FAQ

About MFNPO

What is the MFNPO?

MFNPO, Inc. is the umbrella body in Manitoba for the network of member non-profit organizations and is the 18th member of the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils.

MFNPO is leading the process to bring member organizations together to work on common challenges, identify opportunities, and strengthen non-profit organizations.

The overall aim of the MFNPO is to help non-profit organizations be sustainable, where:

• leadership and employee skills are futher developed to meet the changing environment of non-profits and to grow the pool of talent;
• strategies, partnerships, collaborations and shared services are established; and
• challenges and opportunities of non-profit organizations are discussed and acted upon jointly.

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History of the MFNPO

To Be Added

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MFNPO is a Member of the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils

Membership in the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils reflects one of the overall strategies MFNPO is taking to strengthen occupation skills within the sector as a whole.

The mission of the AMSC is to enable collaboration among 18 sector councils at present.

The mandate is as follows: AMSC is a network of industry sector organizations that is funded by the Province of Manitoba. AMSC focuses upon human resource development for small, medium and large organizations and their current and future employees. AMSC promotes cooperation, coordination and collaboration amongst its members to increase effectiveness by initiating and supporting joint initiatives in a range of areas including:

• Training of existing workers;
• Training of new hires;
• Career awareness;
• Educational infrastructure development;
• Integration of skilled immigrants;
• Building human resource capacity; and
• Research.

Current members are:
1. Information Communication & Technologies Association of Manitoba
2. Manitoba Tourism Education Council
3. Manitoba Environmental Industry Association
4. Manitoba Construction Sector Council
5. Manitoba Music Industry Association
6. Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
7. New Media Manitoba
8. Northern Manitoba Sector Council
9. Workplace Education Manitoba
10. Information Communication & Technologies Association of Manitoba
11. Manitoba Tourism Education Council
12. Manitoba Environmental Industry Association
13. Manitoba Construction Sector Council
14. Manitoba Music Industry Association
15. Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
16. Manitoba Print Industry Association
17. Northern Manitoba Sector Council 
18. Manitoba Federation of Non-Profit Organizations

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Governance Philosophy of the MFNPO

DIVERSE DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP CONCEPT IN DEVELOPMENT: (A 'woking document' revised from Leadership Canada’s DDL proposal for a new governance model.) 

The concept of Diverse Distributed Leadership emerges from a long line of thinking, experience and exploration about the structure and development of national organizations within the voluntary and non-profit sector in Canada.

It is grounded in a range of evidence-based research building on theory such as social inclusion, social capital, system’s theory and dynamics and most recently theory and practice on technology development networks such as Free and Open Source applications and processes.

It changes our context from traditional structures utilizing common methods of meeting generic organizational tasks such as allocation of control over activities, and ordering of members based on superior and subordinate relations. This is a process defined about building and sustaining a network (not a collective or a coalition) rather than a traditional organization, with expectations that the network will accomplish similar goals and be successful. (Perhaps different measures of success need to be identified)

Of course in reviewing this model we have taken into account the context of the nature of the work of our organization and the need for a pan-provincial perspective and a pan-provincial network to meet a range of network needs.

We have taken into account what are evolving and effective governance strategies building on the following factors:

· the notion of true transparency and accountability in decision-making and access to by all members the notion of true transparency and accountability in decision-making and access to by all members

· the application of shared leadership models to engage and build networkwide human resources in many cross-functional roles and relationships the application of shared leadership models to engage and build networkwide human resources in many cross-functional roles and relationships

· the reduced costs of building and sustaining central structures to accomplish a range of goals

· the interest and action to provide access to capacity activity in a range of local and regional tasks the interest and action to provide access to capacity activity in a range of local and regional tasks

· the application of evidence-based research and best practices to evolve our organization and the network in Manitoba the application of evidence-based research and best practices to evolve our organization and the network in Manitoba

· the means to integrate new values of social inclusion and cross organizational relationships within the network the means to integrate new values of social inclusion and cross organizational relationships within the network

· the means to support dynamic and self-evolving structures which are strengthened by information sharing, use of many forms of technology and a range of mechanisms to communicate to and within the network the means to support dynamic and self-evolving structures which are strengthened by information sharing, use of many forms of technology and a range of mechanisms to communicate to and within the network

· the means to strengthen the network by building and sustaining the current and future nodes (by region, town or district)

As well, in framing the Diverse Distributed Leadership (DDL) model, we have identified a range of assumptions that are fundamental to our thinking and experience regarding network development and implementation:

• by definition networks are egalitarian.
• the purpose is to strengthen peer to peer relationships
• the belief is that successful networks have many leaders where leadership is plural and flexiblethe belief is that successful networks have many leaders where leadership
• is plural and flexible
• a network supports the independence, integrity, and creativity of its members
• there is an interdependent relationship between the individual and the group and this is fundamental there is an interdependent relationship between the individual and the group and this is fundamental
• leadership is an outcome of the dynamics of interpersonal relations
• a Diverse Distributed Leadership network extends the boundaries of leadership
• the Diverse Distributed Leadership network grows through relationship building, not by being mandated into existence
• expertise exists and operates in many ways and is not necessarily located in formal roles or relationships

This concept provides the basis to operationalize this new framework and test these assumptions and re-align the program model elements as necessary, overtime.

The nature of DDL is iterative and self-correcting; it is a learning experience from the onset as the full network and/or components (chapters or local networks as hosts) implement network functions. This is where individual groups of community leadership programs share leadership in building and sustaining MFNPO Inc.

This is a process to identify that our diversity of local networks, their membership and approaches will be important to apply to the pan-provincial network. The shared leadership of the chapters or local networks is fundamental to identify that inherently we, as individual units, are there to build and strengthen each other’s capacity in a peer-to-peer network with assigned roles and functions across the networks not through a provincial office taking full responsibility for this.

It will be important that each chapter or local network receive an orientation on the Diverse Distributed Leadership Network in order to develop their capacity to engage in the DDL model. Once a chapter or local network takes responsibility for a function of the network, it is important that they receive full support.

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What is a Non profit Organization?

First Level

There are a number of levels that define the Non-profit Sector organization.  First level is that it is Incorporated as a non-share Corporation in Manitoba or in Canada.  It may also, but not necessarily, be Incorporated as a Registered Charity under Canada Revenue Agency rules.

Second Level

Five structural-operational features form the second level definition to being a Non-profit Organization in the Sector.

• Organized, i.e., have some structure and regularity to one's operations, as reflected in regular meetings, a membership, and procedures for making decisions that participants recognize as legitimate, whether formally constituted or legally registered or not.  This means the definition embraces informal groups (Associations) as well as formally registered ones.
• Private, i.e., are institutionally separate from government, even though receiving support from government sources.  This feature differentiates the approach from existing economic definitions because the definition excludes organizations from the civil society sector if they have government appointments and receive significant public sector support accordingly.
• Not profit-distribution, i.e., not primarily commercial in purpose and do not distribute profits to a set of directors, stockholders, or managers.  Non-profit organizations or civil society organizations can generate profits (surpluses) in the course of their operations, but any such surpluses must be reinvested in the objectives of the organization.
• Self-governing, i.e., have their own mechanisms for internal governance, are able to cease operations on their own authority, and are fundamentally in control of their own affairs.
• Voluntary, i.e., membership or participation in them is not compulsory or coerced.  This criterion also helps relate the definition to the concept of public purpose; citizens define for themselves what they consider to be a valid public purpose by virtue of their decisions to take part on their own initiative in the organizations affected.

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Starting a Non-profit Organization

 Here are some helpful resources for starting a Non-profit Organization.

Begin with this link to Charity Village and then peruse their site for a wealth of information pertaining to non-profit and charitable organizations.

http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/razindex.asp

Another contact is:

 http://companiesoffice.gov.mb.ca/index.html

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