Adapted from Volunteer Canada’s Screening Handbook, a concise version of 10 Steps to Screening. Adopt these in your screening practices and policies to help find the best volunteer match

Watch our webinar on the 10 Steps to Screening and learn tips and tricks to incorporate these steps in their screening practices

A 2018 report from Imagine Canada that takes ain in-depth look at the givign behaviour of Canadians including the who, how, and why. This report also provides insights into how these trends are reshaping the future of philanthropy in Canada.

La présentation présente notre opportunité d’apprentissage rapide de 12 minutes au cours de laquelle nous discutons de ce que votre organisation pourrait prendre en compte lors de la demande de vérifications auprès des personnes vulnérables (VSC) pour les bénévoles et partageons également des points sur les bonnes pratiques générales de sélection des bénévoles.

Thanks to work funded by City of Calgary FCSS and the ongoing work and friendship of Dr Moyo Mutamba, Volunteer Connector was able to complete the start of a deeper dive into understanding the colonial structures inherent in volunteerism. Here is an excerpt from the report:

“We can assume that asking racialized people to interact with the police to request a police check could be triggering, but we would be remiss in not understanding more about this experience. How many people are affected by this potentially harmful practice and what other barriers do BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) volunteers face in the sector? We knew that to get a clear picture of these issues in our sector, we needed concrete data from volunteers.”

A 2018 discussion paper from Imagine Canada in which chief economist, Brian Emmett, identifies a looming social deficit through a series of scenarios that project the state of the charitable and nonprofit sector in 2026.

This is a self-guided workbook for Board Members and Non-profit Staff to provide basic information on board recruitment, onboarding, and evaluation to help develop an effective Board. This 2008 Revised Edition was developed by the Board Development Program of Alberta in collaboration with The Muttart.

This insights report explores the motivations, benefits, challenges, and supports that shape volunteer participation. Based on responses from over 800 volunteers, this report centers how highly engaged individuals and volunteers define, experience, and reflect on volunteering—in their own words. Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, policymaker, or volunteer yourself, we hope this report deepens your understanding of what makes volunteer experiences meaningful.

This resource from the Government of Alberta is intended to assist nonprofit organzistiosn with their efforts to build relationships with the corporate sector. The same approach can be used to guide relationships with individuals, foudnations, government agencies, and other nonprofits.

Organizations can use this Audit Tool to analyze their volunteer program and to identify and prioritize areas for development. In its most formal application, the Audit Tool can be used as part of a process within an organization to formally adopt the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement

During 2022, the Volunteer Screening Program (VSP) conducted various evaluations and research activities to deepen our understanding of Alberta’s volunteer screening and engagement practices and the shifting landscape that has occurred since 2017. This included identifying shared understanding, gaps in knowledge, and drawing connections between the lived experiences of the volunteers and the organizations that engage them. From these evaluative conversations, we have identified evolving good practices and issues to consider further.

During 2022, the Volunteer Screening Program conducted various evaluations and research activities to deepen our understanding of Alberta’s volunteer screening and engagement practices. This included identifying shared understanding, gaps in knowledge, and drawing connections between the lived experiences of the volunteers and the organizations that engage them. From these evaluative conversations, we have identified evolving good practices and issues to consider further.

This report details our approach, methods, analysis, and dives into what was asked and what was heard from our various evaluations and research activities, including focus groups and large benchmark surveys.

Managing background checks can be challenging; we totally get it. That’s why we are excited to invite you to learn about background checks in a fast, interactive session—gameshow style! Learn what background checks reveal, common misconceptions, and pick up a few new facts, all while testing your knowledge in a fun way.

This report, a collaborative effort between InWithForward and Volunteer Alberta, comes from our (Re)Engaged: Volunteerism From the Ground Up research initiative. We dug into the current, evolving nature of contribution using qualitative research methods, especially ethnographic interviews with individuals across Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Fairview. This report offers some paradigmatic shifts in how we frame and understand the value of volunteering, and identifies five actionable insights.

Watch this free webinar, co-hosted by OASSIS, to learn about the different types of cybersecurity threats facing your non-profit or charity. We’ll cover how to identify these threats, as well as offer some insight into how to protect your organization’s sensitive data from cyberattacks. You’ll walk away with proven strategies that you can put in place right away to protect yourself and your organization.

A 2024 report produced by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta and the University of Alberta’s Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) to on the state of volunteerism in rural Alberta. The research used 27 in-depth 1:1 interviews with various individuals with knowledge of volunteerism in rural Alberta as the data source, such as reeves, CAOs and a few nonprofit representatives. The report discusses the declining rates of volunteerism, the associated threat to rural communities, and recommendations for addressing these trends.

Ce modèle décrit le poste de travail du bénévole et comprend une évaluation des risques contractuels. En tenant compte des différentes responsabilités du bénévole et les risques potentielsqui y sont liés afin de bien définir et/ou orienter le processus d’évaluation.

This is a self-guided workbook for Board Members and Non-profit Staff to develop or update Board Member job descriptions, including for specific positions within the board. This 2008 Revised Edition was developed by the Board Development Program of Alberta in collaboration with The Muttart.

Join us in this recording as we delve into the essentials of crafting effective policies and risk assessment in your volunteer program. Here’s what we’ll be covering:

Learn the basics of policy development and understand how to identify potential risks and liabilities as it relates to volunteer screening.

Learn the basics of developing volunteer position descriptions and explore a relationship-based approach to volunteer screening and learn how to craft roles that resonate. This 2023 webinar covers:

• Elements of a Volunteer Position Description: Create roles that match your organization’s goals with the skills of potential volunteers
• The Volunteer HR Process: Learn how policies and legislation come into play when crafting volunteer roles
• Concrete Examples: Gain insight from real-world examples so that you can begin to draft your own volunteer positions
• Current Volunteer Trends: Learn what research says volunteers are interested in and who they are

Selon la façon dont vos politiques sont élaborées, elles peuvent être le meilleur ami ou le pire ennemi des organisations philanthropiques. Les politiques peuvent vous aider à vous préparer à des situations difficiles ou complexes. L’élaboration de politiques complètes crée une base solide pour un solide programme de dépistage des bénévoles.Traduction de l’anglais vers le français réalisée par le programme de Bénévolat Bilingue de l’ACFA.

In this quick 12-minute learning opportunity, we discuss what your organization might consider when requesting Vulnerable Sector Checks (VSCs) for volunteers and also share points around general good practices for screening volunteers.

This is a self-guided workbook that offers an overview of the incorporation process for nonprofit societies within Alberta, including guidelines to cocnisder when developign your by-laws. This workbook may also be used to help support in the review and revision of current bylaws for existing nonprofits. This 2008 Revised Edition was developed by the Board Development Program of Alberta in collaboration with The Muttart Foundation.

Learn why newcomers engage in volunteering, understand what inspires them to volunteer, and how organizations can craft opportunities that align with their unique goals. Join us for a conversation with Immigrant Services Calgary as they share strategies for supporting newcomers and creating meaningful connections through volunteer screening and as we present preliminary data from our 2024 Newcomer Volunteerism survey.

This guide provides a wide array of actions and considerations that nonprofit boards can undertake to engage youth successfully. Drawing from the lived experience and reflections of youth participants of the former Youth @ The Table program, this guide offers a starting point for nonprofits in their youth engagement journey.

This is a self-guided workbook written for Board Members to provide basic and practical information on financial management, such as standard responsibilities of the Board, budget planning, understanding a financial statement, and more. This 2008 Revised Edition was developed by the Board Development Program of Alberta in collaboration with The Muttart Foundation.

Use this tipsheet to showcase different ways to get involved for first-time volunteers. Start a conversation or use this tipsheet as part of your recruitment presentations and highlight current opportunities you have available

This first (un)learning brief documents Volunteer Alberta’s early experiment with Flowing Fridays, including a four-day work week, no‑meeting days, and protected focus time. Drawing on staff surveys, external research, and lived experience, it explores how creating more space and flexibility can support wellbeing. The brief shares initial insights and questions that emerged from testing new ways of working.

Building on the initial experiment, this second (un)learning brief revisits the connection between rest and wellbeing and examines how the Flowing Fridays approach evolved over time. It reflects on key learnings, adjustments made to the experiment, and what didn’t work as expected. The brief also offers a deeper look at the design methodologies and grounding principles that guided the team’s ongoing journey.

Learn an alternative approach to the 10-step volunteer screening process. Placing emphasis on safety and trust, this flexible approach will empower organizations to cultivate meaningful connections and adapt screening practices to reflect their unique community, fostering a more inclusive and collaborative volunteer environment.