Voluntary Organizations and their Businesses: Factors Influencing Success

Publisher:  Dept.of the Secretary of State of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Year Published:  1988
Pages:  84pp   Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX4139

Abstract: 
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role and nature of small businesses initiated by the voluntary sector in Canada. The paper examines the types of businesses initiated by voluntary organizations, operational characteristics of the most successful of these businesses, their record of performance, and obstacles limiting their success. The role of government, the private sector and other organizations in Canadian society in relation to these businesses is also discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations designed to maximize the success of the business of voluntary organizations over the next decade.
The purpose of the second booklet is to examine a number of key factors influencing the success of small businesses initiated by the voluntary sector in Canada. The paper examines successful organizational structures employed by voluntary sector enterprises (VSEs), sources for and obstacles to the financing of VSEs, the legal and tax implications of current legislation of VSEs, and appropriate approaches to training for voluntary sector entrepreneurship. The paper concludes with recommendations intended to maximize the impact of the VSE as an effective instrument to promote economic and social development.