November/December 2009
ONN Helps Bring Important Policy Changes for Ontario's Nonprofits! 
Ontario amends legislation so that charities can own businesses and hold property for charitable purposes
In the spring of 2009, the Ontario Nonprofit Network became aware of two acts that were restricting the activities of nonprofits in Ontario. We took up the cause and called for changes to the Charitable Gifts Act and the Charities Accounting Act. Delightedly, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and the Public Trustee heard us and took action. Bill 212, The Good Government Act, a government omnibus bill, has now received second reading. It repeals the Charitable Gifts Act and amends the Charities Accounting Act. These changes have important implications for Ontario charities .... Read more»
How will Ontario's Nonprofits be Impacted by the HST?
In June 2010 the Province of Ontario will do away with its provincial sales tax (PST) and the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) will come into effect. The stated intent of the Ontario Government is that the impact of HST on our nonprofit sector is revenue neutral. Indeed, the provincial government made a significant effort to ensure this was so by establishing an 82% rebate rate for the PST portion of the HST. However, the government did not have all the information to truly understand the full impact of HST on the sector, nor did we.
Towards this end, ONN convened a cross-sectoral work group, which included a tax expert and lawyer, to examine the potential impact of the harmonization of the PST/GST on the sector and its public. Our HST Constellation wrote a detailed brief which we have submitted to various government ministries, including Revenue, MCI, Culture and the Premier's Office. The brief explains how we think the sector will be impacted and makes eight recommendations on which we hope to see some action. A shorter Executive Summary is also available.
The sector is very diverse and various sub-sectors and organizations will be impacted differently by the harmonization, depending on the features of their GST status. Organizations in the nonprofit sector fall into one of four different classes of sales tax status and, to help you assess the impact of the HST on your organization, ONN has created a “How To” guide.
Is it too late to engage the baby boomers as volunteers?
by Cathy Taylor, Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington
ONN invited Cathy Taylor, Executive Director of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington to share her thoughts on two papers that focus on an emerging issue of significance to scholars and practitioners - the impact of the aging of baby boomers on the nonprofit sector. Here are her thoughts....
I have listened and participated in many debates recently that focus on why people volunteer and why those motivations are important. Clearly, if we understand why people in our neighbourhoods, communities, and our province volunteer – then we can further engage more people or access more time out of the volunteers we have. And this influx of volunteers will grow our organizations and build our communities. The role that volunteers play in our organizations uniquely distinguishes the community benefit sector (or nonprofit sector) from the public and private sectors in our country. Volunteers are our lifeblood.
But the traditional definition of volunteering is now under debate... Read more»
ONN Announcements
- ONN Receives Law Foundation Grant
Charities and nonprofits are working hard to replace shortfalls in charitable and government spending with earned income and business partnerships. ONN is very pleased to have received a grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario to provide groups with the essential information and practical tools with which to structure their new revenue generating initiatives within current legislative and regulatory frameworks.
ONN would also like to congratulate Elizabeth Goldberg, LFO's Executive Director, on her recent Law Society Medal for outstanding service.
- Provincial Meeting of Umbrella Groups
ONN is inviting associations, networks and other umbrella groups from across the province to join us for a networking meeting on Dec. 9th. In addition to talking about how we can be better collaborating, we will also have a social media expert share with us the latest tools and strategies. If you are a network of nonprofits, we'd love to have you join us. Sign up for the last few spots!
ONN has been travelling throughout the province this fall talking with nonprofits. We have done this in partnership with Canadian CED Network and the Ontario Social Economy Roundtable. So far we have done French and English consultations in Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Kingston, Ottawa, Hearst/Kapuskasing, and Guelph/Kitchener Waterloo. We are adding notes from each of these sessions on our website and will be bringing it all together at our April 13th, 2009 Provincial Forum. Read more»
ONN wrote Minister Flaherty in support of Imagine Canada's request to end the current disbursement quota for charities. We stated that Ontario charities are willing to participate in the design of more effective measures to ensure charities do not inappropriately accumulate funds. Please see attached letter. Read more»
- ONN's Newest Advisory Council Members
Since our last enews, ONN's Advisory Council has grown by a further six fabulous people: Tim Simboli (Ottawa Chamber of Voluntary Organizations); Cathy Taylor (Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington & Ontario Volunteer Centre Network); John Rapp (Dovercourt Recreation Association); Kelly Duffin (Canadian Hearing Society); Patrick Johnson (Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation & Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation); and Judith Maxwell (Canadian Policy Research Networks). See the full list of ONN's Advisory Council at right.
- NEW! Nonprofits and Technology Constellation
ONN has been approached by a number of people interested in forming a "Nonprofits and Technology" Constellation. If you would like to be part of this new group, please email us.
Visit our website for details
Sector News & Events
The proposed stretch tax credit would increase the current federal charitable tax credit for donations over $200, from 29% to 39%, but only on giving that exceeds the donor’s previous highest level. Imagine has drafted a letter which can be tailored by groups who want to write to their local members of Parliament to indicate their support of this proposal.
December 2, London
December 7, Ottawa
Resources
Two of ONN's Steering Committee members - Peter Clutterbuck and Rob Howarth - were part of the SPNO Research Team that put together this new report which documents the increasing demand for social services and the lost revenue from funding cuts driven by the economic downturn.
- Building Community Vitality: A Leadership Toolkit
The Community Foundations of Canada have put together an online toolkit which offers users a wide range of practical resources to help them explore the concept of community leadership as it applies to their organization.
Canadian MPs were invited to participate in a study to gauge how they use online communications and respond to grassroots campaigns. Read the complete results and find out how best to communicate with MPs.
As a first step in their year-long social media research initiative, Idealware has compiled a library of nearly 200 resources on social media. A great one-stop shop!
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