. The lowest-scoring area for Canadians was securing the gift. For more information, visit: www.afpnet.org.
August 8, 2006
Jayne Cravens, an internationally recognized professional in capacity-building and management of mission-based organizations, published a report in the International Journal of Volunteer Administration that looks at the potential benefits of cultivating online volunteers and how to effectively employ them within nonprofit organizations. "Involving International Online Volunteers: Factors for Success, Organizational Benefits and New Views of Community" surveyed organizations that employed online volunteers and were named as "Outstanding" by the United Nations (UN) Volunteers program, part of the UN Development Program.
According to the study, the biggest impediment to successfully engaging and employing online volunteers is an organization's capacity to involve volunteers effectively, whether onsite or offsite. Key challenges and disadvantages to using online volunteers included:Organizations involved in the study identified communications and management as two of the key attributes that were critical to online volunteering success. To download the paper in PDF format, visit: www.ijova.org.
- Volunteers dropping out after receiving an assignment;
- The amount of time needed to orient and support online volunteers;
- Volunteers don't spend enough time familiarizing themselves with the organization and the community it serves; and
- Volunteers want more communications and tasks than the organization can provide.
August 8, 2006
More than 2,000 women and men gathered last week to kick off Calgary's second annual Weekend to End Breast Cancer. Participants raised $6 million during the two-day, 60 kilometre walk to support breast cancer research in Alberta. "They're just regular people - some have never done anything like this in their lives, so it is a huge commitment they take on," said Linda Mickelson, CEO of the Alberta Cancer Foundation. "So many people here are touched personally by this disease." Each walker had to raise at least $2,000 to participate in the weekend event, but many go well beyond that figure. Mickelson said funds raised from last year's event helped launch the Alberta Breast Cancer Research Initiative, as well as providing for a compassionate drug funding program and a mobile breast screening van, enabling women in rural communities to have earlier access to mammograms. For more information, visit: cl06.endcancer.ca.
August 8, 2006
Canada's heritage institutions were more popular than ever in 2004, attracting more than 35 million visitors and generating revenues in excess of $1 billion. The Survey of Heritage Institutions, which covered approximately 1,300 for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, showed that more than one-quarter of the total government grants and subsidies received by the not-for-profit institutions went to art museums and non-commercial galleries. Other types of museums, including human history museums, science and technology museums, exhibition centres, planetariums and observatories, together received 56% of the government funding. Volunteer support is a key factor in the operation of heritage institutions. In 2004, the surveyed art museums and galleries indicated that more than 85% of their total work forces were volunteers. This was the highest ratio of volunteers of any heritage industry. Reliance on volunteers was also high for historic sites, with almost 74% of the work force not working for pay, while at zoos, botanical gardens and arboretums, this ratio stood at 62%. -- Statistics Canada
August 8, 2006
The Conference Board of Canada is now accepting submissions for the Conference Board of Canada/Spencer Stuart 2007 National Awards in Governance. The awards recognize boards that have broken the mould to create innovative governance solutions. The goal of the awards is to enhance governance practices in Canadian organizations by raising the profile of active and innovative boards and showcasing their accomplishments. The deadline for entries is October 16th. For more information, visit: www.conferenceboard.ca/GCSR/awards/.
August 8, 2006
A new report from the US-based RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, looks at funders' reporting requirements and how they impact grant recipients. Meeting Funder Compliance: A Case Study of Challenges, Time Spent and Dollars Invested, makes a variety of recommendations for how social services providers can reduce the time and money they spend complying with funder reporting requirements. The report suggests that funders should evaluate their data collection methods and type of requests to ensure the collection of pertinent data that will inform all participants (i.e., agency, funder, client, and staff), consider the burden placed on staff, consider how the data requested are being used, and consider having discussions with clients related to compliance that are sensitive to the power differential between agency and funder. To download the report in PDF format, visit: www.rand.org.
August 8, 2006
Almost 80% of Canadian organizations believe they will face the consequences of an aging workforce, but few are taking steps now to address impending retirement-induced labour shortages. According to a Conference Board of Canada survey, 23% of corporate executives surveyed are already feeling the effects of an aging workforce on their organization, and 80% believe they will be affected within five years. One source of labour is older workers, yet half the respondents indicated that their organizations devote little or no effort to retaining their own older workers, and few employers are looking to attract retirees who may be seeking new employment possibilities. -- Conference Board of Canada
August 8, 2006
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is seeking nominations from the international community for its 2007 Hilton Humanitarian Prize. The US$1.5 million prize, the largest humanitarian award in the world, is presented annually to an established nonprofit, charitable, or non-governmental organization making extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering anywhere in the world. For more information, visit: www.hiltonfoundation.org.
August 8, 2006
The Windsor Star reports that a company operating six bingo parlours in the city has been placed in receivership. Despite a $9 million debt load for CBC Bingo Limited Partnership and CBC Bingo Inc., the halls will stay open pending a review to reorganize. About 650 charities depend on local bingo hall revenues that amounted to $28 million last year, with $19 million for charities and $9 million for halls, said Diane Sibley, Windsor's licensing commissioner. Ron Foster, a member of the association that represents 120 charities relying on revenue from the Big D hall, remains optimistic. Charities have adjusted, and bingo remains a viable method of raising much-needed funds, he said.
|
|||
