When you’re recruiting new volunteers or engaging current volunteers, having them take the volunteer quiz allows them to see what kind of volunteer experiences they may be looking for, and can more easily identify with specific volunteer opportunities. As a volunteer manager, you’ll be able to tell by their results if the volunteer is best suited for a short-term, sporadic, or committed, long-term volunteer role with your organization.

Some Examples of Volunteer Types

Type A volunteers are multi-tasking volunteers who say “yes” and mean it. They are the bedrock of your organization’s volunteer base, and you can count on them to get the job done.

Roving Consultant volunteers are incredibly focused and intense. They want to volunteer their specialized skills but it needs to be at their discretion and within their time-frame. One-offs are preferable for this type of volunteer.

Groupie volunteers thrive on the camaraderie of a group, like to have fun, and get results. Their hectic lives mean short term commitments work best for them, and volunteering at special events are their forté.

What kind of volunteers are you engaging?

We all know that every volunteer is unique – they have their own reasons for wanting to get involved; they each have distinct interests and skill sets, different schedules and availability, and varying levels of commitment.  The volunteer types outlined above are just 3 examples of 6 volunteer types defined on the Volunteer Quiz.

Using Getinvolved.ca’s Volunteer Quiz is a fun, interesting way for volunteers to learn a little bit about themselves, and is the first step in getting volunteers activated and involved. Try it out and see for yourself!

Raising funds is one of the ways to get involved with your favourite charity or non-profit. And with many websites popping up designed to help you solicit donations from your friends and family, fundraising has never been easier — and more fun — than ever.

This summer, I participated in the Vancouver Underwear Affair. In order to do the run, I had to raise at least $300 worth of donations. This was the first time that I raised funds for a cause, and from my experience, social media was a good tool to do so.

It’s not just me — studies have shown that participants who use social networking tools have seen an increase of 40% in the amount of money that they have raised. Here are some tips on how to best use social media when fundraising:

1. Set a realistic goal.

Just like with many things, setting realistic goals is crucial when fundraising. Most events require participants to raise a minimum amount. Depending on that specified amount, you should set a goal that is both challenging and realistic.

2. Evoke emotions — and tell a story.

Even before social media was born — in fact, even before television was invented — humans have loved stories. Today is no different.

Stories are more likely to make an impact than facts. From my experience, people are more likely to support your cause if they know the story behind it. Don’t be afraid to tell people about your personal connection to the cause. What motivated you to support the charity?

It’s a little intimidating to reveal something personal, but it can also be a liberating experience. In my Underwear Affair campaign, I revealed how cancer has affected my family, and I’ve received nothing but kind words and emotional support — in addition to donations.

One idea is to use a landing page or to write a blog post. On this page, talk about your connection to the cause but also include links or buttons where people can go to donate.  When tweeting or sending an update about your campaign, send people to this page so they can read your story.

3. Kickstart your own fundraising efforts.

Sometimes people don’t want to be first, so kickstart your campaign by donating a small amount. People are more likely to donate if they know they’re not the first one to do so.

4. Ask for support often.

People’s attention spans are apparently getting shorter, so you might need to ask for support several times.

Also, experiment tweeting or posting an update at different times of the day (e.g. morning VS evening) and days of the week (e.g. weekday VS weekend).  If you’re trying to reach several target groups, you might find that they have different habits online. It’s generally acceptable to send more updates on Twitter than Facebook, so consider this also.

While you want to remind people to support you, spamming them is never a great idea. Do it often but not do it to the point that they get tired of your messages. Consider a weekly ask, or post an update only when you reach certain milestones (e.g. 50% of your goal).

5. Start early.

You will need to remind people several times to donate (see tip #4), so it wouldn’t hurt to start early. As soon as possible, set up your account or your page to start fundraising immediately.

6. Thank your supporters.

Most people want to be recognized, so do so  — and do it often and publicly. Also, consider thanking people on their favourite social media platform — mentioning them on Twitter, for instance, if that’s where they usually hang out online.

7. Use all tools available at your disposal.

Many non-profits are becoming more tech-savvy and are incorporating Facebook apps and crowdfunding websites to their campaigns. Check with the organization to see if they’re offering these kinds of tools.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to the charity for fundraising ideas — it’s in their best interest that you succeed, and they’re happy to help!

8. Take it offline.

While it is a remarkable tool, social media can only take you so far. Consider taking your fundraising efforts to the next level by extending it offline.

A good example of this is my friend Teresa, who sold some of her old stuff — things such as old pairs of shoes that she is unlikely to use again —in order to raise funds for the Underwear Affair.

Another idea is to organize events. Chat with restaurants if they’re willing to donate a portion of their proceeds to your campaign if you host a party at their venue. Raffles, auctions, tweetups, etc. — you can get creative here.

Also, don’t hesitate to talk to your friends and family in person about your goal. While most people use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and other social networking tools on a daily basis, some may still miss your updates.

Your turn – how do you fundraise?

My final advice is to make sure that you have fun! Fundraising for your favourite cause is a worthy undertaking and it takes some planning, but it shouldn’t be a painful process. Try the tips here to maximize your efforts.

And if you already have fundraising experience, why not share with us some of the lessons you’ve learned?

Kelvin Claveria is a Marketing Generalist who blogs about marketing and social media and a regular Guest Blogger for Getinvolved.ca.  Kelvin has extensive experience working in the NFP sector and has worked with Volunteer Services at Simon Fraser University.  Kelvin is currently working at a PR firm in Vancouver.  Find out more about Kelvin or get in touch at kc@kcclaveria.com.  You can view Kelvin’s other Getinvolved! Blogs here.

By Guest Blogger: Kelly Bergeron at Ontario 211

If you have yet to become a member of NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network), this post may convince you to run out and get yourself (and your organization) a membership. Thanks to them, I was lucky enough to win a full scholarship to attend the Connecting Up conference, a nonprofit tech, marketing and social media conference in Sydney, Australia.

Over the 3 days, here are some of the topics that were covered and key takeaways:

1. Learned more about the cloud and how we as users have to ensure our privacy is protected.
2. Discovered Microsoft’s new cloud offering, SkyDrive – available to Hotmail users and providing up to 7GB of storage, for free.
3. Watched many presentations on social media and marketing tactics and strategies. It’s important to understand your audience’s personas and not try to appeal to too many demographics at once. Focusing in on one or two types of groups can be effective.
4. We heard from an amazing 23 year old Australian, who works for the Global Poverty Project and spearheaded the #endofpolio campaign which not only drew support from the Australian Prime Minister but also raised 100 million dollars.

You can check out all the event Twitter action via the #CU12 hashtag

Some of the other highlights included:

-The location at Darling Wharf was stunning
-Meeting the friendly and hospitable team from Connecting Up
-The food was a delight! (Hello cannoli!) Someone created a hashtag solely for the food at #CU12FOOD.
-The awesome hug I got from Connecting Up’s CEO, Doug. He also shared his praise for our community tech partners, TechSoup Canada.
-Meeting all the personable and knowledgeable speakers like Allen Gunn, Nancy Schwartz and Michael Sheldrick. They brought some great ideas to the table and inspired me to look globally for insights and solutions.
-Last but not least, meeting all of the hardworking folks in the nonprofit sector in Australia. Your warmth towards this Canadian will always be cherished.

Darling Harbour, Sydney

Having the opportunity to come to Australia was a huge honour and so very important for our organization, Ontario 211.

Thanks again NTEN and Connecting Up for making this happen. It’s organizations like you who knit our nonprofit communities together (sometimes across oceans) and make us all work together towards building strong and sustainable relationships. I feel truly blessed to be a part of it all.

Kelly Bergeron is the Online Initiatives Manager at Ontario 211. 211 is a three-digit phone number and website that provides information and referral to community and social services in Ontario. 211′s phone service is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and is available in more than 150 languages.

Managing a community online — what exactly is it?

Some people think it’s synonymous with handling a Twitter account, but what I found out during the July Net Tuesday Vancouver meetup is that it’s more than that.

The meetup’s panel, which consisted of Rethink’s Leah Gregg, Capulet Communications’ Theo Lamb, and Eat Street’s Lima Al-Azzeh, discussed what it’s like to build and grow a community online.

Based on the tips that the panel shared, here are eight skills (in addition to sending a tweet) that you need to thrive as a community manager.

Research skills

Community management is about building communities where they currently hang out. Part of your job as a community manager is to figure out what platforms your communities gravitate toward and then ensure that you have presence there.  Although it’s tempting to join emerging platforms like Google+ and Pinterest, you have to determine if it makes sense for your organization to be there.

Diplomacy

The job includes communicating with different stakeholders, who may include donors, board of directors, volunteers, advocates, media, and critics. Each of these stakeholders has different needs. Successful community managers can wear many different hats depending on whom they’re talking to.

Web analytics

Although some non-profits shy away from analytics, the panelists agree that measuring the right metrics (AKA data to track your online activity) helps in growing communities.

If you’re in love with Google Analytics, you’re one step ahead of the game.  (If you’re not, don’t fret!  Google Analytics makes it easy to learn what they’re all about.)  Use numbers to help guide some of your decision in growing your community. For instance, what type of content resonates with your community? What are the needs of your advocates? Community managers can answer these questions accurately by using web metrics. Shares, mentions, and conversion rate are examples of metrics that may help.

Of course, it’s not always about the numbers — look at numbers, but also context.

Acknowledging awesome people

Recognition (preferably, publicly) engages your community. Sending a tweet is one way of thanking volunteers and donors — but what other creative ways can you do to make them feel special? Many community managers in the non-profit sector work everyday to answer this question.

Adaptability

Mistakes, miscalculations, and accidents are easily spread around the web now because of social media. Part of managing a community is reacting quickly and being prepared to adapt to unexpected mishaps.

Having a social media policy or a crisis communication plan is a great precaution — but guidelines will not cover everything, so expect the unexpected.

Eagerness to learn

As the web changes quickly, successful community managers commit to continuous learning.  Some of the resources that the panelists recommended include groundwire.org and the book The Art of Community.

Collaboration and teamwork

With many medium and large organizations sharing day-to-day social media tasks, community managers should be able to work collaboratively. Teams should address issues such as establishing a consistent tone and avoiding redundancy. In addition to a social media policy, teams should consider tools such as Hootsuite, a tool for organizing your Twitter activity.

Interpersonal skills

The panelists agree that cultivating your community offline is as important as doing it online. Brush up on your social skills and ensure that people’s experience with you offline is as warm and pleasant.

Although many online resources are available about community management, I appreciated hearing first-hand from professionals who are actually doing this type of work. And as the meetup was well attended and generated a lot of tweets, I think it’s safe to say that people are curious about this profession.

For more info about this meetup, check out some of the tweets in this Storify or follow #ntvan on Twitter.

Kelvin Claveria is a Marketing Generalist who blogs about marketing and social media and a regular Guest Blogger for Getinvolved.ca.  Kelvin has extensive experience working in the NFP sector and has worked with Volunteer Services at Simon Fraser University.  Kelvin is currently working at a PR firm in Vancouver.  Find out more about Kelvin or get in touch at kc@kcclaveria.com.  You can view Kelvin’s other Getinvolved! Blogs here.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but in social media, not all images are created equal.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended NetSquared Camp Vancouver, an unconference that brings together social media users and web innovators with social change makers and nonprofits to swap stories, mix ideas, and build new relationships. The purpose of the highly successful event was to empower non-profits with emerging tools, trends, and best practices, allowing them to fulfill their mission statements in new and innovative ways.

Although I’ve taken away many insights from the event, what struck me most was the session titled “How NGOs win on Facebook”. The folks at Capulet Communications looked at thousands of posts from a number of big non-profits to answer two questions:

-What kind of content earns the most likes, comments and shares?

-Which organizations are killing it on Facebook?

Some of their findings are not really surprising. For instance, they found that that photos and videos tend to get the most engagement. They also found that non-profits that are less self-promotional tend to find success on Facebook.

Where the study got interesting, however, is when they dug in deeper and looked at the most “engaging” photos to see why those images received the most likes, shares, and comments.

When people talk about photos in social media, they tend to talk about the technical stuff: rule of thirds, composition, balance, etc. But when it comes to getting people engaged, a technically superb photo isn’t sufficient.

Based on the top photos from Capulet’s Facebook study, here are four tips that you should consider when selecting images to share on social media.

1. APPEAL TO EMOTIONS.

Use photos to get your audience to react emotionally. Get them disgusted over an environmental issue. Or perhaps use an image that will get them excited over a news story about your organization. Make them happy with cute photos of babies, or perhaps make them depressed with striking images of famine or war.

Emotions are powerful, and an image is the perfect tool to get people to feel.

2. BE INTERESTING.

All the photos that got a high engagement in the study were interesting.

Of course, what qualifies as “interesting” is subjective, but I think you’ll know that a photo is interesting when you see one.

To make the mundane more interesting, I suggest experimenting – a lot. For example, try shooting from a different angle. You can also try zooming in or out to catch a different view. More importantly though, keep your eyes open for anything in your organization that might seem boring and “normal” to you but may actually fascinate an outsider looking in.

Photo credit: Surfrider.org

3. CONSIDER ADDING A SIMPLE MESSAGE TO YOUR PHOTO.

This was certainly a surprise for me. As it turns out, adding text over photos do work. The Surfrider example above would have worked okay if it just had the image, but adding the text “What goes in the ocean, goes in you” made the message clearer and drove home the point.

I don’t see many organizations doing this yet, but if you do, make the message concise. Also, keep the formatting simple and clean. You wouldn’t want the message to ruin your photo.

4. SHARE TIMELY PHOTOS.

Images that are relevant to specific events — e.g. Valentine’s Day — received a lot of likes and comments. Organizations that took advantage of memes (e.g. the “S—t girls say” meme) also saw more engagement on Facebook.

Keep your eyes peeled for timely events and discussions where your organization or business might be able to contribute.

WHAT TYPE OF PHOTOS DO YOU “LIKE”?

With the growing popularity of Pinterest and with cell phones’ cameras continuing to improve, we can only assume thatphotos will remain an important part of the social media culture. Consider the tips here to make sure that your photos stand out and that they tell your organization’s stories well.

Your turn – what type of photos do YOU comment on, share, or like on Facebook? Share your tips below.

Kelvin Claveria is a Marketing Generalist who blogs about marketing and social media and a regular Guest Blogger for Getinvolved.ca.  Kelvin has extensive experience working in the NFP sector and has worked with Volunteer Services at Simon Fraser University.  Kelvin is currently working at a PR firm in Vancouver.  Find out more about Kelvin or get in touch at kc@kcclaveria.com.  You can view Kelvin’s other Getinvolved! Blogs here.

Non-profit organizations are always hunting for new, innovative ways to share their stories and interact with their networks. Podcasts can serve as an effective brand-building tool for non-profits. In the non-profit sector, where money is often tight, podcasts can help organizations extend their reach and build new audiences without investing a great deal of cash.

Building your brand with podcasts

Podcasts can help organizations forge relationships and reach new audiences. Inviting expert guests to participate in your podcast not only brings an added layer of credibility to the show, it also exposes your guests’ networks to the work of your organization, and can bring them into your own circle.

By focusing on your organization’s area of work, your podcast can help establish your organization as a leader in its field. By maintaining focus on its mission, a non-profit can effectively build its brand across a new platform.

The Dos and Don’ts of podcasting

Do focus on what you know. The key to producing a captivating podcast is having a clear focus; you must know why you’re recording your show. Stick to subjects that relate to your organization’s work. Keep your intended audience in mind when developing an episode – will they be interested?

Do cross promote. Use your podcast to promote your organization’s work. While the focus should be broadcasting engaging content, there’s no reason it can’t tie to your organization’s campaigns and projects. Don’t forget to promote your podcast through your networks – social media, newsletters and your organization’s websites are great platforms for spreading the word about your podcast.

Don’t get too heavy. While differing views and respectful debate can make podcasts interesting, avoid direct confrontation with guests. They’re on the show to share their expertise, and it’s your role to stimulate conversation, not to provoke.

Volunteer Canada launched its new eVOLution podcast series at the 2011 Canadian Business and Community Partnership Forum. The series explores topics and trends affecting the voluntary sector, and it features live-to-tape interviews with experts from the non-profit and corporate sectors.

Click here to download eVOLution episodes for free from the iTunes store.

Over 90% of you said you’d recommend us to others.  Thanks for all the great amazing ideas on how to improve the site; to make it more friendly and easy to use. I’d like to thank everyone who took the survey—and if you didn’t get a chance we’d still love to hear from you.

Fill out our organization survey or individual survey.

Yesterday we traveled with our partners Volunteer Canada and Manulife to review the results of our survey at the Guelph Wellington Volunteer Centre where we met with a committed group of people who volunteered their time to review the site and to brainstorm our ideas for Getinvolved.ca 2.0.

The session was very positive with great ideas on how improve our GetMatched tool and looked at ways to make the site as user friendly for organizations, while promote better feedback. Then we explored how we can collaborate with volunteer centres across Canada. We’re piloting our work with Cathy Taylor and Jane Henning and their teams to find and hope to make the work of posting volunteer opportunities easier for everyone.

We’d like to thank everyone who gave us their time–Executive Directors of both Guelph and Kitchener centres—Cathy Taylor and Jane Henning, as well as representatives from  four local organizations:

Jon Belanger- Student Volunteer Connections, University of Guelph

Carrie Landry- Family and Children Services

Angela Murdoch- Marillac Place

Vivian Patterson – Big Brothers Big Sisters Guelph

And we’d like to thank Shannon Harvey from Volunteer Canada’s and Manulife dynamic duo Sarah Saso Project and Amy MacGregor for all their work to make this happen.

Having TVO as a partner brings new opportunities everyday. But on Sunday I had my first immersion in their most recent innovation – Agenda Camp .  Civic engagement in action, a TV experiment. They have been at it for a few years, but this year they are using Agenda Camp as a way to shape their coverage for this fall’s election in Ontario.

As a former producer at TVO, I know TVO is committed to engaging in a meaningful dialogue with their audience.  But I think Agenda Camp breaks new ground. Too often broadcasters pay lip-service to the idea of viewer engagement – they pepper their networks and online channels with email and social media– too often it’s but a footnote in news and current affairs programming.  Agenda Camp is something else, it’s new and it’s an experiment that proves that 1) the audience is listening 2) they want to be more engaged and 3) the audience is educated and often articulate.

How do they do it?  Well, it’s a big production and they’ve made a big commitment to it. They provide the time and the space for the audience to provide the framework for the shape of a full hour of a live television.  And they are doing it throughout Ontario FOUR more times this year. They launched in Ottawa early on a Sunday morning– everyone from their CEO Lisa De Wilde and their Managing Director Nancy Chapelle to the Agenda’s editorial staff and all their technical crew spent the day with over 100 citizens to listen and dialogue about the issues that matter – a “Citizens’ Agenda.”

Participants signed up online, at 9:30AM started the day with writing questions they’d ask if they were Steve Paikin.  The editorial staff organized the content into themes and the citizens broke off into groups to discuss the themes set-out by the larger group.

And then it got interesting. I moved around the tables listening to the group dynamics—tussles over the need for preventive health care, clean power, electoral reform, transit, transfer payments, and transparency. By Noon it was time for a break and the Agenda team sat down with the group over lunch and by 1PM everyone was back at it.  The groups were working at refining questions that came out of their discussion and now it was time to find evidence to build their argument. Agenda producers were there to do online searches for research the groups needed to fire up the discussion and then came the finale.

Each table pleaded their case infront of the group and everyone voted with five red dots – “dotmocracy” in action.  Everyone was invited to the live broadcast the next day and the winning questions were presented during the show by the group leaders from the Agenda Camp session. Truely a Citizens’ Agenda!

If I was a resident of Hamilton, or Niagara Falls or Sudbury I’d get signed up ASAP. This is bar none one incredible way to Getinvolved!!!

That’s what the upcoming AgendaCamps are all about. Put together by the people behind The Agenda with Steve Paikin, AgendaCamps are interactive participant-led events focused around the 2011 provincial election. The AgendaCamp format includes parallel discussion sessions in small groups throughout the day, all centered around the issues that YOU want to talk about! What issues would you like politicians and the media to address in 2011 election? What are some of the difficulties facing your community? What are your concerns for the future of Canada?

Click here to view the embedded video.

AgendaCamps are happening throughout the next 6 months 5 cities throughout Ontario (Ottawa, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Sudbury and Toronto). The kick-off Camp is happening on February 27th in Ottawa, with a live taping of the “Agenda on the Road” on the following evening. The most unifying issues and ideas from the AgendaCamps will be discussed on the following “Agenda on the Road” episode.

And the best part? Anyone can attend a camp, join the live audience for the Agenda, or be a part of the discussion! To sign up for upcoming Ottawa AgendaCamp simply fill out the online form HERE or register for a free ticket for the show HERE. Not living in Ottawa? Pre-register HERE for the other cities hosting later AgendaCamps.

Hamilton, March 27 & 28

Niagara Falls, April 17 & 18

Sudbury, May 15 & 16

Toronto, September (TBA)

OR if you can’t make any of the upcoming dates, join the discussion with the AgendaCamp Wiki, providing you with all the easy-to-use social media tools and online forum discussion – all for you to suggest topics, pose questions or voice your solutions.

We provide the tools. It’s up to you to use them.

I had the great honour of being invited to the United Nations in Washington in November, to participate in a meeting on the State of the Worlds Volunteers Consultation meeting. I have worked in non-profit and corporate sectors in for more than twenty years. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet many like-minded people and contribute my thoughts and opinions to what I consider to be so important for our business and for society: volunteerism. We had lively debate, engaging both the “academics” and the “practitioners” in the consultation group to look at what volunteerism will look like in the future. Read on for my own personalized account of the events…

Day 1, Saturday.

I enter the room at 9 am to join a group of approximately 40 people. The majority of the people in the room are professors (we’ll call them academics) -researchers in sociology, political science, psychology. They are M.A’s, and PhD’s. They are Canadians and Americans with a few from the UN in Bonn Germany thrown into the mix. It’s exciting to be here because many of the academics sitting here in the flesh are the researchers whose work I have been reading. Their insights have informed my practice of engaging volunteers and measuring its value to business and community. So here I am, a corporate practitioner (we’ll call us the practitioners). Those of you who know me, know that I’m not shy. I’m not afraid to speak up, but jeez – this room of academics is intimidating.

So why are we all here? We have been invited to a United Nations Volunteers North American consultation meeting on the State of the World’s Volunteers. The purpose is to help the United Nations Volunteers organization put out a “State of the World’s Volunteerism Report” (SWVR). They are looking back over the last ten years in the volunteerism sector with an understanding that where we have come from will inform where we go in the future. The impetus for the report is that we must debunk the stereotypes of volunteering from “ah, it’s so nice to do” to a place where we validate volunteering as it contributes to society. The hope is that in the future, volunteering will be come part of societal DNA, as essential to us as eating and sleeping.

First step – introductions. We each give an overview about who we are, what we have been doing in the sector and what we hope to contribute over the next two days.

I’m sitting next to Susan Ellis, President of Energize Inc. out of Philadelphia. Her company empowers and inspires leaders of volunteers worldwide. It’s not a non-profit but a business in the business of volunteering! Energize offers, among other things, a website that includes a resource library of international volunteer opportunities. She writes a provocative monthly essay, and promotes courses, conferences and online discussions on the topic of volunteerism.

Yippee, I exclaim (using my ‘inside voice’ of course). I’ve found a “sister in the struggle” who will understand where I’m coming from! And so I relax and speak up – and as a front line corporate practitioner of volunteerism I have lots to share. I can speak about what employees at Manulife have taught me about motivations for volunteering. Again, from my company perspective, I can speak about what’s working, what isn’t and how to engage employees. I realize that this is why I’m here and why I was invited.

Next we split into groups. Most of the academics are in group A with most of the practitioners in group B. We go off to our separate rooms to discuss the following topics:

o Volunteerism is Universal – How is it perceived in North America? What are the common misperceptions?

o Participation in Volunteerism – What do we know about participation rates in volunteering in North America? (motivations, influences and barriers?)

o The Changing Face of Volunteerism – How are the manifestations of volunteerism changing with evolving global developments including the digital revolution? What further changes can be expected in the next 10-20 years?

After a full day, we enjoyed a networking dinner where we could just talk about whatever we wanted – but of course the conversations were all about volunteering! After dinner, I reflect that I am encouraged to be with this group (both academics and practitioners) who share a common interest in building a civil society. Exhausted from all the thinking, my head hits the pillow racing with thoughts of today’s discussions and eagerly anticipating what’s to come in day two.

Day 2, Sunday

Met at 8 am Sunday for breakfast with new friend Susan and we are joined by Ben from the United Nations Report Committee and Sarah-Jane, a PhD in Philanthropy at the University of Texas. Question to the breakfast club? Was there anything we didn’t say yesterday that we needed to? Yes! We agree we want to tell the UN SWVR that if we really want to have an impact in the volunteerism space globally, the report must be targeted to the policy and decision-makers. To the thought leaders who can influence, enable change, and most importantly, build capacity and achieve progress.

As the meeting started that morning, it was clear that we had long list of topics to cover. Each topic was assigned a 90 minute time limit.

o Livelihoods – How can volunteer action improve livelihoods of communities?

o Social Inclusion – How can volunteerism promote social inclusion in the North American context among racial and ethnic minorities, women, the income poor the unemployed, different age groups, etc?

o Social Cohesion – What is volunteerism’s unique contribution to helping prevent violent conflict and contribute to peace?

o Disaster Risk Reduction – What are the unique contributions of volunteerism in North America at each phase of disaster risk reduction, including preparation, mitigation response, and recovery?

o Governance and Political Participation –In what ways does volunteerism open up unique space for political participation?

o Towards a better society – In what ways can volunteerism contribute to well-being and lead to the kind of society that we strive to achieve?

o Taking Volunteerism Forward – How do we fully realize the unique contributions of volunteerism? What needs to change? What improvements to volunteerism infrastructure are needed?

The most contentious issue, causing heated debate (with me right in the thick of it) was the topic “towards a better society”. The topic description was “It is increasingly evident that the contributions of volunteerism stretch beyond economic development to include greater life satisfaction, happiness, health, education, personal control and freedom. In what ways can volunteerism contribute to well-being and lead to the kind of society we want to achieve?”

From my vantage point, as a corporate practitioner, I spoke about how volunteerism in the corporate context can improve the well-being of an employee, the well-being of a community and even improve business results. An academic from the University of California doesn’t necessarily agree with my corporate perspective. He sees Corporate Volunteerism as self-serving. “Why what is is good for the “COMPANY” good for society?” he asks. I respond, “because employees of the “C“ompany are citizens of society, and they are also volunteers. As well, a large portion of volunteer programs and the volunteers who give of their time to serve societal needs are funded by corporations.” At this point, a European academic speaks up, “I think the examples of the type that Sarah has given these past two days are very relevant to this discussion. They must be included in our notes to the United Nations report committee.”

I was glad to have support from those around the table on this one. As such, The United Nations has asked me to continue the discussion with them. To do what I do best: “connect” them to the many organizations that I know of who are doing innovative, important work and utilizing volunteers in the process; to facilitate the sharing of their stories, their challenges, and their successes so that they might have some practical examples to go along with the sector research. I am more than happy to do this, because from my perspective, Canada’s non-profits are among the best in the world. And, after these two days of meetings, I believe that even more strongly than I did going in. I left the event exhausted, energized, and proud to work for a great Canadian company that values and promotes the positive effects of volunteerism. Volunteering is part of Manulife’s cultural DNA and I am very proud and humbled for this opportunity to be able to represent all of Manulife’s employees who also believe in the power of volunteering.

If you are interested in this topic, The United Nations report (SWVR) will be available December 2011.