Many Canadian charities say they need more volunteers, but limited staff capacity and recruitment challenges are making it difficult to fill those roles, according to a new survey from the Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP).
The survey found that 41% of participating charities would benefit from having more volunteers, while another 17% are actively seeking volunteers but struggling to recruit them. By comparison, 28% reported having enough volunteers and 6% said they had more volunteers than they could currently place.
Staff capacity is also a significant challenge. More than half of respondents, 53%, said they have limited staff time available to recruit, screen, or manage volunteers.
The most common steps in the volunteer recruitment process include:
- 51% require an interview
- 50% require a formal application
- 49% require a criminal or vulnerable sector record check
- 30% require a reference check
Acceptance rates vary considerably once prospective volunteers complete the recruitment process. Eight per cent of participating charities reported placing all applicants, while 37% said they place more than three-quarters of applicants. Another 20% place a majority of applicants, while smaller shares reported placing half or fewer.
Seven per cent of participating charities said they do not track this volunteer recruitment data.
Respondents also identified several ways organizations could make volunteering easier and improve recruitment and retention. Suggestions included having dedicated volunteer coordinators, offering more flexible schedules, providing transit support, and covering the cost of vulnerable sector checks.
Some charities also highlighted the challenge of providing consistent oversight for volunteers when staff capacity is already limited.
For further information, or to access the full survey: click here.
