Volunteerism in the New Millenium

“There is no greater personal reward than to give freely of one’s time and effort towards a cause you truly believe in. Volunteers are an integral part of the success of so many worthy charitable endeavors, and serve as the tireless engines that help these organizations continue to run. Giving back to our communities through the spirit of volunteerism is among the greatest reward a person can achieve.”

R. Jeffrey Orr
Investors Group Inc.

As people search for ways to enrich their lives, many are giving their personal time and skills to the community. Others are looking for new routes to personal and professional development. Individuals with special needs are becoming empowered to take charge of their lives and want a chance to contribute their energies to helping others. In short, more and more people are considering volunteering. Londoners are among the best in volunteering.
More than one in three people living in the London CMA volunteered for a charitable or nonprofit organization.

For new Canadians, volunteering is one way to practice new language skills, build social networks, gain Canadian experience, and develop a sense of attachment and integration to the new community.

More than one in four Canadians (27% or 6.5 million) volunteered through a charitable or nonprofit organization, according to the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP). This is a decline from 31% of Canadians in 1997. (The last survey)

Volunteers contributed an average of 162 hours each during the year, up from 149 hours in 1997. Over one-third (34%) of all volunteer hours were contributed by the 5% of volunteers who gave 596 hours or more of their time. Volunteers undertake a wide range of activities. The most common was organizing or supervising events, which accounted for 57% of all volunteer events.

The second most common volunteer activity was acting as an unpaid board or committee member (41% of all volunteer events). Although volunteers contribute to many types of organizations, most volunteering happened in:

• Arts, culture and recreation organizations (26% of volunteer hours)
• Social services organizations : (20%)
• Religious organizations: (16%)
• Education and research organizations : (11%)
• Health organizations: (9%)

More volunteers get involved because they were asked by an organization (30%) than any other way. But those volunteers who first became involved by approaching an organization on their own (16% of volunteers) contributed almost 50% more hours on average than those who were asked by an organization to volunteer (134 vs. 89 respectively)

Canadian youth between the ages of 15 and 24 made an important contribution to charitable giving and volunteering in 2000. They accounted for 6% of the total of donations and 15% of all volunteer hours, according to the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP). Sixty-four percent of Canadian youth made financial donations to charities, for a total of $308 million in 2000. This is significantly more than in 1997 when 59% of youth made financial donations, for a total of 187 million. Youth made an average annual donation of $118, compared to $282 for Canadians aged 25 and older.

Youth volunteers gave an annual average of 130 hours each in 2000, up from 125 hours in 1997. Youth volunteering accounted for a total of 154 million hours – nearly 15% of all volunteer hours.

The two most common youth volunteer activities were:

• Organizing or supervising events (53% of youth volunteers)
• Campaigning or raising funds (39%)

The majority of youth volunteering occurred in three types of organizations:

• Education and Research organizations: 30 million hours (19% of total youth volunteer hours)
• Social Service organizations: 34 million hours (22%)
• Art, Culture, and Recreation organizations: 27 million hours (18%)

Another area that has seen changes is older adults. Volunteer recruitment and retention for older adults presents both challenges and opportunities. Although fewer volunteer in this age group, the average number of hours contributed far exceeds that of any other age group - volunteers over 65 contributed more than double the number of hours of those 15-24. As our population ages, there is a great opportunity ahead for the voluntary sector to benefit from this valuable resource, our older adult volunteers.

Latest stats from the 2000 NSGVP indicate that 27% of companies helped their employees volunteer by allowing them to modify their work hours in order to take part in volunteer activity, and increase of 5% from the 1997 survey.

Volunteers around the world are addressing social, economic, cultural and humanitarian needs. Today more than ever, companies are supporting employee volunteer initiatives in the community. Having employees involved in voluntary activities sends a message to the community that the business sector is concerned about community issues. By supporting community, businesses are building the overall health of the community. In turn, a better business climate is established and the well being of employees and customers increases. Supporting employees who are in leadership roles in the community increases the visibility of the business, strengthening employee morale and the pride employees have for the company in which they work.

December 5, 2003 is International Volunteer Day. Make a commitment now to get involved in your community.