Mobilizing Volunteers for Community Response
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked hundreds of thousands of individuals to search for opportunities to help one another. In the first few months of response, our services for volunteer seekers saw unparalleled participation. To funnel interest where it was needed most, our newsletters, Volunteer Advisors, and information sessions were a necessary introduction to volunteering in an evolving crisis environment.
We were quick to observe that volunteer interest was ramping up exponentially after the federal announcement of a lockdown in March 2020. It took only three days for us to form the COVID-19 Volunteer Response Team, which would become the city's core call-to-action for anyone looking to support pandemic-specific needs through volunteering. The team saw an average of 200 people joining every single week, and continues to see an increase in members with every new lockdown measure put in place.
To ensure that volunteer interest was funnelled only where it was needed most, virtual and in person volunteer roles for urgent needs were curated on a weekly basis for Response Team Alerts. This was a crucial step in meeting the specific needs of non-profits, many of whom were overwhelmed by general volunteer interest.
11,400+
volunteers on the
COVID-19 Response Ream
48
alerts deployed from March 2020-April 2021
300+
curated volunteer roles promoted to the team
Organizations that are administering the COVID-19 vaccine, including pharmacies, have a place to turn to if they need volunteers to support their efforts. Volunteer Toronto says more than 500 people with varying levels of experience in health care have registered to help. They did so within 24 hours of Volunteer Toronto’s call out for health-care volunteers, and they’re now ready to be deployed to vaccination clinics.
Over several months, we learned that there was an urgent need for the expedited recruitment of volunteers with specific skills or qualifications. With enhanced funding from the United Way of Greater Toronto, our team began pre-screening volunteers for Police and/or Vulnerable Screening Checks to assist vulnerable populations, as well as healthcare experience in preparation for vaccination support roles. Most notably, alongside Volunteer Markham and Volunteer Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, we ramped up a matching program for Volunteer Drivers—the Greater Toronto Area's most in need role.
4,593
one-on-one Volunteer Advisor touchpoints
Our Volunteer Advisor program has been running for 45-years, but saw it's busiest period ever during the first few months of the pandemic. Our Advisors guide thousands of volunteer seekers every year through one-on-one phone or in person appointments, and email support. In March 2020, the team shifted online to provide remote services, and consistently for three months, appointments were booked solid.
Advisors were on the frontlines of our COVID-19 response. The City of Toronto and Mayor John Tory funneled interested volunteers directly to the inbox and voicemail of our Advisors. It was with this volunteer team's support, that we mobilized thousands.
14,990
participants in
information sessions
Volunteer Toronto's free information sessions have been a staple of our community outreach for decades. However, when the pandemic hit, all of our sessions needed to be updated for a new volunteer landscape.
From 2020-2021, our updated sessions covered "How to Volunteer During COVID-19" and "Self Care for Superheroes" targeting both those interested in volunteering, and those already in active frontline volunteer roles.
With up-to-date content, our teams delivered 22 information sessions for the public and through our partnership with the Toronto Public Library.
2 million
visits to VolunteerToronto.ca
21,100+
monthly searches for volunteer roles
As Ontario's most visited volunteer recruitment portal, our website continues to facilitate a high-volume of connections between non-profits, community groups, and volunteers.
In 2020-2021, we saw an increase in website visits correlated with each new lockdown announcement in Ontario, and during high relevancy periods such as National Volunteer Week and International Volunteer Day.
Although the quantity of roles available for volunteers has declined due to disruptions in the non-profit sector, our website data reveals that both seniors and youth have been the most active demographics searching for roles during the pandemic.
The annual Legacy Awards is a popular recognition program for Toronto’s volunteers. In 2020, we recognized six Legacy Award recipients, and all of our nominees, with an entirely virtual celebration on International Volunteer Day in December.
Our first ever virtual celebration created more opportunities to showcase all of our nominees by including their names on a Digital Wall of Fame. And to recognize our six exceptional volunteers, our in person ceremony evolved into socially distant recognition efforts, including a mini-film sharing the recipients' volunteer stories, and the delivery of gift boxes of Toronto inspired items to each recipients’ doorstep.
Watch below for the stories of Volunteer Toronto's six 2020 Legacy Award recipients:
All exceptional nominees and volunteers deserve to be recognized, and in light of the pandemic it was only apt to hold a space for all those who gave back to their community. We were proud to mark the contributions of all 90+ nominees for the 2020 Legacy Awards and plan to repeat the success of our virtual celebration and Digital Wall of Fame in 2021.