NEW FUNDING
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n February of 2015, Volunteer Toronto was awarded a $405,000 partnership grant by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade to implement a three-year project focused on volunteer-run organizations in Ontario. The aim of the project is to support these organizations in effectively managing their volunteers, by providing tailored workshops, resources and mentoring. Over half of all non-profit and voluntary organizations in Ontario (53%) have no paid staff, and are run solely by the efforts of volunteers. Such non-profits struggle with volunteer management and can find it hard to further their work without a stable, committed volunteer base. By developing materials, training and an online community of practice, these organizations will be able to increase the number of volunteers they work with, provide meaningful volunteer opportunities and have an engaged supporter base in place to enable them to further their missions. What is currently happening: • A Researcher/Educator and Education Assistant were hired in March 2015 and are currently working on an environmental scan to document existing volunteer management resources and determine the capacity needs of grassroots organizations. • Information is being collected through consultations with agencies and networks, focus groups with grassroots organizations, key informant interviews with experts in the field, and an Ontario-wide online survey.
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• Eight training topics will be identified based on the information collected. The project staff will develop a range of training sessions and resources and will pilot-test them with the TRIEC’s Professional Immigrant Networks (PINs) and representatives from a wide range of volunteer-run groups across the city before launching them onto an online platform by March 2017. • An online peer mentorship forum will provide guidance, information and support to grassroots groups across Ontario.