What is a Volunteer Centre?

Volunteer Centres are non-profit organizations or groups dedicated to fostering and developing volunteerism in the community as a whole. While other organizations contribute to sustaining our national heritage of volunteering through their programs and outreach, Volunteer Centres serve the broadest membership: including volunteers and organizations/volunteer-involving organizations. Volunteer Centres reach across the non-profit and public sectors to include organizations working in human and social services, health care, education, the arts and recreation - regardless of their source of funding.

Does my community have a Volunteer Centre?

Visit our directory to connect with the Volunteer Centre nearest you.

What if my community does not have a Volunteer Centre?

Volunteer Centres reflect the needs of the community they serve.  Volunteer Centres exist primarily to foster and develop volunteerism in the community as a whole.  They engage in four general kinds of services and activities:

• > promoting volunteerism and raising awareness of the power of service
• > building capacity for effective local volunteering through management consulting on volunteer programs and training of volunteers and managers of volunteer resources
• > providing leadership and advocacy on issues relating to volunteerism and volunteer programs
• > connecting people with opportunities to serve through recruitment and referral of volunteers to community agencies

If you are interested in creating a Volunteer Centre in your community, please contact us for more information at volunteercentres@volunteer.ca.

Historical Overview of Volunteer Centres in Canada

The first Volunteer Centre was established in 1937 in Montréal to respond to the need for volunteers during the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s, Volunteer Centres were established in many urban areas across the country to promote and support effective volunteering.

Throughout the last 30 years, Volunteer Centres have developed significant expertise in the area of volunteerism through the development of programs, research, and training. The centres are committed to resolving issues influencing the way people volunteer in Canada by reducing the barriers and promoting safe and meaningful volunteer opportunities. Volunteer Centres provide active leadership in areas such as youth volunteerism, risk management, corporate volunteerism, mandatory volunteerism, community service orders, educational campaigns and many more.