First developed in 2001, and building on the Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada’s Professional Standards, this latest revision of the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement has been adapted to meet the needs of the changing landscape of volunteering in Canada.

The ten principles help organizations develop and assess their volunteer engagement strategy and investment. They support fair access to volunteer opportunities that reflect the organization’s vision, mission, goals, and structure. Volunteers benefit when volunteering is an organizational priority and part of wider community-building efforts.

• The principles were developed to be flexible and adaptable for organizations of all sizes, with different levels of resourcing, led by a professional leader of volunteers, other paid staff or volunteers. While these principles are focused on formal volunteering engagements, they can also be used to guide more informal volunteering arrangements.
• The updated principles support flexibility, recognizing the different settings where volunteers are engaged. By adapting to each context, the principles also help welcome diversity and promote inclusion in all types and sizes of organizations.

This document consists of three elements:

• Foundational values that frame the relationship between the volunteer and the organization
• Principles to help operationalize that relationship
• Framing questions that will help start a conversation about the individual principles and how they relate to your organization