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Non-Profit Management Laboratory (NML)

The nonprofit sector is one of the key segments of Canadian socio-economic system. Over 180,000 nonprofit organizations and charities in Canada offer various community and philanthropic services to support the public. Nonprofit organizations operate in complex and dynamic environments. The insufficiency of financial and human resources and the overwhelming intensity of service provision causes leaders to fall short of management threats.  

The Nonprofit Management Laboratory at CBAP conducts applied research with the aim to help nonprofit organizations and managers design, develop and use management science to increase their impact and organizational performance. We also conduct conceptual and empirical research to investigate strategic impact management, risk management and operations management in the nonprofit sector. 

Current Research

  • Multidimensional impact measurement  
  • Risk management framework for the nonprofit sector  
  • Strategic evaluation, planning, and implementation 
  • Social enterprise business modeling  

Funded Projects & Research Publications

  • Nault, K., Ruhi, U., & Livvarcin, O. (2020). Exploring the Applications & Challenges of Data Analytics in Non-Profit Organizations. (Link)

Researchers

  • Omer Livvarcin 
    CEO, Vectors Group  
    Part-time Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa 
     
  • Umar Ruhi 
    Director, Centre for Business Analytics & Performance 
    Associate Professor, Business Analytics & Information Systems, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa 
     
  • Kim Nault 
    Ph.D. Student, Digital Transformation & Innovation, University of Ottawa 
     
  • Rick Nason 
    Associate Professor, Rowe School of Management, Dalhousie University
     
     

Participating Organizations

Non-Profit Management Research

The University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, in partnership with Vectors Group, a consulting firm specializing in non-profit management, are collaborating in a research initiative to investigate and develop best practices in non-profit management and performance measurement.

The Non-profit Management Laboratory (NML) connects non-profit organizations with academia to get a comprehensive view on the different perspectives and understand the needs of different stakeholders within the space to achieve the following:

  • Develop solutions to help non-profit organizations leverage best practices in management in order to advance their mandate
  • Establish a comprehensive set of performance metrics for non-profits

NML Research Projects

    A strategic model  to increase the efficiency and the impact of immigrant integration services at the national level by using AI and Big Data Analysis

    The objective of this research is to identify and realign overlaps in immigrant integration services to increase the efficiency and impact of the overall system while reducing costs. The study also illustrates how AI and Big Data Analysis can be used as strategic tools without conflicting with the privacy and human rights of immigrants and community. The research covers the conceptual introduction of the proposed model which is based on the contributions of various stakeholders of immigrant integration phenomena including immigrants, service providers, facilitators, government, and community representatives.

    Omer Livvarcin, Kevin Kells, Saouré Kouamé, and Rick Nason (Dalhousie University) provided a workshop at the 21st National Metropolis Conference – Doing Immigration Differently (March 21-23, 2019) in Halifax, Nova Scotia

    Risk Management in non-profit organizations

    Presented by, Professor Rick Nason from Dalhousie University and Dr. Omer Livvarcin , Telfer School of Management

Past NML Workshops

Introduction to Data Analytics for the Non-profit Sector

    A discussion on the importance and challenges faced by nonprofit organizations specializing in women

    We would like to thank our three outstanding speakers who discussed their insights on the importance, barriers and challenges faced by NPOs who are focused on the well-being of women in society.

    Valerie Valerie Collicott, WISE

    Valerie Collicott has been affiliated with Women’s Initiatives for Safer Environments (WISE) for the past 26 years. She joined the WISE Board of Directors, at that time called the Women’s Action Centre Against Violence, in 1993. She served as Co-chair of the Board from 1995 – 1998, stepping down to take on the vacant position as Policy & Administrative Coordinator in 1999. She is still in that role today.
    Valerie has been a liaison between WISE, municipal officials, the media, and other women’s groups such as the Regional Coordinating Committee to End Violence Against Women serving as Co-Chair for a number of years. She still serves on that coalition today. Valerie supported the launch of the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI), and served on the committee helping to design the Equality and Reference Guide for the City of Ottawa as well as participated as part of the team of CAWI women training Ottawa City staff and managers on how to make city programs and services more inclusive.

    Valerie also serves on other groups such as: The Advisory Committee Security Management Program at Algonquin College, the Pathway Patrol Steering Committee, the OC Transpo Safety Working Group, and the Ambassadors Working group on the Official Plan for Ottawa’s future.

    ValerieIda Rafiqah, OMWO

    Ida has over 20 years of experience with reputation management consultancies, and international non profit organization. She had served leading organizations including the World Bank and Ogilvy Public Relations, and helped numerous non profit organizations around the world. She brings a wealth of expertise in designing humanitarian projects from initiation to exit strategy, stakeholder relations, managing large data of multiple projects in fast-paced environment, securing funding; and experienced in managing humanitarian issues in complex topics both in developing and developed countries.
    Ida is a graduate with a master’s degree in Public Health from Auckland University, and educated in International Affairs Management at Carleton University, and Monitoring and Evaluation for Humanitarian Program at Harvard University. A Certified Solution-Focused Coach and the founder of Maple Coaching Services in 2014 where she serves individuals and organizations in Ottawa communities. She is also serving Vectors Group, a social enterprise specialized in non-profit management as Program Advisor, Learning and Development.

    At community level, Ida is serving as the Vise President of Muslim Coordinating Council – National Capital Region (MCC-NCR), Public Relations of Ottawa Muslim Women Organization (OMWO), and a member of Canadian Council for Muslim Women (CCMW)

    Solange Tuyishime, Elevate International

    Solange Tuyishime is President and CEO at Elevate International and an International Speaker, Social Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. Solange is the President and CEO of Elevate International, Co-Founder of Naylah’s Legacy and a UNICEF Canada Ambassador.
    As an international speaker, Solange inspires leaders in social and corporate responsibility, and heart-centred leadership, while also helping encouraging young men and women around the world to rise above their circumstances and take their dreams to new heights.

    In her leadership role with Elevate International, Solange has dedicated her life to elevating women and girls through the advancement of leadership, economic growth, innovation and community building. Since 2010, Solange has been advocating for the most vulnerable children, as a UNICEF Canada ambassador. Solange recently embarked on a journey to support the UNdaunted initiative dedicated to create unprecedented progress towards education for all girls. Solange continues to work with UNICEF Canada to help save lives of newborn babies and make a difference for their mothers and families.

    Solange is the current Mrs. Canada International 2019, making her the first Canadian woman to have won both the Miss and Mrs. Canada titles. As Mrs. Canada International, she is dedicating her title to delivering leadership programs for women and girls locally and globally.

    Hands-on Workshop: Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau

    The workshop provided participants the opportunity to learn the basics of Tableau to visualize existing data, create future predictions based on past trends, and build a dashboard.

    Speaker: Ömer Livvarcin, Part-time Professor, Telfer School of Management, Founder & Lead Consultant, Vectors Group.

    ***Non-profit organizations can access Tableau by: Downloading 14 day trial or use Tableau’s free product, Tableau Public. Additionally, check out Tableau for Non-Profits to request licenses for your organization: License

Digital Marketing

    Digital Marketing

    Digital marketing has allowed businesses to communicate and market their goods & services in ways we could never imagine. In this workshop, we looked at the many ways that you can market your products and/or services through digital channels to make meaningful connections and drive growth and engagement.

    Presented by:

    Jonathan Simon, Director of Marketing

    As the Director of Marketing & Communications at Telfer School of Management, Jonathan leads the marketing team responsible for Programs marketing, Research marketing, brand management, content marketing, email marketing, social media, paid advertising, mobile strategy, and managing the school’s web presence.
    Jonathan also teaches digital marketing in the BCom, MBA, and Digital Marketing Certificate programs. An expert in digital marketing, he is the former Director of Marketing of a mobile gaming publisher of top-tier apps including Rubik’s Cube, Scattergories (Hasbro), Phase 10 (Mattel) and Skip-Bo (Mattel). His expertise, includes marketing strategy, mobile strategy, mobile ad monetization, programmatic marketing, user acquisition, content marketing, email marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and search engine optimization (SEO).

Effective Board Governance

    Getting the most out of your Board of Directors

    The Board of Directors is responsible for providing oversight and strategic guidance. How can you equip your Board Members with the tools they need to fulfill their responsibilities? What steps can you take to create and maintain a productive environment?

    Fiorella Jansen-Nicorescu, ALSO

    Fiorella Jansen-Nicorescu is Board Chair of Alternative Learning Styles and Outlooks (ALSO) shared her perspectives and lessons learned on board recruitment and getting the most out of a Board of Directors. ALSO is a safe and caring community learning center serving adults and families. ALSO builds on individual and family strengths and supports the development of the tools needed for family life, work, education, and training. ALSO programs for adults provide skills upgrading and tools towards work, education, and training. We are a small program that offers one-to-one teaching in literacy, math, and life skills

    Board of Administrators and Governance

    In this presentation, Mr. Jolin discussed the roles and responsibilities of the president, general secretary, and the administrators.
    Additionally, he discussed the selection of administrators.

    Carol Jolin , ALSO

    Carol Jolin first became involved with the Francophonie of Ontario in 1983 when he became a language instructor. The next year, he received a teaching post with the Niagara South Board of Education. This was the beginning of a 31-year career that came to an end in June 2016. Over the course of this career, he has lived in Welland, Toronto, Barrie and Ottawa, where he currently lives. As an active member of the Franco-Ontarian Teachers’ Association (AEFO) since 1992, he was the local director of the centre-east Catholic school board in Ottawa before serving as the provincial director from 2012 to 2016. He sat on several administrative councils, including the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF). On the local level, he served on the Board of Directors for the French language radio station CJFO (now called Unique FM) for 5 years. He served on the Board of Directors for the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO) for 2 years.
    The AEFO’s double mandate of union representation and French language promotion allowed him to be actively engaged in various projects of the Francophonie in Ontario. He traveled extensively in the province, and developed an awareness of the different realities and challenges faced by francophones in Ontario. Carol Jolin has been the President of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario since October 30, 2016.

Strategy Planning and Implementation in Non-profit Organizations

    Introduction to uOttawa Community Engagement

    Ömer Livvarçin, NML Researcher, Part-time Professor, and Consultant presented a set of scientific tools that are specifically developed for non-profit organizations. The attendees learned how to measure and manage their strategies, including their impact at individual level, target group level, and community level, which included information for Student opportunities presented by Diana Mazutiz.

    The NML session was gratefully sponsored by the Endowed Professorship in Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS) was held at DMS-4170 (55 Laurier Ave. E) 4th floor on Thursday, February 21, 2019 (9:30 AM TO 11:00 AM)

    Ömer Livvarçin, Vector Groups

    Besides his roles in academia,Ömer Livvarçin is Founder and Lead Consultant of Vectors Group, a consulting firm specialized in non-profit management. Dr. Livvarcin’s research interest include non-profit management, strategic management, change management, organizational performance, leadership and project management. He has developed and published several scientific models (i.e. Vectors Model, BEST Model, Balance Model, Project Atmosphere, Voluntary Unpaid Overtime) and metrics to increase strategic performance in public and non-profit organizations.

    Daina Mazutis, Associate Professor

    Daina Mazutis is a tenured Associate Professor of Strategy at the University of Ottawa where she also holds the Endowed Professorship in Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability (ERS). Daina’s research on leadership, strategy and sustainability has been published in several edited books as well as peer-reviewed journals such as: Academy of Management Learning and Education, Business & Society, California Management Review, Journal of Business Ethics, Organizations & Environment amongst others. Her work has also been honoured with numerous prestigious awards and has been presented broadly at conferences internationally. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, Daina was a Professor of Strategy, Leadership and Ethics at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland and spent over ten years in various marketing, advertising, sales and consulting roles. She holds an MBA from the University of Ottawa, a PhD from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario and is a graduate of the ICD Directors Education Program. Dr. Mazutis currently sits on the Board of Prime Ministers’ Row and Riga Business School.

    Stéphane Cardinal, MJCGCE

    Stéphane Cardinal is Director at Michaëlle Jean Centre for Global and Community Engagement. Michaëlle Jean Centre for Global and Community Engagement is helping to ensure that uOttawa students can graduate with not only the education, but also the inspiration and the experience to turn ideals into action, to truly change the world around them. For 40% of students who volunteer through the Centre, it is their first formal volunteering experience. Often, it sparks the realization that they have a valuable contribution to make and inspires them to do more.

Building Revenue Sources for your Non-profit

    Building Revenue Sources for your Non-profit

    How do you fill the revenue gaps not covered by core funding? Are you monetizing existing services or developing paid-for services? Is social enterprise a good option for your non-profit?
    Event took place on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2018 (1:00 PM TO 4:00 PM) at DMS-4101 (55 Laurier Ave. E) 4th floor

    Daniel Brunette, Ottawa Community Foundation

    Daniel Brunette is Director at Development and Donor Services. Leading CMC’s policy and advocacy portfolio as well as developing strong, credible research which directly reflects the challenges and opportunities of Members and the Co-operative Sector at-large. Experienced and bilingual professional dedicated to building a better world.

    John Bouza, (CANFUND)

    John Bouza is an Executive Director at Canadian Centre for Fundraising. John’s expertise ranges from developing and directing major campaigns to organizing annual and planned giving programs that deliver tangible results. He has guided organizations in all charitable sectors – education, health care, social services, culture and international development. He has advised institutions in Canada, USA, Kenya, Ethiopia, India and Bangladesh. As well as – in Spanish – Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru.

    Michael Murr, (CSED)

    Michael Murr is an Executive Director at Centre for Social Enterprise Development. For more than 25 years, Michael have helped to improve the prosperity and sustainability of communities and the people and businesses that live there. This includes various municipal government roles in the areas of economic development and environmental/community sustainability and most recently, leading an environmental not-for-profit organization.

    Umar Ruhi, Associate Professor

    Umar Ruhi is also Director for Centre for Business Analytics & Performance. At Telfer, Umar teaches various undergraduate (B.Com) and graduate (MBA) courses in Information Systems and Digital Enterprise Strategy. Additionally, he teaches in the University’s interdisciplinary M.Sc. and PhD programs in E-Business Technologies. Most of his courses consist of an integration of themes and topics related to business strategy and technology applications.

    Non-profit organization (NPO) impact assessment: Towards a more strategic approach

    Current impact assessment practices have many limitations. More and more voices are raised to question the relevance of these practices. The purpose of this workshop was to explore these limitations, as well as new ways of doing things to add value.
    This workshop was intended primarily for people concerned about the use of impact assessment as a strategic tool to help their NPOs create more social value.

    Yacouba Traoré Rideau Community Centre

    Yacouba Traoré Experienced Executive Director with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Coaching, Fundraising, Management, and Community Engagement.

    Saouré Kouamé , Assistant Professor of Strategy

    Saouré Kouamé is an assistant professor of Strategy at Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. He holds a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Business Administration, in the field of management, from HEC Montréal. His research work focuses on the practices and success factors of organizational strategy. His current projects deal with the emotions of senior executives (CEOs, executive partners, boards of directors) in strategic processes and practices, and with strategic practices in philanthropic organizations (corporate, private and public).

    Christiyne Auger, Executive Advisor

    Christiyne Auger is an Executive Advisor at the University of Ottawa, Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Experienced and pro-active marketing and recruitment professional who is results-driven and appreciated for her leadership, creativity and ability to find innovative solutions in media production, advertising, website, communication, event management and digital media.

Public Services

    Public Service Innovation: The Idea Factory

    Innovation is both a strategy for change, and an attitude to create value for people in new ways. Ed Bernacki lead this “idea factory” to help attendees better understand organizational innovation.  Mr. Bernacki provided a strategic framework for innovation and for building the capacity to innovate in your organization.

    Ed Bernacki , Idea Factory

    Ed Bernacki has worked in public sector in Canada along with New Zealand Post’s Total Quality Service Group. Having also worked in the private sector, he completely rejects the idea that the private sector is inheritably more innovative than the public sector. Any organization can be innovative in how it manages people to serve its customers or stakeholders. His personal insights come from working with many public sector groups at various levels of governments in various countries. He is also a sophisticated thought leader in all elements of this work. He also walks the innovation talk in terms of inventing new tools to help people become more innovative.

    Aligning Your Operations to Your Strategic Plan

    How are you prioritizing and connecting every aspect of your operations back to your strategic plan? Are evaluation and accountability incorporated in your processes? Top performing nonprofits have figured out how to do things right, while keeping the focus on doing the right things. Join us to explore tools to connect the dots between strategy and operations.

    Michael Maidment, Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

    Michael Maidment is President and CEO at Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. He is a results-driven professional, with an energetic and action-oriented approach to leadership. A compassionate and empathetic team motivator, he has experience in leading teams of up to 200 people. Recognized as an effective relationship builder, his consensus-based approach is valued at the boardroom table and in committee work both large and small in scale. Michael excels at creating the culture and conditions that allow an organization to be successful.

    Marc Provost, The Salvation Army

    Marc Provost is an Executive Director at The Salvation Army. Responsible for the planning, development, implementation and direction of local children services initiatives, activities and programs. Funding, developing and negotiating purchase of service agreements with community agencies serving children and families. Identifying opportunities for improvements and integration in planning service delivery to vulnerable populations; Establishing partnerships where beneficial to the clients/sector

    Adrian Cho, Navigating Chaos

    Adrian Cho has accelerated organizations by helping them to practice creativity at scale. Adrian is a jazz bassist and the Artistic Director of the Ottawa Jazz Orchestra. He teachs people about jazz history, how jazz musicians work together and how the techniques can be applied to other domains, and how creativity at scale powers the world. He wrote the business book The Jazz Process: Collaboration, Innovation, and Agility.

    Ömer Livvarçin, Vector Groups

    Ömer Livvarçin is also an NML Researcher and a Part-time Professor. Besides his roles in academia, Dr. Livvarcin is Founder and Lead Consultant of Vectors Group, a consulting firm specialized in non-profit management. Dr. Livvarcin’s research interest include non-profit management, strategic management, change management, organizational performance, leadership and project management. He has developed and published several scientific models (i.e. Vectors Model, BEST Model, Balance Model, Project Atmosphere, Voluntary Unpaid Overtime) and metrics to increase strategic performance in public and non-profit organizations.

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