Future of Recreation: Volunteer crisis or crossroads?

Photo: Cameron Dalinghaus, BC Marine Trails

Volunteering is declining across Canada, but some clubs are inundated with help. Lessons from a webinar.

From access to nature to apps and AI, the evolution of trail construction to electric power, this story is part of a series of articles looking at how recreation will change and evolve over the short and long term. 

“Critical lack of volunteers…” “Not-for-profit struggling to recruit…” “Fewer people giving money and time.”

These news headlines followed a 2022 survey by Volunteer Canada that found 65 percent of non-profits were struggling to find enough volunteers. It’s a trend mirrored by what the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC hears from many of its members. That’s why we hosted a webinar in December focused on recruiting and retaining volunteers. But the webinar’s three panellists had an alternative take on the crisis. 

“I want to challenge that view,” said Dorothee Birker. “Is volunteering in decline, or is it at a crossroads?”

Birker is a director with Volunteer BC and manager of community services with KCR Community Resources, which, among other things, helps with volunteer recruitment services in the Okanagan. Much of the decline, she says, is due to a shift in the motivations and needs of volunteers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprofits that haven’t kept up with what volunteers are searching for are struggling. The ones who have modernized their recruitment, engagement and retention are often “inundated” with volunteers. 

“[That’s] because you have human beings that are working with your organization because they believe in the organization’s mission, they believe in the passion of the organization, they believe they are being treated fairly and equitably, and they are getting what they need out of the partnership as well,” she says.

Before 2020, the top three motivators for volunteering were a desire to contribute to something important, applicable skills and a personal connection to the cause. These are still strong factors, says Birker. But, particularly among people 35 and under, the top reasons have changed to feeling like they are making an impact, connecting with new people, and finding a sense of belonging. 

That means non-profits have to do a good job of communicating the impact volunteers will have, says Birker. They also have to show that diversity, equity and inclusion are not just boxes to check. Volunteers will see through a veneer, and, without an active effort to overcome biases and blind spots, non-profits will overlook a large pool of potential volunteers.

“A lot of times, when we look at volunteer programs, they have often only gone to the usual suspects,” she says. “They have not gone to more diverse communities and reached out to them in a different way.”

One of the best ways to do this is to look at recruitment as one stage in a three-part volunteer management process, says Katelyn Bissat, the provincial network coordinator for NatureKids BC and another panellist. The highlights of the cycle are recruitment, mentorship and retention. She visualizes the process as a nature metaphor: a seed (recruitment) growing into a seedling (mentorship) and then eventually into a tree with deep roots (retention).

“I always ask volunteers why they want to work with us,” she said. “If we don’t understand the ‘why,’ they will leave the organization or not feel empowered.”

Recruitment should resemble hiring an employee, she suggests, with a definition of the role and time commitment. And it needs to meet volunteers where they are. NatureKids primarily recruits 18 to 34-year-olds for its programs, which connect kids and families to nature. For these young adults, she focuses on Instagram and TikTok and highlights opportunities to connect with new people. For Gen Y and Gen X, family-focused opportunities are a better fit. 

Bissat breaks mentorship down into onboarding, training and empowerment. The first step is to get to know the person, their skills and what they want to learn. Use the information to put them in the right volunteer position and teach them what they need to do. From there, provide feedback, redirection and a chance to lead. Support their ideas and provide professional development opportunities, says Bissat. 

Younger generations are looking to build skills. Offering training is a great way of attracting potential candidates and making volunteers feel valued. For cash-strapped non-profits, she suggests building training costs into grants and other fundraising efforts.

This step naturally leads back and forth with retention, which is all about connection.

“There’s a startling number of youth who are not connected to their space or community,” says Bissat. “How can your organization help connect them?”

This could be literal, like virtual and in-person events where volunteers can meet other volunteers and the people their work impacts. Or it could be sharing the organization's strategic plan, goals and direction, a strategy Bissat has used to great success.

“All of a sudden, volunteers were fired up and excited because they saw themselves as part of the organization,” she says. “Giving them a seat at the table, they feel empowered and included and feel like their voice and opinion matters.”

All these steps help with recruitment and retention, she says, but they’re even more important for managing workload. It’s always more efficient to spend time retaining volunteers than training new ones. 

Adrian Bostock, the third panellist on the webinar, showed some of the creative ways to engage volunteers and the true value they present. 

The operations manager for Shuswap Trails Alliance highlighted five different programs that utilize volunteers to maintain trails in the interior of B.C. They vary from one-day mass efforts to weekly trail maintenance nights in partnership with smaller clubs. They even work with a high school class.

“I think having a variety of options for people to get involved is important,” he says. “Different times, different days, different projects and jobs.”

He says it’s often more efficient for him to use paid trail crews to do the work, but it’s more important to engage volunteers. Creating opportunities for the public to take part helps build community and ownership around a shared passion, he says. That’s the real power of volunteering.

“Volunteer engagement is not just about accomplishing tasks,” said Bostock. “It’s about fostering community, sustainability and active lifestyles.”

Any nonprofit that can do that is a success. And should have no problem with the volunteer crisis.

If you want to read more stories in our series about the Future of Outdoor Recreation, click here.