National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week (NVW) pays tribute to the millions of Canadian volunteers who graciously donate their time and energy. This year’s 69th annual NVW takes place the week of April 15 – 21. It is Canada’s largest celebration of volunteers, volunteerism, and civic participation.
Albertans have a rich history of volunteering and community involvement. With over 1.4 million dedicating their time across Alberta’s communities every year, volunteers are leading positive change on all fronts: community health care, sports and recreation, heritage and arts, environmental protection & advocacy, disaster relief, international development, and volunteer firefighting – the list is endless. The work of volunteers is essential to maintaining resilient communities at home and around the world.
Albertans love to volunteer. We love to hear about it.
Albertans volunteer an average of 52 per cent of their time. Compared with a Canadian average of 48 per cent, we can see how strong civic engagement is in this province. The average number of hours volunteered per year in Alberta is 175 hours, with Albertans aged 65 years and older donating the largest amount of time.
Volunteers Count! is a Volunteer Alberta initiative to celebrate National Volunteer Week. This program puts some fun into the very serious goal of generating a profile of the volunteers who make contributions in their communities every day. Volunteers Count! is a first step towards gathering information about the powerful social investments – equally as important as capital investment – that volunteers make and the community initiatives they sustain.
Although this is a fun way to engage your organization’s volunteers, Volunteers Count! helps create a real-time story about the every day significant contributions of Albertans. This informational is integral to Volunteer Alberta and helps us create a profile of the essential contribution of volunteerism in the province.
Click here for more information on Volunteers Count!
Volunteer Alberta supports volunteer recognition
Volunteer Alberta and the Government of Alberta assist communities and municipalities in finding sources of funding for National Volunteer Week. As a result, Volunteer Alberta members can apply for 2012 Enhancement Funding. Please review the following guidelines for the usage of the funding by visiting our Enhancement Funding page. The initiative increases awareness of the value of recognizing volunteers at the community level. With the help of our partner Volunteer Centres and community organizations, National Volunteer Week is recognized as an essential civic and community event that is celebrated by all sectors of society.
Resources
National Volunteer Week Resource Kit
-Successful Community Initiatives
-Tried and True Volunteer Week Activities
-Key Messages
-Suggested Schedule for Media Campaign
- Backgrounder
-News Release – National Volunteer Week Activities
-News Release – Volunteer Week Event
-News Release – Call for Award Nominations
-News Release – Volunteer Award Winners
- Media Alert
-Generic Press Release
-Fast Facts and Volunteer Stats
-Radio & Television Interviews
-Proclamation of Volunteer Week in your community by the mayor or other elected official
-Letters to the Editor
-News Conference Tips
-Media Invitation
-Finding Sponsors and Partners
-Sponsorship Letter – Media
-Letter to an Elected Official
-50 Volunteer Gifts and Thank-You Card Ideas
Visit Volunteer Canada’s new National Volunteer Week website to see new tools and resources to help you celebrate your volunteers!
Join us for future National Volunteer Weeks
2013: April 21 to 27
2014: April 6 to 12
2015: April 12 to 18
2016: April 10 to 17