Hall School of Business and Entrepreneurship

The first year of research work completed for the Scotiabank Centre for Non-Profit Excellence focused on identifying the areas in the nonprofit sector where further education and training were most needed for operational success.  The final outcomes were presented to key stakeholders from the Central Okanagan non-profit community in July 2015.  This presentation included the key findings from both the qualitative and quantitative gap research undertaken throughout the first year of operation of the Scotiabank Centre for Non-Profit Excellence. The results highlight keys areas aimed at improving the sustainability of organizations.  These areas include external support services, board and organizational capacity, finances, public awareness and image as well as implementation of operations and innovative sustainability practices. 

The second year built upon the needs analysis and identified resources and developed curriculum targeted to further support the capacity and sustainability of non-profit organizations in the Central Okanagan.  Based on the results of gap analysis research, the following areas were identified, and piloted training was offered to non-profit leaders in some of the areas:

• human resources management
• financial management
• fund development including social enterprise
• strategic plan implementation
• impact reporting
• collaboration

In order to further develop the knowledge base, a second phase of survey research was designed and completed in March 2016.  Focusing on staff, volunteers and managers within the Central Okanagan non-profit sector, this study addressed the areas of human resources, internal financial resources, organizational culture and activities and programs.

The third year continued with program implementation. Curriculum was built, tested and evaluated in the gap areas within the non-profit sector. As the training was refined, it was made available to a wider audience through the Okanagan College website. In order to determine how best to make these resources available and used, a third phase of survey research was conducted in March 2017. The findings identified methods in which nonprofit organizations can be encouraged and engaged to participate in training activities and common barriers they face. 

The fourth year continued with ongoing program development. Most face-to-face delivery was piloted and materials were finalized to allow others to use the resources in their own organizations and communities. As materials were finalized, they were uploaded to the training site. The greatest focus for our work was concentrated on preparing materials for online learning to enable anyone to access the research done by the centre. Those materials were piloted, revised and launched as a suite of training in the spring of 2019.

During this year, research was conducted into the marketing and communication strategies used by organizations that focus on disseminating information to other agencies. This research led to the development of a marketing strategy for the centre to ensure that the resources that have been created will be accessed by those outside of the immediate community. 

The final year continued the full development of the training platform to provide resources to the non-profit sector. During this year, research was conducted to explore the perceptions of post-secondary students in the Okanagan region towards careers in the non-profit field and recommendations to address these findings.