VOLUNTEER MANITOBA
The Volunteer Manitoba team includes Kamillah El-Giadaa, training and development manager; Gloria Dovoh, community relations co-ordinator; and Ashley Seymour, executive director. Photo by Darcy Finley
The value of volunteers
By Todd Lewys W hen it comes to pandemic dramatically changed the landscape for volunteerism in Canada. Today, roughly three years after the pandemic started, non-profit volunteering, Canadians have the market cornered. That said, the COVID-19
organizations are still feeling its effects. For perhaps the first time ever, they are having a hard time finding volunteers. This finding comes on the heels of a 2018 Stats Canada study that found 24 million people aged 15 or older — or 79 per cent of the population — volunteered during that calendar year. Roughly five years later, that’s no longer the case.
“Late last year, 65 per cent of non-profits reported a shortage of new volunteers, while 50 per cent reported problems with volunteer retention,” says Kamillah El-Giadaa, training and development manager for Volunteer Manitoba. “This is having a significant impact on the sector’s paid workforce.”
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Manitoba
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