Okanagan School of Business

Indigenous female business student studying outdoors at a wooden table.

Scotiabank Centre for Non-Profit Excellence

Okanagan College partnered with Scotiabank to create the Scotiabank Centre for Non-Profit Excellence, a resource to help build organizational capacity and operational excellence to ensure sustainability for the nonprofit industry. We encourage you to use the resources available on this site. Explore the research conducted by Honours BBA students on key areas of interest to the non-profit sector, review the team of student researchers, faculty advisors and community partners who collaborated on this project, and participate in any of the training courses and resources materials provided to you at your convenience and as often as you would like.

Training

You can use the training resources as often as you would like, and enter and exit each topic area at the module or points you need. We encourage you to share these resources with others at your organization and through your networks!

What's available

Training resources to assist non-profit organizations build capacity and skill development in areas determined during gap analysis research. 

  • collaboration and collective impact
  • financial management
  • fraud
  • impact reporting
  • project management
  • servant leadership
  • social enterprise
  • strategic plan implementation
  • fundraising

 These materials are flexible and geared to individual self-paced learning. There is no evaluation or review of your work by an outside instructor; it is informational and skill-based for your own growth and development. 

New user registration

Launch the training site (Moodle) and click on "I don't have a moodle account." This will prompt a quick online form to register with your name, email and a password you create and confirm.
Need help? View the instructions on how to register as a new user.

Returning user login

Launch the training website (Moodle) and select the green "Manual Login" option. Once you enter your information, you will be redirected to the training page.
Need help? View the instructions on how to login as a returning user.

How the training was developed

Training was developed during a project conducted between May 2014 and July 2019. Scotiabank funding enabled Okanagan College students to research and identify strategies to ensure sustainability within all realms of Non-Profit organizations. The project covered four phases: gap analysis of the training and education needs of the nonprofit sector, curriculum and training development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of training services offered to local agencies, and the provision of an online platform to offer a suite of research and training resources to organizations in the non-profit sector, irrespective of geographic location.

The first year of research work completed for the Scotiabank Centre for Non-Profit Excellence focused on identifying the areas in the nonprofit sector where further education and training were most needed for operational success.  The final outcomes were presented to key stakeholders from the Central Okanagan non-profit community in July 2015.  This presentation included the key findings from both the qualitative and quantitative gap research undertaken throughout the first year of operation of the Scotiabank Centre for Non-Profit Excellence. The results highlight keys areas aimed at improving the sustainability of organizations.  These areas include external support services, board and organizational capacity, finances, public awareness and image as well as implementation of operations and innovative sustainability practices. 

The second year built upon the needs analysis and identified resources and developed curriculum targeted to further support the capacity and sustainability of non-profit organizations in the Central Okanagan.  Based on the results of gap analysis research, the following areas were identified, and piloted training was offered to non-profit leaders in some of the areas:

  • human resources management
  • financial management
  • fund development including social enterprise
  • strategic plan implementation
  • impact reporting
  • collaboration

In order to further develop the knowledge base, a second phase of survey research was designed and completed in March 2016.  Focusing on staff, volunteers and managers within the Central Okanagan non-profit sector, this study addressed the areas of human resources, internal financial resources, organizational culture and activities and programs.

The third year continued with program implementation. Curriculum was built, tested and evaluated in the gap areas within the non-profit sector. As the training was refined, it was made available to a wider audience through the Okanagan College website. In order to determine how best to make these resources available and used, a third phase of survey research was conducted in March 2017. The findings identified methods in which nonprofit organizations can be encouraged and engaged to participate in training activities and common barriers they face. 

The fourth year continued with ongoing program development. Most face-to-face delivery was piloted and materials were finalized to allow others to use the resources in their own organizations and communities. As materials were finalized, they were uploaded to the training site. The greatest focus for our work was concentrated on preparing materials for online learning to enable anyone to access the research done by the centre. Those materials were piloted, revised and launched as a suite of training in the spring of 2019.

During this year, research was conducted into the marketing and communication strategies used by organizations that focus on disseminating information to other agencies. This research led to the development of a marketing strategy for the centre to ensure that the resources that have been created will be accessed by those outside of the immediate community. 

The final year continued the full development of the training platform to provide resources to the non-profit sector. During this year, research was conducted to explore the perceptions of post-secondary students in the Okanagan region towards careers in the non-profit field and recommendations to address these findings. 

Research library

Year 1: Gap analysis

Challenges in Achieving Non-Profit Sustainability: A Study of Social Service Organizations in the Central Okanagan, 2015

Year 2: Contributing factors

Contributing Factors to Social Service Non-Profit Mission Attainment: A Study of Sustainable Non-Profit Practices within the Central Okanagan, 2016.

Year 3: Non-profit sustainability

Reaching Sustainability: A Study Designed to Explore Non-Profit Sustainability Through Training and Resource Development, 2017.

Year 4: Communications strategies

Disseminating Resources to Non-Profits Across Canada: A Study of Marketing and Communications Strategies Used by Organizations That Disseminate Information and Their Effectiveness, 2018

Year 5: Student perceptions

Student Perceptions of Non-Profits: A Study Designed to Explore Post-Secondary Student Perceptions of Careers in the Non-Profit Sector, 2019.

Research team

Faculty advisors

Dr. Kyleen Myrah

Business Administration
Office: E Building 221
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4678

Dr. Myrah is a Professor of Business at Okanagan College teaching in the areas of management and social entrepreneurship for over 20 years. She is also President of KyCo Management, a corporate training company specializing in leadership development, strategic planning and social enterprise.
An active member of her community, Kyleen has held volunteer positions with organizations including Loran Scholars Foundation, Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, Central Okanagan Foundation, Inn from the Cold, YMCA-YWCA, and Community Futures of the Central Okanagan. In 2017 she co-led the City of Kelowna's Journey Home Task Force and is currently the founding Board Chair of the Society tasked with implementing the community's plan to end homelessness. Kyleen is also a Faculty Advisor for the award-winning student organization, Enactus Okanagan.

View extended profile

Kerry Rempel

Associate Dean, Okanagan School of Business
Office: E Building 217D
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4778

Kerry Rempel brings a variety of experiences to her current role as Associate Dean of Business. Prior to taking on the Associate Dean role in 2023, she taught primarily in the management and human resources areas of the BBA, coached competition teams, and was a faculty lead for the Scotia Bank Centre for Nonprofit Excellence. She served as the Chair of the Business Department from 2019-2022 and led the development of several new programs for. In addition to roles with the Business Department, Kerry also led the OC Strategic Planning process for 2015-2020.

Her early industry experience was focused on operations management and management consulting in the fields of recreation, athletics, print and digital media and tech. In 2003, she moved to Kelowna to transition from corporate work to build a consulting practice focused on nonprofit organizations. That fall she made her first connection with Okanagan College and by January 2004 was teaching in the Business Department. She continues to work with industry by supporting work-integrated learning opportunities for students.

Kerry is also active in the region conducting community-based research, developing and leading workshops, and consulting with nonprofits and social enterprises. Along with other colleagues, she works to integrate her research into the community through the creation of teaching cases and the production of community reports and toolkits.

Student researchers

  • Rebecca Alfred
  • Humberto Aranda
  • Alisa Cassidy
  • Milanne Defosses
  • Aiden Doody
  • Jill Harris
  • Francis Lampreau
  • Cassandra Lum
  • Cassandra McColman
  • Cassandra McFarland
  • Faith Pickles
  • Andrea Poznikoff
  • Sean Roussouw
  • Carly Suddard
  • Maliki Suppin
  • Karen Vandergaag
  • Cindy Wasyluk
  • Amanda Wright

Community partners

  • Andrew Greer, Purpl
  • Sinead Scanlon, BDO