Representing more than 1,000 non-profit organizations, 6,000 staff, and about 53,000 volunteers.
On PEI, the non-profit sector is recognized as the third-largest economic sector. The sector has more employees than aerospace, bioscience and IT combined.
This sector provides access to thousands of critical services and programs in areas such as social services, environment, health, education, employment, arts & culture, sport & recreation, and more.
Recently, the board of directors of the Community Sector Network of PEI announced success in establishing the non-profit sector as an incorporated organization, with a vision to having a vibrant, valued, and collaborative community sector for PEI.
This initiative began several years ago with leadership from the late Steve McQuaid on behalf of the Community Foundation of PEI. In 2017, United Way of PEI in partnership with the Community Foundation and Canada 150 hosted a conference that helped to shape future planning for the sector. From there, a group representing various organizations worked to establish the newly incorporated sector.
“Now with an official organization and board of directors, we will have a stronger voice for the sector,” says Andrea MacDonald, CEO, United Way of PEI. “Those working in the sector face challenges such as high turnover rates and disconnectedness, lack of professional development, and access to resources, and we believe it’s in our best interest to work together.”
Community Sector has four key focus areas:
- Make the community sector more recognized, so that Islanders understand it is essential to health and well-being.
- Share expertise and work together to remain strong and efficient.
- Ensure their voice is heard.
- Ensure it has the resources needed to deliver quality services in a sustainable way.
For more information about the Community Sector Network of PEI, visit www.facebook.com/CSNPEI. To find out more about PEI’s non-profit sector and some great stories of what is happening across the Island, visit www.peiunitedway.com/docs/Unitedwaybook-onlineversion.pdf.
Building Sector Strength
The United Way of PEI is working to facilitate the delivery of professional development, enable opportunities for collaboration and increase awareness and access to services for Islanders.
Take a look at some of the initiatives of United Way of PEI by clicking here.
Atlantic Provinces Economic Council Research Report – The Nonprofit Sector in Prince Edward Island – September 2021
Read about the great work happening across the Island:
Organization promotes full awareness and participation of people with mobility issues – Spinal Cord Injury PEI
Workforce inclusion: job seekers and employers coming together
Youth reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic and vision for future
The need for this service has tripled since COVID-19 hit PEI
Habitat for Humanity PEI to build affordable housing units
A social enterprise that helps the community
Third generation of musicians use community resources to help preserve traditional music on PEI
Retain and Gain: Career Management for Non-Profits and Charities Playbook: CERIC
Law Foundation of PEI - mandate by awarding grants annually
Sheila Lund MacDonald, Executive Director of the Law Foundation of PEI, says the Community Sector Network will make it easier to get the word out about resources on PEI that non-profit organizations can access.
“The Law Foundation, which exists in every province in Canada, encourages and supports projects and programs to strengthen the ability of Canadians to access justice and legal knowledge,” says Sheila.
“We encourage innovative projects, perhaps things that have never been done before on PEI.”
It carries out its mandate by awarding grants annually such as:
- One-time project grants for single or multi-year projects. Continuous program grants such as those made available to the following:
- PEI Law libraries
- Community Legal Information Association
- Legal Aid Services
- Bar Admission Course
- Legal Education Coordinator
- Scholarships
For details about projects that have been funded and scholarship information, visit www.lawfoundationpei.ca/grants.php.
For more information, contact Sheila Lund MacDonald at 902-620-1763, email [email protected]. Visit www.lawfoundationpei.ca.
2017 Canadian nonprofit sector salary and benefits study
CharityVillage® is Canada’s leading career resource site for professionals in the nonprofit sector. The site is a way to connect people to ideas, opportunities, and each other.
The 2017 Canadian Nonprofit Sector Salary and Benefits Study executive summary is Courtesy of CharityVillage® and The Portage Group Inc.
To review the executive summary, click here. (There is a fee for the entire document.)
For more information about CharityVillage®, visit www.charityvillage.com.
The Community Foundation of Prince Edward Island: Building the capacity of PEI’s Third Sector *study done in 2011
About the Community Foundation of PEI
The Community Foundation of PEI was incorporated in 1993. It is part of a network of Community Foundations across Canada, and has three main functions:
- Endowment Building/Donor Service – The charitable gifts of many donors are pooled to create permanent, income-bearing endowment funds which form revenue sources that are available to benefit the community in perpetuity.
- Grant Making – The income earned by invested funds is used to provide grants to a wide range of charitable organizations. Community Foundations add value by supporting projects that strengthen the quality of life in communities.
- Leadership – Community Foundations take a leadership role in bringing together a broad range of stakeholders within communities to address mutual issues of concern. Community Foundations serve as a repository of best practices which can be shared for the benefit of many.
As part of its continuing efforts to strengthen third sector organizations individually and collectively, the Community Foundation of PEI commissioned a Building Community Capacity Study. The intent of the study was to take a look at the social and economic impacts of the sector, to identify key challenges and to determine which supports, resources and initiatives would be most beneficial for building capacity and sustainability within sector organizations.
*Sourced from introduction page of the study
Highlights of the study
The study indicated that the achievements of PEI’s third sector organizations are many and cross many different disciplines. The sector brings communities together to work on common purposes, provides much-needed social services such as life skills training, respite care and terminal illness support, educates, employs, promotes and supports health and wellness, and advocates for causes that may not otherwise have a voice.
Overview:
- There is increasing evidence that the third sector is a significant employer and economic force provincially, nationally and globally;
- Within Atlantic Canada, the provincial governments of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have ministerial responsibility for the nonprofit and voluntary sector that helps to ensure policy, promotion and other supports for the sector. Government stakeholders in Prince Edward Island recognize the importance of third sector organizations and consider them valuable partners in service delivery, but this recognition is not supported through formal policies or a designated bureaucratic structure such as a Third Sector Secretariat;
- The Prince Edward Island third sector includes a wide range of organizations established to meet the needs of individuals and communities. Some of the metrics of PEI’s third sector include:
- 943 nonprofit organizations
- $230 million in revenues in 2003
- 6,172 Islanders employed
- 53,621 volunteers
- 56% volunteer rate (3rd highest in the country)
- 89% donor rate (2nd highest in the country)
- The number of non-profit organizations and their employees is greater than the bioscience, information technology and aerospace sectors combined;
- Additional indicators on the contributions PEI’s third sector organizations make to the province were developed by compiling and analyzing information from a small sample (35) of organizations. This analysis estimated based on a three-year average is as follows:
- $357,426 annual revenue per organization
- $328,366 annual expenditures per organization
- 5,417 annual paid staff hours per organization
- 2,917 annual volunteer hours per organization
- 987 clients served per organization annually
- Percentage breakdown of PEI non-profit organizations by category:
- Religion/Faith 28%
- Sports & Recreation 19%
- Education & Research 9%
- Grant making, Fundraising & Volunteerism Promotion 8%
- Social Services 7%
- Business & Professional Associations & Unions 6%
- Health 6%
- Arts & Culture 5%
- Development & Housing 5%
- Environment 4%
- Organizations not classified 3%
- The most significant challenges of PEI third sector organizations include:
- Accessing funding
- Recruiting volunteers
- Increasing awareness of organizations and the sector
- Accessing affordable, flexible, and coordinated training and professional development
The study concluded that PEI’s third sector is a vital part of Island society and of the provincial economy and deserves increased support and recognition. Since this report was launched, the Community Foundation of PEI opened up discussions with all levels of government and third sector organizations and stakeholders to share the findings presented in this report and to receive their feedback. It is expected that the dialogue will continue and will identify potential partners and collaborations to explore recommended strategies and initiatives.
Extensive lists of volunteer opportunities on PEI
Volunteer PEI take pride in linking people with local community organizations. For more information, visit www.volunteerpei.ca/about-us/.
Canada Volunteer Directory provides a list of volunteer opportunities in Canada organized by category, city and province. The Canadian volunteer database contains over 4,000 non-profit organizations, charities and agencies from over 500 locations across Canada.
For more information, visit http://www.canadianuniversities.net/Volunteer/Prince_Edward_Island.html.
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