Recommended Links for Rural Nonprofits

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Rural Stakeholders:

The Ontario Rural Council (TORC)

The Ontario Rural Council is a trusted forum which brings together those who share a commitment to building strong rural communities and organizations. The council provides a unique and important opportunity for multi-sector co-operation within the rural sector.

 

The Centre for Rural Leadership (TCRL)

The Centre for Rural Leadership, incorporated in 2002, is an  organization designed to offer agricultural and rural leadership programming. The concept of The centre arose from the Agricultural Leadership Trust’s desire to build a long-term, stable foundation for the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP), one of the longest-running, most successful agricultural leadership development programs in the world.

 

Junior Farmers' Association of Ontario (JFAO)

Building future rural leaders through self-help and community betterment.

 

Ontario Institute of Agrologists (OIA) 

A vital network of competent members providing quality advice and service to the agri-food system. Our mission is to inspire excellence in our members."

 

Ontario Nature: Federation of Ontario Naturalists

Ontario Nature protects and restores natural habitats through research, education and conservation, connecting thousands of individuals and communities with nature.

           

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Here you will find a wealth of information on Ontario's dynamic agri-food industry and rural communities and the services and programs OMAF provides.

 

Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

A wealth of resources and information relevant to Ontario’s municipalities, landlords and homeowners.  You can find the provincial rural information portal for Ontario, REDDI- the Rural Economic Development Data and Intelligence project here as well.

 

Rural Secretariat (Federal)

Supporting local solutions to local challenges

 

Canadian Rural Partnerships

Supporting local solutions to local challenges

 


 

Rural Research Links and Organizations:

 

Rural & Small Town Canada- Analysis Bulletin  

Releases in Stats Can series on going research in small town and rural in Canada.

 

Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation

"Building Rural Economies for the 2000’s."

 

The New Rural Economy

The New Rural Economy Project (NRE) is a five-year research and education program underway in rural Canada. It is a collaborative undertaking bringing together rural people, researchers, policy-analysts, the business community, and government agencies at all levels to identify and address vital rural issues. It is conducted at the national level with historical and statistical data analysis, and at the local level with case studies involving community and household surveys.

 

Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence

The Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence is one of the Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health supported by the Women’s Health Bureau of Health Canada. The Centres are dedicated to improving the health status of Canadian women by supporting policy-oriented, and community-based research and analysis on the social determinants of women’s health.

 

University of Guelph, School of Environmental Design and Rural Planning and Development

University of Guelph School made up of the Departments of Landscape Architecture, Rural Planning and Development and Rural Extension Studies.

 

The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research at The University of New Brunswick has a focus and concern on rural research related to family violence.

 

The New Rural Economy research initiative has a home base at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University.

 

There is the Rural and Small Town Programme  at Mount Allison University.

 

The Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research has 2 sites, one at Laurentian University, Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research and one at Lakehead University, Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research.

 

The British Columbia Rural & Remote Health Research Institute at the University of Northern British Columbia.

 

There is the Rural Development Institute and Department of Rural Development at Brandon University.

 

The Centre for TeleLearning and Rural Education located in the Faculty of Education at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

 

The University of New Brunswick has a focus and concern in rural research..

 

There is Rural Research Centre located at The Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

 

The Department of Rural Economy is located at The University of Alberta as well as The Rural Advanced Community of Learners Project (RACOL).

 

The Institute of Agricultural Rural & Environmental Health – I.ARE.H and the Centre for Studies in Agriculture, Law and the Environment (CSALE) are both located at the University of Saskatchewan,.

 

The Center for Rural Studies and Enrichment at St. Peter's College where you will find the Rural Canadian Research Inventory.

 

French Language Universities interested in rural research:

 


 

Community Economic and Social Development:

 

Community and Economic Development Resource (CEDR)

CEDR is designed to help you advance your community's economic development strategies. Whether you are just getting started or looking to rejuvenate your community and economic development plans, CEDR can help you identify the range of strategies available and how Ontario's programs and services can help you.

 

Tamarack: An Institute for Community Engagement

Organization to aid in the development of vibrant communities

 

Sustainable Communities Knowledge Network: Centre for Sustainable Community Development.

An interactive Web-based clearinghouse for knowledge and best practices in sustainable community development.

 

Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet)

Action by people locally to create economic opportunities and enhance social conditions in their communities on a sustainable and inclusive basis, particularly with those who are most disadvantaged.

 

Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)

To champion the economic and social strength of Australia’s regional, rural and remote communities through partnerships with the private sector, philanthropy and governments.

 

Centre for Rural Social Research

A rural and regional Australia that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

           

The Aspen Institute 

The mission of the Aspen Institute is to foster enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote the pursuit of common ground and deeper understanding in a nonpartisan and non-ideological setting.

 


 

Charity/Nonprofit Organization, Management and Development:

 

Worldphilanthropists.org

Worldphilanthropists.org is a non-denominational, non-political organization designed to bring together on one site as much relevant information as possible on the subject of philanthropy.

 

Canadian Sites:

 

Community Foundations of Canada (CFC)

Growing network of over 136 community foundations

 

Canadian Centre for Philanthropy

The Canadian Centre for Philanthropy is a national charitable organization dedicated to advancing the role and interests of the voluntary sector for the benefit of Canadian communities.

 

Pan Canadian Community Futures Network "Your gateway to a network of 268 Community Economic Development offices across Canada"

 

Ontario Trillium Foundation

One of Canada’s leading charitable grant-making foundations.

 

Canada Business Service Centres 

Links to government departments and some private sector information sources.

 

Fundsnet

List of foundations and services for nonprofit fundraising in Canada and Austrailia.

 

Canada Revenue Agency Registered Charities information

Registers qualifying organizations as charities, gives technical advice on operating a charity, and handles audit and compliance activities.  List of charities, has list of last 12 months of recently added and last 12 months- recently revoked, you can download the list to search in word.

 

Charity Village

Canada's supersite for the nonprofit sector --- 3,000 pages of news, jobs, information and resources for executives, staffers, donors, and volunteers.

 

United Way Canada

"To improve lives and build community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action."

 

Canadian Fundraiser

Subscribe to their e-newsletter for free

 

Imagine Canada (Formerly the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy)

Canadian Directory of Foundations - researched profiles and grant information on over 1,700 foundations that are actively granting in Canada.   Links to the various other initiatives such as the Research and Stats page on Canadians relationships to Nonprofits as well as Library with 40% downloadable titles of relevance to nonprofits and sectors Nonprofitscan, The Knowledge Development Centre, and philanthropy promotion page at Imagine Canada and their Volunteer research initiative Giving and Volunteering.

 

Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)

Links to chapters around the world, various in Canada, GTA, Southern Canada, etc….

 

Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement Canada (APRA)

Membership benefits include: Networking, Membership Directory, Discounted Prices for APRA Canada Professional Development Days, APRA Canada Newsletter (published quarterly), Mentor opportunities.

Philanthropic Foundations Canada

Our mission is to promote the growth and development of effective and responsible foundations and to foster a social and regulatory environment that encourages philanthropic contribution.

 

reBOOT Canada

A Nonprofit charity providing computer hardware, training and technical support to charities, nonprofits and people with limited access to technology.

 

American Sites of Interest:

 

Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement USA -APRA

Timely information about research trends and industry happenings

 

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

NCRP is an independent nonprofit that works to strengthen the nonprofit sector and improve its ability to represent and serve individuals politically, economically, or socially disadvantaged, by promoting greater philanthropic openness and accountability, and responsiveness to these individuals.

 

Southern Rural Development Initiative

"Partnering with community leaders to build strong, just and sustainable rural communities throughout the South." The SRDI is dedicated to addressing rural quality of life in 12 southeast US states.

 

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

The newspaper of the nonprofit world

 

National Rural Funders Collaborative

A partnership of national and regional funders; grass roots leaders and practitioners; and state, regional, and federal policy advocates and agencies working to expand resources for rural communities and families facing persistent poverty.

 

Foundation Center

Info related to US Foundations-but there is cross over relevance to fundraising

 


 

Social Enterprise:

 

Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship (CCSE)

An information clearinghouse on the latest developments in social entrepreneurship in Canada and internationally.

 

Centre for Community Enterprise          

Great digital bookshop with many free items and others at nominal charges, plus a great magazine called “Making Waves”.

Social Capital Partners                          

Social Capital Partners will invest in revenue generating social enterprises that employ populations outside the economic mainstream in Canada. The goal of these social enterprises will be to acquire scale, to eventually exist without external funding, and to create improved social outcomes and financial self-sufficiency for the populations they employ.  SCP will be a catalyst for encouraging other creative approaches in the sector aimed at improving social outcomes through the use of innovative funding mechanisms.

Social and Enterprise Development Innovations 

A national charitable organization dedicated to enabling poor, unemployed and under-employed people to become self-sufficient.

 

Social Venture Network

A community of leaders-company founders, private investors, social entrepreneurs and key influencers-who share a commitment to building a just and sustainable world through business. The relationships and initiatives born within our network have ranged from lasting friendships to investment deals to founding organizations to political action.

Social Enterprise Alliance

Mobilizing communities of nonprofit organizations and funders to advance earned income strategies, in partnership with Olszak they provide the Social Enterprise Research Directory.

Olszak Social Enterprise Research Directory

A resource for anyone interested in the field of social entrepreneurship, including businesses, nonprofit organizations, consultants, researchers, academicians, students, funders and investors.

 

Harvard Business School-Working Knowledge: Social Enterprise

 

Community Action Network (CAN) Social Entrepreneurs

Organization out of England that has a very well put together social enterprise business plan.

 


 

Volunteerism:

 

Voluntary Sector Roundtable (VSR)

The VSR began in 1995 to bring about collaboration within the voluntary sector on issues of common concern.

 

National Survey – Giving, Volunteering and Participating

  

Voluntary Sector Initiative - VSI

Strengthening the sector's capacity

 

Volunteer in Canada

Canada’s Site for information on volunteering

 


 

Prospect Research:

 

Report on Business 

Link to the magazine, links to Canada's Top 1000 companies and other such investor information.

 

StatsCanada 

Daily news releases at 8:30am.

 

SEDAR   

You can search for public company documents (annual reports- etc) and mutual company documents. This resource is great for targeting individuals. You can look for things like, exercisable wealth, un-exercisable wealth, and watch for a company that might be sold because Directors will need to unload money related to that company prior to its sale. They can be great targets for donations. All annual reports are here. Look for what directors have in what companies. System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval is the electronic filing system for the disclosure documents of public companies in Canada. SEDAR profiles contain basic information such as addresses and contact names. The Search Database screen is useful to find names of companies only. When in a company profile, go to public documents at the bottom of the screen and click on VIEW From the displayed list Select annual information form, Click on that. A list of board members will be displayed, often with their corporate stock holdings.

SEDI 

System for Electronic Disclosure by insiders- dissemination for insider reports.

 

Toronto Stock Exchange 

Canada's foremost capital market with over 1,400 listed companies offering over 1,600 issues, provides investors with a diverse range of stocks, proprietary derivatives, indexes and key market information.

 

Corporate Information Site 

Free registration.

 

CCInet

CCInet helps you to explore company giving programs, social responsibility sites and other online resources for yourself, by giving you easy access to company listings and other links of interest NOTE: This information often also appears on the corporate website under the banner of community, community relations and sometimes even donations or philanthropy. Try the press releases to see what they have said about themselves.

           

Advice for investors.com

Carlson Online is a source of current, unbiased investment information for the Canadian investor. They draw from 15-minute delayed stock quotes, annual reports, financial statements, discussion groups, company web sites, and press releases from three major Canadian wire services. You can find information on any Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Alberta, Winnipeg listed, or CDN quoted company by any of three ways: Enter its root symbol, or partial company name, or select an industry/ exchange combination.

 

Info on Private companies

Select Company Directories, then Database of Federally Incorporated Companies, enter the company name and retrieve government profiles for national or multi-provincial corporations listed in the Corporate Directorate's database. Information will include location, directors, gross revenues and more. Here you can obtain contact addresses for the firm and home address for the directors. Each section of the record is dated as to the last update.

 


 

News and Media Links of Interest to Rural Ontario:

 

Organizing, managing and funding your not-for-profit or social enterprise idea will be well served by keeping informed.  Maybe it is the announcement of new funding in your geographical area or for your specific cause, or maybe it is a tidbit of news that helps to bolster your case for support, but being in the know will help you prosper, grow and take advantage of timely opportunities.

 

Regional business, industry and news links to local Ontario and Canada rural relevant information and news:

 

Economic Development Directory

Lists economic development agencies around the world.

 

Northern Ontario Business Gateway

 

Business Executive; serving Southern and South Western Ontario

 

Canadian Agriculture Online

 

AgriNews; serving Eastern Ontario

 

Ontario Farmer Report

Agri-market reports and agricultural news./span>

 

Small Farm Canada

This will promote small-scale farming as a legitimate and viable endeavour. The magazine's editorial position is that the lives of small-scale farmers and their families are worthy, complex and rich in possibility, and that the communities serving small-scale farmers are unique and dynamic. Through attractive presentation and well-written, independent-minded articles (free of orthodoxies) the magazine will entertain, inform, inspire and challenge readers across Canada.

 


 

Sites to help filter through the vast news sites on the internet:

           

Canadian Newswire

E-alerts subscriptions available for free.

 

Journalism Net

A great list of various search engines and other sites to help you muddle through the vast info on the Internet.

 

Infomart

Another pay-per-view service but again you can use the info you find based on keyword searches to search further on other free sites, you can look at news in industry sector news as well as a general current events.

 

Globe & Mail 

Business section, national and international coverage.

 

National Post

More info is available to subscribers but there are headlines to browse and one sentence from each story.

 

Financial Post

More info is available to subscribers but there are headlines to browse.

 

Ontario Community Newspapers Association

Gateway to 268 community newspapers across Ontario, arranged by region, Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern.  Links provided to those newspapers that are online and links to other Provincial Community Newspapers Associations.

 

Newspapers in Ontario  

Alternate listing of Ontario newspaper outlets, web-links provided for those that are online.

           

Community Newspapers across Canada

  Community newspapers across Canada

 

NewsVoyager 

Links to papers around the world in one site.

 


 

Political Information and News:

 

Activity in the political spectrum will affect how you can fund, manage or operate your nonprofit.  Keeping abreast of all the political news and changes is a very good idea.  Here are a bunch of sites to look at when your interested in this info.

 

Municipal Government Info:

 

Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA)

ROMA is the rural municipal voice of the Province. The association is an integral  part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and has a number of its Board members which serve on the AMO Board of Directors. Policy and research activities are undertaken by ROMA through the staff at AMO.

 

Association of Ontario Municipalities 

Inter-government relations and policy development; information gathering and disseminating on all issues affecting municipalities.

 

Federation of Canadian Municipalities  

The national voice of municipal government since 1901, link to site on sustainable communities.

 

Provincial Government Info:

 

Province of Ontario                              

Portal to the Ontario provincial government.

This page contains links to the official government Web sites of Canada's provinces and territories.

 Ontario Legislature                               

Portal to the Ontario Legislature
 

Federal Government Info:

Canadian Federal Government Site        

Your portal to our federal government

Canadian Senete and House pages

Senate. The Upper House of the Canadian Parliament consisting ordinarily of 105 Senators appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Senate possesses all of the powers of the House of Commons except that of initiating financial legislation. 

House of Commons. The elected part of the Parliament of Canada. Made up of 301 Members, the House alone is constitutionally authorized to introduce legislation concerned with the raising or spending of funds.

Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB) of the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS)

Links to Canadian provincial, federal and international government information sites.

 

University of Waterloo Library- government links site

Can’t find the info you want on any of the other sites?  Check in here and maybe they have a direct link to what your looking for.

 

Please Note: This is not an "official" list. This list was compiled by the Foundation for Rural Living. The Foundation will strive to keep this list as up-to-date and accurate as possible. If any error is observed please contact us.

 © Foundation for Rural Living, 2004