We’d like to introduce guest contributor Charlene Dishaw, currently the Manager of Volunteer Resources at Delta Hospital in Ladner, BC.

After over 10 years of working in the field of Volunteer Management I was having a “heard that, seen them” feeling. I was looking for education that would elevate my work another level. The Vancouver Board of Trade brought in the Disney Leadership workshop and my passion for working with people was renewed. What did it for me? The thrill of hearing what big business has the time and money to research. And the research can be directly applied to our ...

[Continue reading Learning Outside the Volunteer Management Box]

The following is a guest blog post written and researched by one of Volunteer Victoria’s volunteer writers, Kate Lautens. Kate is one of two Volunteer Victoria Media Copy Writers that have been with us for over a year. Enjoy! !

The Youth Volunteer Connections Program (YVCP), Volunteer Victoria’s program supporting young people 15-29 in finding meaningful and rewarding volunteer opportunities, recently added three new staff members, Vik Dhindsa, Ebony Logins and Amy Hartzenberg. Under the leadership of Leanna Hill, program coordinator of the YVCP and ...

[Continue reading Meet our new Youth Team!]

The following guest blog post was written by Kelly Sprackett, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at Broadmead Care Society, in praise of one of their long-time volunteers.  Thank you Kelly, for recognizing and sharing Pat’s impact on your organization!

Pat Robertson - one of Broadmead Care Society's valued volunteers.

We are proud to say that Pat Robertson has been a volunteer with Broadmead Care Society (and before that, our predecessor Tillicum and Veterans Care Society) since 1975. 

Pat continues to lead the sing along for elderly residents of The Lodge at Broadmead ...

[Continue reading Pat Robertson – Valued Volunteer with Broadmead Care Society]

The following guest blog post was written by Kyra Henry, Administrative Assistant at Threshold Housing Society, in praise of one of their volunteers.  Thank you Kyra, for sharing how impactful Fran’s presence has been on your organization!

I would like to tell you about Ms. Fran McArthur, our quilter extraordinaire and office support volunteer.  Let me explain.

We have two homes for youth-at-risk in Victoria.  When a resident is ready to leave, they are given a quilt to take with them.  They are told that each stitch represents love and hope for their future.  They do not ...

[Continue reading The Gift of a Volunteer]

Jean McKenzie is one of 20 of our in-house volunteers here at Volunteer Victoria (not including our board members). She kindly agreed to be interviewed for this blog post.

I am pleased to present you, Jean McKenzie.

Jean McKenzie: Administrative Volunteer

Jean has been volunteering with us for 19 years now (wow!). She moved to Victoria from Winnipeg in 1990 and sought out a volunteer position because she wanted to get to know, and get involved in her new community. While that was the reason for her first step into Volunteer Victoria, she’s come back week after week for nearly two decades because it keeps ...

[Continue reading Meet a volunteer: Jean McKenzie]

Alan Piffer is one of our Volunteer Media Generalist/Writers here at Volunteer Victoria. See his previous blog post on the Luminara Festival. 

For newcomers to Victoria, achieving success in one’s profession or trade can often be a challenging prospect. Imagine, then, what a new immigrant would face trying to adapt to Canadian culture at the same time.

Hugo Kerckhoffs worked as a graphic designer in Mexico before moving to Canada. He has found adjusting his profession to a new country to be somewhat difficult, not just because Canadians do more online work than in Mexico, but also because of the difference in design sensibilities.

“Graphic ...

[Continue reading Mentorship at ICA]

Blackbaud recently released the results of a North American survey of over 2,200 non-profit organizations. This survey gathered data on general operations, fundraising, technology and accountability/stewardship to provide a snapshot of the sector in 2010 and to make projections for 2011. This survey has been carried out for 6 of the past 7 years. 

With regard to revenue generation, almost half of the organizations anticipated their total income would increase in 2010, while 25% expected their income to remain the same and 28% expected it to decrease. The projection for 2011 is more optimistic with 60% expecting an increase and 26% expecting ...

[Continue reading State of the Non Profit Sector]

[Continue reading Luminara Festival 2010]

As most non-profit boards will shortly be regrouping after the summer hiatus, this seems like a good time to highlight board development resources. This list includes both on-line and print materials that can be accessed through Volunteer Victoria’s library.

A very good on-line source for board governance information is the Voluntary Sector Knowledge Network that includes an extensive selection of board materials, from board roles and responsibilities to the board – CEO relationship.

Another excellent resource is the HR Council for the Non Profit Sector Toolkit. The site covers the full spectrum of human resources in non profits, one section ...

[Continue reading Building Better Boards]

Sandra Richardson (Victoria Foundation) presented Val Green (Volunteer Victoria) with a plaque recognizing our accomplishments over the past 35 years and thanking Volunteer Victoria for ‘giving heart to our community for 35 years’.      

Each year our Youth Program Coordinator and Access Program Coordinator present Agency Awards to dedicated leaders ...

[Continue reading AGM Awards]