Posts By: Volunteer Alberta

The beginning of NextGen’s City Jam: A skilled volunteer story

Rebecca Swanson started her volunteering journey back in high school and has since volunteered for over 20 years. Swanson’s involvement in volunteerism first began when her friends started to volunteer as a way to spend more time with people she knew. However, what motivated her to volunteer after high school was the idea of supporting…

Member Spotlight: How Vegreville and District FCSS engages youth in board governance part 1

Vegreville and District FCSS encourages ‘Youth to Make a Change’ What would our nonprofit sector look like if young people built on their leadership skills by participating in their community at an executive level as volunteers? Vegreville and District FCSS is taking a unique approach to encouraging youth to volunteer through a program called, Youth…

Welcoming newcomers: A volunteer story

How we can support and welcome newcomers Supporting and welcoming newcomers to Canada grows our communities and makes our communities more vibrant, diverse and strong. But, the integration process for newcomers is not easy. In 2016, Paula Speevak from Volunteer Canada wrote the following about nonprofits’ and volunteers’ roles in assisting Syrian refugees: “Integration is…

Member Spotlight: Giving a voice to Albertans with disabilities

The Voice of Albertans with Disabilities advocates for full participation People with disabilities, the largest minority group in the world, struggle greatly to overcome physical, mental, emotional and social barriers. Often, those with disabilities find themselves isolated from the world due to discrimination: a sheer lack of understanding and empathy. The Voice of Albertans with…

Building safe vibrant communities with Volunteer Screening

Growing communities and risk mitigation Sometimes, our communities can grow faster than we can establish appropriate policies to meet the needs of those joining and participating with our nonprofits. When we can’t keep up with the increasing changes, this can put our organizations and communities unintentionally at risk. Volunteer screening helps foster safe communities and…

NextGen City Jam is increasing volunteerism – and you can too!

Imagine a room full of people excitedly anticipating for a concert to start. The room goes dark, lights flood the stage, and the crowd goes wild as the headliner takes the stage. But, this night isn’t just for anyone. This concert is exclusively for dedicated volunteers who generously donate their time to their community. What is…

Did you know you are a People Engagement Specialist? Thinking & Acting Differently Part 2

[su_note note_color=”#DDDAE8″ radius=”9″] Make sure you’ve read part 1 of Jodi’s story! [/su_note] Getting creative Jodi was inspired and wanted to read more about how to improve her volunteer engagement, so she dove into the Volunteer Recognition Study published by Volunteer Canada in 2013… she found it highly relevant and insightful. It highlighted that volunteer…

Did you know you are a People Engagement Specialist? Thinking & Acting Differently Part 1

Our blog today is in the form of a story… one part fictional story, informed by real-world information, one part practical information that might help change the way you work, one part mindset shift that could change the way you think, and one part shameless promotion of helpful resources and information. The tale of a Volunteer Manager who…

Guest Volunteer Blog: The Hands that Give are Never Truly Empty

The hands that give are never truly empty. – Gabby Gibbs, Leader of Tomorrow If there is one thing I have experienced as a volunteer, it is that I am surrounded by individuals who love as if it is their last day on earth regardless of where I happen to be. I have been involved…

How to Recruit and Retain Quality Employees

Healthy and happy staff are more effective and engaged! One of the biggest barriers for nonprofits to recruit and retain quality employees is the inability to offer valuable and comprehensive compensation packages. We all know it’s not always easy to find affordable, effective ways to increase value in employee packages within nonprofit budget constraints. “We…