Every organization, town, and service provider have a unique way of showing appreciation to their volunteers and we’d like to share those with you as well as learn a little bit about all the different organizations and members in our community. Our intention is to get to know the organizations in Alberta and appreciate them…
Launched this year, Youth @ the Table is Volunteer Alberta’s new youth engagement initiative. The program aims to create governance opportunities for young people ages 18 to 30 who are interested in the nonprofit sector. Participants will be paired with a nonprofit board in their community and spend six months learning directly from a mentor…
In a time where virtual volunteering is the new norm, young people looking for opportunities to give back or connect may wonder what being part of a virtual community is like. How do you keep people engaged online? What about tech issues? In its pilot year, Youth @ the Table convened eight youth from regional…
Volunteer screening is not only about screening people out as a form of risk mitigation; it is also about screening people in, finding the right fit for any volunteer role. Volunteer screening is a crucial part of recruiting volunteers for any nonprofit organization. However, the screening process can be complex and time-consuming. A collaboration between…
We believe volunteerism and civic engagement are crucial for health and well-being. We need people with different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs to create a vibrant community and transform our lives and the lives of others through active participation. “(Being) Canadian is like being part of a big family. By having an enormous volunteer culture, we…
Background How do we create a community online? Volunteer Alberta’s Youth @ the Table (Y@TT) program asked this question when we moved to virtual programming because of the pandemic. Supported by Canada Service Corps, Y@TT is a province-wide initiative seeking to engage youth ages 18-30 at the governance level of nonprofit organizations. Our in-person gatherings…
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball of some kind this past year. And, National Volunteer Week is no exception. Many communities are struggling with how to pivot volunteer recognition and engagement for safety and social distancing purposes. But! There are many ways communities can still recognize volunteers in their communities during National Volunteer…
Strategic planning is a significant part of determining where your organization is and where it needs to go. By developing a strategic plan, your organization can clarify and determine its priorities and what you need to achieve these priorities. In 2020, Volunteer Alberta undertook the task of developing our new mission and vision statements and…
What is a ‘volunteer centre’? A personal and short story At Volunteer Alberta, we connect Volunteer Centres with each other and with any resources they need to help make an impact in their communities. What is a volunteer centre you ask? Let me tell you! In high school, we were required to complete 120 volunteer…
As volunteers, our first instinct is to focus on how we can help. We want to be good neighbours and support our community through a crisis, but it is a bit more difficult now as we’re working to flatten the curve. In this blog, Daniela Seiferling from Volunteer Alberta and Ilya Ushakov from ECVO share examples of…