London agencies ask: Where have all the volunteers gone?

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Pandemic curveballs, an aging cohort of steadfast helpers and a younger generation with specific needs. London organizations are facing challenges recruiting and retaining the volunteers they need, at a time when demands for community supports are high. Our Jennifer Bieman reports.  

THE LATEST

Several London groups have gone public with their struggle to find volunteers. The Home County Music and Arts Festival was forced to cancel its 2024 event due to lack of sustainable funding and volunteers. Pride London urged volunteers to take on leadership roles in the organization in the fall, as it underwent an upheaval among its top ranks. 

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Just weeks ago, the London Salvation Army made a public appeal for volunteers to support its annual kettle campaign.  

“Volunteer recruitment is definitely a top three concern we hear,” said Maureen Cassidy, chief executive of Pillar Nonprofit Network, an advocacy group for London’s non-profit sector. 

Nationwide, Volunteer Canada, a national volunteerism advocacy group, has launched an project to assess the state of volunteerism in Canada and what can be done to improve it. 

“We’re seeing signs that volunteerism is on the decline,” said Renata Rusiniak, its corporate community engagement director. “There is this increasing signal that volunteering and participation in community are no longer a given.”  

DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIETAL CHALLENGES

Elderly volunteers have been a staple in the London non-profit sector for years, Cassidy said. Many seniors bring expertise and special skills to their volunteer work that young helpers do not have, she said.  

“In sheer numbers, there were more youth in volunteering than seniors, but the seniors put in more hours,” she said.  

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But this group of volunteers is getting older and less able to show up like they did in the past, Cassidy said. 

Attracting and retaining younger volunteers has its own set of challenges, she said. Youth volunteers feel they have something to offer and are more likely to be choosy about the organization with which they spend time.  

“It’s almost like they interview the organization, and not the other way around,” she said. “They want to give their time and they’re being picky, because they want to do it in a meaningful way. They want to make a difference, not tick a box.” 

People also live busy lives and may have less time to give, Rusiniak said. The increasing cost of living has pushed many Canadians to pick up side-hustles to earn extra income, taking time out of their weeks they might have once spent on volunteer projects.  

“It’s causing an additional layer of complexity to what was already a challenge,” she said. 

PANDEMIC SETBACKS

The pandemic did not create the volunteer shortage, but it made the trend worse and drew more attention to it, Cassidy said.  

Organizations were forced to send volunteers home, Cassidy said, and – after rolling waves of restrictions during two years – many never came back.  

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Some non-profits are struggling to rebuild their volunteer infrastructure post-pandemic after reassigning or laying off the staff who were in charge of volunteers, Cassidy said.  

“For non-profits, if you lose staff and absorb that salary into your budget, it’s very difficult to pivot back and find the funding or revenue that you need to hire that position back,” she said. 

BARRIERS TO VOLUNTEERISM

Time-limited campaigns, which work toward a discrete goal or deadline, can bring volunteers out, Cassidy said. Christmas Care in St. Thomas and the Business Cares Food Drive in London, which are both supported by a robust roster of returning volunteers each year, are two such examples. 

What non-profits often are missing is a sustained, ongoing commitment from volunteers, she said. 

The need for sustainable funding to help non-profits recruit, retain and support their volunteers is a common concern Cassidy hears.  

“You have to manage your volunteers like you would manage paid staff,” she said. “If you’re a volunteer and you’re feeling adrift, or you don’t feel like you’re getting the support you need, you’re going to move on and go someplace else with your time and talent.”  

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NEW WAYS TO GIVE YOUR TIME

How people are showing up to support their community may be changing, too, Rusiniak said. Instead of volunteering for a non-profit, people may be spending unpaid time caring for a sick parent, raking an elderly neighbour’s leaves, driving neighbourhood kids to hockey practice or taking on an assistant coach role, she said.  

“Maybe they’re choosing to do smaller acts of kindness, as opposed to more traditional ways of volunteering,” Rusiniak said. “It could be a crossroads in the sector in that we’re seeing a shift in the way people engage. It represents a challenge and an opportunity.”  

Organizations also are focusing more on retaining existing volunteers, who then inspire other people in their personal network to help out.  

BUCKING THE TREND

“The biggest complaint we hear is the volunteer spaces fill up so quickly,” said London Food Bank co-executive director Jane Roy. 

The London Food Bank, which has been around for nearly four decades, has a dedicated group of volunteers, including some who’ve been with the food bank since the beginning, Roy said.   

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Though the food bank is much bigger than it once was, Roy said the charity has a simple, grassroots philosophy, which resonates with Londoners.  

“It doesn’t matter where you come from, you can care and make a difference,” she said. Volunteers directly contribute to the food bank’s operations by growing vegetables, packing hampers, meeting clients and sorting cans. 

“We don’t want volunteers just to fundraise, we want them to participate.”  

The food bank is also a simple, enduring cause that helps impoverished Londoners with a basic human need, she said. 

“It’s food. It’s meaningful,” Roy said. “You see the impact.”  

jbieman@postmedia.com 

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