GUELPH – The People and Information Network – PIN – is seeing a challenging trend.
Volunteers, who were turned away during COVID, are not returning, posing an “unprecedented challenge” with the community benefit sector, says the organization’s executive director.
“Right here at home and across the province, there are significant challenges,” said Kim Cusimano. “Volunteers not returning, difficulty recruiting volunteers and the tapped capacity to engage volunteers are evident.”
The recent Ontario Nonprofit Network ‘State of the Sector’ report notes 62% of organizations have lost volunteers; more than half reported having difficulty recruiting new volunteers; and 40% reported having difficulty with volunteers not returning.
“This aligns with the local survey results over the past two years,” says Cusimano. “Sixty-one per cent of organizations reported decreased volunteer involvement, 47% of respondents indicated a decrease in volunteers contacting the organization to volunteer and there are critical capacity issues for leaders of volunteers as they manage expansive changes and, in some cases, laid off, redeployed or through a reduction in hours or additional duties.”
Cusimano said critical issues can be found around volunteerism and capacity of organizations to transition roles, recruit and train volunteers at a time when there is a clear response that the decline in volunteers has affected the organizations’ ability to deliver programs and services.”
In Ontario, almost half of nonprofits are volunteer run.
“Volunteers are a powerhouse fuelling communities. They lead, fundraise, drive, advocate, mentor, coach, they invest in their community, they are changemakers and empathy in action,” Cusimano added, but PIN is here to help, she says.
For individuals who are curious about volunteering; for nonprofits and charities seeking to recruit volunteers; for capacity-building opportunities and board training, PIN is your local hub for volunteerism.
Cusimano notes, “we are passionate about volunteerism and community. We believe that everyone has something to contribute to our community and we vision a world where strong and welcoming communities are connected through volunteerism, information sharing and leadership development.”
PIN transitioned to remote operations during the pandemic and continues to work remotely. But they continue to match people wishing to volunteer with organizations that need volunteers.
PIN offers an online portal of volunteer opportunities and assists individuals to find a volunteer match.
It also offers education and leads communities of practice through its nonprofit leadership pillar of work.
It will be offering the following workshops this fall:
– New to Volunteering online sessions in September;
– Volunteer Managers Network Community of Practice;
-Get on Board five-part training series;
-Executive Director Peer Group Community of Practice;
-New to Volunteer Screening – three part series beginning October;
-Experienced in Volunteer Screening – three part series beginning in November;
-Understanding Ontario’s Not-for-profit Act, a two-part series in partnership with 10C. Part 1 is online, beginning Oct. 26. Part 2 will be in-person, begins Nov. 23.
PIN will again launch a Community Benefit Sector survey in the coming weeks to further explore volunteerism and the impact of COVID on nonprofits and charities. In addition, it continues to outreach in the community to inspire and assist individuals to find a meaningful match.
Information about these offerings and a myriad of volunteer opportunities can be found at PINnetwork.ca.
