The capacity challenges of nonprofit, community-based organizations

This mixed method case study explored the capacity challenges of neighbourhood based community centres related to the areas of governance and leadership, program delivery, financial management and human resources. The study involved the examination of three community centres with multi-mandates (i.e., provide programs and services to individuals from pre-school to seniors in the areas of social, educational, recreational and health) and utilized three phases of data collection: 1) surveys with board members; 2) focus groups with all boards and staff; and 3) document review which examined pertinent organizational policies and procedures. Questions were aimed at gaining an understanding of some of the challenges faced by staff and administrators of neighbourhood based community centres, as there a gap in the research in this particular area. Research findings identified a number of related challenges facing non-profit organizations specifically in the areas of funding and staffing and how these challenges impact both day to day operations and longer term sustainability. More research is needed with nonprofit organizations that have these broader mandates and diverse operational challenges, hence greater capacity building challenges.

Building connections: political participation, social capital and the built environment in St. John's, Newfoundland

How does where we live affect how we live? Do characteristics of the built environment affect the civic and social lives of the people living there? This study examines these questions at the neighbourhood scale in the Canadian city of St. John's, Newfoundland. To do so, it combines data from a survey measuring respondents' social capital (defined as a combination of social participation, social trust, and civic participation) and a "built environment audit" that records the built characteristics of each respondent's neighbourhood. The study finds a significant, positive relationship between the walkability of a neighbourhood and the social capital of the people living there. This relationship is driven primarily by the effect of the built environment on voluntary participation and relationships with neighbours. The study also tests several methods of measuring walkability, and finds that an objective measure based on street geometry is the best predictor of social capital.