Student’s view on team management in the volunteer sector

How does the volunteer sector manage to excel without exhausting the thousands of volunteers and employees that work for it? Last January, I joined the eight-person team at Volunteer Canada (VC) as Communication and Marketing Assistant. Now that my student internship is almost over, I would like to share what I have learned in terms of employee and volunteer management in the volunteer sector. What led me to examine the structure of the VC organisation is largely due to my astonishment when I realised the amount of quality work that could be accomplished by such a small team in so […]

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How to write a strong reference letter for a strong volunteer

A reference letter showcases a volunteer’s achievements and the skills they’ve gained through volunteering. It can help a volunteer who is looking for a job, especially youth, who may not have much work experience on their resume. It can also be useful when a volunteer is applying for an internship, to a school or program, or for another volunteer position. This is also a very tangible form of volunteer recognition that shows a volunteer how much you value their efforts. Whether you want to help a volunteer land a job or get accepted in a program, or just want to […]

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Youth Volunteerism: Lifting communities by bringing us down to Earth

NVW 2019 Blog Series: Part 5 There is a strong current that shapes the lives of Canadians each day. This current is powered by people who give their time, talents, and their presence through community involvement. Maybe it’s as a volunteer, a friendly neighbour, a welcoming classmate, or someone who simply keeps showing up for local events. Many of those who give freely, feel deeply, and participate in their communities are young people! For almost a decade I’ve worked and volunteered alongside volunteers as young as 5 in Waterloo Region – and more recently in Halton Region. As I round […]

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