Benefits of Agency Membership

Serving the community since 1974, Volunteer Victoria is the primary recruitment and referral agency for the Greater Victoria area and the central resource helping agencies to develop high quality volunteer programs. We also provide a broad range of capacity building resources, information and support to non-profits, as well as playing a key leadership role for the local sector. Our organization provides services to nearly 300 member organizations in the region.

Our services include recruitment of volunteers, training in all areas of non-profit and volunteer management, promotion and media access, networks for executive directors and emerging leaders, a resource library, access to our consultation services, our retired leaders volunteer network (REALnet), tech support through our accessible IT for small non-profits project and an online newsletter. Bursaries are also available to member agencies to support education in volunteer management.

Membership provides agencies with an opportunity to exchange information and ideas with others in the non-profit and volunteer management community. Reap the benefits of shared expertise and problem solving through contact with colleagues in your field.

Agency membership is open to charitable and non-profit organizations. Call us today to find out how your agency can become a member. An annual membership fee is charged for our services.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible as a member agency with Volunteer Victoria you need to meet the following criteria:

Be a registered non-profit organization, a charitable organization or a publicly-funded institution (eg. hospitals, schools, museums)
Have a governing board of directors
Accept Volunteer Victoria's policy statement on human rights and non-discrimination
Comply with the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement
Agree to designate an individual to coordinate volunteers
Ensure that volunteers do not displace paid staff
Carry appropriate liability insurance to protect your volunteers

Volunteer Victoria places the following limitations on requests for volunteers:

We will not take requests for volunteers for partisan political parties
We will not take requests for volunteers that compromise the health, safety or well being of volunteers or the community
We reserve the right, at any time, to refuse a request for volunteers

Promotion & Media Access

Promote your agency's volunteer opportunities through our weekly columns in local newspapers and on community TV. Participate in our volunteer recruitment fairs at UVic and at local shopping malls. And benefit from the media profiles, community presentations and many other promotional activities that Volunteer Victoria does throughout the year. Our Community Relations Coordinator can also assist you in developing your own community awareness and recruitment strategies - another service available to member agencies.

Member agencies also have the opportunity to participate in Volunteer Recognition Week activities, including our Cooperative Ad which appears in all local newspapers and our media blitz which includes profiles of individual volunteers. We can also assist you in accessing appropriate recognition items for your volunteers.

Recruitment & Referral of Volunteers

Volunteer Victoria recruits over 16,500 volunteers per year for agencies in the Greater Victoria area. We have a sophisticated online data base which manages and tracks all the volunteer positions you list with us. Individuals wanting to volunteer in the community browse through the job listings in our database and make a selection according to their interests and skills. Personal interviews are available to those who prefer some assistance in identifying suitable volunteer opportunities. When volunteers have made their selection they contact the agency of their choice.

As a member agency, you can also tap into the volunteer resources of our Volunteer Access Program which provides dedicated volunteers who can assist with a range of tasks, as well as involve young people in your organization through our Youth Volunteer Connections Program.

Access to Consultation & Resources

Our experienced staff are available to provide ongoing support and information on all aspects of volunteer and non-profit management. We can also provide you with resources on a range of topics including screening volunteers, writing a volunteer manual, fundraising, volunteer recognition and program evaluation. And because Volunteer Victoria is linked to a network of nearly 300 community agencies we can quickly connect you to organizations which address similar issues and concerns.

Seminars & Workshops

As a member agency, you can take advantage of the many professional seminars and workshops offered each year by Volunteer Victoria at a special member rate. We usually offer an Overview of Volunteer Management course, which covers the basics of managing a volunteer program, every year in the fall. Our workshops are presented by experienced trainers, experts in the field or Volunteer Victoria personnel. We make every attempt to ensure that our workshops are offered at an affordable cost for member agencies.

Workshops and seminars which address the specific needs of an agency are also available upon request. These training sessions, delivered by staff and local trainers, are provided on a fee for service basis.

Library & Publications

Volunteer Victoria has the most comprehensive resource library on volunteer and non- profit management in Victoria. In addition to over 700 books, there are journals, videos and informational materials on a wide range of issues. The library holdings are also continually being updated to meet the evolving needs of the volunteer sector. Our staff can help you find just the right book on policies for volunteer programs, job descriptions for board members, information on fund- raising or recognition ideas for your valuable volunteers.

Emerging Leaders Network

The Emerging Leaders Network is Volunteer Victoria's professional development and networking group for younger nonprofit professionals in the Greater Victoria area. If you are a mid-20 to mid-40 something individual working in a local nonprofit organization, with interest in elevating to a leadership position in the nonprofit sector in the near future, we welcome you to join this Network. Additionally, we encourage newer Executive Directors to join to take advantage of the support and learning our group provides as you get comfortable in your new leadership role. And, although this Network is made up of mostly people that work in the nonprofit sector, we also welcome individuals who work in other sectors but have leadership goals in the nonprofit sector as a volunteer (ie. board member, board chair, mentor, etc.).

This is a funded project of Volunteer Victoria, now in its second year as of May 2011. It was created to address leadership gaps in the nonprofit sector due to the retirement of the baby boomers which has already begun. The major foci of the Network are networking with peers in the nonprofit sector and learning everything to do with nonprofit sector leadership - whatever leadership looks like to our members - with a particular focus on the role of the Executive Director.

For more information, visit Volunteer Victoria's Emerging Leaders Network blog category or ask to join the group on our Meetup.com site. (It is free to join the group but some events may charge a fee.)