Canada Volunteerism Initiative - Final Report
The State of Volunteering in Canada
The Goals and Guiding Principles of the Canada Volunteerism Initiative
The goals of the Canada Volunteerism Initiative (CVI) are to:
- Encourage Canadians to participate in voluntary organizations;
- Improve the capacity of organizations to benefit from the contribution of volunteers; and
- Enhance the experience of volunteering.
One of the first tasks of the Joint Table was to develop guiding principles for the CVI. The following guiding principles are the result of internal deliberations of the Joint Table and discussions with both voluntary sector leaders and individual volunteers:
- The Canada Volunteerism Initiative must recognize the diversity and range of voluntary organizations.
The single defining characteristic of the more than 175,000 voluntary organizations in Canada is that volunteers lead them. To be eligible for charitable or not-for-profit status, organizations must have a volunteer Board. The vast majority of these organizations depend on volunteers to provide some, or all, of their services.
It's also important to recognize the diversity of voluntary organizations. At one end of the spectrum, there are the organizations that have no paid staff at all. All of the leadership, fundraising, and service provision in those organizations is done by volunteers. At the other end of the spectrum, there are the large institutions such as hospitals, school boards and municipal recreation programs with high levels of staffing, funding, and sophistication, but still involving millions of volunteers.
The needs of these diverse organizations are clearly different, even unique in many cases. The CVI has to consider these variables.
- The Canada Volunteerism Initiative must be readily accessible to all voluntary organizations and volunteers at national, regional and local levels, as well as in urban, rural and remote communities.
Technology has had a tremendous impact on the ability to improve information-sharing, but technology alone is not sufficient.
Again and again, voluntary sector leaders and individual volunteers have confirmed that technology can support, but not replace, personal, face-to-face interaction to achieve a transfer of knowledge from organization to organization, and person to person.
During consultations, strong support emerged for local development activities such as establishing local networks; improving access to training and consultation; and providing more opportunities for discussion and resource exchange. To be effective and meaningful, however, these activities would have to be supported by regional and national expertise.
Rural and remote communities have particular challenges not experienced by those in urban centres. Often the work of these rural and remote agencies is critical to the quality of life of the community and its citizens, but their access to support and information may be limited. Every effort must be made to ensure that approaches to improve volunteerism are inclusive and sensitive to the needs of rural and remote agencies.
- The Canada Volunteerism Initiative must promote innovation and
risk-taking, as well as support for research in order to remain relevant to
changing community needs.
In many communities across Canada, voluntary organizations are examining ways and means to increase their volunteer pool, to adjust to changing conditions, and to reach out to new potential volunteers. Many of the challenges they face require new and innovative solutions.
Efforts to deepen the volunteer pool will require financial support for some experimentation and risk-taking. Expanding volunteer recruitment and designing meaningful work for new and existing volunteers are critical to the future of volunteerism in Canada. We must promote these outreach efforts, support innovative techniques, and help voluntary organizations try new things.
- The Canada Volunteerism Initiative must promote volunteerism and the contribution of volunteers to Canadian society.
Although many who volunteer do not expect recognition or rewards for their efforts, it is always important to recognize and acknowledge those who are participating freely in community service.
Broadening understanding and awareness of the work and contribution of volunteers is critical to attracting new volunteers. If voluntary organizations are to reach out and deepen the pool of potential volunteers, they need visibility and support.
- The Canada Volunteerism Initiative must build on existing organizations and processes, making effective use of community assets and promoting collaboration.
During consultations, participants made it clear that they did not want to see new infrastructure created. They want efforts to improve volunteerism to build on existing organizations and processes that would make the best use of community assets, as well as promote collaboration among agencies and organizations. Clearly, there is a strong belief that existing structures can be used to build the support for volunteerism that is needed.
