Sustaining Volunteerism on Salt Spring Island

Kelcie Jessen

Outline
Importance of volunteerism to sustainability Retention Recruitment Salt Spring Island Foundation & Volunteer

Salt Spring

Faith in Action & Blue Box Theatre

Context
Governed by Capital

Regional District (CRD) the Islands Trust area

Land use is governed by Unincorporated electoral Large retired population

Importance of Volunteerism
Social Sustainability

Sense of community Greater influence

Environmental Sustainability

Transition movement

Island Pathways Salt Spring Island Conservatory

Economic Sustainability

Globally - $1.348 trillion US

Ages 55+ - $4.8 billion US British Columbia 169 million hours

Retention
Life expectancy of an organization relies on

retaining volunteers (Yanay & Yanay, 2008)

Lack of funding

Need to know they are making a difference

Recognition

Recruitment
Important to the longevity of the

organization (Sheilds, 2009)

Burn out

Volunteers wear many hats

Recruiting youth

Salt Spring Island Foundation

Strengthening volunteerism Donations and grants Endowment Fund = $4 million Workshops Encouraging similar organizations to work

together

Volunteer Salt Spring

Connect volunteers to organizations State benefits of volunteer work Target specific motivations

Volunteer Salt Spring Website

Faith in Action
Foundation that funds nonprofit organizations Case study to determine the sustainability of the

organizations that received grants from FIA

62% survival rate Survival threshold

Retain 20% of volunteers per year Recruit 15 new volunteers per year Funding base of $25, 000 per year

Diverse funding sources

Practices of Sustainable Organizations

Retention and Recruitment Volunteering in teams Pre-training Diversity of services Involve coalition members in recruitment Supervision
Strong leadership

Funding Diversity of services Frequent board meetings Large coalitions

Blue Box Theatre

Rural area in UK Pool of 150 volunteers Training as a retention tool
Mentorship program Ongoing training is mandatory

Recognition

Conclusion
Volunteerism is the backbone of

sustainability on Salt Spring

Retaining and recruiting volunteers is

essential to the sustainability of volunteer organizations

Retain 20% Recruit 15 Funding base of $25, 000

Training is important in retention and

recruitment

The End

References

Capital Regional District. (2012). Southern Gulf Islands. Retrieved from http://www.crd.bc.ca/ southerngulf/index.htm Claxton, R. P., Cataln, J., & Burgess, A. P. (1998). Psychological distress and burnout among buddies: Demographic, situational and motivational factors. AIDS Care, 10(2), 175-190. Gage, R. L., Thapa, B. (2012). Volunteer motivations and constraints among college students: analysis of the volunteer function inventory and leisure constraints models. Nonprofit and Volunteer Sector Quarterly, 41(3), 405-430 Grossman, J. B., & Furano, K. (1999). Making the most of volunteers. Law and Contemporary Problems, 62(4), 199-218. Island Pathways. (2012). Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://www.islandpathways.ca/ Leviton, L. C., Herrer, C., Pepper, S. K., Fishman, N., & Racine, D. P. (2006). Faith in action: Capacity and sustainability of volunteer organizations. Evaluations and Program Planning, 29, 201-207. Salt Spring Island Consevancy. (2012). Retrieved November 3, 2012, from http://www.saltspringconservancy.ca/index.html Salt Spring Island Foundation. (2011). Community Needs Survey. Retrieved from http:// www.saltspringislandfoundation.org/pdf/SSIF%20CNS%20Report%20for%20website.pdf

References

Salt Spring Island Foundation. (2012). Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http:// www.saltspringislandfoundation.org/index.html Salt Spring Island Map. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=salt+spring +island&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1366&bih=728&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsl&tbnid=n7 U7mYxKd4Ze4M:&imgrefurl=http://www.gulfislandsguide.com/maps/salt-spring-island-map/ &docid=sSJfHKRaEAdbYM&imgurl=http://www.gulfislandsguide.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2009/11/SaltspringMap.gif&w=600&h=868&ei=eXaUIvuG9HoiQL6g4D4Cw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=176&vpy=170&dur=290&hovh=270&hovw=187&t x=102&ty=176&sig=116657908040556404080&page=2&tbnh=142&tbnw=98&start=28&ndsp=31&ve d=1t:429,r:14,s:20,i:241 Salamon, L. M., Sokolowski, S. W., & Haddock, M. A. (2011). Measure the economic value of volunteer work globally: Concepts, estimates, and a roadmap to the future. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 82(3), 217-252. Sheilds, P. O. (2009). Young adult volunteers: Recruitment appeals and other marketing considerations. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 21(2), 139-159. Volunteer Salt Spring. (2010). Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://www.volunteersaltspring.com/index.html Yanay, G. V., & Yanay, N. (2008). The decline of motivation?: From commitment to dropping out of volunteering. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 19(1), 65-78.