The National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations (NSNVO) was a four-year research project that built our understanding of the charitable and nonprofit sector in Canada and its needs for capacity building.

Cornerstones of Community: Highlights of the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations. September 2004.

Download the executive summary or the full report.

June 2006: New resources now available! A new series of NSNVO regional reports and sub-sector fact sheets provides in-depth analysis of the sector across the country.

NSNVO regional resources

Tous ces ressources sonts disponibles en français! Cliquez ici.

New! NSNVO sub-sector resources now available!

The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Canada
Sports & Recreation Organizations in Canada
Religious Organizations in Canada
Social Services Organizations in Canada
Arts & Culture Organizations in Canada

Recruitment and Retention of Volunteers
Recruitment and Retention of Paid Staff
Financial Challenges of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations
Planning and Infrastructure Challenges of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations

June 2006: New NSNVO Roundtable report! Strengthening the Capacity of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations to Serve Canadians: Recommendations Based on the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations. Read the recommendations of leaders in government, the corporate sector, academia, foundations, and the nonprofit and voluntary sector based on a series of 14 roundtable sessions held across Canada to discuss the results of the survey and the state of the sector in Canada.

September 2004: Cornerstones of Community: Highlights of the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations. Download the executive summary or the full report.

April 2003: The Capacity to Serve: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges Facing Canada's Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations. Download the executive summary or the full report.

Research for the NSNVO was conducted by a consortium of organizations with Imagine Canada serving as the project lead. The consortium includes l'Alliance de recherche universités-communautés en économie sociale à l'Université du Québec à Montréal, the Canada West Foundation, the Canadian Council on Social Development, the Capacity Development Network at the University of Victoria, the Community Services Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, Queen's University School of Policy Studies, the Secretariat on Voluntary Sector Sustainability of the Manitoba Voluntary Sector Initiative, and Statistics Canada.

Funding for the NSNVO was provided by Social Development Canada through the Voluntary Sector Initiative.