A People Lens©: A response to volunteer recruitment challenges

It seems these days that there aren't enough volunteers (including board members) to go around. If you work with volunteers, you are probably nodding your head in agreement. Statistically, studies like the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations confirm...

Retaining a volunteer workforce: Advice from the experts

So you want to start a nonprofit? You've got a dream, objective or cause you wish to see to fruition for the good of society. Good on you. It's people like you who provide this country with vital services or...

Volunteer fatigue: What impact on the future of volunteerism?

I recently returned from the annual PAVR-O Conference (Professional Administrators of Volunteer Resources Ontario). I had this idea of "volunteer fatigue" simmering before I left and it was reinforced while I was there. Colleagues presented a range of ideas about...

Remembering June Callwood: A Candlelit Procession to Honour Her Social Activism

Main StreetNewsWeekJune Callwood   News Links News/Event Home NewsBytes Cover Story Spotlight Career Q & AEthics Q & A Fundraising Q & A Human Resources Q & A News Archive People on the Move SpeakOut! Coming Events Village Vibes (Weekly...

The value of volunteer contributions: Calculation (im)possible?

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.  -- Albert Einstein We may not know if Einstein was an active community volunteer in his time, but his words provide context for understanding the...

How to measure volunteer satisfaction

Your organization can't succeed without a team of keen and committed volunteers. That's why putting the right volunteer recruitment and retention strategies and tactics into practice is so important. Success depends on building strong relationships with your volunteers and keeping...

Five emerging patterns of volunteerism

Volunteerism is like a living organism. It grows, declines and changes in response to the stimuli surrounding it. Changes in society, changes in the way we view work, changes in the availability of free time, changes in motivations and attitudes...

The future of volunteer centres in Canada

There almost wasn't a story to tell about the future of the Volunteer Resource Centre for Durham Region (VRC). Early in 2006, the organization ran out of core funding. Although they had grant applications in process, there were no guarantees...

Exploring the next generation of retirees: The baby boomers

Members of the largest generation in the history of the United States [and Canada], the baby boomers, are beginning to think seriously about retirement. Over the next 20 years, this generation will surge into retirement. Marketing specialists, researchers, foundations and...

Governance Q&A: Does anything bad ever happen to nonprofit staff or volunteers who behave unethically?

I see bad people get away with stuff all the time. Those they report to look the other way, or are equally bad, or seem so gullible. Does anything bad ever happen to nonprofit staff or volunteers who behave unethically?...