Valuing Our Volunteers:

Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement

The Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement is designed to present a basis from which the City of Thunder Bay, and voluntary sector organizations in Thunder Bay can review how their volunteers are supported and engaged.  The goal of the Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement is for each volunteer in the City of Thunder Bay to have positive and fulfilling experience.

Background

In July 2005, Volunteer Thunder Bay in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay, supported by the Ontario Network of the Canada Volunteerism Initiative, began  to develop a Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement.  It was adopted by the City of Thunder Bay Corporation on November 14, 2005.  On December 5, 2005 to celebrate International  Day of the Volunteer, the Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement was launched in order to act as a catalyst for other organizations to adopt the Code.

The Code adopted by the City of Thunder Bay can be viewed at www.thunderbay.ca/volunteers or by contacting the Recreation and Culture Division, City of Thunder Bay at (807) 625-2949.  

How to Adopt the Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement

1. Have Administration or your Board of Directors review the Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer  Involvement.

2. Consider whether the values and guiding principles reflect the values of your own organization in relation to volunteers. 

3. Review the Organizational Standards and determine if they are reflective of your own standards.

4. If the Board agrees that the Code is an example of how your organization values and acknowledges the contribution made by volunteers, introduce a motion to adopt the Code.

5. A sample motion “That the Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement be adopted by this organization as an integral part of operational practice, to be made known to every employee, volunteer and to be made readily available for consultation.” 

6. Once the Code is adopted, your organization will be recognized as one that operates by the values, principles and guidelines.    

7. Contact Volunteer Thunder Bay to verify that your organization has adopted the code. In responce Volunteer Thunder Bay will send you brochures and a stick-on decal to be displayed in a prominent place within your organization highlighting that you have adopted the Thunder Bay Code.

8. In addition to the decal, your organization’s name and contact information and a link to your website will be displayed on the Volunteer Thunder Bay website and the City of Thunder Bay’s website. 

Voluntary Organizations who have adopted the Code:

• St. John Ambulance
• Volunteer Thunder Bay! 
• City of Thunder Bay - Homes for the Aged: Grandview Lodge, Pioneer Ridge, Dawson Court
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Canadian Diabetes Association
• St. Joseph's Care Group: Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital, Hogarth Riverview Manor, St.Joseph's Hospital, St. Joseph's Heritage
• Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association
• Thunder Bay Literacy Group
• Children's Centre Foundation Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay Code for Volunteer Involvement

A. Definition of a Volunteer

A volunteer is anyone who offers his or her time and skills, without compensation or expectation of compensation beyond agreed-upon reimbursement, to perform a task at the direction of and on behalf of the organization.

Volunteers come from all walks of life –from the unemployed to the professional.  All age groups are represented, as are individuals from diverse cultures, abilities and backgrounds.  Volunteers are involved in equally diverse set of activities such as sitting on boards of directors, providing counselling services, participating in fund raising and special events and befriending seniors or youth.  Across Thunder Bay, volunteers are routinely engaged in enriching the lives of others and the overall health and vibrancy of our community. 

Volunteerism

In the 1997 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating it was stated that more than two out of every five (42%) people living in the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Area volunteered for a charitable or non-profit organization.  This percentage is 11% higher than the National average of 31%.

On average, volunteers contributed a total of 171 hours each during the year, for a total of 7.5 million hours. This total number of hours volunteered is the equivalent of 3,900 full time jobs – roughly equal to 6% of Thunder Bay’s labour force in 1997.

Volunteerism is the act of volunteering, where people willingly perform a service without pay, through a group or organization.

Informal Volunteerism is the unpaid help that people engage in on their own initiative, not through a voluntary sector organization or government agency.

Voluntary Sector

The voluntary sector is extensive in Thunder Bay.  There are currently over 250 charitable and not for profit organizations providing a range of services in health care, arts, culture, recreation and human services, sports, education, environment and community development.  All organizations exist to serve a public benefit, are self-governing, do not distribute profits to any members, and depend to a meaningful degree on volunteers and are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.  These organizations are not government or business.

Core values, Principles and Standards for Volunteer Involvement

This Code provides the Core Values, Guiding Principles and Organizational Standards for the involvement of volunteers.

Values for Volunteer Involvement

• Volunteer involvement strengthens our community and is a process of growth, education, and democracy.
• Volunteer involvement is a key factor in the provision of a strong foundation for a better future for our community.
• Volunteer involvement in Thunder Bay highlights our uniqueness in relation to geography and demography. 
• Volunteer involvement is representative and respectful of the diverse nature of our community.
• Volunteer involvement is based on relationships and mutually benefits both the volunteer and the Thunder Bay community.

Guiding Principles for Volunteer Involvement

• We recognize that volunteers are a vital human resource, often providing essential and critical services, and will strive to provide the infrastructure, a mechanism for communication, and appropriate recognition to support volunteers. 
• Volunteers serving our organizations make a commitment and are dedicated, reliable, honest and accountable.

Organizational Standards for Volunteer Involvement

• We acknowledges and support the vital role of volunteers in achieving a balance of services that improves our quality of life and supports our economy in a cost-effective manner, and the missions of the numerous organizations for which they serve. 
• Volunteers are welcomed and treated as valued and integral members of our broader team. 
• Policies and procedures are adopted by our organization to provide a framework that defines and supports the involvement of volunteers.
• A qualified person is designated to be responsible for Volunteer Services.
• A clearly communicated screening process is consistently applied.
• Volunteer assignments address the guiding principles and involve volunteers in meaningful ways – reflecting their various skills, abilities, talents needs and backgrounds.
• Volunteer recruitment and selection reaches out to diverse sources of volunteers.
• Volunteers receive an orientation to the organization, its policies and procedures, and receive training for their volunteer assignment.  
• Volunteers receive appropriate levels of supervision according to their tasks and are given regular opportunities to give and receive feedback.
• Volunteers are appropriately appreciated either formally or informally, and there are opportunities for public volunteer recognition. 

For more information about the Code, please contact Marsha Reinikka, Executive Director of Volunteer Thunder Bay at 623-8272 or admin@volunteerthunderbay.ca.