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We are just 14 days out from the Next. Symposium! On September 27 there will be awesome and relevant conversation around volunteerism in this current space and time. Nine different speakers are going to share their insights into what makes for thriving communities. There are so many wonderful people contributing their ideas.

We are happy to welcome Debbie Maltman from Volunteer Scotland to talk about the intersection between the cost-of-living crisis and volunteerism. Candice Zhang from Ontario Nonprofit Network will speak on decent work in the charitable sector! We will also be talking Gen Z and food security community organizing, check out our event page for the full list of brilliant speakers. If you want to be part of an engaging and inspiring conversation around what the volunteer community is like in 2023 join us!

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This picture is from my local pharmacy and believe it or not when I saw it, I immediately thought of volunteer engagement. This is going to be a roundabout tale, hold on! This spot is in an odd place, there is not a clear way to get there if you are walking. The parking lot is often jammed and so people park across the street and walk over. It is a confusing intersection not far up from a stoplight and the people travelling left actually have the right of way, plus there is a grocery store, daycare and a church. Mad times in urban planning! My takeaway from this image is that someone made a choice, acknowledged how people moved through this space and went with it, in fact made it easier for everyone to get where they wanted to go. They did not hold onto the idea that there is a sidewalk close by, they did not plant bigger shrubbery or something with thorns to try and deter people. So now you know the lay the of the land, what could this possibly have to do with volunteer engagement? It is about acknowledging the truth. 

 Sometimes we hear from people that they are having trouble recruiting volunteers, that they have had these roles for the past 15-20 years and they can’t seem to find any person interested in them now. That is a tough situation to be in for sure, but there is a choice. As an organization you can continue to struggle and suffer, you can try to force people through the thorny, tall shrubbery as it were, or you can lay out some patio stones! There is space for reimaging everything, nothing needs to look like it did before. It is hard work for sure and work that takes time but worth doing if you want to continue to engage volunteers in the work that you are doing. If this post is resonating with you and you want to talk it through just give us an email we would love to catch up. 

We like to shout out people doing cool and interesting work in the community! 

Gore Park Community Outreach began in the pandemic and has continued to offer vital services to the community members of Hamilton. They have built collaboration as they’ve grown and continue to centre the people they are trying to help. 

The lakes across the province of British Columbia are being monitored by awesome people. They are tracking changes and raising flags to protect the lakes. Learn more about them here. 

Join us on Wednesday, September 27 at 11:00am MST for a symposium  This will undoubtedly be a moment to remember as an extraordinary group of humans who have profound impact in their communities gather to share insights, illuminations and lessons from the past. Take this opportunity to shift your understanding and feel invigorated about the work of compassion and causes. This imagining is meant for anyone and everyone who engages other humans in community work; volunteer managers, grassroots organizers, community leaders, executive directors, board members, civil workers, people who work in the charitable sector, volunteers, people who care about their community but are not really sure what that looks like! 

The symposium will feature ten, 3 minute moments (think TikTok but with the lens of social justice and belonging), a full some space for conversation and parting thoughts. 

To read more about the people involved and register click here. 

email for more information.

We are very lucky to connect with great people from around North America here are some resources that have shifted perspectives in the past couple months. We are always happy to connect and chat more if you want to process this information in your context. 

Go Smudge Yourself 

What If Natives Stop Subsidizing Canada 

Foundations in Somatic Abolitionism 

How do we help things die

Happy Pride!!!

We are very excited to celebrate Pride with all organizations! Some ideas of things to do this month and every month! 

Give your time to organizations that align with this cause (use the LGBTQIS2+) filter on VolunteerConnector)

Give your money to organizations like the Rainbow Railroad that help people get to safety.

Learn about the history of Canada through this interactive map. 

Search 'pride' on google, trust us...it is a fun time.

Attend all the awesome events happening across the country and celebrate! 

World Refugee Day falls on June 20 each year and celebrates the strength and courage of those who have had to flee their home country to escape. The theme of this year is “compassion and hopes to create a world where everyone can be more connected by being compassionate towards others.”

Our friends at CLIP have created an easy way to support this cause through messages of hope.

If you are in Calgary and have a spare couple of minutes this week then fill this out and send it to CLIP. If you are reading this from somewhere then check out The UN Refugee Agency list of events. 

Every once and awhile I get on my soapbox about boards, and this is one of these times! My inbox has entered the AGM era and with that comes board recruitment times. Fun times for all! There are often two versions of the coaching conversations we have around board recruitment, the first one is around scarcity “we can’t find board members” and the second one is around diversity, “our board is not reflective of the community”. The response to both of those needs is the same question and it is the one that I will pose to the reader now; what are you willing to do? The answer might be nothing and that is ok, it is not ideal, but it is honest which is something. If you are willing to do something different this year I would invite you to think about who is not at the table and spend some energy thinking about what is preventing them from being there. Maybe it is thinking about when and how you meet? The number of steps it takes to apply for a board position? Perhaps, it is the number of words and requirements in your opportunity? It could be far more complicated and require more intensive collective work but starting and trying are real accomplishments! 

A couple resources if you are thinking about doing something different for board recruitment:

Gateway to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hub

An Interview with Stanford Scholar Roberta Katz

The Circle 

We were so lucky to host Tyler Sinke from Mohawk College for a session on the experience of the post-secondary student volunteer.

Great things happening in Hamilton, Ontario! The key takeaways for organizations looking to engage with this demographic are:

Get to know the school in your area… they can look different and have varied specialties which may or may not align with the work your organization does. There will be a student life human there who will be interested in building an authentic relationships and connection. So, reach out and see what can happen! 

Pre-emptively address barriers that students face; provide transportation, give out meals and snacks, vary the time commitments, maps, prioritize community belonging and fulfilling roles.  

Most students live by the post-secondary school calendar semesters, consider that when establishing your roles. 

During pandemic times lots of students missed out on co-op and work placements so opportunities that align to careers goals are interesting along with providing a letter of recommendation and/or references.

Check out the Mo Team on Instagram 

Sharing and learning with our fellow humans is one of our most favourite things here at VolunteerConnector. We love hearing how organizations and communities are navigating the world. It is also fun for us to share what we have been working on! We have some opportunities coming up to create spaces for building understanding and relating. Please feel free to join us for any or all and to let us know at info@volunteerconnector.org if there is something you want to chat about! 

We know where some volunteers are! 

Festivals, Fairs, Rodeos Oh My!

Tips and Tricks for Boards 

Can I ask you a question?