Canadian Rural Information Service
1-888-757-8725
Volunteer and Charitable Funding Pathfinder

Volunteers, charitable organizations and non-profit groups play an important role in rural communities. This pathfinder contains resources of interest to volunteers and voluntary groups. For people interested in volunteering, it provides links to databases and regional web sites that list volunteer opportunities. The resources section highlights key publications and web sites on the general subject of volunteering. The sources of funding section may help community projects and non-profit group locate non-government funding.

For information on how to write a proposal when applying for funding from a private or public organization, consult the Writing Funding Proposals Pathfinder.

This guide is a growing document, we welcome suggestions for additions. Please contact us at cris@agr.gc.ca

Volunteer Canada
330 Gilmour Street
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2P6
Tel.: (613) 231-4371 or 1-800-670-0401
Fax: (613) 231-6725
E-mail: info@volunteer.ca
http://www.volunteer.ca/index-eng.php

Charity Village - Volunteer/Donate
Charity Village provides a database of volunteer opportunities that can be browsed by region or searched
http://www.charityvillage.com/applicant/volunteer.asp

Volunteer Canada - Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Canada provides general information about volunteering, a directory of volunteer centres, and a list of provincial programs.
http://new.volunteer.ca/en/VolOps

There is no one source that lists government funding programs.

National Sites

• Charity Village - Sources of Funding
  http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/ires/fund.asp
• Community Foundations of Canada
  http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/funding/index.cfm
• Philanthropic Foundations Canada
  http://www.pfc.ca/cms_en/
• United Way of Canada
  http://www1.unitedway.ca/sites/PortalEN/default.aspx

Regional Sites

• Alberta Lottery Fund
  http://www.albertalotteryfund.ca
• Atlantic Lottery Corporation - Sponsorship Application
  http://www.alc.ca/English/ALCInTheCommunity/
  SponsorApplications/
• British Columbia Lottery Corporation
  http://www.bclc.com/cm/wherethemoneygoes/applyforfunding.htm
• Commandites de Loto-Québec pour des activités de loisir et de sport In French only
  http://www.formulaire.gouv.qc.ca/cgi/affiche_doc.cgi?
  dossier=1776&table;=0
• Community Initiatives Fund - Saskatchewan
  http://www.cyr.gov.sk.ca/CIF
• Funding Sources for British Columbia Communities
  http://www.communityfutures.com/cms/Funding_Sources.2.0.html
• The Ontario Trillium Foundation
  http://www.trilliumfoundation.org/cms/en/index.aspx

Publications

National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating
This report offers highlights from the 2004 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (CSGVP) which was undertaken to better understand how Canadians support individuals and communities on their own or through their involvement with charitable and nonprofit organizations.
http://www.givingandvolunteering.ca/pdf/CSGVP_Highlights_2004_en.pdf

Publications: Fundraising for Non-Profit Organizations
These publications, produced by the Citizen Participation Branch of Canadian Heritage, provide valuable information and advice on fundraising for non-profit groups.
http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/pc-cp/pubs/index_e.cfm

Safe Steps: A Volunteer Screening Process
Volunteer Canada's Safe Steps Screening Program provides an easy-to-use method for organizations to ensure that the people they serve are safe.
http://www.volunteer.ca/volunteer/pdf/SafeSteps.pdf

Satellite Account of Nonprofit Institutions and Volunteering
This report contains descriptive analysis of the size, scope and nature of Canada's nonprofit sector in economic terms, statistical tables and information on the concepts, and data sources and methods used to compile the estimates.
http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=13-015-XIE

Other Resources

Canada Revenue Agency - Charities and Giving
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) registers qualifying organizations as charities, gives technical advice on operating a charity, and handles audit and compliance activities. Registered charities are required to file an annual information return with the CRA, a portion of which is available to the public, and must meet certain requirements of the Income Tax Act concerning their expenditures and activities.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charities/

enVision Virtual Resource Centre
This website, from the Community Services Council Newfoundland and Labrador, includes many resources, such as news items, a directory of non-profit organizations, and practical information about managing voluntary organizations.
http://envision.ca

Giving and Volunteering
This site, developed by Imagine Canada in concert with Volunteer Canada, is designed to provide statistics and resources developed from the 1997, 2000 and 2004 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP).
http://www.givingandvolunteering.ca/

HR Council for the Voluntary/Non-profit Sector
The HR Council for the Voluntary/Non-profit Sector is a national non-profit organization committed to the development and enhancement of a skilled workforce that is focused on building better communities and improving the lives of Canadians. By providing leadership, knowledge and opportunities for collaboration, the HR Council aims to contribute to the development of a sustainable, vibrant and confident voluntary/non-profit sector workforce.
http://www.hrcouncil.ca/council/index_e.cfm

NonprofitsCan
NonprofitsCan is the public information portal of Imagine Canada (formerly the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy) and an important national repository for Canada's nonprofit sector knowledge base.
http://nonprofitscan.ca/

Voluntary Gateway
The Voluntary Gateway is a portal that makes it easier to locate information and resources, as well as facilitate collaboration to strengthen communities and social enterprise. It offers a wide array of free and useful services including regularly updated news and resources, access to online communities and discussion forums, and weekly Enewsletter updates.
http://voluntarygateway.ca/en/

Voluntary Sector Initiative
The Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) was a unique undertaking between the Government of Canada and the voluntary sector to enhance their relationship and strengthen the sector's capacity. This site contains documents and links to documents that were created during the Initiative.
http://www.vsi-isbc.org/eng/index.cfm