What is Volunteering? A Guide for Youth

By: Volunteer Success

Do you want or need to volunteer but not sure how to get started? You’ve come to the right place! In this series of short articles, we will cover the what, why, where, who and hows of volunteering. We begin this learning journey by defining what exactly is volunteering.

What is Volunteering?

  • Basic definition of volunteering: the practice of giving one's time or talents freely and without compensation for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one's community.
  • In other words, doing good for the community without pay!

Don’t skip the next step because you need to know your why! Go to Why Volunteer?

Also check out:

Where and Who to Volunteer With?

When can I volunteer?

How to Find the Right Volunteer Opportunity

How to Apply for Volunteer Roles

How-to Tips for Interviewing and Email Communications

How-to Tips for Applying for Unadvertised Volunteer Opportunities

How-to Tips for Working in the Volunteer Role

How to Troubleshoot Problems in Your Volunteer Role

How to Get a Reference and/or Paid Role!

Also read…

The Road to Volunteer Burnout: How to Avoid It and How to Manage It

By: Lori Gotlieb

As the saying goes, “if you want something done, ask a busy person”. This holds very true for volunteers and the dedicated work that they do. People are busier now then they have ever been and balancing your life has become more and more complicated. People volunteer for a variety of reasons; they want to make a difference and give back to their community but they also want balance in their volunteer efforts. If they do not get the balance they will get burnt out. This is called “volunteer burnout” and it is more common than you think.

Set yourself up for Volunteer Success: How to find Volunteer Opportunities That Match Your Needs!

By: Chelsea C Anthony

Despite the many volunteer postings available - or perhaps, even because of them - finding the right volunteer opportunity can be a challenging undertaking. A key reason for this is that finding a volunteer position can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. This article functions as a guide to help you get started on finding the right volunteer role!

Need to refresh your Volunteer Policies? Check out this free primer from Volunteer Toronto!

By: Aleksandra Vasic

Volunteer Success is pleased to share this wonderful volunteer policy primer created by Volunteer Toronto. As this primer makes clear, and the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement (CCVI) advocates, organizations should have an integrated human resource management approach that includes paid employees, students and volunteers. The Human Resources standard of the CCVI recommends that “most policies and practices apply equally to all people in the organization”, apart from some obvious exceptions such as compensation and recognition. COVID has motivated many of us to re-evaluate our policies, but as this resource states: “the world of volunteer engagement constantly evolves, and your structures should adapt as things change.” So what volunteer-specific policies should you have? And what kinds of revisions should you undertake?