HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-10-070 - Volunteer Services StrategyREPORT
REPORT TO:
Community Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING:
November 8, 2010
SUBMITTED BY:
Mark Hildebrand, Director of Community Programs and
Services, ext 2687
PREPARED BY:
Janice Ouellette, Facilitator of Volunteer Resources and
Community Engagement
WARD(S) INVOLVED:
All
DATE OF REPORT:
October 12, 2010
REPORT NO.: CSD-10-070
SUBJECT:
VOLUNTEER SERVICES STRATEGY
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Volunteer Services Strategy, as attached to report CSD-10-070, be approved;
and further,
That the recommended actions of the Volunteer Services Strategy be referred to the
corporate business planning process and the annual capital and operating budget
processes for consideration.
BACKGROUND:
The Corporation of the City of Kitchener has a long history of working with volunteers for the
delivery of recreation services. Volunteers are a vital resource for our municipal programs and
related services, while opportunities to volunteer offer citizens avenues to be engaged, to be
leaders, to develop skills and to enhance quality of life for themselves and others. We need to
properly care for and foster the essential and complex resource of volunteerism that we’ve
grown to depend on and value.
In 2005, the City of Kitchener’s Leisure Facility Master Plan (LFMP) recommended that
Volunteer Resources develop a volunteer strategy and plan aimed at: i) ensuring growth in the
availability of volunteers, ii) providing on-going assistance to organized groups re: volunteer
recruitment, development, retention and recognition; and iii) identifying best practice models
around governance, operations and service delivery strategies for organized groups and service
providers. In the Plan for a Healthy Kitchener (P4HK, 2006), our community indentified
specifically the need to further enhance resources for volunteerism in all areas.
In 2009, the Community Services Department undertook a research project to better understand
the emerging trends and current issues related to volunteering; to reconfirm with relevant
stakeholders, the value and role of volunteers and Volunteer Resources; and to make
recommendations for goals and priorities for the coming years.
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In February 2010, dmA Planning & Management Services was retained to assist the City’s
project team in the development of the Volunteer Services Strategy.
In August 2010, Report CSD-10-056 Volunteer Services Strategy Background Report, was
presented. This report included a profile of our community, socio-demographic and population
characteristics relevant to volunteering, emerging trends in volunteering, best practices for
volunteer services, and details of the extensive community engagement process (including a
community telephone survey, an on-line and pen/paper volunteer survey, focus groups with staff
and current volunteers, and key informant interviews) that was completed.
Research indicates that, increasingly, people are expressing an inability, hesitancy, or
unwillingness to make a long term commitment to traditional forms of volunteering. The City of
Kitchener is growing, aging and becoming more diverse and complex. Citizens have different
needs and expectations regarding life and volunteering.
In addition to issues surrounding effective volunteer recruitment, support and management,
broader corporate issues are apparent including the definition of the role and relationship of the
Volunteer Resources section within the corporation as well as the priority and core services of
the Volunteer Resources section in relation to indirect volunteers of affiliated groups.
The information in the Background Report informed the strategic directions and
recommendations in the attached Volunteer Services Strategic Plan FinalReport. The
strategic plan makes recommendations to better position the City to respond to the changing
environment of volunteerism, and strengthen its ability to engage and support volunteers and
volunteer organizations affiliated with the City in the years to come.
REPORT:
Universally, people recognize the contribution of volunteers. They are involved in just about
every aspect of service delivery, in all walks of life and are often described as “making a real
difference” in their community. The City of Kitchener relies on and celebrates the active
involvement of over 2000 direct and 6000 indirect volunteers and countless informal volunteers.
Behind this group of giving volunteers lie an equally dedicated group of staff and other
volunteers who are responsible for the coordination, support, training, administration and
recruitment of the City’s direct and indirect volunteers. The Volunteer Resources section at the
City of Kitchener, including a Facilitator of Volunteer Resources and Community Engagement
and a Coordinator of Volunteers, work to manage, support and maintain these resources for the
corporation and the community.
The City of Kitchener clearly values the role volunteers play in its programs and services as well
as the value of meaningful opportunities for citizen engagement. Council endorsed the
Kitchener Code for Volunteer Involvement, which recognizes the mutually beneficial relationship
and the vital role volunteer involvement has in creating a just and democratic society and strong
and healthy community. This level of commitment sets Kitchener apart from many similar-sized
communities.
During phase one of this study, the commitment and value placed on volunteerism was once
again reconfirmed. Specifically, below is a list of perceived benefits of the Volunteer program to
volunteers and affiliated organizations. The program is seen to contribute to:
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the increased supply of community programs, events and activities that can be provided
by the City to its residents due to the efforts and involvement of volunteers,
providing opportunities for residents to develop skills and participate in personally
satisfying and self-fulfilling activities,
building a stronger attachment to the City of Kitchener and the communities where
residents live through their involvement in community affairs,
the benefits associated with the expertise and knowledge of community residents who
are involved in the planning and delivery of community services, events and activities,
providing opportunities for social interaction and building stronger, more cohesive
communities, and
fostering community development and capacity-building among volunteer organizations,
contributing to self-sustaining and stronger volunteer boards, community organizations,
and effective community.
Research indicates that volunteerism is changing. Demographics within our city are shifting and
people are not volunteering in the “same way” as they once were. The Volunteer Resources
Support Strategy seeks to provide Council and the Volunteer Resources section with direction
to effectively respond to the changing environment of volunteerism, and strengthen its ability to
engage and support volunteers and staff who work with volunteers for the benefit of us all.
The Final Report identifies six strategic directions, outlined below, and specific action items to
be considered to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the City’s continuing efforts to
engage, support, and manage volunteers and staff who work with volunteers.
Strategic Directions
1. Demonstrate leadership and commitment to volunteerism and raise the profile of
volunteerism within the Corporation.
Action Steps
1. Launch the strategy;
2. Create a new part-time coordinator position;
3. Strengthen the Facilitator’s management role;
4. Update job descriptions of staff working with volunteers;
5. Develop an orientation presentation, showcasing Volunteer Resources and
Community Engagement; and
6. Facilitate an in-house corporate volunteerism program.
Action step two within this strategic direction is of particular importance to the remainder of the
strategy. It recommends the creation of a part time position, the Coordinator of Community
Engagement (.5 FTE). Many of the strategic directions and action steps to follow are generally
new responsibilities that would require staff time to implement and there is little likelihood that
they will be acted upon without additional staff resources. A new .5 FTE is also recommended to
allow the Facilitator of Volunteer Resources to focus more directly on the partnership, research
and development, and management roles associated with the position.
2. Expand the participation of volunteers by establishing connections and partnerships, and
strengthening the communication of volunteer opportunities.
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Action Steps
1. Develop an expanded and integrated web-based volunteer management system;
2. Prepare communication tools and approaches to reach target audiences; and
3. Develop partnerships and outreach to key sectors.
This strategic direction focuses on activities to involve a broader spectrum of volunteers
including those from culturally diverse backgrounds, from all age groups, and with a wider range
of abilities, interests, skills and experiences.
3. Expand and improve upon the range of volunteer and community engagement
opportunities available.
Action Steps
1. Facilitate brainstorming sessions/ other collaborative opportunities;
2. Improve volunteer job descriptions;
3. Initiate corporate wide volunteerism;
4. Develop project or event specific volunteer opportunities;
5. Develop family and intergenerational volunteering;
6. Develop opportunities for engaging newcomers and recent immigrants;
7. Engage people with disabilities; and
8. Develop a corporate volunteerism program.
The Action steps attempt to address a number of issues identified through the literature, and
confirmed through consultations, related to the changing nature of volunteerism, including
growing demand for informal volunteering, less willingness on the part of volunteers to make a
.
long-term commitment, and changing motivations for engaging in volunteer activities
4. Provide staff and volunteer boards with opportunities for improved training, tools, and
resources to build capacity and effectively manage volunteers.
Action Steps
1. Increase cultural competence;
2. Undertake staff training;
3. Improve staff networking and interaction;
4. Provide support, tools, & training to volunteer boards;
5. Develop “resources” page for city web pages;
6. Facilitate information exchange between;
7. Partner with volunteer action centre on training;
8. Develop seasonal orientation for new volunteers; and
9. Continue updating plans, policies, and procedures.
This direction clarifies the Section’s facilitation rolein support of volunteer boards and those of
other affiliated organizations, by identifying some areas where this role can be strengthened, but
also identifying reasonable limits to what can and should be the role of the Volunteer Resources
and Community Engagement Section in support of these groups.
5. Strengthen the value of volunteerism to the city and volunteers, by improving the tools,
mechanisms, and processes for providing feedback and recognition.
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Action Steps
1. Implement a volunteer database as part of new integrated volunteer management
system;
2. Improve feedback and evaluation mechanisms; and
3. Strengthen recognition resources and processes.
6. Improve the communication and evaluation of volunteer successes and contributions to
raise the profile of volunteerism within the community and plan for the future.
Action Steps
1. Provide research and leadership;
2. Prepare a communications plan to communicate the successes of volunteering;
3. Implement a volunteer expo;
4. Monitor and continuously update; and
5. Develop performance measures.
The strategic directions and recommended action steps provide the Volunteer Resources
section with an understanding of priorities as evidenced by the research and stakeholder input
and helps define where to assign limited resources for the support of the entire volunteer
contingent and staff working with volunteers.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Operating costs associated with the recommendations in the Volunteer Strategy will be
considered on a case-by-case basis, through the budget process, as volunteer resource staff
brings action items and the associated implementation plans forward.
COMMUNICATIONS:
The Strategy has been reviewed with the Staff Project Team, with selected staff from across the
corporation who work with volunteers and with volunteers who attended focus groups to review
the recommendations being made, to ensure that the directions and action items reflected input,
and to answer any questions or concerns.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY:
Pauline Houston, General Manager, Community Services
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