Message from the Board Chair

I am honoured to be chairing Volunteer Canada’s board of directors during this time of advancement and innovation. Volunteer Canada has developed a strong national reputation, and our country has much to be proud of when it comes to our record of volunteerism and civic participation. Canada boasts the second largest voluntary sector in the world, only slightly behind the Netherlands. 12.5 million Canadians volunteer their time and skills to a wide variety of causes, contributing over 2-billion hours of time each year.

The manner in which Canadians engage is evolving, and new technologies allow for more flexible volunteer involvement. Today, the volunteer efforts of Canadians fall along a broad spectrum of engagement, and include everything from long-term, face-to-face involvement with a person living in the community, to quick bursts of micro-volunteering online.  

With such a robust voluntary sector in this country, I believe it is important that Volunteer Canada look abroad and adopt a leadership role on the world stage of volunteerism. Canada can lead by example on an international level, promoting engagement and sharing its expertise.

The relationship between Volunteer Canada and the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) illustrates the organization’s commitment to extending its reach beyond national borders. Ruth MacKenzie, President & CEO of Volunteer Canada, was elected to IAVE’s board of directors as Canada’s national representative earlier this year. In this new role, she will promote IAVE within Canada, and liaise with organization members from around the world. My own participation in the 2011 IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Singapore opened my eyes to the many opportunities available to Volunteer Canada on a global scale.

Volunteer Canada will remain focussed on providing leadership within Canada. We will continue to collaborate with volunteer centres and other key partners, even as we look to the future and explore how we can have an impact on the world volunteering stage.

Volunteer Canada has built strong ties with private sector partners, and this will continue to be a priority in the coming years. Together with our corporate partners, we have conducted critical research on the current state of volunteering in Canada, staged community volunteering events across the country, and recognized and celebrated Canada’s volunteers during National Volunteer Week.

The organization’s relationship with government has also grown stronger. With federal funding, Volunteer Canada will build a new, user-friendly website so we can improve our role as a national resource for all matters relating to volunteerism. Volunteer Canada will continue to work closely with His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, who became the Patron of the organization in 2010.

Volunteer Canada aims to inspire and support Canadians in their volunteer efforts. We believe volunteers are critical in building a resilient, democratic society, and that voluntary organizations help create vibrant communities across the country.  Through our national campaigns, sector research, and our variety of tools and resources, Volunteer Canada is committed to promoting volunteerism at home and abroad. It is with great excitement that I begin my role as Board Chair with Volunteer Canada at such a pivotal time of growth and development within the organization.

Sincerely,

Michael Cybulski

Board Chair

Volunteer Canada