Government Relations News

November 15, 2007

Call to Action for CAGP-ACPDP™ Members

Canadian Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participation (CSGVP) at risk…

CAGP is collaborating with Imagine Canada and other national organizations to ask the federal Industry Minister and Treasury Board ministers to maintain funding for the Canadian Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participation (CSGVP) and the Satellite Account.

The CSGVP is a national survey carried out by Statistics Canada every three years. The Satellite Account is an annual report prepared by Statistics Canada based on institutional data that provides key estimates about the economic activity of the sector. Together, the CSGVP and Satellite Account provide important economic data for Canada’s 161,000 charities and nonprofit organizations to support their core fundraising, volunteer engagement and community service activities. The latest report can be found at: http://www.givingandvolunteering.ca/pdf/CSGVP_Highlights_2004_en.pdf

Possible program cuts

In summer 2007, Statistics Canada was chosen as one of the 17 agencies/departments to execute expenditure review this fiscal year. The CSGVP and Satellite Account were included in the items put forward by Statistics Canada for expenditure review. In fall 2007, the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) will decide which items go forward for consideration by Cabinet; any program cuts are expected to be announced in Budget 2008, anticipated in February 2008.

Statistics Canada has limited flexibility in identifying 5% of its budget for possible cuts as almost all of its survey work is mandated by statute and because it already had its administrative budget significantly reduced in the September 2006 federal budget cuts.

“For CAGP members, the discontinuation of the CSGVP reports and data would be a substantial loss”, states Diane MacDonald, Executive Director of CAGP-ACPDP™. “There is very little data of this substance in Canada and this would indeed affect our ability to measure the progress of our sector”.

Letter Writing Action requested.

The current Minister of Industry, the Honourable Jim Prentice, would like to hear from organizations about the importance of the CSGVP and Satellite Account. We are encouraging CAGP members to ask the Minister not to eliminate the CSGVP and Satellite Account because of the negative consequences of such a cut to the capacity, effectiveness and productivity of Canada's charities and nonprofit organizations. Timing is of the essence as the Treasury Board Secretariat is expected to start making decisions in November.

A sample letter to Industry Minister Prentice is attached to this notice.

Thank you to all CAGP Members for your assistance in communicating to the Minister the value of the CSGVP and Satellite Account to Canada’s charities and nonprofits and the communities they serve is vitally important.

Click here to download the sample letter.

For more information contact:

Diane MacDonald
Executive Director
Canadian Association of Gift Planners
diane@cagp-acpdp.org
613-232-7991 / 1-888-430-9494