The value of our volunteers
Walking through the beautiful gardens of Government House this past weekend reminded me of the work of volunteers. The Friends of Government House Garden Society, all of whom are volunteers, not only maintain the garden, but also give tours throughout the year. With the blooms beginning to burst, and with National Volunteer Week just around the corner, I thought it would be timely to reflect on the value of all the time, skill, experience and energy people like these provide to others without expecting anything in return.
Like Government House, many charities in our community have a healthy base of people giving their time and expertise to assist organizations. For example, Victoria Foundation has a volunteer Board and committees that assist in grantmaking, finance and investing. The cumulative value of all this work in a given year — let alone the 82 years the foundation has been around — is astounding. And we are just one of roughly 1,100 charities operating throughout our region.
What is the collective impact? It’s an important question that researchers at the University of Victoria are working on right now. For the past couple of months, they’ve been surveying local charities to try to understand the impact that charities have on social and economic development in our region. Their work is expected to be complete in May, after which I hope to share with you their findings.
Of course, the magic of volunteering is that it generates both econonmic and social value for everyone that it touches. While there certainly is economic value, volunteering delivers other outcomes that are harder to quantify, such as the ways it builds confidence, competence, and connections, in the way it builds community and, at the end of the day, the way volunteers create a more just and caring place to live.
Consider for a moment the value to a student volunteer that gets into the university of their choice. Of the single parent that volunteers part-time at a nonprofit to build skills to help them land their next job. Of the retiree who creates new connections to the community, or the recent immigrant that builds a greater sense of belonging by volunteering at a community centre.
It’s not just individuals that gain either. Families, organizations, neighbourhoods and our whole community each share as benefactors of all this generosity. When you think of it this way, one week hardly seems enough to celebrate such an amazing gift to us all.
When we volunteer, everyone benefits. This April 15 to 21, take some time to consider how volunteers are making a difference in your life and the lives of the people you care about. You might even consider volunteering yourself.