On October 9th, 2024, the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) released its 2024 State of the Sector Policy Report,
highlighting key challenges and insights affecting non-profits across Ontario.
“This report provides essential data that empowers non-profit leaders to be strategic in meeting current challenges, building stronger programs and advocating
for change,” says Joanne McKiernan, Volunteer Toronto’s Executive Director. “For Volunteer Toronto, it’s an invaluable tool to help us address the pressing issue of volunteer shortages.”
With nearly one-third of survey respondents based
in Toronto, Volunteer Toronto hosted a webinar on October 10th to delve into local insights from the report, available here.
The latest data indicates that the non-profit sector continues to face a human resources crisis impacting both volunteer and paid staff capacity. While volunteer shortages are less acute in Toronto compared to other regions,
recruitment remains a significant hurdle. Key challenges identified by Toronto non-profits include:
Difficulty recruiting volunteers
Insufficient dedicated volunteer management staff
Difficulty convincing volunteers to return
Difficulty attracting youth
Retiring volunteers
Administrative burdens, such as police checks
A critical gap in volunteer management staffing and skills exacerbates these issues. Alarmingly, 20% of respondents reported a shortage of volunteer management skills.
“In our 2024 Annual Report,
we found that while volunteers are eager to contribute, they face increasing barriers.” says Cara Eaton, Volunteer Toronto’s Senior Director of Strategy & Growth. “We’re not facing a volunteer shortage, it’s an engagement crisis. The latest ONN data validates
that if we want to address volunteer recruitment and retention challenges, organizations need to invest in volunteer management.”
Partly as a result of the engagement crisis, 27% of Toronto-based non-profits cannot meet demand—higher than the
provincial average—leading many organizations to scale back services and increase waitlists.
Calls to Action:
Volunteer Toronto urges non-profits to invest in volunteer engagement. Apply for grants to build capacity, improve systems, or upskill your organization in anti-oppressive volunteer engagement practices that will better welcome diverse volunteers. Reach out for more information!
Volunteer Toronto encourages non-profits to prioritize the collection of volunteer engagement data. Understanding application trends, volunteer needs and satisfaction can reveal critical areas for development.
The Ontario Nonprofit Network invites non-profit staff to learn more.Join ONN on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, from 12-1pm for a free webinar on “How to use ONN’s new sector data to advocate for change”. Register here.
Members of the public are invited to participate in the City of Toronto’s Budget Consultation Process taking place from now until October 31, 2024.This annual opportunity allows you to advocate for non-profit services and community engagement opportunities you think are meaningful. Learn more here.
Non-profits dont necessarily have a budget to advertise/promote with a larger scope to attract new Volunteers. We need a greater media message that can describes the impacts to Torontonians and the importance of Volunteers in the community.,
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