Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies

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Quick Link: Jump To Past Research Projects

All the related working papers to the projects can be found at CVSS Working Paper Series.



Current Research Projects

The Roles of Ideology and Gender Composition in the Behaviour of Nonprofit Organizations - 2008-2010.

Human Resources Management in Small Nonprofit Organizations (with Ian Sakinofsky, Ryerson University), Continuation - 2008-2009.

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Past Research Projects

Liability and Risk Management in Ontario's Nonprofit Sector - 2007-2008.

Who profits? Employer-supported Volunteerism in Canadian Financial Institutions (in conjunction with Dr. Femida Handy, University of Pennsylvania) - 2006-2007.

Client-volunteering in Organizations Serving Individuals with Psychiatric and Intellectual Disabilities - 2006-2007.

School-based Community Service Programs in Canada: What Exists and What Works Best (in conjunction with Dr. Steven Brown, Wilfred Laurier University) - 2006-2007.

Collaboration Among Government, Non-profit, and For-profit Organizations: Addressing Food Insecurity in Brazil (in conjunction with Dr. Cecelia Rocha, Director, Centre for Studies in Food Security) - 2005-2008.

Multiculturalism and Successful Integration: The Role of Ethnocultural and Immigrant Organizations - 2005-2006.

Ethnicity, Voluntary Behaviour and Social Integration - 2003-2005.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #25
    Visible Minority Status and Philanthropy
    by Ida Berger and Justin Azaria, June 2004
  • Working Paper #28
    Tapping the Voluntary Potential of Ethnic Communities in Toronto
    by Mary Foster, Ida Berger and Agnes Meinhard, November 2004
  • Working Paper #29
    Ethnicity, Voluntary Behaviour and Social Integration
    by Ida Berger, Mihaela Dinca-Panaitescu, Mary Foster and Agnes Meinhard, July 2005
  • Working Paper #32
    Civic Engagement, Social Cohesion and Social Integration in Toronto, Canada
    by Ida Berger, Mary Foster and Agnes Meinhard, November 2005
Island or iceberg: Liability in Voluntary Organizations (in conjunction with Easter Seals Canada) - 2004-2005.

The Value-added Contribution of Volunteers: An Evaluation of Supportive Housing in Peel's Volunteer Program (in conjunction with Supportive Housing in Peel) - 2001-2004.

Religion, Ethnicity and Volunteering - 2003-2004.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #17
    Jewish Identity, Social Capital, and Giving
    by Ida Berger and Brenda Gainer, March 2001
  • Working Paper #33
    The Influence of Religion on Philanthropy in Canada
    by Ida Berger, February 2006
Closing the Loop: Perspectives on the Evolving Relationship Among the Public, Nonprofit and Corporate Sectors - 2001-2003.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #20
    Corporate Social Responsibility in the Canadian Context: The New Role of Corporations in Community Involvement and Social Issues
    by Mary Foster and Agnes Meinhard, November 2002
  • Working Paper #23
    The Evolving Relationship Between Government and the Voluntary Sector in Ontario
    by Agnes Meinhard, Mary Foster and Ida Berger, November 2003
  • Working Paper #26
    The Process of Institutional Isomorphism in Ontario's Voluntary Sector
    by Agnes Meinhard, Mary Foster and Ida Berger, June 2004
  • Working Paper #30
    From Philanthropic Strategy to Strategic Philanthropy: Selected Canadian Case Studies
    by Mary Foster, Pike Wright, Agnes Meinhard and Ida Berger, November 2005
  • Working Paper #31
    Closing the Loop: Corporate Links to the Voluntary Sector
    by Agnes Meinhard, Mary Foster and Ida Berger, November 2005
Commercial Ventures in Nonprofit Organizations - 2001-2003.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #11
    Entrepreneurial Ventures in Nonprofit Organizations: Determining Probability for Success
    by Susan Fitzrandolph and Leslie Miller, December 1999
  • Working Paper #27
    Case Studies of Commercial Ventures in Nonprofit Organizations: Determining Probability for Success
    by Agnes Meinhard, Louise Moher and Susan Fitzrandolph, November 2004
The Relationship Between Nonprofit Organizations Providing Personal and Social Services and For-profit Organizations: A Comparative Analysis Between Canada and Israel (in conjunction with Dr.Hillel Schmid, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) - 1999-2000.

Responses of Women's Voluntary Organizations to the Changing Social, Political and Economic Environment - 1997-2000.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #6
    Women's Voluntary Organizations and the Restructuring of Canada's Voluntary Sector: A Theoretical Perspective
    by Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster, January 1996
  • Working Paper #8
    Competition or Collaboration? Preliminary Results of a Survey of Women's Voluntary Organizations
    by Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster, December 1997
  • Working Paper #15
    Strategic Responses of Voluntary Social Service Organizations to Funding Changes: The Ontario Situation
    by Mary Foster and Agnes Meinhard, August 2000
  • Working Paper #16
    Revenue Diversification Among Canadian Voluntary Organizations: A Response to the External Environment
    by Mary Foster and Agnes Meinhard, November 2000
  • Working Paper #19
    Responses of Canada's Voluntary Organizations to Shifts on Social Policy: A Provincial Perspective
    by Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster, December 2001
  • Working Paper #21
    Women's Organizations are Different: Their Response to Shifts in Canadian Policy
    by Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster, November 2002
Community Service Programs in Toronto's Secondary Schools - 1998-1999.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #10
    Community Service Programs in Toronto's Secondary Schools
    by Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster, November 1998
  • Working Paper #12
    The Impact of Volunteer Community Service Programs on Students in Toronto's Secondary Schools
    by Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster, November 1999
  • Working Paper #14
    Structuring Student Volunteering Programs to the Benefit of Students and the Community
    by Mary Foster and Agnes Meinhard, July 2000
Environmental Conditions and Founding Processes.
View related working paper>>
  • Working Paper #1
    Environmental Conditions and Founding Processes in Organizational Creation: A Comparative Case Study
    by Agnes Meinhard, June 1995

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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