Begun in 1990, the Johns Hopkins Comparative Non-profit Sector Project was the first systematic effort to analyze the size, scope, structure, financing and roles of the non-profit sector in countries around the world. The project aims to increase practical and theoretical knowledge about the non profit and voluntary sector and to help provide a basis for informed public and private action.
The objectives of the project are to:
-
document the size, scope, structure, financing
and role of the sector across a number of countries
-
explain why the sector varies in size and
character from one country to another
-
identify factors that seem to encourage
or retard its development
-
evaluate the impact of the contributions
of the sector
-
publicize and increase public awareness
of the sector, and
-
build local capacity to carry on this work
into the future.
Until 2002, however, Canada had not participated in this exercise, making it difficult
to compare its sector with those of other countries. To address this, the Capacity Joint
Table Advisory Committee, through its Research Steering Committee (RSC), funded the Canadian
Centre for Philanthropy (CCP - now Imagine Canada) in Summer 2002 to participate in the
project as Canada's Local Associate. Using the common framework, set of definitions, information-gathering
strategies and comparative empirical approach developed for the Johns Hopkins Comparative
Non-profit Sector Project, CCP conducted the required research on key aspects of the sector.
CCP has released the Canadian findings from the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector
Project in their recent report The
Canadian Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Comparative Perspective.
The Capacity Joint
Table Advisory Committee supported a range of research initiatives
on the voluntary sector. The Canadian Non-Profit and Voluntary
Sector in Comparative Perspective is one of three research and
information sharing projects which focus on the size, scope, and
contributions of the voluntary sector to Canadian society. The
two other projects are the National Survey
of Giving, Volunteering and Participating and the National
Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations.
For further information on the Johns Hopkins project, please
go to www.nonprofitscan.ca
