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Volunteer Centre Services

Benefits to St. Albert

The Volunteer Centre serves two clients – primarily those seeking volunteer opportunities so they can make an impact on issues concerning them, and second, agencies needing the support of volunteers to enhance, support or deliver agency programs.

Active participation does not happen by chance. Potential volunteers approach the Volunteer Centre for help in connecting with available volunteer opportunities. Many are unaware of the selection of organizations that would benefit from their support and the variety of opportunities available to them.

The Volunteer Centre provides a central point of access to the volunteer community by bringing together people and community needs. It involves people of all ages and experiences, from a variety of backgrounds and opportunities, regardless of financial ability. The Volunteer Centre provides a chance for everyone to be involved and to make a difference.

Value of Volunteers

Volunteers are not a substitute for inadequate funding. In fact, volunteers are necessary even when funding is adequate. Volunteers bring to human services a dimension that is different from paid staff.
* Extra hands can supplement paid staff in terms of expanded hours of operation, increased service, different or new services.
* Volunteers from a variety of backgrounds provide alternate points of view.
* Volunteers with special skills/talents are recruited to augment the skills of salaried staff.
* Volunteers are perceived to have more credibility than salaried staff when they speak publicly for their organization.
* Volunteers can focus intensively on an issue or client to provide individualized attention.
* Satisfied volunteers often become donors of money and goods.

Program Delivery

Bringing people and community needs together

The Volunteer Centre focuses on the volunteer as our client. Agencies contact us when they need help to find volunteer support, or are approached by us to become a referral agency. Once a position listing is received by the Volunteer Centre, volunteers are recruited through public service announcements (PSA’s) in local media, on our website www.stalbertcivc.com and on www.govolunteer.ca.

As a regular feature, PSA’s provide a timely and consistent method of reaching out to potential volunteers, raising public awareness to opportunities in local agencies, and encouraging community residents to pursue positions of interest to them. Targeted recruitment asks volunteers to contact the Volunteer Centre directly for referral to specific agencies. In 2010, 33.5% of volunteers referred heard about a volunteer opportunity in a local newspaper, 42.2% from the internet – a number that increases yearly, and 24.3% through word of mouth, phone book or brochure, government agency or school.

When volunteers contact the Volunteer Centre, either in response to a PSA, the internet or seeking information, a personal or telephone interview is conducted. By exploring a potential volunteer’s interest, availability and goals, a match to an appropriate assignment can be made.

The Volunteer Centre utilizes VICTA, a computer volunteer management database that compiles all the volunteer opportunities received from 184 community agencies in St. Albert and the Edmonton area. We posted approximately 260 active listings of individual postings, many of which require multiple volunteers.

Client Advocacy

If an appropriate opportunity is not located through the listings in VICTA, staff may conduct a search for an opportunity. This may lead to staff working directly with an agency to create a position which would accommodate the specific needs or skills of the potential volunteer, and benefit the agency. Every effort is made to find an appropriate match. Follow-up contact with volunteers in the form of a survey (Outcome Measures) is performed to determine placement satisfaction.

Statistics

The Community Information and Volunteer Centre has been fortunate to have a committed team of volunteers serving in a variety of areas including the Board of Directors, delivery of service, special events, fundraising, promotion, information and referral, reception, and volunteer recruitment and referral. In 2010, more than 76 volunteers contributed approximately 7,516 hours of service to the Community Information and Volunteer Centre.

The Community We Serve

Individuals Seeking a Volunteer Opportunity:
* 581 individuals seeking a volunteer opportunity were referred to our member agencies in 2010.
* since some individuals request more than one referral, a total of 949 referrals were made to member agencies.
* 13.5% of individuals are 55+ years, 18.5% are under the age of 17 years and the majority (68%) are between the ages of 18 and 54 years.
* 32.2% are male and 67.8% are female.

Volunteer Survey Outcomes:
* 95% of individuals surveyed indicated they received the information they requested and that the information met their needs.
* 95% of individuals who volunteered would volunteer again.
* 95% of individuals who volunteered had a positive volunteer experience.

Agencies:
* Volunteer Centre Services serves 184 non-profit agencies. 73 of the member agencies are located in St. Albert and 111 are either National, Provincial or Edmonton based agencies.
* In 2010, 73.5% of our volunteer referrals were made to St. Albert agencies. The majority of people who live in St. Albert wish to volunteer in St. Albert. A small number of individuals are looking for a volunteer experience they can only find in a larger community. Also, some seek to volunteer for a certain cause; for example, diabetes or cancer support, which are provincial or national organizations. Since our number one client is the volunteer, we endeavour to find the appropriate opportunity for their interest and passion.
* 100% of agencies surveyed find the process by which we refer volunteers user friendly and effective.
* 95% of agencies surveyed are not asking for anything more than we are currently providing pertaining to Training, Recruitment and Referral Services.
* 96% of agencies surveyed report that their contact and interaction with CIVC staff met their expectations.
* 81% of agencies surveyed are satisfied with the current recruitment of volunteers in their organizations.

Agency Survey Outcomes:

  • 98% of agencies surveyed report that we have assisted them in achieving their goals.
  • 100% of agencies surveyed report that they would recommend the Volunteer Centre’s services to other organizations.

Highlight of Activities for 2010

  • In March, 2010 Alberta Culture and Community Spirit invited our Centre to host seven delegates from Hokkaido, Japan. The delegates are all employed in the non-profit voluntary sector in Japan and were anxious to learn more about our agency’s leadership within the voluntary sector. We were very pleased to have been considered for the privilege of welcoming the Hokkaido Volunteer Exchange delegation in our community and our Centre;
  • Volunteer Fair “Cultivate Your Role in the Community”;
  • Developed educational session needs assessment for the upcoming training season;
  • Continued education to member agencies and promotion of govolunteer.ca to the public as another means of searching for local volunteer opportunities;
  • Honoured to have extremely committed volunteers supporting our Volunteer Centre’s work. They have expertise as volunteer referral consultants, govolunteer.ca data entry, VICTA database, phone marketing, and administrative support;
  • Directors participated in the Volunteer Management Group (VMG), and Edmonton Training Network;
  • Continued to work with Katimavik in the community. Katimavik traditionally remains in a community for three years; however, due to changes in funding Katimavik did not return to St. Albert after June 2010;
  • Successful in bringing two volunteers from Canada World Youth to our community for a period of 12 weeks. One CWY volunteer was from Ottawa and the other from Nicaragua.

What’s the focus for 2011?

Our goal for 2011 is to assist our number one client – the volunteer – to make that link with a community agency and have a satisfying volunteer experience.

It is a priority to ensure that the individual has many points of entry for volunteering such as govolunteer.ca, meeting with a volunteer referral consultant in person, making the connection over the telephone or utilizing email communications.

Supporting member agencies will continue to be a focus as will continuing to offer training that is relevant for those managers of volunteers.

In 2011, Volunteer Centre Services will continue to focus on increasing community awareness and the promotion of our Centre and the services we provide to the community. Our Centre will continue to organize and manage the Fall Volunteer Fair and continue our participation in the St. Albert Chamber Spring Lifestyle Expo Trade Show.