RepresentingVolunteersinAlberta

ReflectionsfromVolunteers

APRIL7,2019PreparedBy:AndreaYoungandJanetRockContactPropellus:info@propellus.org

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AcknowledgementsWearesoveryluckytoworkwithourpartnerVolunteerCentresacrossAlberta.ThankyouforsupportingusthroughtheseearlystagesandhelpingusunderstandhowtomaketheVolunteerConnectorthebestitcanbeforvolunteers.In particular, we’d like to thank Jana Giger and Sian Anderson from Okotoks, Renita Bartlett fromCochrane, Tracy Aisenstat from St Albert, Leanne Draper from Cold Lake, Emma Gullekson and JudyFergusonfromStrathcona,andSharonRuyterandIlyaUshakovfromEdmonton.We are also grateful to haveworkedwithDiana Sim from Lethbridge, Doray Veno fromHanna, PamSnowdonfromRedDeer,andMilenaJoveskafromWoodBuffaloregiontoexpandthereachofthesurvey.Finally,wewould like to especially thank TracyAisenstat for hermost excellent reviewof the surveyquestions.WewouldliketothanktheSuncorEnergyFoundationforthesupportofthisworkinAlberta.

Thankyou,AndreaandJanet

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PurposeThis document ismeant to serve as a reflection of the current state of volunteerism in Alberta, asexperiencedbyvolunteers.Itisthefirstinaseriesofreportsdetailingthestateofvolunteerism,whatthesectorcanlearnfromdata(bothnewandexisting),andhowwecanusetheseinsightstomakeimprovementsandmoveforwardtogether–withvolunteersatthecentre.

DemographicsYes,weknow,demographicscanbeabitofadullplacetostart.Butforthissurvey,theyarefascinating!Theprofileofthe‘average’UrbanvsRuralrespondentthatthedemographicsunveilbegintotellthestoryoftwoverydifferentgroupsofvolunteers.Thesampleprofilesdescribedbelowarebasedonthemostcommonlyselecteddemographicdescriptorsandothersurveyfindings.

• Urbanprofile:Early-30’s,big-citydweller,borninCanada(orveryrecentlyimmigratedtoCanada),volunteersaboutthreetimes/month,involvedwithacouplespecificcausestheyconnectedwithonline,interestedinusingandbuildingtheirskills.

• Ruralprofile:Early50’s, fromasmallcommunity,born inCanada,volunteersweekly, involvedwithmany different charitable organizations through personal connections, passionate abouttheircommunity.

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GettingInvolvedinVolunteeringIn this section,wewillget toknowAlberta’svolunteers:whendo theyplan togetstarted,how,withwhom, inwhat capacity, and towhat extent? Thiswill give us insight into the types of opportunitiesvolunteers are currently involved in/pursuing, and help us understand their preferences, needs andchallengessowecankeepthematthecentreofourvolunteerengagementstrategies.

Howlongdoyouthinkitwillbebeforeyouvolunteeragain?A big take-away from this survey was that 68% of volunteers, regardless of location, expect to bevolunteering within one month of beginning their search. For those who are not already regularlyvolunteering,55%stillexpecttofindanewpositionandbeginactivelyvolunteeringinlessthanamonth,whileawhopping94%statedtheyintendtobevolunteeringwithinsixmonthsor less.Thisstaggeringstatistictellsusthat:

“Volunteers are looking for positions they can start asap, notmonthsfromnow.”

Interestingly, when looking at the data generated by volunteerconnector.org (the largest volunteeropportunitiesdatabaseinAlberta),theaveragelagtimebetweentheopportunitypublishdateandstartdate is176days.That is tosayorganizations (onaverage)are looking forvolunteersnearly6monthsbeforetheopportunityissettobegin–butalmostallvolunteersdon’twanttowaitthatlong.Thisisasignificantmismatchbetweenorganizationandvolunteerinterests!

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Howdoyouvolunteer?InbothRuralandUrbansettings,volunteersreportedthattheirtoptwowaysofvolunteeringare:

1) Volunteeringwithorganizationsorcauses(Both:51%;Urban:46%;Rural:71%)2) Helpingoutinformallywithfamilyandfriends(Both:38%;Urban:35%;Rural:53%)

Beyondthesetoppicks,therewereacouplestarkcontrastsbetweenRuralandUrban.

Rural volunteers, for example, were much more likely to be involved in community groups orneighbourhoodassociations(Rural:53%;Urban:18%),andonboards(Rural:37%;Urban:6%).Urbanitesweremore likely to report volunteeringwith their own school (Urban: 19%; Rural: 7%), while Rural-dwellershadhigherratesofvolunteeringwiththeirchildren’sschools(Rural:28%;Urban:13%).SomeofthesedifferencescanbeattributedtotheaverageageofUrbanvs.Ruralvolunteers.ItwasobservedthatRuralvolunteersjugglemorethanthreeroles,raisingthequestion:

“AreRuralvolunteersatgreaterriskofburn-out?”

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Howdoyoufindnewvolunteeropportunities?Nowweknowhowpeoplearegetting involved,buthowdo they find theseopportunities in the firstplace?Thetoptwowaysthatallvolunteersfindtheirpositionsare:

1) Online(Urban:80%;Rural:41%)2) Bybeingdirectlyasked(Urban:26%;Rural:63%)

These stats, combinedwith the ones in the previous question, start to paint a vividpicture:Ruralvolunteersareregularlyaskedtogetinvolvedbytheirfellowcommunitymembers– and they do,with an assortment of groups, inmany differentways. Their focus iscontributingtotheircommunity.Urbanvolunteersareperhapslessdirectlyconnectedtotheircommunitiesandarethusscanningthe internetforwaystoget involvedwiththecausestheycareabout.Theirfocusiscontributingtoacause.

Howdoyouliketovolunteer?Volunteerssharedthattheyarehappytogetinvolvedwithone-offeventsorprojects,buttypicallydosoinadditiontotheiron-goingvolunteeractivities.Byandlargethough,volunteerspreferflexiblevolunteeractivitiesontheirownschedule(Both:71%).Infact,1/3statedthatthisistheonlywaythattheyliketovolunteer.Becausethat’sanoteworthystat,we’llsayitagain:

“71%ofvolunteerswantflexiblevolunteeractivitiesontheirownschedule.”However,fromthedatageneratedbyvolunteerconnector.org,weknowthatflexibilityistypicallynotafeatureofmostvolunteeropportunities.

Ofthenearly700opportunitiesthathavebeenpublishedsofarthisyear(January–March2019),only1/3arelistedasflexible.

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ReasonsforVolunteeringPeoplevolunteerforahostofreasons,inaccordancewiththeirperceptionofthevalueitaddstotheircommunity,andtheirpersonalvaluesandpriorities.Whileeveryoneisdifferent,thereweresomenotablycommonthreadsinoursurveyfindings.

Howdoyoudescribethevalueofvolunteeringinyourcommunity?Onceagain,volunteersinbothRuralandUrbansettingsarein-syncintheirviewsthat:

1) Volunteeringmakescommunitiesbetterforeveryone(Both:66%;Urban:64%;Rural:78%)2) Volunteeringshowsothersthatwecare(Both:64%)

Notablydifferentthough,isthat55%ofRuralvolunteersdescribedakeyvalueofvolunteeringas‘savingcauses money’, while 48% of Urban volunteers prioritized ‘creating safe spaces for people who aredifferent’.ThisfurthersuggeststhatRuralvolunteersaremorelikelytoexperiencealoyaltyorconnectiontotheircommunityaffiliations,whileUrbanvolunteersaredrawntothecausestheycareabout.

Whydoyouvolunteer?InUrbansettings,themesofpersonalgrowthweremoreprominent:

E.g.: “Volunteeringteachesmenewthings”(Urban:68%vs.Rural:52%) “Volunteeringhelpsmemeetpeople”(Urban:66%vs.Rural:27%)InRuralareas,theemphasiswasoncommunities:

E.g.: “Volunteeringmakesmefeelconnectedtocommunity”(Rural:67%vs.Urban:53%)

“Volunteeringhelpsmeteachcommunityvaluestomychildren”(Rural:35%vs.Urban:16%)

Acrosstheboardthough,onekeyreasonrangclear:peoplevolunteerbecauseit‘makesthemfeelliketheyaremakingadifference’.Andyet,aconcerningvolumeofvolunteersdon’tfeelthattheirvolunteereffortsaremeaningful.Only57%ofvolunteerssaidthattheircurrentvolunteerworkismeaningfultothem,whichleavesuswith43%thatfeelitisonlypartiallyornot-at-allmeaningful.Armedwiththisknowledge,itleavestheNon-ProfitSectortocontemplate:

“How canwe ensure that volunteers are filling roles that aremeaningfultothem?

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ThankingVolunteersGenerally,volunteersaren’ttoofussedaboutreceivingalotofformalrecognitionfortheirwork.That said, they don’t want to be totally ignored either – because who does? While parties, publicacknowledgement,awards,honorariums,andgiftsarenottoprecognitionpicksamongstvolunteers,asimpledemonstrationofgratitude–acard,thankyounote,orsmilegoesalongway,andiswhatmostvolunteersareafter(Both:62%).

Givenhowvolunteers prefer tobe recognized and that they volunteerbecause theywant tomake adifference(see:‘Whydoyouvolunteer?’section,above),weneedtoaskourselves:

"How can you show volunteers that they’ve truly made adifference?”

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BarrierstoVolunteeringAsyouhaveread,volunteerssharedthatvolunteeringenablesthemtoparticipateinsomanywonderfulways…sowhat’sholdingthembackfromcommittingmoreoftheirtimetovolunteering?Let’sfindout.

Whatkeepsyoufromvolunteering?WhenitcomestoRuralpopulations,thebiggestbarrieristime.Responsessuchas:“Ihavetoomuchgoingonatwork”(27%);“volunteeringdoesn’tfitwithmyschedule”(13%);and“Ihavetoomuchgoingonwithmyfamily”(12%);werethemostcommon.Urbanisadifferentstory.Whiletheyagreewithbusy-nessbeingakeybarrier(seethechartbelow)theyalsoexpressanothersetofchallengesrelatedtoinclusionandopportunity.

Looking at the above graph, there are a couple instances where Urban volunteers report significantbarriersthatarecomparativelyminorforRural.PleasenotethatUrbanvolunteersreportthenumberonebarriertovolunteeringistheycouldnotfindinterestingopportunities.In this space, we are already working to improve access to volunteer opportunities for everyone byexpandingvolunteerconnector.org.Withhighervolumesofvolunteeropportunities,aportableprofilethat supports a volunteer’s journey, and fewer barriers to begin volunteering,we hope to see fewerwould-bevolunteersreportingthatthey‘can’tfindanythinginterestingtodo’inthenearfuture.

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Whatelsekeepsyoufromvolunteering?Flexibilitydoesn’ttakethesameformforeveryone.Ruralvolunteersaremorelikelytowanttoworkfromhome(33%vsUrban26%)whileUrbanvolunteersoptformoreonline-opportunities(28%vsRural10%).Everyoneagreesthatflexibility,ingeneral,ishighontheirprioritylist.

Whenitcomestovolunteeropportunitiesavailableonvolunteerconnector.org,it’sprettyslim-pickingsfore-opportunities:only12%ofopportunitiespublishedbetweenJanuaryandMarch2019arelistedasvirtual/remote:

"Whatvolunteeropportunitiesarerequiredinthedigitalage?”

VolunteersWantYouToKnowInsummary,thekeymessagesinthisreportfromvolunteersinAlbertaare:

• Volunteersarelookingforpositionstheycanstartasap,notmonthsfromnow.• Volunteerswanttoengageinflexibleactivitiesontheirownschedules–athomeandonline.• Recognitioneffortsshouldfocusfirstonasimpledemonstrationofgratitude.

Somequestionsweaskedthatmeritfurtherconsiderationbyvolunteerengagerswere:

• AreRuralvolunteersatgreaterriskofburn-out?• Howcanweensurethatvolunteersaredoingworkthatismeaningfultothem?• Howcanweshowvolunteersthattheytrulymakeadifference?• Howdoweadaptvolunteeringforthedigitalage?

TheVolunteerConnectorprovidesuswiththeopportunitytounderstandvolunteeringasweneverhavebefore.WewillcontinuetoworkwithourpartnersacrossAlbertatoensureinsightsonvolunteerismareshared.

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AbouttheDataIntheearlymonthsof2019,volunteersacrosstheprovincewereaskedaseriesofquestionsregardingtheirvolunteeringhabits,preferences,experiences,andbeliefs.Thisreportsummarizessomeofthekeyfindingsfromthe408respondents(333Urban,75Rural).Whenyousee‘Both’itisaweightedaverageofUrbanandRuralbasedonthenumberofresponses.Eachofthe18surveyquestionswascompletedbyup-to408individuals(wesay“up-to”aseveryrespondentdidnotchoosetoanswereveryquestion).DefinitionsAsthevolunteerexperiencecandifferbyregion,wehaveelectedtosubdividethefindingsforthoseinUrbanversusRuralsettings.Forthepurposesofthisreport,thefollowingdefinitionswereused:

• Urban:Municipalitieswith populations greater than 100k, and the towns surroundingthem.Inthisreport,thisincludes:Calgaryandarea,Edmontonandarea,andRedDeer.

• Rural:Municipalitieswithpopulationslessthan100k.Thisincludes:Hanna,Lethbridge,Okotoks,WoodBuffaloRegion,etc.

HowWeCollectedInformationInordertounderstandvolunteerisminAlbertathroughtheeyesofvolunteers,asurveywasdevelopedinpartnershipwiththeGovernmentofAlbertaCommunityEngagementBranchtogaintheirinsights.ThissurveywasopenforvolunteerresponsesfromJanuary–March2019.Thedatathatservesasabasisforthisreportwasgatheredintwokeyways:

• Respondingtothesurveywaspresentedasa5-minutedigitalvolunteeringopportunity,whichwasshownasabanneratthetopofwww.volunteerconnector.org.Thishands-offcollectionmethodresultedin328(primarilyUrban)responses

• VolunteerCentresinLethbridge,RedDeer,andWoodBuffaloregionsentoutthesurveylink to theirmembers, affiliates, and local organizations. This resulted in80 (primarilyRural)responses.

TechnicalJargonGiven that 44% of the population is estimated to volunteer 1 , and the population of Alberta isapproximately 4.3million2, an estimated 1.9million of Albertans are active volunteers. Therefore, asamplesizegreaterthan385(whichweachieved)representsa95%confidencelevelwitha5%MarginofError(asperindustrystandards).LimitationsAstherewerelow-volumesofrespondentsfromRuralregions,theresponses(whileinformative)arenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofallthosevolunteeringintheregionstheyrepresent.FurtherresearchintoRural-specificvolunteerchallengesandexperienceswouldaddbreadthandconfidencetothefindingsdiscussedinthisreport.Asinmanystudies,thenatureofdatacollectionpossessesaninherentchallenge:thosethatcanbelocatedandarewillingtoparticipateinthesurveypresentacertainbias.However,duetothevolumeofresponses,westillconsiderourfindings,takenasawhole,toberepresentativeoftheexperienceofAlbertanvolunteers.

1 As per Statistics Canada’s most recent data (2013). See: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2015001-eng.htm 2 As per Government of Alberta Population statistics (2018). See: https://www.alberta.ca/population-statistics.aspx

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Togetstartedonyourvolunteerjourney,visit:

www.volunteerconnector.org