About Us at the Rural Philanthropy Resource Network
Since November 2003, the Foundation for Rural Living has been engaged in the development and delivery of the Rural Philanthropy Resource Network, an innovative approach to advancing the rural nonprofit and voluntary sector. This program has focused on philanthropy and fund development as a key strategy to building organizational capacity. An evaluation of this project has helped us understand the difficulties small rural organizations have in developing the organizational readiness and skills to execute a sound fund development plan and build sustainable programs and services for their community.
Investing in Rural Communities
Rural nonprofit organizations play an integral part of rural life in Canada. They have responsibilities for education, health, arts and culture and almost all of recreation. They are involved in public policy, advocacy and environmental activism. They deliver child care, run shelters, feed the hungry, build affordable housing and provide services for the homeless. They provide supports to the elderly and hospice for the dying. They help people cope with life challenges, build skills, believe in and achieve their aspirations. They inspire and teach.
They bring us together to identify problems, develop innovative solutions, mobilize resources and provide programs & services that we each know our communities need. They promote social change and facilitate the development of partnerships and networks to address problems at the local level.
Rural nonprofit organizations are a driving force in advancing our civil society in rural Canada. Not only do they willingly do this they are obligated to do so by the very nature of being a nonprofit organization or charity – serving the public good. But because they do not create and distribute profits, in our market driven economy they are both undervalued and subsequently under funded. At the same time, they are increasing relied upon to meet the greater demand for services.
Rural nonprofit organizations face some unique challenges. Migration to urban centres is resulting in a decrease of available community resources; volunteers, leadership and donors. The lack of public and affordable transportation options creates challenges and increases the program costs of serving clients spread out over greater distances then we see in urban communities.
Nonprofit organizations are struggling to build the sustainability of their organizations to meet the increasing demands of direct service delivery. As a result they are not investing the resources necessary to keep their organizational infrastructure in tact. When resources are limited the choice is easy to continue to deliver direct services over the choice to invest in the organizational development required to plan and respond to the changing needs of the community.
If we want our nonprofit organizations to be able to:
· continue to deliver their current services,
· to replicate, expand or grow excellence in programming and
· to develop new programming that respond to emerging community needs
then we need to invest in the development of sound organizational structures.
Building Organizational Capacity and Financial Sustainability for Rural Nonprofits
Building sustainability and capacity in nonprofit organizations has received growing attention over the past 20 years. A number of research projects have been undertaken in Canada to identify promising practices to achieving this goal. Theory driven model-based capacity building with good evaluation behind it seems to have the best chance for success. The Foundation for Rural Living in partnership with Imagine Canada conducted research that discusses and identifies the capacity challenges of rural nonprofit and voluntary organizations. The Rural Charitable Research Initiative was the first extensive research project that explored the challenges of the rural nonprofit sector. This research has resulted in two reports “The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Rural Ontario” and “The Capacity Challenges of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations in Rural Ontario”.
This research identified three areas where FRL could help support rural nonprofit organizations develop their organizational capacity:
· Human resources
· Financial Sustainability
· Structural supports
Human Resources in Nonprofit Organizations
The nonprofit sector is one of the fastest growing employment opportunities in Canada. The nonprofit sector consists of over 161,000 nonprofit organizations and more than 69,000 use paid staff. This sector employs 1.2 million paid employees in mostly small and medium sized organizations, 7.2% of Canada’s workforce ; the third largest employer in Canada behind manufacturing and trade. A recent Imagine Canada report; “Building Blocks for Strong Communities”, suggests that small nonprofit organizations have a considerable impact on the economy and job creation accounting for almost 4% of Canada’s GDP. However, a significant challenge for small rural nonprofit organizations is the ability to recruit and retain staff with the professional and specialized skills necessary. The HR Council for the Voluntary and Nonprofit Sector’s recent forum identified the gap between the job requirements of a position and the skill sets of potential candidates to be a significant challenge. The declining availability of volunteers and the increasing need for even very small organizations to become more sophisticated in their management and program development is also contributing to the challenge of recruiting, training and keeping skilled human resources. FRL and Imagine Canada’s research on rural organizations supports all of these challenges and further identifies that individuals looking for work in the nonprofit sector area are also looking for further training and networking opportunities. It’s not just recruiting and retaining employees but also providing them with the coaching, mentoring, professional development and networking with peers that contribute to quality employment opportunities. Phase I of this research suggests rural nonprofit organizations, in comparison to urban nonprofit organizations, do not currently have the level of skilled staff needed to improve their capacity and sustainability in the three areas of human, financial or structural resources.
Financial Sustainability of Rural Nonprofit Organizations
Along side of human resources, funding and financial sustainability is a critical issue for the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit organizations need financial as well as human resources and those that are able to secure funding from multiple sources are stronger more capable organizations, better able to meet the needs of their community. The Rural Philanthropy Resource project evaluation has made it clear to us that financial sustainability is more then having enough money in the bank. Raising more revenue is only part of the strategies that will ensure rural nonprofit organizations become vibrant contributors to the community. To become financially sustainable, organizations have a set of capacities that allow them to build partnerships and networks, engage in a planning process, run efficient and effective programs meeting the needs of the community, and are able to attract investment from foundations, governments, corporations and individuals. The Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) Capacity Joint Table on Financial Best Practices introduces the concept of financial vibrancy and the six core competencies for nonprofit organizations to achieve financial vibrancy: build relationships with others; financial literacy; reflection and planning; envision and implement a sustainability model; communicating your story; and nurturing participation.
Structural Capacity of Rural Nonprofit Organizations
In FRL’s and Imagine Canada’s research into the capacity challenges of rural nonprofit organizations rural organizations identified four areas where structural supports were necessary; providing training and educational opportunities; increasing networking between organizations; accessing and using the available technology and collaborating on projects and sharing resources between organizations. The Rural Philanthropy Resource Network project implemented a web-based learning and resource centre which provided structural supports to rural nonprofit organizations. In our 2006 evaluation of this project, training provided by the use of web-based learning technology, prospect research and communications/public relations supports were rated as the most helpful aspects of the learning & resource centre to the Rural Development Officer. In addition the opportunity to network with other rural organizations through the web-based learning opportunities, the internet discussion board, and an in-person learning opportunity were identified by rural organizations as important opportunities to enhance skill development, problem solving and to develop innovative and creative solutions to fund development and community programming. As a model for supporting individuals and rural nonprofit organizations a web-based learning and resource centre is a valuable tool, providing easy access to rural based resources, training opportunities to enhance skills, access to technology, research support and communications/public relationships support.
Structural capacity in rural nonprofit organizations encompasses these elements;
- The building of relationships and networks with multiple stakeholders including funders, the media, governments, business and other nonprofit organizations.
- Engaging in a strategic planning process that extends beyond one year program or operational planning and to the overall strategic direction of the organization.
- The use of technology in rural nonprofit organizations poses three distinct barriers; access to high speed connections; obtaining and maintaining computer hardware and software and the use of available technology as an essential tool for networking and communications, a learning (educational) and fund development is limited.
- Participate in and influence the development of government policies.
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The Rural Philantrhopy Resource Network is a combination of strategies:
The Rural Philanthropy Resource Network Outcomes
The Rural Philanthropy Resource Network is currently funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Community Capacity Building Model's research project. The intended outcomes of these strategies are to:
- Establish a community climate of support for philanthropy, where philanthropy means contributing to the common good to improve the quality of life for rural citizens.
- Support the development of networks and partnerships within the community.
- Increase organizational capacity and the financial sustainability of rural nonprofit and voluntary organizations.
- Enhance the skill, knowledge and access to resources for individuals in the rural nonprofit sector.
- Foster quality, and celebrate and model rural innovation.
The Rural Philanthropy Resource Network is a capacity building program; by participating in the Rural Development Officer program and accessing the resources, training and services of the Rural Philanthropy Resource Centre, FRL believes rural organizations and communities will be investing in their organizational capacity, increasing philantrhopic investment and resources and increasing the sustainability of community programs.
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The Rural Charitable Sector Research Initiative: A Portrait of the Rural Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector
Rural Philanthropy Roundtable
The Foundation for Rural Living with funding support from The Ontario Trillium Foundation launched the Rural Philanthropy Roundtable in the spring of 2004. This consultation engaged private foundations, corporate and community leaders, and rural practitioners in a dialogue to gain a leadership perspective on rural and to share knowledge and garner ideas for future change. The aim is to improve understanding, stimulate rural investment and link philanthropic interest to effective rural grant making and community opportunity.
Nova Scotia Rural Philanthropy Roundtables
In January 2008, FRL will be facilitating three community roundtable events. This dialogue creates an opportunity to establish an understanding and a commitment to philanthropy, where philanthropy means giving to the common good to improve the quality of life for rural citizens. Establishing a climate of support for philanthropy is essential for implmenting effective community responses. The province of Nova Scotia and Agricutural and Agri-food Canada are supporters of this event.
The Rural Development Officer Program
The Rural Development Officer program was initiated in November 2003 with funding received through Service Canada's Job Creation Partnership Program for three project years 2004, 2005, 2006. During this phase of the programs development Rural Development Officers (RDO) were placed in rural nonprofit and voluntary organizations to support philanthropy and fund development. Providing an emplyment opportunity for over 45 individuals in the rural nonprofit sector. At the same time increasing the capacity of rural organizations to expand their philanthropic resources.
In 2007 FRL piloted the Rural Development Officer Program: A fund development capacity building program for rural nonprofit and voluntary organizations. Our goal is to assist and support rural nonprofit organizations to become financially sustainable. Through a coaching and mentoring approach the RDO program explores elements of organizational capacity as well as philanthropy, fund development and fundraising to create a financial sustainability plan for rural nonprofit organizations.
Rural organizations participate in the program with a team of three people. The commitment required of organizations this year was nine months.
Our Approach to Training, Coaching and Mentoring
Our program is innovative in its approach.
Using a participatory approach where each organization is an active participant in program design, delivery and evaluation allows us the opportunity to respond to the unique assets and needs of the organizations participating. The curriculum is grounded in a set of learning objectives that have been developed through our past experience and address specific skills and pre-requisites to implement a sustainabilty plan. Each year the program will respond to outcomes identified by the participants. Our program team believes in a transformative education experiences and this belief guides our coaching and mentoring program.
A bit about the training, coaching and mentoring process
The content of the program is specific to the needs of rural organizations currently active in the program. The format is guided by this framework:
- Participants attend a number of theme based learning sessions hosted through a web training platform. In our case we are using WebEx.
- This year sessions have included; Living your mission, vision and values; strategic and operational planning; understanding and believing in philanthropy; Philanthropy, fund development and fundraising; case for support, case statement, case expression development; your fund development plan; communicating your story; fundraising strategies and evaluating your progress.
- Organizations receive weekly individual coaching and mentoring sessions, helping them stay on track, overcome barriers and achieve their objectives.
- An active coffee shop (discussion board) connects organizations together to share knowledge, skills and experience.
The Virtual Resource Learning Centre @ ruralphilanthropy.ca
The key element of the Rural Philanthropy Resource Network is the development of a shared resource that recognizes small rural non-profits do not have the threshold or capacity to create elaborate structures. However, in order to be competitive in fundraising and management, resources and investment are necessary.
The Virtual Resource Learning Centre features a variety of training programs, resources, links and technical services to advance rural fundraising and management. The intent is not to duplicate resources but rather filter and identify those existing opportunities which are most relevant to rural and then make them readily available
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