The State of Volunteering in Canada
Environmental Scan Findings
The Joint Table commissioned a scan of all the research that was
available on the state of volunteering in Canada. The scan revealed
that there is only a limited amount of recent public opinion research
about volunteering and volunteerism. The scan also pointed out that
there are many gaps in the knowledge base and that more research
is needed. (For more details on the environmental scan, please see
Appendix C.)
The scan did show that all sectors of Canadian society including
the public-at-large think that volunteering is important and valuable
to Canadian society. There is also a high level of trust for voluntary
organizations and for volunteers. There is some concern that volunteers
may be replacing paid workers in some areas. As well, there are
a number of concerns that volunteers may not be valued sufficiently
by voluntary organizations or by society as a whole.
The scan also revealed that there are a number of challenges
confronting volunteerism in Canada. The research and key informant
interviews suggested that there is a need to strengthen management
capabilities in voluntary organizations so that volunteers benefit
more from their volunteering experiences, and voluntary organizations
involve volunteers in the most effective way. As well, the data
suggest that the expectations of volunteers may be changing and,
therefore, voluntary organizations may have to rethink their ways
of recruiting and supporting volunteers.
Various jurisdictions have focused on initiatives intended to
increase volunteering, such as mandatory community service by
high school students. Numerous social agencies are interested
in extending their volunteer pool to include people with disabilities
and new Canadians. Employers everywhere are beginning to experiment
more widely with the idea of supporting employee volunteerism.
All of these trends and opportunities need closer examination.
