Ontario’s nonprofit sector is a significant job creator, a strong enabler of volunteer engagement, and a critical program and service delivery partner to the government. Employing over 844,000 workers[1] in Ontario and contributing $65 billion to the economy, Ontario’s nonprofit sector has never been more critical for Ontarians. Integral to the success of the entire nonprofit sector are leaders of volunteers, individuals tasked with ensuring that citizens who wish to volunteer connect with the organizations who need them. The Provincial Association of Volunteer Leaders-Ontario (PAVRO) promotes the profession of Volunteer Administration by advocating for understanding of its value to civic engagement, its requirements for success, and appropriate recognition (including compensation) for the individual professional.
A growing profession with a clearly defined occupational profile, an internationally recognized credential offered by the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA), and associated ethical standards, volunteer engagement professionals are uniquely equipped to address the current human resource challenges being experienced by Ontario nonprofits as fewer volunteers than expected return to fill roles which, pre-pandemic, may have had waitlists to get involved.
With almost 200 members across the province of Ontario, PAVRO contributes to volunteer engagement dialogue, conducts research, and facilitates resource development. Recently, PAVRO provided its annual Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey (SVOS) to over ten healthcare facilities in Ontario. This survey not only allows participating facilities to gauge the satisfaction of volunteers within their own facility, it allows them to compare their satisfaction rates to other similar facilities across the province. In addition, PAVRO provides continuing professional education training, supports professional certification, and advocates to bring awareness to the often undervalued and oversized contributions volunteer engagement (VE) professionals make to building social capital both within and outside their organizations.
For those considering challenging the CCVA credentialing examination, PAVRO, with partner Volunteer Toronto, hosts a CVA-Study Group. This hybrid study group, consisting of self-directed learning modules combined with live, facilitated discussions (delivered via ZOOM), guides participants through all seven competencies of volunteer administration in a supportive and interactive environment. The CVA Study Group is open to anyone across the country who is preparing to challenge the CCVA examination. There are CVA Study Group participants from British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia!
As an association, PAVRO strongly believes that VE professionals are key to helping Ontario, indeed the Canadian nonprofit sector, leverage the enormous goodwill and desire to get involved that Canadians have demonstrated to each other before and during the pandemic. If you are looking to take your volunteer engagement career to the next level, consider membership with PAVRO. Join an Association where current and future professionals are encouraged, supported, and challenged to continue building a world where the professional management and leadership of volunteers is respected, valued, and recognized as essential to a civic society.
Heather Johnson, CVA, (she/her) is the President of PAVRO and the Director of Volunteer Halton, the volunteer centre serving Halton Region in Ontario. Connect with her through LinkedIn.
[1] Statistics Canada. Table 36-10-0617-01 Employment in non-profit institutions by sub-sector (x 1,000)
