Volunteer Alberta

09/02/2026

“It put on the record what we have been seeing."

That's how Volunteer Airdrie described our "Learning From the Field" report in a new article, affirming insights we heard from 11 volunteer centres during our research. Volunteer centres are core community connectors, playing a far broader role than just matching volunteers with opportunities. Thank you to Volunteer Airdrie for using the report's learnings to help shape future conversations around municipal support.

📘Read the report:https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/_uploads/6a6a829f8e107.pdf
📰Read the article (Source: Connor May, DiscoverAirdrie): https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/articles/volunteer-airdire-shares-how-they-are-putting-our-learning-from-the-field-report-findings-into-action-2026-09-02

09/02/2026

“It put on the record what we have been seeing."

That's how Volunteer Airdrie described our "Learning From the Field" report in a new article, affirming insights we heard from 11 volunteer centres during our research. Volunteer centres are core community connectors, playing a far broader role than just matching volunteers with opportunities. Thank you to Volunteer Airdrie for using the report's learnings to help shape future conversations around municipal support.

📄 Read the report:https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/_uploads/6a6a829f8e107.pdf
📰 Read the article (Source: Connor May, DiscoverAirdrie): https://www.discoverairdrie.com/articles/volunteer-airdrie-says-report-reflects-local-experience

08/31/2026

Great volunteer programs take thoughtful leadership, and we're proud to share that Alison Besecker, our Senior Coordinator of Networks & Engagement, is once again helping recognize that work as a judge, alongside a knowledgeable panel of leaders, for the CharityVillage Best Volunteer Program Awards! 🎉 Volunteer programs help drive so much of the impact happening across Canada's nonprofit sector, and it's exciting to see them celebrated on this scale. Congrats to everyone doing this important work across the country!

Announcing our amazing group of judges for the CharityVillage Best Volunteer Program Awards!
- Alison Besecker, Volunteer Alberta
- Lori Gotlieb, Volunteer Management Consultant
- Heidi Jakop, Imagine Canada, Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (formerly)
- Jessica Pang-Parks, JPP Consulting
- Erin Spink, Cystic Fibrosis Canada
- Veronica Torres Deally, PAVRO

Register now for the virtual CharityVillage Awards and Sector Summit on Wednesday, November 4, 2026! We would like to thank Riipen, our Presenting Sponsor for this year's conference, for their generous support.

Limited spots are available! Secure your ticket today! ⬇️

https://okt.to/mLeRBQ

08/27/2026

If you're tracking volunteers in spreadsheets, managing sign-ups by hand, or logging into five different tools just to keep your nonprofit running, you may be wondering if there's a simpler way to bring it all together. 🤔

Join Communal: Non-profit Software and Volunteer Alberta on September 17 at 11 AM to see how one connected platform can manage your volunteers, events, communications, members, and donations.

🎁 Don't forget: Volunteer Alberta members get their first 3 months of Communal free on any modules they choose.

🔗 Register here: https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/about-us/events/from-spreadsheets-to-systems-finding-one-platform-to-manage-volunteers-events-communications-members-and-donations-2026-09-17

08/26/2026

Ethical dilemmas show up in our daily work more often than we realize, but rarely do organizations focus on ethics related to volunteer engagement.

Join us for a session that examines the differences between personal, organizational, and professional ethics, and introduces the core values and principles from the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA).

You'll learn a practical decision-making process you can apply to real situations, and in this session, you will practice it using real-life scenarios related to volunteers. Plus, you'll take away new strategies to build ethical awareness in your organization and help volunteers and staff navigate dilemmas with confidence.

📅 Sep 23, 2026 | 10 – 11 AM MDT | Virtual (Zoom)
🔗 Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NapTtDSlQ3-iFogg432CSg
🍂 Check out VA's upcoming fall webinars: https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/services/workshops

08/25/2026

New 2023 data from Volunteer Canada and the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering show that youth aged 15–24 have the highest volunteer rate in Canada at 81.1% 🙌, but they're leaving formal, organized volunteering faster than any other age group. The good news is they still want to help. Organizations can meet them halfway by reducing friction to get started, creating clear entry points from informal helping into formal roles, and offering short-term, project-based, skills-matched opportunities.

📊 Check out the full data from Volunteer Canada: https://givingandvolunteering.ca/young-volunteers-big-opportunity-what-the-2023-data-tells-us-about-youth-and-volunteering/

Happy International Youth Day!

In Canada, youth contributed over 1 billion volunteer hours in 2023.

Young Canadians are the most likely age group to volunteer in Canada, and that fact deserves genuine recognition. At a moment when national volunteer rates have declined and total hours have fallen by nearly 900 million since 2018, the continued high participation of youth is a foundation the sector can build on.

Find out more in “Young Volunteers, Big Opportunity”— our report featuring insights from the Data-Driven Engagement (DDE) Project on the Canadian Knowledge Hub, funded by Employment and Social Development Canada.

Read it here:

https://givingandvolunteering.ca/young-volunteers-big-opportunity-what-the-2023-data-tells-us-about-youth-and-volunteering/

08/20/2026

👋 Heads up! We're experiencing technical difficulties with our website—it may be loading fine for some of you but not for others. We're aware, and it should be back to normal soon. Thanks for your patience!

In case you need to reach us, please email [email protected], and we’ll be happy to help.

08/20/2026

Are you juggling five different tools to run your nonprofit? 🧩

A spreadsheet for members. A sign-up sheet for events. Separate systems for donations and volunteers. Sound familiar? 🤔

There's a simpler way.

Join us on September 17 at 11 AM for a free webinar hosted by Communal: Non-profit Software in partnership with Volunteer Alberta. We'll show you how one connected platform can manage your volunteers, events, communications, members, and donations—and how much time it could free up for your team.

🎁 Bonus: Volunteer Alberta members get their first 3 months of Communal free on any modules they choose.

🔗 Register here: https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/about-us/events/from-spreadsheets-to-systems-finding-one-platform-to-manage-volunteers-events-communications-members-and-donations-2026-09-17

08/19/2026

We all encounter ethical dilemmas in our daily work with and for community, but rarely do organizations focus on ethics related to volunteer engagement.

This session gives practitioners an opportunity to understand the difference between personal, organizational, and professional ethics and to learn the core values and principles identified by the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA).

Participants will learn a process for ethical decision-making that can be applied in any situation, then practice this using real-life scenarios related to volunteers. The session closes with specific strategies for building ethical awareness within an organization and helping both volunteers and staff handle ethical dilemmas more effectively.

📅 Sep 23, 2026 | 10 – 11 AM MDT | Virtual (Zoom)
🔗 Register Now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NapTtDSlQ3-iFogg432CSg
🍂 Check out VA's upcoming fall webinars: https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/about-us/events