Listed below are the top ten trends in volunteering as identified by Volunteer Canada. The topics offer a wide range of practical and philosophical discussion points. Note that this entire blog is a direct quote from the website/article referenced at the end.
1. Much comes from the few: Although one in three Canadians volunteer, less than 10% do three-quarters of the work. What are the challenges and opportunities posed by this phenomenon?
2. The new volunteer:
More young people volunteer to gain work-related skills.
More seniors who travel or have multiple activities have less time available for volunteering.
More new Canadians volunteer to develop work experience and to practice language skills.
More persons with disabilities view volunteering as a meaningful way to participate in community life.
3. Volunteer job design: Volunteer job design can be the best defense for changing demographics and fluctuations in funding.
4. Mandatory volunteering: Mandatory volunteer programs through Workfare, Community Service Order and school mandated community work have created a new category of volunteers sometimes called “voluntolds.”
5. Volunteering by contract: The changing volunteer environment is redefining volunteer commitment as a negotiated and mutually beneficial arrangement rather than a one-way sacrifice of time by the volunteer.
6. Risk management: Considered part of the process of job design for volunteers, risk management ensures the organization can place the right volunteer in the appropriate activity.
7. Borrowing best practices: The voluntary sector has responded to the changing environment by adopting corporate and public sector management practices including:
Standards, codes of conduct
Accountability and transparency measures around program administration
Demand for evaluation, outcome and import measurement
8. Professional volunteer management: Managers of volunteer resources are working toward establishing an equal footing with other professionals in the voluntary sector.
9. Board governance: challenges and contradictions Volunteer boards must respond to the challenge of acting as both supervisors and strategic planners.
10. Volunteer development: Volunteer development is a pro-active response to the declining numbers of volunteers. By offering opportunities for training and growth, managers of volunteer resources can recruit and engage potential volunteers while retaining current participants.
Source: volunteer.ca/en/volcan/other/x-trends
No comments:
Post a Comment