Did you know that Canada has one of the largest and most vibrant nonprofit and voluntary sectors in the world? According to research conducted in Canada and thirty-six other countries that participated in the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, the nonprofit sector in Canada is an economic force, contributing $75.9 billion to the national economy (8.5% of the GDP) including hospitals, universities, and colleges or $34 billion (4% of the GDP) excluding hospitals, universities, and colleges.
Canadian nonprofit and voluntary organizations employ more than 2 million full-time workers, two-thirds paid and the rest volunteer. This represents about 12% of the country's economically active population, the highest percentage in the world. In fact, the entire nonprofit and voluntary sector employs nearly as many full-time workers as all branches of manufacturing. Canadian nonprofit and voluntary organizations also receive more revenue from government than those in other countries.
However, the future vitality of this sector is being tested with the substantial retrenchment of the Canadian state that occurred in the 1990s. Today, many organizations report difficulties fulfilling their missions because of problems planning for their futures, recruiting volunteers and board members, and obtaining funding from governments and through private philanthropy.
But many Canadian groups are tapping into the generosity of individuals. This week, we profile the Surrey Food Bank, one Canadian nonprofit that receives no government funding but has become part of the social landscape in Surrey, B.C.
