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Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies

Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies

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Certificate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management

Ryerson's Certificate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management was designed by an interdisciplinary team of experts under the auspices of CVSS with the support of the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education. The program draws on the strengths and varied perspectives of three academic disciplines related to nonprofit management and leadership: Business Management, Public Administration and Social Work.


What kind of students does the certificate program attract?
  1. Professionals and managers, paid and unpaid, of voluntary and nonprofit organizations.
  2. Undergraduate students who realize the potential work opportunities that the sector will provide, and students wishing to prepare for graduate studies specializing in nonprofit management and leadership.
  3. Those working in public or private sector service organizations who are considering partnerships with nonprofits.
What type of curriculum is offered in the courses that form the certificate program in Interdisciplinary Studies in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management?

Generally, the courses cover the following topics:

  1. Resource development skills such as marketing, public relations, advocacy, fundraising, program development and evaluation, volunteer development, enhancement of board-staff relations and developing effective boards.

  2. Resource management activities such as: financial management, information management, human resources management, team building, and managing legal issues.

  3. Behaviour in nonprofit organizations including motivation, leadership, communication, decision making, labour relations, change management, goal setting and strategic planning.

  4. Contextual background dealing with historical, social, political, economic, legal and moral environments that affected the development of the voluntary sector and continues to influence the direction of nonprofit organizations.

Three themes are interwoven throughout each course:
  1. responding to diversity in the organization and the client base,
  2. upholding values and ethical principles, and
  3. effective communications and application of information technology.
Click here for a full list of course descriptions and offerings.



For information on course requirements, admission requirements, course decriptions, schedule and calendar information, fees, transfer credits and information nights, please visit the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, contact them by telephone at 416-979-5035 or email.


For questions regarding academic curriculum of the certificate program or registration, please contact Gerda Kaegi, Program Coordinator. For specifc course related questions please contact Agnes Meinhard at the Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies.
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New study completed by CVSS in partnership with the Government of Ontario on risk management and insurance for non-profit organizations is now available in both official languages.

  • Taking Risks Safe Way
  • Prendre des risques en toute sécurité

    • We welcome post doctoral fellow Dr. Katie Misener to the CVSS research team. Her post doctoral fellowship is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for 2009-2010.

    New working papers are added to CVSS Working Paper Series.


    9% of Canadian employers are nonprofit organizations, employing 20% of the Canadian labour force. This translates to 2 million jobs.
    The nonprofit sector accounts for 6.8% of Canada's GDP while the agriculture sector accounts for 1.5%, mining, oil and gas for 4.0%, retail for 5.0%, food and accommodation for 2.3% of the nation's GDP.
    63% of nonprofit organizations are small and operate with an annual budget of less than $100,000. Only 30% of these small organizations have paid staff. Generally their paid staff numbers less than 2 full-time employees.
    Six and a half million Canadians volunteer in nonprofit organizations, but because many volunteer at several organizations, Nonprofit and voluntary organizations report a combined volunteer complement of over 19 million. This translates into 1.1 to 2 billion hours of volunteer labour representing about 7.5 full-time jobs per voluntary organization.
    Most nonprofit sector managers are women, ranging from 50% in hospitals and universities to 66% in other nonprofits. This compares favourably with the for-profit sector, where only 36% of managers are women.
    54% of nonprofit organizations rely exclusively on volunteers to carry out their missions.
    More than two thirds of the employees in the nonprofit sector are women, compared with less than half in the for-profit sector.
    • pause
    • Spring 2006. The Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies: A Decade of Growth and Achievement. This publication provides an overview of the achievements of the first decade of research and education at CVSS. Hard copies are available.

    • 2005:

      Spring | Fall