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According to the 2004 Canada Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, the most common reason given by people as to why they do not volunteer is “lack of time”. As a result of this growing concern, much interest has been generated for the concept of volunteering as a family group. Volunteering together is a creative way for families to enjoy each other’s company while making a contribution to the community. Organizations are recognizing the needs of families to become involved as volunteers together and are responding by creating family volunteering opportunities.
Volunteer Canada’s Family Volunteering Initiative has invested in research and literature review to explore some of the issues surrounding family volunteerism, and new resources have been developed to assist voluntary organizations in building family-friendly volunteering opportunities. The Family Volunteering Initiative is representative of Volunteer Canada’s longstanding interest in the potential of families as catalysts for community change and of volunteering as a shared, transformative experience. Volunteer Canada offers three resources on family volunteering.
The Family Volunteering Discussion paper serves a precursor to “Family Volunteering: the Final Report”. This paper defines family volunteering, considers the various definitions of family, examines the renewed interest in family volunteering in North America, identifies who is most likely to participate, describes how and why people in Canada are engaging in family volunteering activities and investigates strategies community organizations are using to attract families to volunteer. The paper also explores best practices in retaining volunteer families and examines the barriers that exist within organizations that may prevent the development of family volunteering. This paper is of interest to voluntary organizations, volunteer managers and coordinators who work with volunteers, as well as employers (corporate or public sector who promote employer- supported and retiree volunteer initiatives).
Click here to download the Family Volunteering Discussion Paper.
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As part of Volunteer Canada’s Family Volunteering Initiative, a national survey on family volunteering was conducted. The survey was designed to identify current practices in family volunteering, assess the readiness of the voluntary sector in Canada to approach and accommodate families as volunteers, and to help lead the development of tools for the implementation of family volunteering as a formalized volunteer opportunity. This report describes methodology and results, and delivers an analysis of the insights gained and recommendations generated to guide the next steps of the Family Volunteering Initiative.
Click below to download:
An Executive Summary of Family Volunteering: The Final Report
Family Volunteering: The Final Report
Volunteer Connections: Family Volunteering—Making It Official
This manual was developed to guide volunteer-involving organizations in the development of effective strategies to proactively reach out to and engage family groups as a new source of volunteer help. The manual presents both the challenges and the benefits of using family groups within an organization, and provides a series of valuable tools for organizations that are considering opening up to family volunteers.
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