Standards Program for nonprofits

A new program from Imagine Canada  (see below)

Imagine Canada's new Standards Program launched on May 8th!  Designed to strengthen public confidence in the charitable and nonprofit sector, the Standards Program is among the first of its kind at a national level.  It offers accreditation to charities and nonprofits that can demonstrate excellence in five key areas:

• board governance;
• financial accountability & transparency;
• ethical fundraising;
• staff management; and,
• volunteer involvement.

The Standards Program is first and foremost a capacity-building initiative. Any organization may use the standards to improve and monitor its practices. Information about how to comply with the standards, as well as tools and resources to help organizations continue to strengthen their practices, is available free of charge. Organizations wishing to demonstrate publicly that they meet the standards can participate in a voluntary peer-review-based accreditation process.  Download our Overview of the Standards Program powerpoint for more information.

Mission: To build excellence within Canada’s charities and nonprofits through common standards of practice and to strengthen confidence in the sector.

The Standards Program is first and foremost a capacity-building initiative. Any organization may use the standards to improve and monitor its practices. Information about how to comply with the standards, as well as tools and resources to help organizations continue to strengthen their practices, is available free of charge. Organizations wishing to demonstrate publicly that they meet the standards can participate in a voluntary peer-review-based accreditation process.

Be among the first to participate in the new Standards Program for Charities and Nonprofits

Organizations interested in achieving accreditation sign-up by submitting a Participation Agreement and application fee and are then given access to the following resources, tools, and support:

• an online application platform,
• an online community where you can find and share policies and processes with other applicants,
• tailored support throughout the preparation process from Imagine Canada staff including sample policies and procedures, and,
• staff support to prepare for accreditation (e.g., feedback on your application through one-on-one teleconferences, etc.).

Final applications and supporting materials must be submitted for peer review via our online application platform by November 30, 2012.

Organizations that submit their participation agreement and application fee by the early-bird deadline of Friday, June 15th will receive access to several resourcesat no cost.  To learn more about the Standards Program, review the following documents:

for more information, go the web link below.

Standards Program | Imagine Canada