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…
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…
Recruiting and engaging volunteers is much more than requesting a police information check or simply putting an ad up on social media that says, “volunteers needed!” It’s an ongoing process that matches the right volunteer with the right opportunity creating a meaningful and mutually beneficial experience. At Volunteer Alberta, we believe that a successful volunteer…
Has the belief that youth can change the world disappeared? Nowadays, people seem more pessimistic than ever towards youth – that youth today are more apathetic and consumed by their phones and social networks. As a result, a lot of people tend to overlook how to motivate youth to participate. But, 4-H Alberta still believes…
Everyone’s volunteer journey is unique. When you ask volunteers why and how they started, their stories are often different. Recently, we interviewed two Edmonton volunteers who are attending NextGen’s volunteer recognition event City Jam to give us insight into how they started volunteering and why they give back to the Edmonton community. How long have…
Volunteers are integral to the nonprofit sector. Many nonprofits/charities, events, festivals and more, would not be possible without Albertans selflessly devoting their time to our communities and causes. But many nonprofits struggle with getting volunteers in the door and finding volunteers who are the right fit that will also come back to volunteer. Fringe Theatre…
Volunteers needed is a common phrase and challenge that nonprofits know all too well. With the lack of data on Alberta volunteerism since 2013 and the migration to the digital age, Alberta nonprofits have been left in the dark on how to reach volunteers today, especially youth. But, thanks to Propellus, Calgary’s volunteer centre, Alberta’s…
A big part of retaining volunteers is finding new and innovative ways to engage them. By helping volunteers to develop soft skills, nonprofits can enrich volunteers’ experiences. Soft skills such as the ability to gel well in a team, make sound and/or quick decisions and communicate effectively are important for any nonprofit volunteer to successfully…
What does Volunteer Alberta mean by skilled volunteerism? At Volunteer Alberta, we often speak of and promote skilled volunteerism and the value skilled volunteers can bring to nonprofit organizations. But what do we mean by “highly skilled volunteers”? Highly skilled volunteers include any volunteer that offers specific skills, knowledge, or expertise in an area where…
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…