Published by the National Sport and Recreation Centre, Ottawa, 1983 (English/French)
REVIEWED BY JOYCE FORSTER This report is a summary of the findings of a national survey of policy-making volunteers in fitness, physical activity, recreation and sports organizations which was conceived and supported fmancially by Fitness Canada, Fitness and Amateur Sport and co-ordinated under the auspices of the National Sport and Recreation Centre.It is based on the responses of more than 500 volunteer leaders from over 300 organizations and more than 100 professional staff from volunteer organizations, as well as consultants, at all levels of government, to a study conducted by Eastwest Consulting of Thornbury, Ontario.
The study survey focused on identifying volunteer leaders, the skills they need to be effective, or more effective, leaders and the best methods of delivering the necessary training to current and potential leaders. The report is well organized and the findings, presented with clarity and brevity, are grouped in the following sections: Background to the Study, Findings and Directions for Action.
The information on the background, design and respondents of the study will be of interest to both groups of organizations and single organizations (particularly those of national scope) who are considering a similar type of national survey.
However, it is in the section entitled “The Findings” that other organizations will find the most food for thought. Anyone familiar with voluntary organizations will recognize that the profile of volunteer leaders and their responsibilities and problems is applicable to all, not just sports-related groups. Training and development needs are also common to many types of voluntary organization. The summary of the needs expressed and of the types of training programs that can be developed is well worth careful study. A particularly interesting recommendation of the study consultants that” . . . the development of skilled trainers should be an integral part of any volunteer leadership development program”, is widely, and unwisely, overlooked although the volunteer-training programs of, for example, Canadian Hadassah-Wizo and The Junior League should long since have demonstrated the worth of the idea.
Finally, although the “Directions for Action” are, of necessity, specific to sportsrelated organizations, there are many other groups to which they could easily be adapted. The program outlined includes a management development program, a training program for trainers, a national clearinghouse for information and a national task force. The target date for implementation of this ambitious national program is the fall of 1985.In the meantime, organizations which understand that “making the most of resources” includes making the most of volunteerresources will find a good deal to ponder in these 20 (English) or 24 (French) pages.
The Volunteer Leader In Physical Activity and Sport is available without charge from:
The Management Development Program for Volunteers in Recreation Fitness and Sport 3rd Floor, Tower “A”
333 River Road Vanier, Ontario K1L8H9
The Ten Lost Commandments of Fund Raising
by Lyman Henderson
REVIEWED BY D. PAUL SCHAFER
Associate Professor and Co-Ordinator of the Co-operative Programme in Arts
Administration, University of Toronto
Informative, entertaining and very valuable-these words best describe Lyman Henderson’s superb booklet on the art and science of fund raising.
Although fund raising has ancient origins, it is amazing how the field has evolved and expanded over the last few decades. There are many reasons for this, particularly the post-war growth of many non-profit institutions in the arts, education, science, health and welfare, and the tendency for private and public agencies to apply matching conditions to their grants and donations. Today, fund raising in Canada is a highly organized and competitive activity, with thousands of fundraising projects each year and hundreds of thousands of volunteers eagerly searching for funds for a variety of worthwhile endeavours.
When one thinks of the giants in the field, one thinks of people like Ed Bovey, Gordon Goldie, Max Tapper and Lyman Henderson. When one of these giants decides to share the fund-raising secrets of a lifetime, there are always many around who are anxious to listen.
Like the original Ten Commandments, the lost commandments of effective fund raising are hard to learn and easy to forget. Fund-raising campaigns are often less successful than they would otherwise be because fund raisers have failed to reward their donors; protect their base of support; say thank you; compete to win; be professional; be persistent; utilize top-notch canvassers; or make personal contact with those who control the purse strings. As the author observes, there is simply no substitute for face-to-face contact. It has a success rate many times higher than the telephone call or the unsolicited or even solicited letter.
There are many things I like about Lost Commandments. Not only is it filled withuseful insights and well-placed wit, but also it simplifies what is for many a very bewildering and mysterious process. By virtue of the fact that it says so much, I can see it being used by professionals and novices alike: by professionals to remind themselves of wisdom they now take for granted, and by novices to equip themselves with the techniques that are needed to operate effectively in the field. Everything is here-priorities, procedures, the best allocation oflimited time, and the rudiments of a full-fledged campaign.
One feature which struck a particularly responsive chord in me was the “Postambulation” at the end. Here, the author reminds us that fund raisers are “extra special people”. In an age when so many people are busy promoting their own causes, fund raisers are dedicated to promoting the causes of others. How much richer arts organizations, educational institutions, political parties, social agencies, athletic associations and health activities are as a result. Their fund raisers are people who truly enrich the community through the tenacity of their commitment and the strength of their resolve.
What I like most about this timely addition to the literature is the fact that it works. Just last year, as president of Comus Music Theatre of Canada, I used it to pick the pockets of-Lyman Henderson!
The Ten Lost Commandments of Fund Raising is available without charge from:
The Council for Business and the Arts in Canada Suite 1507
P.O. Box 7
401 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5H2Y4
Grants for International and Foreign Programs
Published by the Foundation Center, New York, 1984, U.S. $28
A COMMENT BY JOHN W. McDOWALL
Director, Corporations & Foundations Advancement Program, McGill University
The recently issued Grants for International and Foreign Programs, published by the Foundation Center inNew York, provides interesting reading and gives rise to some thoughts on U.S. foundations’ giving in Canada. This publication lists all U.S. foundation giving (grants of $5,000 or more) to international programs both in the U.S.A. and abroad.
The period it covers is 1982 and early 1983. During that time U.S. foundations gave $125,119,049 in overall grants for international purposes. This was approximately eight per cent of their total grants which were reported in the Foundation Center’s 1982 Grants Index as being $1,490,246.Of this total, $72,720,957 or 58 per cent of international grants went to U.S. institutions. The remaining $52,398,095 ( 42 per cent) went to foreign institutions. Canadian institutions received but $4,530,046 of this latter amount( or seven per cent of the foreign allocation) in the form of some 42 grants ranging from $700,000 to $5,000.1t is significantthat grants to Canadian institutions in 1982 thus totalled less than .3 of one per cent of total U.S. foundation giving.
Almost without exception the endowments of U.S. foundations come from funds accumulated in business and industry. It is difficult to determine, but generally well accepted, that American principals control45 to 50 per cent of the corporate wealth of Canada. Certainly the returned profit of Canadian subsidiaries of U.S. corporations is a major factor affecting Canada’s balance of payments with the United States.
How much U.S. foundations should, in fairness, give to Canadian charitable institutions is difficult to assess. If one assumes Canada’s population is one-tenth that of the United States, and that even two-fifths of Canadian business is under American control, a conjectural figure of four per cent of the total foreign donations emerges-some 15 times more than is donated at present.
