National trend shows decline in volunteerism
Even before her family moved to Creemore, Nadine Melemis recognized it as a very special place.
“Creemore is an unusual beast. People love this town so much and they want to help make it even better,” she said. “There is a palpable energy.”
A big part of what makes Creemore special, according to Melemis, is the strong culture of volunteering that powers many festivals and activities.
Now chair of the board of the Purple Hills Arts and Heritage Society (PHAHS), Melemis said, “If you want to do good stuff, it takes a lot of work. If the role is valuable enough and people feel like they are making a real contribution, they want to help. You can’t make the jobs too big or too small. You have to give people meaningful work and clear boundaries and make them accountable.”
She said it’s relatively easy to recruit people for a one-time commitment but adds, “When you talk about longer term involvement and attending meetings, that’s when a lot of people say, ‘No thanks.’”
Volunteer organizations that present valuable local programming are experiencing what is being demonstrated across the county and beyond. Statistics Canada data from 2022 shows that volunteerism may not be bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels. A report states 67 per cent of organizations reported a shortage of new volunteers
The pandemic was a turning point for many organizations that depend on volunteers. In 2018, 24 million Canadians volunteered 2.5 million hours of their time to improve the health, well-being, education and safety of their communities.
During the pandemic, repeated lockdowns and re-openings posed significant challenges for many groups. Seniors – Canada’s most dedicated volunteers in terms of hours committed – were also among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.
The Collingwood Agricultural Society, whose marquis event the Great Northern Exhibition (GNE), depends on upwards of 200 volunteers to stage the annual fall fair.
“We have developed a website to sign up volunteers and we are working on building a data base of people we can call on,” said Collingwood Agricultural Society vice-president Maxine Coutts-Reid.
The requirement for high school students to contribute 40 volunteer hours to qualify for a diploma helps somewhat, according to Coutts-Reid, but these students don’t tend to return once they have earned the requisite hours. She said, “We do a bit better with young people who come from 4-H programs. They are involved with the fair with their animals as kids and like to stay involved.”
A small group of volunteers works year-round on the fair and other events such as the fashion show and the steak barbecue. An ongoing challenge for the society is finding volunteers with specific skills. In the next year or two it will be in need of a newtreasurer, and people who can supervise the large number of volunteers needed. Coutts-Reid said it is essential to provide effective supervision for volunteers, adding, “Their time is valuable so we need to schedule tasks, be specific, ensure they know how to operate equipment and be prepared to support them as needed.”
Many key people have been with them for years, she said, but nothing is written down so when those people age out or die, a lot of knowledge goes with them.
“We’ve been talking for a while about the need to create job descriptions, and we’ve created a directors’ manual but it’s a slow process,” said Coutts-Reid.
Gail Cocker of the Creemore Horticultural Society is in charge of organizing volunteers for maintenance of the Village Green garden and Grandmother’s Garden at the library. A core group of about 10 volunteers meets weekly to work in the gardens.
“Last year we invested in signage that we put out when we are working,” said Cocker. “It identifies who is working in the garden and encourages people to ‘come join us!’ So far that has not led any new volunteers to us. Often when people stop and admire the garden we will ask them to join us and often the response is ‘I couldn’t possibly, I have my own garden to take care of!’
“I’ve been doing this for seven or eight years and have seen a lot of our volunteers fall away…. some due to health issues, a couple moved away and quite a few due to ageing out. In all that time I can only recall attracting three new volunteers,” said Cocker.
Creemore Horticultural Society president John Sabiston is starting his fifth term as president. The society’s constitution has a limit of six terms. In his address to the recent Annual General Meeting, Sabiston said “We need new people to step up and take some of these positions otherwise, a year from now we may be faced with having to disband the Hort if we can’t get enough volunteers.”
The stats
A 2022 Statistics Canada report found that most non-profit organizations in Canada are struggling with volunteer recruitment and retention.
- 67 per cent of organizations reported a shortage of new volunteers.
- 51 per cent of organizations reported challenges with retention.
- 42 per cent of organizations reported that volunteers aren’t able to commit long term.
- 29 per cent of organizations lack time or resources to recruit volunteers.
- 26 per cent of organizations reported high volunteer burnout and stress.
As a result:
- 28 per cent of organizations reported that paid employees are working more hours.
- 35 per cent of organizations reported a reduction of programs or services.
- 17 per cent of organizations reported cancellation of programs and services.
- 21 per cent of organizations reported employee burnout.
Statistics Canada will release the findings of the most recent National Survey of Non-profit and Voluntary Organizations in May 2025.
