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VolunteerConnector hosted our AGM on Wednesday, June 18. The event featured a panel discussion with wonderful panelist under the topic of "Volunteer and Inclusive Access: How Volunteer Systems Can Evolve to Welcome and Support Everyone" featuring James Stauch, Ariba Dara, and Heather Johnson. This panel discussion explored how volunteer systems can be reimagined to promote greater inclusivity and equitable access, ensuring that individuals from diverse backgrounds and abilities are meaningfully engaged and supported. Through critical dialogue and evidence-based insights, panelists examined systemic barriers and proposed innovative frameworks for inclusive volunteer engagement. 

The key takeaways from the speakers were to meet people where they are at- if that means embracing their availability or unique skill sets then that is what organizations should do. Another suggestion was for organizations and people who engage volunteers to consider how they are framing and creating position descriptions to ensure that people in community are not self selecting out. Finally, embrace people's intersectionality and identity. Humans who come forward to volunteer are full and beautiful people who come with varied skills and life experiences. They are what make organizations great. 

Join us in welcoming Milton A. Ortega to the role of Executive Director!

Milton brings over a decade of nonprofit leadership experience and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s nonprofit and volunteer sectors. We are confident that he will be an invaluable asset to our organization, and we are excited to see the impact his leadership will have on volunteerism. #ExecutiveDirector #VolunteerConnector

We had the immense pleasure of being present at Board Leadership Calgary a couple weeks ago. It was a chance to connect with some awesome humans doing cool work in their pockets of community. Huge thank you to Justin Solamillo and the team at the Government of Alberta Community Development Unit. VolunteerConnector got to spend 90 cool minutes immersed in the intersection of community building, organizations and humans trying their best. 

There are three reflections we have from this event and the time we spent. 

Great suggestion for our always in our hearts merchandise line of “the best volunteers are prickly”. We are thinking plant pot with a cactus in it. 

There was a profound moment where many organizations in the room were sharing the current state of volunteerism in their organizations. It was mostly a story of struggle. From trying to recover from Covid to simply not seeing the response from efforts that they had hoped. Present in the room were also 3 awesome young people from Youth Central who shared their perspective of wanting to engage in community but not being able to find open opportunities. And there it was, without us even having to say it. There are not less people out there looking for opportunities, there are different people out there looking. It is tough work, but it is up to organizations and the people in them to shift roles, processes and opportunities to connect with the people out there who do want to and have capacity to volunteer.

Finally, to get us started and focussed on the work of volunteer engagement we inquired about the best or worst advice people had been given about engaging volunteers. The most common answer around the room was none. No advice. What a moment so aligned with learning that across the country of the 1.3 million organization, charities, nonprofits, grassroots groups that 1 million of them are volunteer run with no staff. Most people who engage volunteers are volunteers themselves and they are doing it through their own grit, determination and trial. 

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and creative Communications and Marketing Coordinator to join our team. If you are passionate about storytelling, digital marketing, and advancing equity and inclusion through volunteer engagement, we’d love to hear from you! This position is made possible from the generous support of Canada Summer Jobs Program, to be eligible the candidate must be between 15 and 30. More information on the position and how to apply, click here.. 

We are super excited to announce that we have added a resource library to VolunteerConnector! From your dashboard click on Resource Library under Tools to find a bunch of things to help you on your volunteer engagement journey. We are always looking to add things to this area so please feel free to share anything that you think is helpful for anyone who supports people engaging in their community. We would love to feature it on there. 

Please let us know if you have any questions or if you feel like something is missing we are happy to create it! Get in touch with us at VolunteerConnector 

We have some awesome features that help humans connect with volunteers and ease in a way that works best for the organization!  One of the features that used to be behind the paywall but is now available for everyone to use; a live url link to your own internal application process. That could be a google form or another software you use to process the applications. Volunteers can use this link to go directly from VolunteerConnector to your system. Less steps make it helpful for the human who is looking to engage with the cause they care about. This awesome feature can be found under the postings heading. Simply put your link right in the field and publish your posting like that. No more using the workaround of trying to include a link in the description of the role. Features like this come as a direct result of feedback from users of VolunteerConnector; organizations and volunteers. If you have insights to share with us, do not hesitate to get in touch. If you need any help using this tool let us know! 

This year at our AGM we wanted to explore the question of who is the typical volunteer? Who are they? Where are they? 

I want you to take a couple moments and a sharpie, a pen and random scrap paper, and draw out the typical volunteer- include anything you want about them. Demographics? Where they volunteer? What skills they have? Who they support?  No artistic talents required, stick figures encouraged!

We a have conducted this same process with a bunch of people in focus groups and I am going tell you some of the things you have included in your drawing based on what those focus groups have said: you have likely drawn a woman, someone who is of retiree aged and you have likely used words like ‘helper’ and someone who ‘cares about community’. She has no specific skills of note! 

Some observations about this activity. These were done in groups of people who were all volunteers themselves and very few people described themselves. So funny and wild that when we inquire about an abstract ‘volunteer’ what comes up and the cognitive dissonance that exists between what whom we think a volunteer is and who they are not. 

We also asked AI what a typical volunteer is, one of the pictures generated is here in this blog. They were all different versions of this. AI thinks that a typical volunteer is someone who volunteers in groups, in matching t-shirts and holds a tool. 

With the over 600,000 Canadians who use VolunteerConnector we also have a vision of a typical volunteer. She is Gen Z, and she has so many skills! Humans can choose from 70 skills that they are willing to share are varied and vast, not one really sticks out, the talents that people possess are wide reaching!  Like the person you likely drew the typical volunteer cares about community and maybe is not sure precisely what that means…they follow orgs and causes that are umbrella of doing good. A human who desires to be connected in meaningful engagement who is also existing in 2024…cost of living crisis, a heaviness in the world. They are also looking for flexible opportunities. Research out of the UK around Gen Z stated that rigid commitment was a massive barrier to engaging. We have seen the typical volunteer on the news lately, in fields of universities asking for disclosure and divestment, and in concert stadiums making friendship bracelets. 

Our hope in this discourse around a typical volunteer is that we are a sector spend time reflecting on who actually is. That when we are talking about communities, volunteers, the humans doing work that we pause and reconsider what we think we know, who we think is out there that we can connect to, how those humans might want to engage in the things that they are looking to do, how they are wanting to do it. 

Our 2023 AGM is coming up on June 12, 2024. Join us as it will include:

• A brief business meeting
• A presentation of the year in review
• A discussion on how to use our/your data to support volunteer recruitment to your cause

See you all there: REGISTER

Our Next. Symposium group gathered again to further process and reflect on their learnings from the event! Here are some of their key takeaways:

• when the world feels heavy know that there are little bits of kindness happening everywhere
• Gen Z should take over the world immediately
• the charitable sector is made up of human beings and these humans need space in their jobs to FEEL and not just work
• we are in a time and place where radical change is needed
• sometimes the best way to start a tough conversation with a volunteer is to say “sounds like you are not having a good time?”

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.