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Volunteer Victoria: 52 amazing non-profits at one volunteer fair

Explore, engage, contribute
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If you’ve ever had a hankering to be a volunteer, Volunteer Victoria wants to meet you.

The agency is hosting its annual Volunteer Recruitment Fair at the University of Victoria Student Union Building on Oct. 5 with 52 non-profit organizations of all stripes in attendance. Among them are social services, arts, environmental, criminal justice, international development and emergency response groups, all with the goal of attracting volunteers inspired by their mission.

“It’s a potential for people to have a chat and see what the volunteer possibilities are,” says Lisa Mort-Putland, executive director of Volunteer Victoria. “There are options for learning and engagement that they may not know about. Are they looking for a break from school or career, to learn new skills to build or expand their resume, or are they looking for meaningful leadership roles in the community?”

Volunteering can be a definite career asset with opportunities to be on a planning committee, to develop or evaluate a project or a program, or participate in communication strategies and marketing development. Emphasis is given to flexible time schedules and “laddering up” prospects to keep people involved.

Explore the opportunities

One of the non-profits represented this year is My Open Road Canada that seeks to reduce people’s carbon footprint in a fun way. Another participating non-profit is Innovative Communities, a registered charity that focuses on global education initiatives and eliminating poverty.

Volunteer Victoria also runs a leadership initiative headed by volunteers 55 and up to build a resource for emerging professionals. The goal is to share what motivated them to volunteer and the turning points that kept them engaged in leadership.

“We encourage people to come the Volunteer Fair to get a sense of what their best match is for volunteering,” says Mort-Putland. “It’s about experimentation. There’s a volunteer position for everyone.”

Join online

If you can’t make it to the recruitment fair, you can still learn about volunteering. Volunteer Victoria recently launched a new volunteering platform on its website in conjunction with Volunteer Canada or you can visit their office for more information.