We are always humbled and in awe of our wonderful volunteers here at Women’s Resources. More than 100 folks donate their time, mainly to sort clothing and help run Vicky’s Values, but also to ease the load on administrative staff and take on other tasks.
Increasingly, though, that generosity is harder to find among Canadians. Many local organizations are noticing that fewer and fewer people are willing to serve as volunteers.
There is a serious decline in volunteerism.
A Statistics Canada report published in June underscores the seriousness of the decline. The results of a survey done between 2018 and 2023 showed that the hours of formal and informal volunteering by Canadians fell by 18 per cent, with a sharper drop for women than for men. Informal volunteering to improve one’s community fell even more.
The change is likely partly a result of the pressures of COVID-19, but it seems that volunteering hasn’t rebounded in the years since the pandemic. Is it because people realized they liked having more time at home? Because they were worn out? Because their connections to their community had frayed? Researchers didn’t have a clear answer, but whatever the reason, the results are clear.
Who will help out?
Just think about what a continued drop in volunteerism would mean for our community. Who will drive their neighbours with Community Care? Who will mentor a little sibling? Who will help out at the hospital, raise money for cancer research, listen to schoolchildren read, organize river cleanups, oversee youth athletics and arts groups, sit on boards to ensure we have theatre and food banks and help for those with dementia, or the literally thousands of other critical roles volunteers play in Kawartha Lakes?
Many of you reading this are probably active volunteers yourselves, so it won’t surprise you that the top volunteers in the StatsCan survey did not reduce their hours significantly. These folks who make up the top 10 per cent account for 61 per cent of volunteer hours in 2023. They volunteer formally and informally to make their community better. You can probably picture one of these super-volunteers right now.
They’re the ones who talk about how much they get out of volunteering—how good it makes them feel, the great people they meet along the way—as well as how they really don’t feel they’re doing anything special. They know that a community where people are valued and cared for requires other people to make it work by freely giving of their time and skills.
A similar thing is happening with donations to charities and non-profit organizations. Although the total amount of money stayed roughly the same over the five-year period, the proportion of Canadians over age 15 who made a donation, dropped from 68 per cent in 2018 to 54 per cent in 2023. The jump in inflation and the cost of living no doubt had something to do with that, but once again, a small number of Canadians is shouldering the responsibility for supporting important community causes.
A vicious cycle is starting to take hold, whereby fewer people give their time, so charities have to pay people to do what volunteers used to do, but fewer people give money, so those same charities don’t have the financial ability to pay.
Here at Women’s Resources, we are profoundly grateful for our volunteers. If you’re not already involved, we’d love to hear from you, but don’t hesitate to choose another local cause if that’s what speaks to your heart. Similarly, we couldn’t offer all the programs and services we do for women and children experiencing abuse without the donations received each year. We really indebted to all of you.
Our community needs us.
Whether it’s two hours here and there or a full day every week, whether it’s a board or committee or a hands-on task, our community needs all of us.
For more information about volunteering, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Keara at 705-928-4014 or check out our website to apply https://womensresources.ca/join/
To donate, again please see our website https://womensresources.ca/give/
