Grow Your Impact with Volunteers: Q&A with Bettina Ford of the Community Sector Council NL

We all know the tremendous impact and value of volunteers. So many non-profits wouldn’t exist without them, and communities are all the better and stronger for them. (Here at Business & Arts NL, we’re incredibly thankful for all our volunteers, including those who lend their time and skills to our Business Volunteers for the Arts program.)

But how do you recruit and engage volunteers? How can they best help lead organizations and support the critical work they do? And how has the face of volunteering changed since the pandemic?

These are just some of the topics we’ll tackle during a special, free online panel discussion “Grow Your Impact with Volunteers” on March 6.

Led by Bettina Ford of the Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador (CSC NL) (and Deputy Mayor of the Town of Gander), the panel will also feature Bethany MacKenzie, Programming Director at Union House Arts; Julie Vogt, Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society; and Stephanie Janes of the CSC NL.

The panelists will shed light on their own experiences as they share success stories and tips on how they recruit volunteers, how they create meaningful roles for them, and lessons learned along the way.

We recently chatted with Bettina to gain some insight in advance of the panel.

Bettina Ford

Business & Arts NL: How has the pandemic affected volunteerism in this province and how are organizations coping?

Bettina Ford: Anecdotally, I am hearing that some organizations saw volunteers, particularly seniors, take a break from volunteering during the pandemic and they have not since returned. It appears that Covid may have provided an opportunity for long-serving volunteers to conclude their involvement. We have suggested that organizations not view this negatively, but instead remember to thank and celebrate those volunteers for their years of service pre-pandemic and reenergize a volunteer recruitment campaign to fill those gaps.

Business & Arts NL: From what you’ve seen, what kinds of experiences or opportunities are potential volunteers seeking nowadays, and what can folks do to help attract these volunteers to their organizations?

BF: Research across the country shows that individuals are hesitant to take on leadership roles, but are very willing to be helpers; that people are less inclined to commit to a volunteer role requiring hours of meetings but rather, they want to be in action, doing; and they very much want to be aware of, and included, in the impact being made by their efforts.

Organizations can ensure that they have episodic or event-based roles for volunteers and tasks that volunteers can take on without having to be on a committee or board of directors. Bear in mind as well that professionals are often recruited for their skill set. However, many lawyers, accountants, social workers, and artists too might want a break from their “day job” and take on something completely different during their personal, volunteer time.

Business & Arts NL: Are there any interesting emerging trends in volunteering that people might want to keep an eye on?

BF: I hear and see the word “service” more often these days in place of “volunteering,” particularly around youth engagement. That’s interesting to me. I also know there are many organizations, like fire departments that rely on volunteers, that are having to adjust training schedules and expectations due to individuals working away from NL on turnaround shifts and accommodating their work schedule. So having the flexibility to meet volunteers where they are at in their lives and meeting their needs is important.

One trend that feels like it will never change is that people want to be asked, personally, to volunteer. There is a lot of reliance on social media to create awareness about the need for volunteers, but people want to be asked.

Session: Grow Your Impact with Volunteers
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 6 from 12:30-2pm NST
Location: Online via Zoom
Price: Free
Click here to register for the panel discussion Grow Your Impact with Volunteers