This week, in communities across Canada, the dedication and hard work of volunteers will be recognized and celebrated during National Volunteer Week (April 21-27). It’s also a time to raise awareness about the important contributions volunteers make to society. There is no doubt that without these individuals, many programs and services simply would not exist. However, there is another player working behind the scenes to make sure communities continue to benefit from a strong voluntary sector. It is the volunteer centre, which serves as a crucial link between volunteers and the organizations they serve.
The evolution of the volunteer centre
There was a time when volunteer centres were responsible primarily for volunteer recruitment and coordination. However, thanks to advances in technology much of that recruitment can now be done online, with interested individuals seeking out and securing their own volunteer positions. That does not mean volunteer centres are no longer needed, but their role in the sector is changing. “The really significant change that has occurred in volunteer centres around the world in the last five years, particularly in North America, is that they have moved from being centres for recruitment and referral of volunteers to being community-based leadership centres on volunteerism and voluntary action,” says Paddy Bowen, executive director of Volunteer Canada. Since national statistics indicate that less than two percent of volunteers are referred by volunteer centres, she says a more important role now is for these centres to act as leaders on new issues and trends around volunteering.
Of course, with this new role comes new challenges, and according to Bowen the greatest challenge facing volunteer centres right now is securing funding. “Leadership is a murky mission so it is hard to get funded over the long term. It requires flexibility and sharp strategic skills.” She says the really savvy volunteer centres, the ones that have survived and flourished, do so by pursuing a series of innovative and interesting projects since there is usually some project money available from foundations and governments.
Innovative projects address community needs
Eileen McLaughlin, executive director of the Saint John Volunteer Centre, points out that volunteer centres must continually identify areas in which they need to grow. “When I started here three years ago one of the first things I noticed was the difficulty in placing people with intellectual disabilities, mental illness, even to some extent new immigrants with limited English skills, because the nonprofit sector for the most part doesn’t have the infrastructure to support time spent on volunteer development.” To address this issue, the centre is developing the Inclusion and Entertainers Institute, which will make volunteerism more inclusive in terms of people with disabilities by combining leadership development as well as training in theatre arts so that disabled people can learn skills to take into the community.
Volunteer Ottawa is also answering the need for more specialized volunteer services. Executive director Debbie Gilmer says that people who search for volunteer opportunities online are literate and have access to the necessary technology. However, the centre is seeing a steady climb in face to face contact with people who have low skills in English and French. In response to this emerging trend it now offers several supported volunteering programs to assist those who face barriers to volunteering. Beyond those special programs, Gilmer says that the centre is increasingly taking on a consulting role, offering resources and education to help other organizations operate more efficiently.
Moving beyond delivery of direct services
The same is true at Volunteer Regina, according to Tracey Mann, who manages the centre. “We are seen as the experts, I suppose, so people are coming to us for information all the time. There is an expectation that if they want to know anything about what’s happening in the sector or related to volunteerism that we will know it all.” This type of role is becoming increasingly important as voluntary organizations look for new ways to improve the services they offer. “Volunteer centres are there as an asset and an added-value piece for people in the community who are working in formal volunteer programs,” explains Martha Parker, executive director of Volunteer Calgary.
Volunteer centres offer assistance to organizations in a variety ways, whether it’s helping to design job descriptions, identify target markets, develop policies, or a whole range of other services. However, when looking at the bigger picture Parker says volunteer centres have yet another role to play and that is to advocate on behalf of volunteerism and citizen participation. “We’re not just there to help organizations recruit volunteers,” she explains. “We’re there to create a whole community culture that believes in and supports the importance of people’s engagement in communities.”
Working to strengthen the network of volunteer centres
Aside from assisting other organizations and the communities they serve, volunteer centres are looking at ways to work together to improve their own capacity. “We are taking a look collectively at how we can collaborate more efficiently and combine forces to present a united front that is more streamlined and less administrative,” says Kathy Lister, director of projects for Volunteer BC. “Our ultimate goal is to have one portal so that whether you are a volunteer or a voluntary organization in BC, you will know BC’s volunteer centres.” She does point out, however, that each volunteer centre will continue to be tailored to the needs of its community and will be doing different things based on those needs.
Nancy Adams, who chairs the National Advisory Council of Volunteer Centres, echoes this sentiment. “The 220 volunteer centres are very, very different; it’s not a cookie cutter approach. They grow out of the needs of the community and that diversity, to me, is a strength.” She says one of the most notable changes in the role of volunteer centres is that they aren’t just matching volunteers with organizations anymore. “Volunteer centres are taking a leadership role in the community” The council is now looking at how volunteer centres fit into the new Canada Volunteerism Initiative and how they can be leaders in maximizing what the federal government puts toward volunteerism in the next few years. “One thing volunteer centres must keep in mind,” says Adams, “is not to try and be all things but to focus on that central strength that will have long-lasting relevance.” And what is that strength? Resoundingly, it is connecting people to community in a meaningful way.
For more information about National Volunteer Week, visit: www.volunteer.ca/volunteer/celebrate_nvw_2002.htm. To contact your local volunteer centre, visit: www.volunteer.ca/volunteer/vol_centres_locations.htm.
