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The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y D e c e m b e r 10, 2003 - B5 Non-profit, voluntary groups struggling to make ends meet Competitive and complexfunding environment creating crisis By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Photos by Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver G lenburnie School celebrated its U th annual Christm as F air on Saturday. Above, Cadenca Baker, 9, holds a b e a r whose Maple Leaf sweater was m ade by her grandm other. Doris. Below, Suzanne Purser tries on a necklace m ade by Susanne Medeiros at her Sue-llery booth. Approximately 50 local artisans were selling a w ide variety of innovative crafts and gift items. BEARING GIFTS: Faced with the fallout o f an increas ingly complex and competitive funding environm ent, says Katherine Scott, non-profit and voluntary organizations can't afford to suffer in silence any longer. Scott, the keynote speaker at a recent workshop called Funding Matters: A Warning and an Opportunity, admitted there are no easy answers but stressed to attendees that they must mobilize to open dialogue with each other, communicate their predicament to the public, encourage funders to reform the current system and more. "This is critical right now." said Scott, author of Funding Matters: The Impact o f Canada's New Funding Regime on Non-profit and Voluntary Organizations. The event, hosted by Community Development Halton at the Holiday Inn Oakville Centre, was held to help par ticipants understand and cope with the impact of Canada's current funding environment. To that end, Scott outlined the myri ad changes to funding over the past decade - such as governmental down loading - and the many ways the sys tem affects agencies. Scott underscored the severity of the issue by first illustrating just how enor mous the non-profit and volunteer sec tors are in this country. For example, it's estimated that there are 80.(XX) charities in Canada and 100,000 other non-profits that represent eight per cent of the GDP (gross domestic product) and employ 900,000 people. Canadians also volunteer a billion person-hours, or 500.000 full-time jobs, each year. Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver Katherine Scott "This isn't an insignificant segment o f the economy." she said, adding that it remains one that is "largely invisi ble." Scott, a senior policy associate with the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) in Ottawa, recently conducted a comprehensive, cross-country study of this sector, a sur vey which "paints a startling picture" of the funding situation over a period from 1997 to 2001. The field, she said, is "still strug gling with the consequences" o f a decade of downloading and govern ment cutbacks, a period during which -- not coincidentally -- service demand increased while income polar ization grew. Non-.profits have essentially ended up subsidizing government programs, said Scott, who added that it's not right for non-profits to be low-income sources o f staffing for those in power. The groups also had to worry about not only where they got funding, but how they got it. said Scott, in an increasingly labyrinthine system of applying, reporting and quantifying results. Governm ent remains the largest source o f funding (61 per cent) while earned income stands at around 21 per cent. Private giving accounts for approximately 19 per cent but remains a "volatile" component o f the equation. "Competition these days for dona tions is intense," said Scott, adding that while this may be healthy in the private sector, it is not necessarily so with non profits. During her study, many non-profit staff clearly articulated the impact these and other factors are having on their agencies. One is "financial volatility." said Scott, meaning that during the study period. 56 per cent o f non-profits sur veyed reported a 25 per cent sw ing in income. "That can precipitate trouble." she said, adding that 60 per cent claimed funding sources were not "stable or reliable." This, the study showed, forced agencies to cannibalize other budget items and cut back on their core activi ties. "Lean is not always good," said Scott. Agencies also report that they are devoting more time and resources sim ply to acquire funding and they feel they are "expected" to cope with all this uncertainty. A total o f 94 per cent o f non-profits reported "human resource fatigue." or greater demands on staff resulting in burnout and recruitment problems. Perhaps worst of all. 33 per cent of those surveyed report "mission drift." or seeing their services move off-target just to secure funding. Scott went on to say that there is also a "growing divide" between larger organizations and smaller ones which "fall off the radar." All this, she said, combine to threat en organizations' ability to pursue their missions and sustain activities over the long term. Unfortunately the internal stresses on non-profits reach a point where they simply fall apart. "We're at the acute stage right now." said Scott. AIM want for Christmas In the midst of abundance, there are families in Oakville who do not have money for food at the end of the month, and this is especially heartbreaking at Christmas. For some families in our community, buying the extras this Christmas - toys or the basics for a festive turkey dinner - is luxury that they simply cannot afford. Many are 'the working poor', whose income often falls behind basic food and shelter expenses at the end of each month. Others are struggling from recent life-shaking blows, major illness or loss of a job. Whatever the circumstances, the Jingle Bell Fund is there to brighten the holidays for families in need. To help, the Jingle Bell Fund was started in 1995 by local business men and women, in partnership with the Salvation Army and the Oakville Beaver. Money raised goes to purchase toys to supplement those that are donated to the Christmas Depot. Most often the toys that need to be bought are for the hard-to-shop for teens, an age group that, traditionally, the Salvation Army receives fewer donated gifts for. Funds raised throughout December and into January replenish this fund every year. Over the years, thousands of children have had the joy of gifts on Christmas morning thanks to the generosity of the people of Oakville who believe all of Oakville's children - rich or not - should have a Merry Christmas. This year, our goal is two-fold - to supplement the teenage toys and to have every family who needs to use the Food Bank or the Christmas Toy Depot be given a food voucher. At $25 per adult and $15 per child, these vouchers w ill cover the cost of basic festive food for Christmas - turkey w ith the trimmings. For example, a single parent family with 2 children w ill receive $55 for food. To do this, the Salvation Army needs the help of everyone in Oakville who can give to others in need. 20 SureShotTM Staple Guns 457-7916X. " 1/2 PRICE Soothe her tired feet. Relaxing footbath. Multiple settings for heat, massage and invigorating bubbles. 6 acupressure rollers. 3 massage node attachments. 43-9248-6. Forward action. 3 models, from light-duty to contractor grade. Each 19.99-39.99 Reg. 59.99 Heat any room quickly Ceramic pro heater with auto shut-off. Cooltouch body. Two heat settings. Fan only. 43-5864.2. Reg. 34.99 4 ' Fibre O p tic Tree 51-4552-0. SAVE $60 Cannington Pine 6' pre-lit tree. 300 multi coloured lights. 886 51-4562-6. Reg. 149.99 Palmer pine. 7 1/2' tree. 800 clear lights 1,323 cone tips. 51-4564-2. Reg. 69.99 SAVE 100.00 THE OAKVILLE H R Please help us help th em Com panies and individuals can support the Jingle Bell Fund by m aking o u t a cheque, payable to The Salvation A rm y - - Jingle Bell Fund, d o the O akville Beaver, 46 7 Speers Road, Oakville, O ntario L6K 3S4. Tax receipts w ill be issued. 279.99179.99 ft- 'H iiiliiliilinilli DUNDAS & TRAFALGAR ROAD 4 0 0 D u n d a s S t. E a st · 2 5 7 -T IR E STORE HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 8:00am-9:00pm · Sat. 8:00am-8:00pm Sun. 9:00am-6:00pm O AKTOW N SHOPPING PLAZA 550 Kerr Street · 8 4 4 -0 2 0 2 STORE HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 8:00am-9:00pm · Sat. 8:00am-9:00pm Sun. 9:00am-6:00pm