The Certificate in NGO and Nonprofit Studies at KPU prepares students for voluntary and entry-level work at NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). 

In Canada, the nonprofit and voluntary sector is the second largest in the world, with over 1 million full-time (FTE) paid employees. 

There is an increasing move towards professionalization in this area, as evidenced by the rise in the number of nonprofit organizations who are applying for the Imagine Canada Standards Program.

Accordingly, the program draws on courses from both the Faculty of Arts, the School of Business, and the Faculty of Science and Horticulture which ensures familiarity with financial management and accountability, in addition to a background in the innovation and social values often associated with the sector.

The Certificate in NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) and Nonprofit Studies at KPU is unique to this region, and is distinct from other nonprofit management programs in that it offers the following:

• 30-credit program available directly out of high school
• Program structure that bridges the Faculty of Arts, the School of Business, and the Faculty of Science and Horticulture
• Broad inclusion of local human rights, environmental, and advocacy organizations in B.C.'s Lower Mainland

Rather than developing an exclusive overseas / development focus, our program recognizes the depth of learning that can take place right here in greater Vancouver. 

This sector has been steadily growing for more than fifty years, at times outpacing the growth of Canada's economy as a whole. 

KPU identifies with the innovation characteristic of this sector, and is eager to move a new generation of learners into work in this area.

The educational experience is designed to address the NACC (Nonprofit Academic Centers Council) Curricular Guidelines for Undergraduate Study in Nonprofit Leadership, the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy (2007), and prepares students for voluntary and entry-level work at nonprofit organizations and NGOs. 

Students will acquire practical and up-to-date skills, including an introduction to Imagine Canada's Standards Program, Canada Revenue Agency guidelines for the nonprofit sector, and the following skills and methods:

1. Skill sets: Marketing, minute-taking, database work, presenting, blogging, reporting, academic research and writing, literature reviews, fundraising principles
2. Methods: Participant-observation, qualitative methods, interviewing, cross-cultural understanding, face-to-face field methods, mapping, critical analysis, ethics and advocacy