Widespread reliance on police checks in the non-profit sector has created an environment of risk aversion and increased barriers to volunteer engagement. Between long processing times, varying costs, a challenging request process and personal obstacles for many potential volunteers, organizations are missing out on passionate people who want to make an impact.

Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 60% increase in the number of vulnerable sector check (VSC) requests for volunteers in Toronto alone (24,583 requests compared with 16,053 requests in the previous year), indicating a greater dependence on this contentious screening approach for volunteers.


How Did We Get to an Over-Reliance on Police Checks?

Police checks – also known as criminal background checks, criminal or police record checks, clearance letters, and more – have been a consistent tool to aid in volunteer screening for decades (alternate source). But increasingly, they have become a final step in the screening process, solidified through the National Education Campaign on Screening Volunteers and Employees in a Position of Trust in 1996, and further galvanized by the 2012 Screening Handbook. Because of these efforts, there has been a continual increase in demand for police checks and specifically the VSC, the most invasive form of police check, which has become a “catch-all” to address risk in volunteer engagement.

In fact, of the roughly 75,000 VSC requests made overall for staff and volunteers through the Toronto Police Services in 2024, nearly a third were for volunteer roles.


Wasting Time and Money for Volunteers and Non-Profits

While less invasive checks, known in Ontario as Criminal Record Checks and Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks, became free for volunteers in 2022, the fees for VSCs vary across the province. Last year, Toronto Police Services alone received VSC requests valued at more than $656,000, or $26.71 per check. That’s money leaving the pockets of potential volunteers and organizations across the city just trying to make an impact.

Volunteer and organizational time is also being wasted through this process. Despite recommendations for all police check requests to move through the online application process for “fastest service” (Toronto Police Service FAQ), it can take 7 to 8 weeks for a single check to be processed (processing timelines on Toronto Police Service website), delaying a volunteer’s ability to start supporting an organization.

While this is the outlook in Toronto, the Ontario Nonprofit Network also notes that “volunteers and nonprofits experience uneven and unfair fees and processing timelines for police record checks across Ontario.”

Costs, processing delays, and difficulty even requesting police checks create major roadblocks in the volunteer engagement process. People eager to volunteer must wait weeks to receive and share their completed police check, which can lead to applicant demotivation, higher rates of attrition during screening and applicants looking for alternative roles with lower barriers and faster screening.

By reducing reliance on police checks, organizations can also reduce volunteer placement delays and minimize the $656,000 in fees paid by volunteers or organizations every year in Toronto to complete the checks.


Police Checks Perpetuate Inequitable Access to Volunteer Experiences

The process for requesting a check has its own challenges in addition to the cost. The online approach requires digital and English language fluency to complete, and performs a credit check for applicants. This means that only credit cards matching the names of applicants will work for payment. All of these add up to further barriers for potential volunteers, and limitations for organizations trying to engage.

People who want to volunteer may also face barriers based on the intersections of their identities and the carceral/justice system:

• Newcomers, with little time in Canada, will only have records from the day they arrived in the country, making police checks irrelevant. Also, the credit check in the online request platform simply won’t work for some newly-arrived newcomers, with no credit history.
• Black, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and Asian Torontonians are already subject to over-policing (BBC). Completing a police check request could re-traumatize or turn away potential volunteers whose interactions with police are harmful.
• People with non-criminal police contact for a range of potential reasons may feel uncomfortable or uncertain about the role of the police check in screening.
• Organizations often rely on police checks out of fear of liability and damage to public perception. Some funders and accreditors require this level of screening to receive support. At the same time, it’s important to challenge the assumption that police checks immediately equal safety. For example, a police check won’t tell you who is “bully”, or if someone has committed a crime but hasn’t been caught.

How to Move Forward and Modernize Volunteer Screening

It’s vital to assess the actual risks of a volunteer role and align these with the screening measures that are or can be most effective. In some cases, a police check or a VSC is necessary. However, how can other approaches tell you what you need to know?

It’s important to start by identifying the level of decision-making, authority, power, and/or trust a volunteer may hold and clarifying what safety really means for clients, volunteers, staff and community members. Be practical about your responsibility (and limitations!) in ensuring safety for everyone.
Reducing screening barriers – and increasing access to volunteering – starts with understanding and interrogating the role and necessity of police checks in your organization. Here are the first steps to consider modernizing your approach:

Review the current screening practices, and learn where (and why) you’re losing volunteers  along the way.

• Explore what safety means in your organization, in conversation with staff, volunteers, clients and community members, and who you can keep safe.
• Pilot alternative, less-invasive screening methods and assess how well they meet your need
• Join other senior leaders in conversation about appropriate screening tools and minimizing over-reliance on police checks.

Consider these practical alternatives to police checks that can align with the volunteer’s role and the amount of safety you can reasonably provide:

• Structured interviews that create opportunities for illustrating volunteer’s past experiences and possibilities.
• Role shadowing that enables volunteers to learn about the role first-hand and provides an assessment of their ability to perform the role safely and effectively.
• Appropriate, detailed and hands-on training that creates and clarifies expectations of the volunteer in their role.       
• Approaches to supervision that coach, guide and support volunteers throughout their role.

Police checks create barriers, causing your organization to miss out on incredible volunteers. It takes courage to change practices, but together our sector can increase access without over-reliance on police checks.

Sources & Additional Reading
https://theonn.ca/topics/policy-agenda/volunteerism/police-record-checks/
https://www.cardus.ca/research/spirited-citizenship/reports/vulnerable-sector-check-costs-remain-a-barrier-for-volunteers/
https://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/2025/02/16/rethinking-vulnerable-sector-checks-a-restorative-approach/
https://ccla.org/recordchecks/doc/Police%20Record%20Checks%20in%20Employment%20and%20Volunteering.pdf

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

While volunteers support organizations in an unpaid capacity, they are not “interns.” An unpaid internship is not a volunteer engagement.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, an intern is someone who receives training from an employer in a skill that is used by other employees. The intern doesn’t replace volunteers or employees, but instead benefits from their internship by learning skills. An intern is also legally considered an employee.

The key takeaway is that internships benefit the intern themselves and NOT the organization. Volunteering benefits the organization and its clients/community members. While the volunteer themselves may benefit as well, it's not the sole focus of their involvement.

As an additional note, people involved in a student placement, practicum, or unpaid work experience program through a college, university or secondary school are NOT interns. While they may be learning skills, they're completing a separate requirement or expectation of their program.

If you're wondering whether a role should be called an “unpaid internship,” consider these questions:

1. Does the internship benefit the intern more than the organization?
2. Is the organization equipped to provide a solid learning experience for the intern to gain specific skills?
3. Is the intern supporting existing staff and volunteers instead of replacing a paid position?

If you answered no to any or all of these questions, then the role is not an internship. If you want someone to share their time in a way that is meaningful to them, engage a volunteer in a role with reasonable expectations. Don't ask volunteers to work full-time hours in an unpaid role and call it an internship.

Check out our opinion editorial article in The Philanthropist Journal to learn more about Volunteer Toronto’s approach to talking about unpaid labour.

If you have any questions, please reach out to info@volunteertoronto.ca.

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Your connections with your co-workers change on a daily basis. One day they’re unraveling under the stress of not meeting goals, the next they’re pulling back together to save the department. Complimenting others is a way to show empathy, an integral component of the Continuum of Civic Engagement.

But even if you don’t see eye to eye with the person in the next cubicle, you still need them in your corner to get the job done. And that’s where the art and science of giving compliments to coworkers comes into play.

Imagine trying to carry that high-stakes project across the finish line with an unmotivated team. Or meeting a client's razor-thin deadlines with no help. To thrive in the workplace, you'll need a team that wants to work with you, not just alongside you.

Now we know what you’re thinking, “I have to find nice things to say about coworkers? That won’t be easy!” But compliments for a coworker aren’t about noticing someone's new hairstyle or stylish outfit. It's about communicating the value of their effort. That’s the real secret of how to compliment a coworker.
Remember that time someone took a second out of their busy schedule, just to acknowledge how creative your latest idea was? Of course, you do. Because that compliment made you feel empowered.

Why do compliments have this effect? Because when you point out the value of someone's effort, you fire up the reward sequence in their brains.
Our brains are always on the lookout for either positive or negative feedback. It's a survival mechanism humans are hardwired with to know if something is safe or dangerous. And strategically complimenting a coworker quenches the brain's thirst for that positive feedback.

So don't worry if someone at work remembers that time you dropped the ball. Their brain won’t be able to fight the positive feeling that comes from your thoughtful and well-timed compliment.

But the wrong coworker compliment, at the wrong time, can have the opposite effect. In this article of our Continuum of Civic Engagement series, we’ll help you navigate the rough waters of crafting the right compliments for your colleagues so you can breathe new life into those hardened office connections.

Timing Positive Things To Say About a Coworker

Before you start feverishly scouring google for generic search terms like “examples of compliments for coworkers,'' let us save you some time and remember this golden rule: you must find something unique and specific to merit a compliment in the first place.

You shouldn’t compliment someone in the office for meeting a deadline or give them a pat on the back for emailing a client.

If you hand out generic compliments like business cards at a tradeshow every time someone does their job, your words will lose impact. So if you want to master the art of crafting positive compliments for coworkers, start by not overusing them.

Be patient. Wait for them to go above and beyond before you start tossing positive feedback their way. It might happen when they stay after hours, diving deep into the analytics in hopes of pulling out a new sales-boosting idea. Or when they bury themselves in mounds of paperwork to turn profits around after a bad fiscal quarter.

These are moments when having something nice to say about a coworker will hit the hardest. Because you pressed the proverbial positive feedback button, at the right time.


How To Praise a Coworker With Your Body Language

Compliments aren’t just about what you say; they're also about what you do. When you inject positive body language into your work compliments, they tend to grab people’s attention quicker. And they’re not hard to incorporate. A well-earned high-five, a gentle smile stretching from ear to ear, or a quick pat on the back can help turn kind words for coworkers into an office homerun.

Why does this happen? The answer is simple.

Our brains digest words faster when we bring them to life with our actions. When we see emotion, we respond to emotion. So think of your body language as a way to drive your point just a little bit further.

And if you’re wondering how to give kudos to a coworker, don’t overlook the power of a casual thumbs up at the end of the day.

Offering Solutions To Power Up Your Workplace Compliments

It’s past 5 o’clock, and you're dashing out the door after another hard day of work. As you’re heading out, you see one of your coworkers. Still in their office with their eyes glued to their computer. You can tell they’re in for a long night.

It suddenly hits you, this could be it! It’s a compliment-worthy moment unfolding right before your eyes. You take a second, analyze the situation and after walking over you shoot out your most thoughtful compliment. You even back it up with a classy high-five just to drive your point home.

But after all that effort, you can still see the uninspired look on their face. Your compliment didn’t hit its mark.

This is where offering solutions can add real value.

When we’re in the trenches fighting through an issue, our minds are hell- bent on finding a solution. So if you want your compliments to stick, give people what they’re searching for. A potential solution to their problem.

Adding in a quick, “you might want to try this,” or “I was thinking about the problem you’re having” will grab people’s attention right away. Not only will it help your compliments gain traction, but your coworker will see you as slightly more important. Because you’ve presented a solution to the time-sinking problem dragging them down.

Summing Things Up

Getting along with your coworkers isn’t always easy. But being complimentary can go a long way in opening up communication in the office. And if you follow the steps we’ve outlined, you’ll be surprised by the amount of connections you build in a short period of time.

But compliments aren’t the only way to build bridges with your coworkers, or even your community. Our Continuum of Civic Engagement sheds light on the different ways you can empower your community through everyday civic acts of kindness. So if you’re looking for new ways to make an impact in someone's life, our Continuum initiative is the perfect place to start.

Click here to visit the Continuum today.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

As Volunteer Toronto wraps up celebrations of our 50th anniversary in 2023, it’s important that we take a step back and assess where we've come from as a volunteer-engaging sector, to prepare for what comes next in our work. We had a chance to reflect on the past, present and future of volunteering with managers across North America this year, including in Midland, Ontario and Minnesota, USA. This two-blog series will explore insights from these conversations - let's dive in!

Lessons Learned from the Past

1. Barriers to volunteering must be identified and mitigated.

Barriers to volunteering are common, particularly at organizations with well-established volunteer programs. They can include everything from lengthy screening processes (think application forms, interviews,  tests, and/or police checks) to redundant and time-consuming training. While screening and training are necessary, the amount that you do should be proportional to the risk associated with the volunteer role in question. For example, you’ll need to do more screening and training of volunteers who work with hospice patients than you will for volunteers who pack food hampers.

2. Staff Buy-in is essential to a successful volunteer program.

Without staff buy-in, and, in particular, leadership buy-in, volunteer managers may not receive the support they need to foster robust volunteer programs at their organizations. It’s up to you, as a volunteer supervisor, to make the case for allocating more time and resources to volunteer engagement. First, identify who you need to advocate to, within the organization and externally. Then, establish your key goals and clarify how volunteers can help your organization achieve those goals. Set up an initial meeting, with a tangible outcome in mind, and articulate the value of volunteer work using data and testimonials. Following that first meeting, continue touching base to ensure you get the support you need.

3. Accountability and transparency are key to volunteer engagement.

It’s important to give your volunteers insight into how and why decisions about your volunteer program are made. Increased transparency means your volunteers are more likely to be onboard with any changes you institute and are more likely to experience a sense of belonging within your organization. The same goes for accountability. Your volunteers will appreciate it if you acknowledge mistakes you’ve made and involve them in steps to move forward. Just as important is celebrating your wins alongside your volunteers. Was their volunteer work instrumental in your organization achieving a programmatic goal? Let them know!

4. Volunteer recognition should be well-resourced and varied.

Volunteer recognition is incredibly important – volunteers who don’t feel appreciated are more likely to disengage from volunteer work, violate boundaries, or leave your organization. Hopefully, your volunteer group is diverse. If so, they’re likely to have a diversity of opinions on what constitutes meaningful recognition. Some may prefer to listen to a presentation about their impact, others may prefer an informal gathering, still others may simply want to be thanked in person for their efforts. If volunteers are central to the achievement of your organization’s mission, which they should be, then spending on volunteer recognition is a worthy investment.

5. Volunteer Burnout is real.

Volunteer work that is stressful or emotionally demanding can lead to burnout. Volunteers who are burned out may start showing up late or missing shifts. At its worst, they may become so disillusioned that they leave your organization altogether. Luckily, volunteer burnout is preventable with intentional, supportive approaches. Ensure that your volunteers are adequately trained and prepared for demanding work. Touch base with volunteers through regular check-ins so that you can determine whether and when they need breaks. Encourage your volunteers to take vacations. Set up projects to have an end date so that volunteers don’t feel that their work is never-ending. Avoid asking the same volunteers to take on new projects over and over. Employ these tactics and your volunteers will be with you for the long haul – and even if they’re not, they’ll leave with a positive impression of your organization!

These are just a few of the lessons shared by the volunteer managers that we chatted with at this year’s conferences. It’s always worth looking back and acknowledging our shortfalls and challenges, so that we can move forward with renewed focus. Do you have any lessons learned to share? Let us know in the comments!

Next up: what volunteer managers hope for the future of volunteer engagement.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Are volunteer fairs part of your recruitment strategy? They should be! Of course, fairs offer the opportunity to easily connect with dozens, even hundreds, of prospective volunteers. They also give you the opportunity to raise awareness about your organization’s work and connect with other like-minded organizations who might want to partner. But only if you’re prepared to make the most of them!

Before signing up for a fair, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions:

• Are you currently recruiting for multiple volunteer roles?

• Does the fair’s location and audience (e.g., a youth fair held in Scarborough) line up with your recruitment needs?

• Do you have the capacity to screen or follow up with all the potential volunteers who apply directly/sign up for your mailing list at the fair?

• Are you or your colleagues willing to attend the entirety of the fair?

• Do you have sufficient (or a budget for) promotional materials?

If you answered yes to all the questions above, attending a volunteer fair or two sounds like a good fit for your organization!

Now comes the matter of what to pack for the fair. Feel free to use the checklist below:

q Tablecloth (ideally branded)

q Décor (could be related to your programming – e.g., an art gallery could bring prints)

q Pop-up banner (table-top or full size)

q Flyers, pamphlets, posters, business cards, and/or postcards which include your organization’s contact information

q Position descriptions (printed out or digital)

q Sign-up sheets (printed out or digital) and pens, if needed

q Branded giveaways (e.g., pens, buttons, magnets, fans, bookmarks, etc.)

q Candy (or other nut-free snacks) and bowls - make sure they're individually wrapped!

q Instruction signs (i.e., “Sign Up Here” or “Win a Prize”)

q Water and snacks for your representatives

q Laptops/tablets, charging cables, and an extension cord

q Portable Wi-Fi hotspot (if no Wi-Fi is provided at the fair)

q Tent/canopy and weights/sandbags (if outdoors)

q Portable folding chairs and table (if not provided)

Make sure to bring more giveaways than you think you’ll need! For example, if 300 people are expected at the fair, bring 600 postcards. That being said, make sure not to crowd the table – bring a suitcase full of supplies to keep under the table which you can use to replenish your booth throughout the fair.

Now that you know what to bring, let’s think about how best to engage with fair attendees. Follow the etiquette rules below for best results:

• Make sure to arrive on time! The majority of attendees will arrive at the start of the fair – don’t miss your chance to interact with them.

• Be ready to answer questions about your organization’s work and volunteer program. Have a 30-second elevator pitch prepared!

• Listen to attendees carefully – if you think that their skills and experience aren’t a good fit for your organization, don’t take up too much of their time.

• Avoid sitting down unless traffic is slow or you need to – in fact, it’s best to be out in front of your booth, drawing people in.

• Unless capturing content for social media, avoid using your phone too much in front of attendees.

• Attract attendees with a game and prizes or an interactive activity related to your volunteer program (e.g., Habitat for Humanity has been known to bring wood and nails for people to hammer in).

• Don’t feel the need to draw attendees away from fellow exhibitors by interrupting their conversations.

• If there’s a lull in attendee traffic, be sure to take some time to mingle with your fellow exhibitors. This is easier if there’s two of you staffing the booth.

• Don’t forget to bring business cards to hand out – you might make a fruitful connection with whom you can explore partnership.

• If you’ll be sharing a video or audio, make sure to keep the volume low or provide attendees with headphones.

• Try to eat before the fair starts, as it may be difficult to get away for breaks at a busy fair and you don’t want to risk getting your display messy by eating at your booth.

• Make sure to complete a feedback form, if offered one! This will help event organizers continually improve the fair-going experience.
  

There you have it! We hope these tips will prove helpful as you prepare to exhibit at your next volunteer fair.

Estimated reading time - 3 minutes. Episode runtime: 13:14 minutes. 

Now on iTunes!

Sammy here—your Training Specialist from Volunteer Toronto. Episode 10 of Little Bites is here with more Solutions you can Snack On!

At Volunteer Toronto, we know volunteer managers, like you, are busy. If you’re looking to save time, on challenges from small to big, we’ll give you tips during every episode of Little Bites. Each month I'll welcome a different guest to talk volunteer management, favourite snacks and great ideas we think you should know about.

It’s our season finale! In this episode, we take a look back at some of the best tips from the last 10 episodes of Little Bites. From barriers faced by volunteers to volunteer management software, take a listen to some of the biggest topics from a year’s worth of episodes:!

This episode features highlights from five past episodes, you which you can listen to here:

• Episode 1 – Barriers faced by volunteers, with Lisa Robinson from Volunteer Toronto
• Episode 2 – Year-round recognition, with Andrea Field from Bata Shoe Museum
• Episode 5 – Social media for volunteer programs, with Cara Eaton from Volunteer Toronto
• Episode 6 – National Volunteer Week special, with Adriane Beaudry from Heart and Stroke Foundation
• Episode 9 – Volunteer management software

Thanks for listening, and keep snacking!

As Volunteer Toronto's Training Specialist, Sammy Feilchenfeld develops and delivers in-person, online and on-demand training in order to support managers and coordinators of volunteers in Toronto’s non-profit and charitable organizations.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes | Written by Jess Gillis, Former Communications & Administrative Assistant at Volunteer Toronto

Grassroots groups and non-profits are often strapped for resources, and it's not uncommon for volunteers, members and staff to wear many hats. Is your Kitchen Assistant managing your website? Are you tweeting two weeks' worth of content at 2 a.m. on Friday because that's the only time you have to do it?

Some say, "Never judge a book by its cover," but many of us still do. The same can be said for your online presence. Not everyone is going to care if your Facebook cover photo is badly cropped and pixelated, but ignoring comments, having impossible-to-find contact information, or being invisible on Google may cost you clients, followers and/or legitimacy. If this sounds familiar, these tips and tools are here help.

Five tips

Get branded

Getting branded is less painful than it sounds. Your organization's brand is essentially colours, fonts, shapes, messaging, language and–ideally–a logo that represents your mission, vision, values and voice. Even selecting colours and fonts to use consistently can improve your digital image and reputation. If you'd like to dive deeper into, check out this resource.

Have a website

Your website doesn't have to be fancy, or complicated, but it should exist. Think of it as your central hub that holds your contact information, links to your social media, information about your organization, and even a "donate" button. When you're out connecting with folks, you can simply direct them to your site. While it's not free, consider registering a custom domain for your site (they cost around $15 per year).

Get on social media

Social media can be intimidating, even for us pros. Though it can ask a lot in terms of time and energy, it also gives back, like a platform for conversation, and unique insights into your crowd. Social media platforms are super accessible to anyone with a device and Wi-Fi, and entire social movements are being built there.

Maximize your socials

Social media works best when you have a large–or a smaller, but highly engaged–network. The most effective way to achieve that (without a huge budget) are to provide the following:

• Good quality content — Relevant to your audience's interests and the channel (e.g. GIFs on twitter, photos on Instagram)
  

• Strong engagement — Responding to comments and messages, directing your audience with calls-to-action (e.g. "tag a friend who would cuddle this cute dog!"), and most important: listening to your audience so you know what they like and what they don’t!

• Consistency — If you're radio silent for 3 weeks then post 10 things in 10 minutes on Facebook, your content will get lost and your audience will get confused. (Also, Facebook's algorithms like around 1 post per day).

Schedule!

Lastly, make a calendar like this one and plan when you’ll post certain content for your website or socials. Use your spare time to bank content (articles, links, event postings, etc.) for the week, or even the month ahead, and use an app or website (listed below) to schedule it on social media. Then, hop online during your commute or when you have a spare minute and share, retweet and respond to inquiries. Use free tools like Google docs and Trello to stay organized and communicate with your team.

Five tools

Canva

Canva is an accessible tool with pre-made templates for all of the common social channels, in addition to free images, clip art and fonts. They also have a wide selection of templates for printed assets, like brochures, envelopes and posters. Canva has a free option for non-profits that allows you access to the upgraded premium option for free (it's well worth it to upload your brand colours and fonts, and use the "magic resize" function).

Check out these tutorials:

• 60 Second Design
• Branding Basics
• Intro to Canva for Work

Wix

Need a website? Wix is a great free option. With intuitive drag and drop functionality and hundreds of free templates and apps to choose from, its HTML-based sites are also optimized for mobile. It's also super easy to preview what your site will look like live. Click here for a quick intro lesson.

• Pexels
• Pixabay
• StockSnap.io
• Unsplash
• Gratisography

• 1001 Free Fonts
• DaFont
• FontSpace

Remember! You don't have to jump into every social media channel, app, or website builder right away. Some of these tips and tools may work for you, some may not. Maybe the conversation you want to have is on Twitter, or maybe you have a visual presence that would do better on Instagram or Pinterest. Start small, and build your presence as your knowledge and capacity grows.

Volunteers can burnout when their work becomes too draining, demanding, or mentally challenging. This can happen when there’s too much work or not enough to do. It can happen when they take on too much emotional load without support. And it can happen when volunteers feel like they aren’t heard, or their efforts don’t make a difference.


It’s important to recognize the signs of burnout as they happen – volunteers saying they have too much to do in the role, or a change in behaviour matched with a reduction in excitement or energy when volunteering. When you notice a change, talk to the volunteer. They may tell you that they’re having trouble with the role in a particular way, or that they don’t enjoy volunteering anymore. Volunteers may not know when and how to come to you when something is bothering them with volunteering!


If a volunteer is already burnt out and considering leaving, make it as easy for them as you can. Offer time off or invite them to complete an exit survey/interview, and thank them for their time.


If a volunteer is burning out but still wants to remain with you, then work with the volunteer to understand the issues leading to burnout. It’s your job to address the things that you can change, like workload or emotional supports. You also need to recognize – and help volunteers understand – that not everything is within your or their control. Sometimes people will give too much or simply run out of energy or passion, and that’s ok! You can only do what you can to support volunteers.