November 17-19 2011

ARNOVA�s 40th Annual Conference, focusing on the theme "Diversity in the Voluntary Sector: Who Are the Participants, Funders, Beneficiaries, and Volunteers?" was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from November 17-19 2011. The Conference brought together 600 or more researchers, practice leaders and teachers for the nonprofit and voluntary sectors, from across north America and around the world. Presentations covered a wider range of topics (in addition to the theme), and brought forward the latest research on philanthropy, voluntarism, nonprofits, social economy and civil society.

Each year, ARNOVA holds an annual conference which brings together researchers, scholars, and practitioners from around the world to present and discuss papers related to issues in nonprofit studies, voluntary action, and philanthropy. This cutting-edge research presented at the conference helps build the body of knowledge about the sector and inform those working in the nonprofit sector. Members receive a reduced conference registration rate.

Future Conferences

All conferences will held the Thursday thru Saturday before Thanksgiving in November.

• 2011 will be held in Toronto, Canada
• 2012 will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana

More than 600 people participated in ARNOVA�s 2011 Conference this past November. More than 300 papers were presented, in addition to panel and colloquy sessions. These presentations and sessions covered a wide range of topics and issues. Holding the Conference in Toronto appears to have increased the international representation at the Conference, while the numbers from the U.S. declined slightly. We were grateful for strong attendance in the face of a difficult economy, reduced travel support from universities, and some obstacles in travel to this year�s host city.

This Conference was marked, as usual, by a number of receptions and special events to welcome participants old and new, create many opportunities for networking, and acknowledge inspiring work. One highlight was this year�s Awards Luncheon where ARNOVA honored the best published work in our field by the presentations of awards for the best recent books, and for articles in NVSQ and NML. (A list of 2011 Award winners is found on our website.) Also honored was Margaret E. Harris, who was given the Distinguished Achievement and Leadership Award for 2011. In a moment of pure celebration this lunch also celebrated ARNOVA�s 40th birthday with a cake and balloons.

ARNOVA took advantage of the resources of Toronto � one of the most diverse cities in the world � to focus our plenary sessions and a public conversation on �Diversity and Inclusion,� and on the roles of nonprofits and NGO�s in supporting diverse civil societies. We heard from leaders in Toronto about the roles NGO�s are playing there in both supporting the identities of diverse peoples, and in helping them become parts of larger communities.

Finally, If you attended the Toronto Conference but did not get to give us an evaluation, we would still be happy to hear from you. An evaluation for can be found here, and returned to us either by email or regular post. We still welcome feedback on the last Conference as we plan for the next.