Volunteering is easier than it has ever been before

According to the organization Volunteer Canada’s studies, six out of ten Canadians have volunteered at some point in their lives. Typically, Canadians volunteer either early or late in life. Canadians between 15 and 18 have the highest rate of volunteerism while those between 65 and 74 volunteer the most total hours. Sixty-one per cent of Canadians who do not volunteer claim they are unable to make longterm commitments. Luckily, between social media and national efforts by groups like Volunteer Canada, it’s easier than ever to connect with organizations and people who need your help in a way that fits your schedule.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

This year, Volunteer Canada’s National Volunteer Week runs from April 15 to 21. It’s an annual effort to get the word out about how and where Canadians can volunteer to help their communities. Many Canadians think they cannot volunteer their time because, between family and work, they’re not able to make additional commitments. One way that even these Canadians who don’t have a lot of time can get involved, however, is micro-volunteering. This kind of volunteering is based on the idea of crowdsourcing. Big projects are broken down into small pieces that a large number of people can contribute to in small ways. These contributions are often done through computers or smartphones and may take only a couple of hours or even a few minutes of your time. Contact Volunteer Canada to find out more about how you can get involved this April.

Although only 44 per cent of Canadians volunteer at any given time, 82 per cent do some kind of informal volunteering, which means helping their community outside of a formal volunteer organization.