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This week's guest blog is brought to you by Ghazi Abid. He believes education and art can change the world, which is why he is a practitioner of both. With experience in teaching, curriculum design and career development, Ghazi loves working with students from all age groups. As a newcomer to Canada, he is enjoying the pursuit of my varied hobbies: reading, biking, playing soccer and volunteering. To connect with Ghazi you can look for him on LinkedIn or Substack. 

She was hunched over me closely inspecting my every move and even though I sensed some doubt emanating from her demeanor, the air of hope was much stronger. I continued diligently, my latex gloves now torn from the friction generated by the wrench I held. I wrestled with the frequent thoughts of failure and subsequent shame which put my sweat glands into overdrive in the industrious yet warm confines of Bike Root. “Oh wow, you did it, he did it!”, she exclaimed and gently patted my back as I straightened and pointed towards the stand I had just installed on the frame of her bike. She was motioning for Tom, the actual mechanic, to come and see the job I had done which she had felt was impossible to do herself. As I marveled at the work I had done, having no experience as a mechanic, I felt as if I was standing on a podium in front of a crowd of loving supporters. She immediately tested the newly installed stand, her eyes gleaming with joy. I could tell it meant so much to her because she had earlier mentioned how difficult it had been to keep her bike upright as she struggled with a loss of dexterity that comes with old age. I have ever since forgotten her name, but never will I forget that one cold winter evening, in a small workshop in a tiny corner of the world a fledgling immigrant from Pakistan brought joy to a stranger just by volunteering a moment of his time.  

This week we are excited to feature guest blog writer; Lori Gotlieb. She is the founder of Lori Gotlieb Consulting as well as Co-developer and faculty for Humber College Volunteer Management Leadership Certificate. Lori is a well-respected author and subject matter expert and continues to challenge the boundaries of volunteerism to creatively engage communities with non-profit organizations and associations.To connect with Lori check out her website.

The following are some helpful tips for off boarding volunteers.

Develop a clear offboarding policy: Establish a standardized process for offboarding volunteers, which includes steps such as notification, exit interviews and post-departure follow-up. 

Communication: Notify the volunteer about their offboarding in a timely manner and provide the reason for their departure if applicable. 

Exit interviews: Conduct an exit interview with the volunteer to gather feedback on their experience, identify areas for improvement and learn about their reasons for leaving. 

Show gratitude:  Take the time to acknowledge the volunteer’s contributions. Whether you’re celebrating them at your annual meeting, hosting a farewell event or simply sending a personalized thank-you note. 

Knowledge transfer: Ensure that the volunteer’s knowledge, skills, and experiences are documented and passed on. This is also a great opportunity to establish a mentorship opportunity for your incoming volunteers. 

Reassignment opportunities: Of course, just because they’re no longer in a specific role, that doesn’t mean they’re out of the organization. Offering alternative volunteer opportunities can help re-engage your departing volunteers and avoid those hard feelings.   

Things to consider:

Is there an opportunity to engage the volunteer in mentorship or coaching new volunteers?

Is there an opportunity to engage the volunteer in special projects. 

Are there opportunities to acknowledge the volunteer in a public forum (award nomination, impact stories for publications)

Have you provided and/or reviewed the following:

Opportunity to provide feedback through exit survey or interview.

Letter of appreciation and/or certificate of appreciation 

Final review and knowledge transfer

Informed appropriate volunteers/staff of exit. 

Volunteer Managers play a pivotal role in connecting volunteers with meaningful opportunities. Join Volunteer Alberta and Alberta Blue Cross in celebrating International Volunteer Manager Day (Nov 5), by nominating yourself or a Volunteer Manager who should be recognized in your community to receive a $10 coffee card! Let's raise our (coffee) cups together and shine a light on the impact that Volunteer Managers bring to our communities. While we will prioritize nominations for those who didn’t receive a coffee card last year, we encourage everyone to participate—every Volunteer Manager deserves recognition, so don’t hesitate to nominate someone special, even if you think they’ve already been honoured!

Terms & Eligibility: 
- Must be a volunteer manager or coordinator (or equivalent) for an organization or grassroots group in Alberta. We recognize that there are informal ways of volunteering, or that what you do may not be called volunteering depending on cultures, languages etc. Our only requirement is that the nominee supports or organizes a group of people who give back to the community in some way. 

-Deadline for nomination is November 11, 2024. 
- Those nominated can only receive 1 gift card. 

Fill out the nomination form here. 

We love to use this space to give an extra shout out to organizations doing cool work! Food security is a cause that is important to most communities across the country. Especially in the cost-of-living crisis. Food Banks hold a critical space in that work. Food Banks BC is currently looking for several board members. What we like about this opportunity is the clear effort to seek out people who are reflective of the community across the province of British Columbia. Many people often self-select out of board roles because they do not feel qualified, but the voices are critical to centring the actual needs of the people organizations serve. If you are interested in that work and have lived experience in food insecurity or poverty, check them out! 

The holiday season is just around the corner, with that is some long nights and some very short days. The thing that breaks up this time for all of us are dazzling lights. The Burlington Festival of Lights has been a destination for residents of Burlington and beyond for twenty-nine years! If the light life is for you over the holiday season, have a look at their opportunity. What we love about this opportunity; the title “Twinkle Patrol” AMAZING! We adore a unique title. The other thing we love about this opportunity is that the organization has identified this role is good for families, groups and youth! An awesome and festive opportunity. 

Young Politicians of Canada is a national, non-partisan, non-profit youth-led organization based in Toronto. There are elections in the air across the country and we love the idea of supporting youth engaging in the democratic process and the shifts that can happen in our society when people lean into their civic responsibility! You can check out their opportunity here. 

We are so pleased to welcome Ali Alzahrani as our guest writer this week. You can read more of his work on his page. 

Volunteering is the power that may bring the social change we all crave. 

In an era characterized by growing individualism and digital isolation, I prefer to give my time and energy free of charge. This is a courageous human gesture and a great way to connect. I am not doing this only for leisure or to pass my idle time; instead, it is my strong protest against the wave of selfishness that puts our unity in jeopardy. As Winston Churchill wisely noted, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give". This idea is a good example of the reason why volunteering happens to be the main blueprint of my life. 

The process or the desire to volunteer was a result of witnessing the growing consumer culture in our society. I have seen that we can often be disconnected from others, both in childhood and adulthood, since we feel separated in our daily digital interfaces. This not only impacts the tangible community needs but also builds tines of isolation and sorrow. One of the remedies against this is the volunteerism idea, as it provides us the possibility of reconnecting not only with our shared human nature but also with the local communities we live in. This was a great opportunity, a huge spark for me that I could not resist, so simply I’m jumping in. Joyce Bertram (2015) said in her TEDxVilnius "If you come across something that sparks something in you, that sparks a passion that fills you with excitement, that you feel should happen, don't wait for others to take the initiative. Step up and do it." 

I agree completely with Joyce Bertram (2015) when she correctly claimed that volunteering is a good place to call home for skill and character development. She said "Every single individual, regardless of their backgrounds, has valuable information that is worth sharing." This democratic view of knowledge and skills is what makes volunteering unique. From my volunteer work, I have discovered a number of talents I never thought I was capable of having and have also been taught valuable lessons by others in ways that I could never have experienced in my professional or personal life. 

The concept of volunteerism really is a prominent part of the idea of altruism, but at the same time, it is not just selflessness. The concept of volunteering is about the reciprocal relation of giving and getting that nurtures both the volunteer and the community. According to research by social scientists, volunteers usually report better mental health, increased life satisfaction, and stronger social relationships (Wilson, 2000). The mutual benefit of volunteering lies in its promotion of a more compassionate and interconnected society. 

Moreover, volunteering is one of the mighty methods that can bring about social change. I mean real change. People will join organizations because they want to do something a little bit better than themselves. This willingness to be a part of a project that is bigger than oneself is the chief engine of a huge number of volunteer activities. Instead of being content with surviving the world's massive waves, by volunteering, I attach myself to the efforts of remarkable human beings who are not mere spectators but really are active participants in the movement to solve these issues once and for all from the grassroots level on up. 

The influence of voluntary work goes far beyond the immediate gains individuals and organizations experience from it. Volunteering plays a significant role in developing social capital and building the social fabric. In the United States alone, the economic evaluation of volunteer time is around $33.48 per hour (Independent Sector, 2021), which translates to billions of dollars in support for causes and organizations that would have otherwise gone unfulfilled. However, the true essence of volunteering cannot be determined monetarily; it is found in the skills that it instills in people, like compassion, the ability to understand, and excellent social connection. 

But when I Look towards the future, I see the landscape of volunteering most likely to evolve with technological advancements. There are going to be a Virtual or remote volunteering opportunities for those interested to be part of the volunteering community from the ease of their home or offices. These ways may become more known and used in the future, but the fundamental human need to connect with no doubt will remain fixed, because this this what it means to be a human.  

When I choose to volunteer, I made a conscious decision to be part of the treatment (hopefully) to the challenges facing the whole world, I mean not me as a person, but me as an individual, as one part of our world population. It is a rejection of the notion that individual success and comfort are the ultimate goals of life. Instead, it is an embrace of the idea that real fulfillment comes from being one part of the well-being of others and building towards a more just and equitable society. 

Volunteering stands as the hope, when we face global challenges that require a collective action. Volunteering is a testament to the potential power of our human compassion and solidarity. It works as a reminder that we are all connected and that each action from each one of us can have far-reaching results, and long-lasting outputs. The anthropologist Margaret Mead, once said "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. (r)" - Margaret Mead. Used with permission. (Institute for Intercultural Studies, 2009). 

In conclusion, I chose to volunteer because it offers a great opportunity to create a difference, meaningful one. This difference is not going to impact the world or only the community, instead it is going to simultaneously enrich my own life and the lives of those around me. It is our powerful tool we peacefully may use to combat the ugly individualism in the society and instill the values of connected humanity, empathetic society, and a very socially responsible community.  

References 

Bertram, J. (2015). How volunteerism can change your world. TEDx Talks. [Link] 

Independent Sector. (2021). Value of Volunteer Time. [Link] 

Institute for Intercultural Studies. (2009). Margaret Mead quotes. [Link] 

Wilson, J. (2000). Volunteering. Annual Review of Sociology, 26(1), 215-240. [Link] 

October 10 marks the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Day. Normally the dialogue around mental health and volunteering is about all the benefits the volunteering can offer to people; a sense of purpose and belonging, a sense of accomplishment. These are all true. So much so that the United Kingdom and other places have now taken on the idea of social prescribing. There is also other intersection of mental health and volunteering; the individuals and their complex existence that walks through the door of organizations across the country every day as volunteers. If you interact with humans on a day to day basis than chances are you are navigating someone’s mental health. We talk a lot at VolunteerConnector about being humans first and sometimes that is an identity that can get lost in all the valuable work that the charitable sector does. It is so critical however that we all take care of each other. If we believe that volunteerism is fundamental to our community cohesion and individual’s sense of belonging than we must also hold the responsibility of caring for people when they are not at their best. A great resource in this space is the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Mental Health Continuum. If you are seeing a shift in a person who you volunteer alongside, it might be a good idea to start there. The more we normalize these conversations that stronger our communities will be. 

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 week marks National Truth and Reconciliation Day. We know this work is not just a single day, it is daily and generational work. 

For Organizations, The 94 Calls to Action, if you want an example of how these calls can be actioned. We would encourage you to read the Canadian Museums Association’s Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums. 

For individuals, check out 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning.

We love meaningful conversations so please reach out if you want to chat further about please do reach out. Please take time to breathe deeply and reflect over the course of the weekend, we look forward to connecting further. 

Volunteer Alberta and Volunteer Canada are conducting a national survey to understand what volunteering looks like today in different parts of Canada. This research will explore why people volunteer, how they're volunteering, and what barriers or challenges they might face (or be hindered by) when looking to participate in volunteering efforts. 

Objectives 

Inventory of Motivations: Identify a list of motivations that drive Canadians to volunteer and understand the variations in these motivations. 

Volunteer (Non)Participation Today: Gain insights into volunteer participation today, including the challenges and barriers faced by (potential) volunteers. 

Organizational Support: Identify ways in which organizations can better support and encourage volunteerism. 

Two Surveys 

For volunteers: This survey will help us learn directly from the experiences of volunteers (and non-volunteers) about trends in volunteer participation, key motivations, and barriers.  

For organizations: We also want to learn from the organizational perspective and better understand what organizational representatives think and see regarding this topic. 

National Volunteer Survey

National Organization Survey

We love seeing cool volunteer things in the wild and this sign made the list. Shout out to Bike Cochrane! Here are some reasons we think this sign is awesome: 

You are meeting people where they are at. The humans who are using the pump track are the ones who care and are invested in its ongoing maintenance. 

The commitment is short and flexible, especially during the summer when schedules are out of whack. People who don’t have a lot of time in other seasons might have time in the summer, and life in the summer can sometime vary week to week. This allows people to make a commitment that fits in their schedule. 

The expectations are clear and reflect the urgent need of the organization. The organization gets to keep a list of the things that need done for everyone to enjoy the space and people get to contribute in a meaningful way. 

The connection is instant. A person can immediately go to the site, check their schedule and sign up for a week that works. 

Humans can do this as a family unit and that set up is encouraged! We get inquiries to our email from people looking to experience the benefits of volunteerism as a family so it is awesome to see an opportunity that fits that need!