A National Survey Assessing Interest in Mid- to Late-Career Transitions from the Public Sector or Private Sector or Retirement, to Paid Employment in the Non-Profit Sector
A research project conducted by the HR Council for the Voluntary & Non-profit Sector
The HR Council is funded by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program

Instructions: Questions can be answered by selecting or typing in your response. If any questions do not apply to you or if you do not wish to answer a question, please skip past the question and leave it blank. Please note that the survey needs to be completed all at once (i.e., you cannot save your answers halfway through, go off-line and then retrieve your partially-completed survey). Please do not use the back or forward buttons on your web browser to navigate the survey and do not hit the Enter key once you have started to complete the survey questions as this will exit you out of the survey and your answers will be erased once you leave the web page. Please remember to click the SUBMIT button at the end of the survey to record your responses. A thank you message will appear on the screen indicating that the survey has been successfully submitted.

Full Confidentiality: The survey is strictly voluntary, confidential and completely anonymous, and should not take more than 10-15 minutes to complete. We do not request any personal identification information in the survey. Your survey responses will be completely anonymous. For more information on SPR Associates and its 25-year professional record of guarding confidentiality, please call the toll-free number provided below.

The non-profit sector currently employs about 1.2 million Canadians working in nearly 69,000 national, provincial and community-based organizations that promote health and well-being, strengthen communities and protect the environment. Organizations vary from small, local, front-line service providers to large umbrella organizations that manage national programs. For purposes of this survey, publicly-funded, not-for-profit bodies such as hospitals, universities, schools, etc. are deemed to be part of the public sector.

If you have any questions about the survey, feel free to call Dr. Ted Harvey, toll-free, at 1-800-363-0832, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., ET.

A copy of the study report summarizing the results of the survey will be made available to all participants in late 2009. If you would like to request a copy of the final report, please follow the instructions that appear after you have submitted your survey.

A. General Questions

1. How did you learn about this survey? (Select one)

Direct E-mail invitation from the HR Council
E-mail or web-link provided by my employer
E-mail or web-link provided by my union
E-mail or web-link provided by a membership association I belong to
Other (please specify):

2. What is your current employment status? (Select one)

Employed full-time (SKIP TO QUESTION 4)
Employed part-time (SKIP TO QUESTION 4)
Self-employed or employed on contract (SKIP TO QUESTION 4)
Not currently employed, but looking for work
Retired
Other (please specify):

3. If not currently working, was your most recent job full-time or part-time? (Select one)

Full-time
Part-time

4. Is your current job (or was your most recent employment) in: (Select one)

The private sector
A Federal Government Department
A Federal Agency or Crown Corporation (RCMP, Post Office, etc.)
A Provincial/Territorial Government Department or Agency
A Municipal Government or agency
Another public organization (e.g. school, library, hospital, university)
The non-profit sector (SKIP TO QUESTION 29)
Other (please specify):

5. In which of the following industry or service sectors are you currently, or were you most recently employed? (Select one)

Public administration (Government)
Communications (broadcasting, publishing, etc.)
Technology (IT services etc.)
Post office, couriers
Finance, Insurance or Real Estate
Manufacturing (auto industry, steel, etc.)
Law enforcement
Education
Health
Social Services
Transportation
Mining, Petroleum or Utilities
Retail and Food Distribution
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Hospitality or Tourism
Other (please specify):

6. How would you describe your current position or the most recent position you held? (Select one)

Senior management
Mid-level manager or supervisor
Professional
Technical staff or paraprofessional
Front-line sales, customer service
Clerical, administrative or support staff
Other (please specify):

7. Are you a licensed or certified professional (e.g. lawyer, physician, accountant, teacher, etc.)? (Select one)

Yes (please specify which profession):
No

8. What type(s) of experience could you bring to a potential employer? (Select all that apply)

Client services
Working in collaboration or partnership with other organizations
Executive level management experience
HR and personnel management
Clerical/administrative skills
Mid-level management/leadership experience
Supervisory experience
Finance
Strategic planning
Project management
Monitoring & evaluation
Research
Management of technology (computers, information technology)
Procurement & purchasing (managing contracts with suppliers)
Fundraising
Legal knowledge
Proposal writing
Marketing
Advocacy
Teaching, instruction
Communications
Bilingual or multilingual language skills
Other (please specify):
None of the above

9. Which of the following factors are important to you in a job? (Select all that apply)

A good income
Challenging, interesting work
Smaller, flatter, more informal organizational settings
Opportunity to contribute to community, work for a cause
Work that aligns with personal values
Ability to influence workplace decisions
Recognition for your work
Opportunities for training and professional development
Good physical working conditions
Good relations with managers, co-workers
A team working environment
Job security
Good benefits
Opportunity to self-manage, make decisions about your work
Flexible working conditions (e.g. control over hours/days/work location)
HR policies and practices which are sensitive to the needs of older workers
Other (please specify):

10. Have you ever held a paid position in the non-profit sector? (Select one)

Yes
No
Uncertain, don't remember

11. Have you been a volunteer (unpaid) with a non-profit organization or charity within the past five years? (Select one)

Yes, I am currently a volunteer
I have volunteered in the past 5 years, but not at this time
No, I have not volunteered in the past 5 years

B. Potential Job/Career Transitions

12. When, if at all, do you think you might actively consider a new job or career? (Select one)

Immediately
Within the next year
In the next 2-5 years
Within 6-10 years
Other (please specify):
Uncertain at this time
Not applicable/not interested in considering a new job/career (SKIP TO QUESTION 15)

13. Why might you consider a new job or career? (Select all that apply)

To make better use of my skills/knowledge
To expand my skills/knowledge
To contribute to society/community through my work
Would like a change
For increased income
Currently unemployed
I expect my current job to end/I could become unemployed (laid off)
I plan to retire and will seek employment after retirement
Other (please specify):

14. Which of the following benefits would be important to you in a new job? (Select all that apply)

Extended health benefits (dental, vision, etc.)
Life and/or disability insurance
Private pension plan or retirement savings contributions
Availability of part-time employment
Availability of seasonal or part-year employment
Leave for personal and family reasons
Generous vacation leave
Other (please specify):
None of the above

15. Has the recent 2008-2009 economic downturn impacted your thinking or decisions about your employment or retirement? (Select all that apply)

Yes, because of the downturn, I plan to delay my retirement
Yes, because of the downturn, I will need to continue working after retirement
Yes, because of the downturn, I think this is not a good time to consider a job or career transition
Yes, because of the downturn, I am more likely to consider a job or career transition
No, the recent economic downturn has not affected my thinking on these matters
Uncertain

16. Which of the following do you see as characteristic of jobs in the non-profit sector and which, if any, might lead you to consider a job/career in the non-profit sector? (Select all that apply for each of (a) to (q))

Characteristic of Jobs
in the Non-Profit Sector Might Lead Me to Consider
a Job in the Non-Profit Sector

(a) A good income

(b) Challenging, interesting work

(c) Smaller, flatter, more informal organizational settings

(d) Opportunity to contribute to society, work for a cause

(e) Work that aligns with personal values

(f) Ability to influence workplace decisions

(g) Recognition for your work

(h) Opportunities for training and professional development

(i) Good physical working conditions

(j) Good relations with managers, co-workers

(k) A team working environment

(l) Job security

(m) Good benefits

(n) Opportunity to self-manage, make decisions about your work

(o) Flexible working conditions (e.g. control over hours/days/work location)

(p) HR policies/practices which are sensitive to the needs of older workers

(q) Other

17. If you indicated 'Other' in Question 16 above, please explain:

18. When (if at all) might you actively consider a new job or career in the non-profit sector? (Select one)

Immediately
Within the next year
In the next 2-5 years
Within 6-10 years
Other (please specify):
Uncertain at this time
I would not consider late career or post-retirement employment in the non-profit sector (SKIP TO QUESTION 21)

C. Jobs in the Non-Profit Sector

19. Which of the following sources would you use to search for a job in the non-profit sector? (Select all that apply)

Job search web-sites with a non-profit/voluntary sector focus (e.g. Charity Village)
General job search web-sites such as Workopolis or Service Canada's Job Bank
Newspapers (classified, careers)
Personal contacts (networking)
Other (please specify):
None of the above
Don't know

20. What type of information and/or assistance would you find useful when considering a job/career in the non-profit sector? (Select all that apply)

Information about types of job opportunities in the non-profit sector (including salaries)
Information about specific non-profit job opportunities
Information about non-profit organizations
Information about workplace culture in the non-profit sector
Information about transitioning from other sectors to the non-profit sector
Public information forum, such as a job fair
A matching service to find suitable non-profit jobs
Other (please specify):
Don't know

21. What obstacles, if any, do you see to your pursuing a job/career in the non-profit sector? (Select all that apply)

Jobs would not match my skills and interests
The compensation and benefits would be inadequate
I would need to adjust to a different workplace culture
I would need training upgrades (e.g. in technology)
Other (please specify):
I see no obstacles

22. Were you aware of, or considering job/career opportunities in the non-profit sector prior to receiving the invitation to complete this survey? (Select one)

Yes, I was aware of/considering employment in the non-profit sector
No, I had not thought about employment in the non-profit sector prior to receiving the survey invitation

23. Do you have any comments about transitioning to employment in the non-profit sector?

D. General Information/Demographics: The following questions are being asked to allow us to understand the population responding to the survey and are strictly for research purposes only.

24. What is your highest level of formal education? (Select one)

Grade school or some high school
Completed high school
Some community college or university, did not finish
Technical or trade school or community college diploma
Undergraduate degree
Post-graduate degree (Master's or Doctorate)
Other (please specify):

25. What is/was your annual income from your current or most recent job? (Select one)

Less than $30,000 per year
$30,000 - $49,999 per year
$50,000 - $69,999 per year
$70,000 - $89,999 per year
$90,000 or more per year

26. Please indicate your age group: (Select one)

Under 45
45-55
56-65
66-75
Over 75

27. Please indicate your gender: (Select one)

Female
Male

28. To help us to understand the distribution of survey responses by region, please provide the first three characters of your home postal code:

Home postal code:

29. Do you have any other comments?

Thank you for your participation!
Please click the SUBMIT button below to record your responses.

	Characteristic of Jobs in the Non-Profit Sector	Might Lead Me to Consider a Job in the Non-Profit Sector
(a) A good income
(b) Challenging, interesting work
(c) Smaller, flatter, more informal organizational settings
(d) Opportunity to contribute to society, work for a cause
(e) Work that aligns with personal values
(f) Ability to influence workplace decisions
(g) Recognition for your work
(h) Opportunities for training and professional development
(i) Good physical working conditions
(j) Good relations with managers, co-workers
(k) A team working environment
(l) Job security
(m) Good benefits
(n) Opportunity to self-manage, make decisions about your work
(o) Flexible working conditions (e.g. control over hours/days/work location)
(p) HR policies/practices which are sensitive to the needs of older workers
(q) Other