Canada Volunteerism Initiative - Final Report
The State of Volunteering in Canada
Joint Table Consultations
More than 350 individuals and organizations participated in consultations through the 26 forums across Canada or through the interactive questionnaire on the Internet.
The proposals discussed at the consultations were the result of extensive dialogue with selected organizations and experts, meetings of the Joint Table, discussions with other VSI Joint Tables, the results of the environmental scan, as well as the results of the NSGVP.
There was virtually unanimous agreement that the consultations allowed for a productive exchange of views. As well, participants agreed that the proposals would provide a useful foundation for developing and implementing the Canada Volunteerism Initiative (CVI). Participants from each session also shared many new ideas and insights to help further refine and define the proposals.
These discussions with individuals across Canada also led to the conclusion that the mechanisms in place to recruit and support volunteers within organizations are often inadequate. For example, there are indications that potential volunteers have less available time than they did in the past, yet organizations continue to ask them to make long-term or intensive volunteer commitments. Volunteers today are seeking opportunities to develop skills or contribute special talents, yet they may be asked to carry out repetitive and unchallenging work.
Much needs to be done to improve volunteer recruitment and strengthen the way voluntary organizations administer volunteer resources. It is clear that, if organizations are to continue to deliver on their mandates, they will need to reach out to more potential volunteers and to an increasingly diverse mix of volunteers.
A summary of the consultations is provided in Appendix D.
