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Keith Seel
Director

Director, Institute for Nonprofit Studies

PhD University of Calgary
M.A. University of Calgary
B.Ed. University of Calgary

Research at MRU

kseel@mtroyal.ca 

Dr. Keith Seel is the Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Studies at Mount Royal College. In this role he designed Canada’s first Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Nonprofit Studies and has initiated several major research projects exploring various aspects of the nonprofit sector. Through the Institute, Keith is engaging other researchers in three broad research streams focused on Canada’s nonprofit sector: governance of the sector, policy development and analysis, and sustainability issues. His current research activities include: making explicit how board members understand their role as a governor; an analysis of how provincial social policies from four ministries impact social service organizations and the people they serve; and documenting transformational change strategies among nearly 45 nonprofit service providers to persons with developmental disabilities.

In 2007 Keith concluded five years of research and completed his PhD which generated a theoretical perspective on the sustainability of Canada’s nonprofit sector. Major findings from that research included a theoretical basis for sustainability for the nonprofit sector, dimensions of sustainability and an analysis of how boundary spanning activities are fundamental to the long term vitality of Canada’s nonprofit sector. His Master’s Degree explored communication and power in large organizations.

Keith is the incoming Chair of the national Human Resources Council for the Voluntary/Non-Profit Sector. As well, he is the Chair of the Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Affinity Group representing Canadian post-secondary institutions having nonprofit-related offerings. As past-President of the Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre of Calgary he is taking a lead role in bringing forward the voice of governance volunteers from disability serving agencies to create changes in public policy. He is a member of the Public Affairs Committee of the Bethany Care Society and a board member of the Credentialing Council for Volunteer Administration. Keith is past-Chair of the Calgary Service Providers Chairs Council, an association of the chairs and executive directors of 45 agencies funded by Persons with Developmental Disabilities, Calgary Region.

As an author, Keith has been widely published in books and journals. He co-authored the AVA Statement of Ethics and he was a major contributor to a management series by John Wiley & Sons, New York. For the same publisher, Keith has also written on ethics and its impact on management, and the risks and opportunities associated with commercial ventures by nonprofit organizations, governance issues for boards of directors, and sustainable development for the charitable sector.

Keith is sought out across North America as a guest speaker and governance expert.

Selected Publications

  • Seel, K. (2007). Volunteer Administration: Occupation or profession? A paper delivered at the ARNOVA Conference, November 2007, Atlanta. Submitted for publication
  • Seel, K. & Angelini, A. (2007). Governance in faith-based organizations. A paper delivered at the ARNOVA Conference, November 2007, Atlanta.
  • Seel, K. & Spyker, C. (2007). A profile of small and rural charities in Canada. Prepared for Canada Revenue Agency, Charities Directorate.
  • Seel, K. (2006). Executive Level Management in Nonprofit Organizations. In (Murray, V. Ed.) Management of Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations in Canada. Markham, ON: LexisNexis Butterworths.
  • Seel, K. & Iffrig, A. (2006). Being a Governor: A process for board development. Institute for Nonprofit Studies, Mount Royal College.
  • Seel, K. (2006). New Learnings About Governance. A paper presented at the ARNOVA Conference, November 17, 2006. Chicago, IL.
  • Seel, K. & Angelini, A. (2005). Strengthening the Capacity of Executive Directors: A Review of the effectiveness of the Peer Learning Circle process one year later. A paper presented at the ARNOVA Conference, November 21, 2005. Washington D.C.
  • Seel, K. & Angelini, A. (2004). Strengthening the Capacity of Executive Directors. A paper presented at the ARNOVA Conference, November 21, 2004. Los Angeles, CA.
  • Seel, K. (2003). Social Costs of Climate Change. In Proceedings of the Canadian Energy Policy and the Challenge/Opportunities of Climate Change Conference (D. Bratt, Ed.) Calgary: Mount Royal College.
  • Seel, K., & Zuorro, H. (2001). Volunteers at Work: How Canadian Businesses Encourage and Support Volunteerism. Volunteer Canada and IMAGINE
  • Seel, K. (2001). Professional Ethics Training Kit. Arlington, VA: Association for Volunteer Administration
  • Seel, K. (2000). The 100 Year Horizon: Sustainable Development Concepts for Nonprofit Organizations. In (Connors, T. Ed.) Nonprofit Management Handbook 3rd Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Seel, K., Regel, M., Meneghetti, M., (2000). Governance: concepts, models and issues. In (Connors, T., Ed.) Nonprofit Handbook - Management 2000 Supplement. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Seel, K. (1999). Commercial Ventures - Risks and Opportunities for Nonprofit Organizations. In (Connors, T., Ed.) Nonprofit Handbook - Management 1999 Supplement. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Seel, K. & Meneghetti, M. (1997) Ethics and Values in the Nonprofit Organization. In (Connors. T., Ed.). Nonprofit Management Handbook 1998 Supplement. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Seel, K. (1997). Bridging the sectors: Developing an effective workplace volunteer council. The Journal of Volunteer Administration. XV(4). pp. 5-14.
  • Seel, K. and Ramsay, G. (1996). Strategic Corporate Community Investment - A New Generation of Social Policy. In Sustainable Social Policy and Community Capital. Caledon Institute of Social Policy and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. pp. 99-108.
  • Seel, K. (Winter, 1996). The New AVA Statement of Professional Ethics in Volunteer Administration. The Journal of Volunteer Administration. XIV(2). pp. 33-38.
  • Seel, K. (1995), Managing Corporate and Employee Volunteer Programs. In (Connors. T., Ed.). Volunteer Management Handbook. New York, John Wiley and Sons. pp. 259 - 289.
  • Association for Volunteer Administration (1995). Statement of Professional Ethics in Volunteer Administration. (Seel. K., Author). Boulder, CO.
  • Seel, K. (1995). The Calgary Corporate Volunteer Council: A Community Development Model. Volunteer Centre of Calgary.
  • Skinner, L., Seel, K., Fisher, D., & Zahnd, L. (1995). A Practical Guide to Cultural Diversity in Volunteer Management. Association of Directors of Volunteer Resources.
  • Levant R. & Seel, K. (1994). Bridging Volunteers: A Practical Guide And Checklist For The Development Of A Cross-Cultural Volunteer Program. Volunteer Centre of Calgary and Freedman Levant Consultants Inc.
  • Seel, K., Bilodeau, T., Holden, L., Pickard, N. (1994). Campus Volunteerism: A Handbook And Case Studies. Volunteer Centre of Calgary.