National Volunteerism Initiative Joint Table

The National Volunteerism Initiative (NVI) Joint Table was established in late 2000 for a one-year period. During this time it focused its efforts on how to encourage more Canadians to volunteer with, participate in and contribute to voluntary organizations. Its work also addressed how to enhance the ability of voluntary organizations to benefit more from the contributions of volunteers.

While more than 6.5 million Canadians actively volunteer in over 180,000 voluntary organizations both in Canada and around the world, the 2000 National Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP) tells us that volunteer resources are eroding. One million fewer Canadians volunteered in 2000 than in 1997. Only seven percent of Canadians contributed 73 percent of the volunteer effort in 2000.

In the fall of 2001, more than 350 individuals and organizations participated in consultations through 26 forums across Canada or through an interactive Internet questionnaire. The purpose of the consultations was to obtain feedback on proposals for a national volunteerism initiative.

On December 5, 2001, the NVI Joint Table released its report following the Prime Minister's announcement of the Canada Volunteerism Initiative (CVI).