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AnnuAl RepoRt 2014

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

REPORT FROM THE

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Toronto, it is my pleasure to thank you for supporting volunteerism across the City of Toronto and for taking the time to learn more about the important work that Volunteer Toronto has completed this past fiscal year.

Over the past year, Volunteer Toronto has undertaken a number of significant organizational changes. In Spring 2013, the Board restructured the management model. Allen Davidov, who had served as a director of the Board, took on the position of Interim Executive Director to oversee this restructuring. The Interim Executive Director position was later jointly assumed by Michael Reynolds (Director of Operations) and Lorrie Hathaway (then Director of Training), who led the organization while the Board undertook a search for a permanent Executive Director. After an extensive recruitment process, the Board announced the hiring of David Allen as the new Executive Director in January 2014.

The Board has also welcomed a number of governance changes over the past year. With the help of Altruvest’s BoardMatch service, the Board was able to recruit several new directors, including Dana Dignard, Michelle Edwards and Natalie Brykman. The Board wishes to thank retiring directors Jennifer Tulk, Asif Mahmood and Allen Davidov for their service and commitment to Volunteer Toronto and wishes them well in their future endeavours.

I am also pleased to report on the work of the Board’s standing committees over the past year.

• The Governance and Human Resources Committee successfully undertook a human resources policy audit, created a new Executive Director evaluation process and renegotiated Volunteer Toronto’s premises lease.

• The Finance and Audit Committee oversaw the successful year-end audit and drafted and recommended to the Board four new finance policies. Volunteer Toronto is in a financially strong position and these new policies have been approved by the Board to ensure that such position is maintained.

• The Strategic Planning Committee consulted with management in the creation of a new logo for Volunteer Toronto, created new criteria for the voting membership of the organization as well as took an active role in the creation of the newly introduced program mix strategy.

Finally, the Board wishes to extend our deepest gratitude to all of our staff, volunteers, sponsors and donors. You are truly making a difference in the world that you can be proud of and for this, we thank you.

A year ago, when Volunteer Toronto adopted a new mission and vision statement, we declared that we would strive for the following:

• Be recognized as a ‘centre of excellence’ for volunteer services and support;

• Develop innovative approaches to volunteering;

• Bring leading-edge products and services to our city;

• Develop professionalism, collaboration and competence among our staff members, and

• Be recognized for our high level social / community impact.

Soon after joining the organization in January 2014 and consulting with a wide range of stakeholders, it became apparent to me that our programs and delivery models needed revitalization if the above goals were to be realized. Our programs were of high quality and utilized well, but there were many untapped opportunities where we could fill service gaps in the sector and expand our reach.

Volunteer Toronto has adopted a plan to implement a new program mix over the course of fiscal 2014/15. Our clients will soon observe enhancements in our membership model, training services and outreach activities. These enhancements respond to the changing needs of today’s volunteers and the non-profits who rely on those volunteers.

Another significant change to our operations includes the introduction of a fully functional, secure hosted cloud-based solution for our website and databases, encompassing content management, contact database, events, social networking, e-marketing, e-commerce and reporting. This integrates seven formerly supported separate systems into one, drastically reducing administrative load. Maintaining a robust database of volunteer opportunities is and will continue to be a key service sought by our clients. In addition, funders are demanding more detailed reports on program activities, which our new systems can produce automatically.

Fiscal 2013/14 was a profoundly successful transition year in which Volunteer Toronto emerged stronger than ever, despite some leadership changes. We are very grateful to our major funders for their steadfast support through the transition. Those funders are the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHTLC), the United Way of Greater Toronto and the City of Toronto. In fact, in 2013/14 the Ontario MOHLTC renewed its service agreement with Volunteer Toronto for another three years.

Volunteer Toronto is blessed with a highly skilled and dedicated Board of Directors and a talented and energetic team of staff – key ingredients to ensure success. Our commitment to revitalization is palpable.

David Allen Executive Director

BOARD CHAIR

MESSAGE FROM THE

Trevor ZeylChair, Board Of Directors

VISIONVolunteer Toronto is a membership-based charitable organization committed to enabling and celebrating volunteering in the City of Toronto. Our work strengthens the non-profit sector through volunteer recruitment support, consultation, training and advocacy. Volunteer Toronto is considered an expert in volunteer trends and the resource of choice for professional assistance by the voluntary sector in Toronto.

Our MissionTo help create the best possible volunteer experience.

Our VisionTo create engaged communities through volunteer action.

Our Core Values• Volunteering contributes

to the vitality and capacity building of the community.

• Honesty, integrity, and fiscal responsibility are demonstrated in all areas of Volunteer Toronto.

• Diversity of community stakeholders is respected through a model of cultural competence and is reflected in policies and service delivery.

• Sharing of experience and knowledge is the cornerstone of community and leadership development.

OUR MISSION AND

“ If you would like to live in a community in which you may have pride, then dedicate yourself in the spirit of humility to your responsibilities in that community.” – Herbert Victor Prochnow

PROGRAMSKEY ORGANIZATIONAL

ENGAGING LEADERSIncreasing the involve-ment of higher skilled volunteers, and assisting community leaders of small, unincorporated non-profits to develop skills in volunteer engagement.

1,200 community leaders attend our various

outreach and educational events on organizing volunteer-

driven initiatives.

Custom training

was provided for a non-profit’s entire

organization.

AN executive directors breakfast

series was launched this year.

ENGAGING YOUTHFacilitating youth-led volunteer initiatives and building capacity of non-profits to involve youth in meaningful ways.

200 youth-friendly

opportunities are posted on our

dedicated youth portal at any given time.

8 youth were trained

this year in developing and applying an

audit tool to assess the youth friendliness

of 10 nonprofits.

20 youth were

coached in developing media pieces

4,400 Toronto youth

volunteered 26,900 hours during the

Change the World Youth Challenge.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIncreasing public awareness of the benefits of volunteering and the positions available.

550,000 unique

visitors/year search volunteer opportunities

using our database.

18,000 total followers

through our social media platforms.

7,200 potential volunteers

receive our weekly email blasts on volunteer

activities.

11,000 members of the public/year receive our advice

in-person at various public meetings,

workshops, conferences and outreach activities.

ENGAGING ORGANIZATIONSSupporting staff of non-profits through training, consultation, volunteer referral and networking opportunities.

400 non-profits in

Toronto subscribe to our services.

1,000 of their volunteer opportunities are

posted on our website at any given time.

850 of their staff attend

our specialized training programs and

workshops on best practices each year.

Monthlye-newsletters

inform them about current volunteer

activities and trends.

LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

“ Volunteer satisfaction increases when volunteers are given the opportunity to use their personal and/or professional skills, abilities or talents.” – Bridging the Gap, Volunteer Canada, 2010

TODAY’S VOLUNTEER

RESPONSEVOLUNTEER TORONTO’S

“ Fostering meaningful volunteer engagement in Canada is not a capacity issue, but rather a strategic one.” – Bridging the Gap, Volunteer

Canada, 2010

“ VOLUNTEER TORONTO IS OUR BEST SOURCE OF VOLUNTEERS OUTSIDE OF OUR OWN BRANCHES AND IS INVALUABLE TO US. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR VOLUNTEERS AND VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS IN THE CITY.”

– JOHN NEIL, TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Volunteers• 47% of Canadians volunteer. • Today’s volunteers are more

goal-oriented, autonomous, tech-savvy and mobile.

• Most volunteers are looking for short-term volunteer opportunities that are flexible, challenging and skill-oriented.

• Youth, families, boomers, newcomers and high-skilled individuals report substantial barriers to volunteering.

Organizations• There are roughly 5,000

incorporated non-profits in Toronto.

• 50% of non-profits in Ontario employ no paid staff.

• The popularity of and funding support available to unincorporated grassroots and community-based groups is growing.

Leaders of Volunteers• Professional development and

networking supports for salaried Managers of Volunteers in established non-profits already exist outside of Volunteer Toronto. Non-profits without paid Managers of Volunteers do not have access to these supports.

• Managers of Volunteers often report a lack of support from their Boards and senior management to make the necessary improvements to their volunteer programs.

Funders• Funding programs are

increasingly focused on community impact, with funds awarded to projects that provide measurable value rather than to core operating grants and assistance with overhead.

• Funding criteria increasingly require non-profits to make police record checks mandatory for all volunteer positions as an element of risk mitigation.

Technology• Online webinars, courses and

tutorials are growing dramatically as the preferred method of training, rather than in-person sessions.

• Consumers expect access to services and self-study 24/7.

• Protecting and charging for intellectual property is difficult.

• Free volunteer databases are proliferating among partners and competitors.

More Non-Profits Served• Makes basic services such as

volunteer posting and training available for free to small organizations with no paid staff.

• Allows unincorporated, non-profit, social purpose grassroots and community-run groups to become subscribers and access basic services.

• Offers a new, more dynamic portal for subscribers to access our website and databases.

• Provides enhanced services to increase the value of subscribership.

Enhanced Training• Delivers a variety of online

learning opportunities to improve accessibility and increase reach.

• Expands opportunities for volunteer management networking to promote awareness of best practices.

• Offers sessions for non-profit Boards and senior managers to promote awareness and buy-in of the strategic value of volunteer engagement.

Expanded Outreach• Promotes fully volunteer-driven

delivery models.• Diversifies locations and events

to better balance the equity groups served.

• Increases events targeting high-skilled and board volunteer recruitment.

• Aids individuals in finding or creating volunteer opportunities through expanded match-making.

Board of DirectorsBOARD CHAIR

Trevor ZeylAssociate,

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP

TREASURERGraham MarkhamManager of Corporate

Development,Barrick Gold Corp.

SECRETARYMack Rogers

Manager of Community Literacy and Learners,

ABC Life Literacy Canada

MEMBERSRoberto Andreacchi

Associate, McMillan LLP

Michelle Edwards

Corp. Director & Head of Global Rewards & HR,

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Natalie BrykmanSenior Manager,

KPMG LLP

John Stubbs Associate Vice President,

Corporate Cash ManagementCIBC Global Transaction Banking

Dana Dignard Non-Profit Director

OUR TEAMVOLUNTEER TORONTO

StaffExecutive Director David AllenOperations Manager Niranjala MariathasMarketing & Communications Manager Ainsley KendrickCorporate & Community Programs Manager Camara ChambersCommunity Development Coordinator Otis MushongaTraining Specialist Melina Condren

VolunteersOur over 100 volunteers who generously share their time and talents are integral to furthering the mission of Volunteer Toronto.

“ Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Dr. Seuss

Funders

RESULTSFINANCIAL

Revenue Sources

Business Charitable Number: 11928-7092 RR01

Expenditure Allocations

34.8%Ontario Ministry of Health

37.4% Engaging Organizations

26.0%United Way of Greater Toronto

28.4%Community Engagement

21.7%City of Toronto

10.3%Engaging Youth

11.6%Special Project Grants

9.3%Engaging Leaders

4.6%Memberships

14.6%Special Projects

1.3%Other

Total Revenues $849,773

Total Expenditures $873,215

volunteertoronto.ca

Volunteer Toronto connects you to volunteer opportunities

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344 Bloor Street West, Suite 404Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3A7Phone: 416-961-6888 Fax: 416-961-6859 Email: info@volunteertoronto.ca