CINP900 Critical Analysis of a Nonprofit Issue

Nonprofits have to make decisions on important issues all the time. Before they make a decision,
they have to understand and assess the problem, identify who is affected, think about options to
address the issue, and make a recommendation on the approach that best addresses the problem and
fits the nonprofit values, mission and capacity.

This assignment gives you the opportunity to look closely at an issue or problem facing the nonprofit
sector. You will conduct research on your issue to analyse the problem and to identify possible
options and solutions.

Your critical analysis should include three elements: the question/issue/focus of your paper;
discussion and analysis of the issue you are looking at; your conclusion or recommendations. The
questions or points included under each heading (below) give you a sense of the type of content that
should be included in the section – this are suggestions rather than requirements and the content of
each section will vary depending on the focus of the paper. You are not required/expected to answer
every question.

The question, issue, or focus

• Describe the issue, policy, or problem.
• Why is it important? Who says it is an issue? What evidence is there to support the issue? How
  does the issue impact the sector or part of the sector? This might include program statistics,
  costs, estimates of need, research on the issue, references from 'experts' - what evidence do
  you have to demonstrate that this is an issue.
• What is the background to the issue? Does the issue have a history? Have others tried to
  address it in the past?
• Introduce your nonprofit.

Discussion/Analysis

• Depending in the topic, this may include:
• The stakeholders - Who is affected by the issue? What are their perspectives on the
  issue and the options? Stakeholders can include other nonprofits, businesses,
  government, clients, partners, staff, community members or the public at large.
• Positions, options, or alternatives - What are the options or alternatives to address the
  issue?
• This section will include analysis and assessment – Critically assess the issue and support your position based on evidence that you have found from your research.
• What is your position on the issue? Why?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different options?

Recommendations/Conclusions

• What is the best approach to address the issue/question? Why?
• What is the likely impact? How will it be received? Impacts might include implications in terms
  of: finances (costs, revenues), staff or volunteers, relationships with government, relationships
  with other nonprofits, implications for client group and/or community, credibility/trust, policy
  change, service impact, etc. (You aren’t expected to include details of the costs or staffing or other implications but you should identify if there will be an impact and whether it is small or large, and positive or negative.)
• Reflection - what do nonprofits need to do to better address this issue in the future? Given all the issues covered in this course related to the nonprofit sector and anything else you have come across during your research for this paper, what actions do you think nonprofits could take to be more impactful in addressing your chosen issue?

Topics

These topics reflect current issues in the nonprofit sector - revenue diversification, use of volunteers,
equity, diversity, and inclusion, collaboration, social enterprise, etc. As you can see, some of the
assignment questions are broad sector level, while others focus on the organizational level to give an
opportunity to apply your understanding of the sector issue to a nonprofit.

While you are welcome to apply the questions to a nonprofit that you are familiar with (through work
or volunteering), it is not necessary to apply these questions to a specific nonprofit and you don’t
need to have experience or knowledge of a nonprofit. Most of the topics are generic - you can talk in
general about nonprofits. However, you will likely find that it is easier to make a few assumptions as
part of the paper - what type of organization (service delivery, membership, advocacy, community
development), scope (national, provincial, regional, local), size (small, medium, large), human
resource capacity (staff or volunteers or both), financial capacity (donations, government funding,
government contracts, foundations …), etc. - because these will have implications for your analysis.

Possible topics:

• The course has explored the three main roles that nonprofits play. In your opinion, should
  nonprofits focus on one role or should they play multiple roles? What are the benefits and
  challenges of singular vs. multiple roles? Why?
• The nonprofit sector is firmly anchored in a set of values that distinguish it from the state (or
  public sector) and the private sector (or for-profit businesses). Do you agree or disagree with
  this statement? Share your perspective on the question and explain why.
• The course has described changes taking place between the 3 sectors in relation to social
  innovation, social finance, and increased accountability. Do you see these developments as an
  advancement of a neoliberal agenda or are they a more pragmatic approach to dealing with
  society's stickiest problems? Conduct research and argue a position in the paper.
• What are the key challenges to a more respectful, fair, and equity-based relationship with
  Indigenous-focused and -led organizations and what are some ways that the nonprofit sector
  can overcome them?
  • In your opinion, what are the three key points in the development of Canada’s nonprofit
  sector. Why are they important? How did they influence the shape and scope of the sector?
• Which is more important for nonprofits – financial resources or people resources? Why? You
  must choose a side and argue the position.
• Does social enterprise represent a viable revenue stream for nonprofits and charities? Conduct
  research and advise on the pros and cons. What is your position on social enterprise?
• Nonprofit mergers are often suggested as a way to reduce pressure on the sector and bring
  other benefits. What do you think – are nonprofit mergers a good thing? What are the pros
  and cons of mergers and consolidations in the sector?
• Funders and others challenge nonprofits to be more accountable for how they have used their
  resources and for the results they have achieved. Is this fair? How can nonprofits be more
  accountable?
• Should nonprofits partner with businesses? What are the risks and potential benefits for
  nonprofit organizations? Does the answer vary if the organization is large or small? Does it
  vary depending on the sub-sector – for example arts or housing?
• The funding climate puts pressure on organizations to diversify funding sources. Pick an
  organization to identify and assess revenue diversification options. Make a recommendation
  regarding diversification to the board of directors.
• A nonprofit is considering whether to add a manager position to manage their volunteers –
  advise the board on the potential role, relationships, advantages and possible drawbacks of
  adding this type of position.
• A nonprofit organization has been challenged by the community as not having an adequately
  diverse staff group to meet the needs of the racially and culturally diverse community that it
  serves. How would you assess the situation and propose responding to these expressed
  community concerns?
• A nonprofit has been asked to join a service collaboration – a collective impact initiative.
  What are the pros and cons of collective impact? What advice would you give to the board of
  directors?
• The board of directors wants to play a stronger role in exercising the organization’s social
  mission by advocating for their issue and/or community. What are the options and what
  would you recommend?

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