Abstract

This paper brings together findings from three separate investigations to provide a deeper understanding of the changing roles of the government, for-profit and nonprofit sectors in ensuring civil society. The first study, based on a survey of 645 nonprofit organizations from across Canada, revealed a nonprofit sector changing to meet the challenges of the times, despite a general pessimism among leaders of nonprofit organizations as to their future (Meinhard & Foster, 2003a & b). The second, based on interviews with 20 Government of Ontario officials with links to the nonprofit sector, demonstrated how civil servants struggled to help nonprofit organizations adjust to the new policies and also encouraged them to form partnerships with the for-profit sector (Meinhard & Foster, 2003c). The research reported in this paper, based on interviews with 17 senior officers of Ontario-based corporations active in philanthropy, focuses on the corporations and probes more deeply in to the myriad of ways they are getting involved in their communities as socially responsible corporate citizens. The findings from the corporate interviews are compared and melded with those from previous interviews with government officials and nonprofit organizations to provide a three-dimensional perspective of the direction in which Canadian civil society may be moving. <div>Keywords: CVSS, Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies, Working Paper Series,TRSM, Ted Rogers School of Management</div>

Highlights

  • The first study, based on a survey of 645 nonprofit organizations from across Canada, revealed a nonprofit sector changing to meet the challenges of the times, despite a general pessimism among leaders of nonprofit organizations as to their future (Meinhard & Foster, 2003a & b)

  • The unique relationship between government and the voluntary sector in pursuing a shared vision of serving the needy has been replaced by contractual arrangements through competitive bidding, where nonprofit agencies compete with for-profit businesses (Ryan, 1999, Weisbrod, 1995; Pal, 1997)

  • Some organizations are focused in their giving, linking their support and donations exclusively to projects directly related to their product (KW, TL), their employees’ needs (WF, TL), or giving “in kind” support by donating their products for educational purposes (WT)

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Summary

Introduction

The unique relationship between government and the voluntary sector in pursuing a shared vision of serving the needy has been replaced by contractual arrangements through competitive bidding, where nonprofit agencies compete with for-profit businesses (Ryan, 1999, Weisbrod, 1995; Pal, 1997) These changes have "seriously reduced the capacity for voluntary agencies to provide services" (Rice & Prince, 2000:113). Per capita social spending dropped by more than 20% over a five year period from 1992-1997 (Ontario Public Accounts, 1989 – 2000) In this atmosphere of venerating business and efficiency, the government replaced operating grants with tenders for service contracts, encouraging the proprietary sector to compete with nonprofit organization, putting even more pressure on the voluntary sector (Brezanson, 1998). A realignment was taking place that had an impact on the voluntary sector, and on the Government-nonprofit relationship that characterized the previous decades

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