A Summary of Community Discussions
with the Voluntary and Non-Profit Sector
roundtable
COMMUNITY
Beginning July 2009 I began travelling around our wonderful province convening a number of simple and direct community roundtable discussions. After 23 community roundtables and the input of nearly 300 volunteers and citizens it became apparent to me and my colleagues in the secretariat that volunteer and non-profit groups across the province are facing many of the same issues and challenges.
This brochure highlights the issues most constantly discussed and debated in our conversations: recruitment and retention, recognition, youth involvement, training, funding, and insurance amongst scores of others. As a result of the community roundtable discussions we had a list of issues that demanded the attention of government and the community sector in partnership;
some of these concerns had been attracting attention for years. It was time to stop talking about these things and start making changes so the Community Priorities Summit was held in Corner Brook between March 7th and 9th 2010. The summit brought together sixty community leaders, many of whom had also participated in the roundtables, and nearly twenty government and private sector
representatives to develop a roadmap forward that would address the challenges facing the voluntary and non-profit sector. This roadmap resulted in the creation of ten ambitious goals to be pursued by the secretariat with our community partners; I am pleased to report that work on every one of these goals has already begun. The secretariat is committed to a regular reporting of progress so I ask you to check our website at www.gov.nl.ca/vnps.
I have to extend a special thank you to the Rural Secretariat and the various community leaders who worked with the Voluntary and Non-Profit Secretariat in making this exercise possible. Most of all, thank you to all those that volunteer their time or choose to work in the non-profit sector so that their neighbours live better lives and their communities, province and country are greater places because of their commitment and contribution. We are all more fortunate because of them.
Sincerely,
Dave Denine, MHA
Minister Responsible for the Volunteer and Non-Profit Sector
message from
the minister
The Voluntary and Non-Profit Secretariat is a policy focused body in Executive Council that provides policy advice to government departments that work with the sector.
The secretariat works with volunteers and non-profit groups to establish priorities for the sector to become more effective in its relationship with government, to maintain and enhance the capacity of the sector to meet its own goals, and to play an increasing role in the life of our communities in contributing to the well- being of our people.
Beginning in 2009 the Minister responsible for the Voluntary and Non-Profit Secretariat (VNPS) held 23 community meetings and heard from nearly 300 volunteers and citizens. These discussions resulted in a list of issues facing the Voluntary Sector including: recruitment and retention,
recognition, youth involvement, training, funding and, insurance. These issues were discussed in greater detail at the March 2010 Community Priorities Summit held in Corner Brook. At the summit over 60 community representatives, many of whom attended the community meetings with the Minister and over 20 government and private sector representatives
determined priority areas for action.
introduction
In most communities and for most
organizations there is a great challenge to find people willing to offer their time and talents to community based organizations.
Equally many are hesitant to take
leadership roles, participate on boards or head up committees. Fear of community politics, directors’ liability, a lack of
recognition and appreciation and, just plain burn out are all contributing factors to the general unwillingness to get involved and stay involved.
Those looking to hire workers face competition from organizations that pay higher wages, provide benefits and offer
longer term positions. Short contractual employment is a disincentive for someone considering making a career in the sector.
Many community groups and leaders are concerned that young people are not getting involved as much as they should.
On the other hand, young people will say that they are interested in becoming engaged but they have different interests than their elders and want to see more immediate and direct results from their actions. One young person suggested that the biggest problem is that young people are not approached; “just ask” she suggested.
recruitment
and retention
In the last number of years and during the Minister’s conversations across the province the issue of younger people getting involved in community based organizations has been raised. The discussion goes from, “we can’t get young people involved” to “just ask us,” The truth is young people are looking at the world differently and communicate differently and their priorities are different. However they still want to make a significant contribution but not in the way their parents have been doing it for years.
Many youth lack the connection with community. Our communities and public spaces have changed. With schools being
located in other communities and the greater impact of technology, the young people of today have larger ‘communities’
than just those in which they live. Youth have felt the impact and the erosion in the sense of community and belonging.
Many suggestions have been made on how to address this concern: stress the value of volunteerism on a resume, promote volunteerism in the schools but at an earlier age than today, use mentors, and perhaps just taking the time to ask a young person to help out.
youth
involvement
Training is seen as both a challenge and a solution. Training in recruitment techniques and professional development generally are often seen as a way to increase
interest and make one’s involvement more interesting and valuable. Providing training sends a strong message that leaders care about their colleagues: it allows and encourages them to be more involved and enables them to take on increasingly responsible tasks and leadership roles.
Many organizations have experienced frustrations with securing training and professional development. Knowing where to go for training, how to arrange it and paying for it are big concerns. Accessibility is an issue as some agencies insist on providing training during normal working hours and often in locations that are too far away or necessitate costly travel. This can
limit the participation of the very people that are most anxious to take part.
The demand for training and professional development covers every conceivable topic from food preparation to legal issues.
The greatest interest seems to be in
governance issues like board management, leadership and planning and change management. Training to support skills in information technology, accounting, human resources, liability and risk management are always in demand.
training
Securing adequate financial resources is always an issue and an ongoing concern for many organizations. Traditionally governments have been called upon to provide funds but available resources have not been able to meet the dramatically increasing demand. Many organizations have asked government to review a number of it’s funding practices. Government has long recognized that the administration of grants and especially the manner in which it allocates funds have been a concern and undertook to review the grant system. The input from community on core funding, multi year funding and non project funding has helped inform this review.
Many smaller organizations experience frustration in finding out what resources are available, learning how to apply for them, writing proposals and the
competition they face from other
organizations which appear to have greater success at accessing the funds. Overall there is a broad acceptance of the need for greater reporting, evaluation and accountability but there are concerns about the administrative burden placed on organizations to meet demands. More so than ever before, organizations are sharing resources and increasing cooperation to overcome common challenges to increase efficiency and streamline costs.
funding
The complications and aggravation of
managing liability and buying insurance have become an issue for too many organizations.
Accessing reliable information, understanding enough of the complexities and technicalities and knowing about the options are issues that challenge large and small groups every day. This leads to uncertainty and the fear of
a serious claim sometimes limits activities and recruitment especially on boards.
Government, community and the insurance industry have worked to find answers to some of these questions but it is time for a renewed effort.
insurance
It has long been understood that recognizing volunteers and community based
organizations is important for morale. Some volunteers and even staff of community organizations are feeling the results of burn out as the required hours and duties expand and the recognition and thank-you’s diminish. It has been suggested that one
of the reasons it is so difficult to attract new faces is that people are witnessing the workload of other community members and are choosing not to get involved. Sending a vote of confidence and appreciation to those involved in the community is a great way to attract new volunteers.
recognition
Based on the input he received from his discussions around the province, the Minister hosted a two day summit in Corner Brook in March 2010. 60 community leaders, including representatives from each of the community roundtables joined 20 others from government and the private sector to begin to address the concerns emerging from the sector across the province and find ways to meet these challenges by working together. As a result the following 10 goals were developed,
many of which specifically target the challenges noted above. We now have a
‘Road Map’ forward and work has begun to already address each of these priorities.
It is hoped that over the next two years we will have completed the task or made substantial progress in achieving these goals and alleviating some of the concerns and challenges in the voluntary and non- profit sector.
community
priorities summit
During the Community Priorities Summit many issues were raised and discussed amongst the participants. Throughout the facilitation process Summit participants were provided the
opportunity to voice their views and concerns as they worked towards developing a final list of 10 goals where the community and government should direct their attention on efforts to strengthen the sector. These 10 goals represent the priorities of the Summit participants
and are a reflection of where the sector would like to see the government’s attention directed.
Goal #1
Government and the community sector will together develop a workforce training strategy focused on addressing the current and future training needs of the voluntary and non-profit sector (VNPS).
Within this strategy, there will be a formal assessment of training needs, a training committee and a mentoring program.
Goal #2
With continuing community sector input relevant websites, such as EnVision or VNPS, will use their internet presence to provide virtual resources that support the operational needs
of the sector while also striving to recognize and foster relationships amongst community sector participants.
Goal #3
Government will monitor the effectiveness of its multi-media campaign and, although recruitment/
retention is not the primary purpose of the campaign, assess possible benefits of the campaign in improving recruitment and retention of both volunteers and paid employees.
Goal #4
Government and the voluntary sector will together pursue research and fund social innovation.
ten goals from
the summit
Goal #5
Government, through its grants programs, will provide multi-year core and project funding using consistent criteria, simplified application forms and simplified
reporting/accountability requirements.
Goal #6
Government and the community sector will explore options for group insurance and health plans in addition to other benefits for community sector organizations and their employees.
Goal #7
Relevant government departments and community organizations will pursue the development of regional volunteer bureaus.
Goal #8
Volunteer tax incentive programs will be researched across various jurisdictions and levels of government.
Goal #9
Government and the community sector will work directly with young community leaders to ensure meaningful opportunities for youth engagement in the sector.
Goal #10
A mechanism will be established to ensure the accountability of all partners in the implementation of the Road Map.
www.gov.nl.ca/vnps
Voluntary and Non-Profit Secretariat P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6
