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A million
people volunteer in BC and we believe that many more support their
communities in informal ways.
Volunteers
are the hearts, movers, shakers and shapers of healthy communities.
They lead and follow.
They
plan and do. They take responsibility and they help. They are active
in the areas such as sports, arts, social services, faith, health
and education. They are essential to a healthy community life.
More
and more is expected from volunteers and the voluntary sector in
general. Government dollars just cannot do everything to make our
neighbourhoods, towns and villages the kind of places we want to
live in, and nor should they.
At
the same time, there is increased concern for and scrutiny of the
effectiveness and efficiency of voluntary organizations. The media,
funders and government commonly use terms such as accountability,
transparency, and liability. Well-meaning volunteers are caught
in this new climate, and are often not equipped to deal with these
demands.
Volunteers
are often young people looking for experience to help with their
career. They can be business people with busy lives or retirees
fitting their community work between recreational activities and
travel. All have many of the same requirements: that their time
is well-spent, not wasted. They really feel they have made a contribution.
They have opportunities to learn and grow from their experience
and that they are appreciated.
What
does a strong support structure for volunteering look like?
For
the individual who wishes to be involved in their community:
- An
accessible system to help find an appropriate opportunity quickly
and efficiently
- Support
to make sure that the volunteer experience is a great one for
both the individual and the organization
- Understanding
of governance and liability issues
- Appropriate
recognition for the value of the individual's contribution
- A
positive image for volunteering and community involvement
For
the over thirty Volunteer Centres throughout BC, the resources to:
- Connect
people with opportunities to serve
- Build
capacity of local organizations to support volunteering
- Promote
volunteering
- Participate
in strategic initiatives that mobilize volunteers to meet local
community needs
For
managers or coordinators of volunteers:
- Awareness
of the skills involved in managing unpaid staff resources, where
the motivations, expectations, rewards and liability issues are
very different from those of paid staff
- Training
opportunities and resources available and utilized in order to
do the best job possible
- Adequate
numbers of appropriate volunteers available to support the programs
and services provided by voluntary organizations
For
the province as a whole:
- A
strong provincial organization with the mandate to promote and
support volunteerism through over thirty volunteer centers throughout
the province, which in turn support volunteers and voluntary organizations
in their communities
- A
strong provincial organization to bring together government, corporations,
funders and voluntary organizations to discuss issues and encourage
co-operation and partnership
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