Building blocks for strong communities

A Profile of Small- and Medium-Sized Organizations in Canada Preface This report is one of four produced by Imagine Canada and the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) as part of a study of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small- and medium-sized community organizations (SMOs) in Canada. [...] The purpose of the report is to develop a fact-based portrait of the characteristics, contributions and capacity challenges of small and medium community sector organizations. [...] In an effort to fill some of the data gaps identified in the literature review and begin the exploration of the size, scope, challenges and contributions of SMOs, we examined two existing data sources: the NSNVO and CRA’s T3010 returns. [...] The NSNVO data provide a first-ever portrait of the size and scope of SMOs, the amount of financial and human resources available to SMOs and the capacity challenges they face. [...] Four kinds of activities are considered to be potentially charitable: • the relief of poverty; • the advancement of religion; • the advancement of education; and • other purposes of a charitable nature beneficial to the community as a whole.