Professional Development

2005 National Host Conference

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[ Section 3 ] Conference Workshops
Session 3

Workshop 3D - The Host Program and the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement

Presenters:

Diane Fisher, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, Calgary, Alberta
Beata Lutaba, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, Calgary, Alberta

Workshop Summary:

As part of the 2001 International Year of Volunteers, the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement was developed and distributed across Canada to assist organizations in building greater capacity in embracing volunteers and volunteerism.

This workshop presented the experience of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and in particular the Host Program in its implementation.

It provided participants with an opportunity to explore collectively the code as it relates to Host Program functioning and to address questions that may arise:

• What have been the challenges in implementing the code within Host Programs?
• What are the opportunities that the code presents to Host Programs?
• What works? What doesn't?
• What supports do you need?
• Are there any collective strategies that can be identified to support Host Programs in implementing the code?
• What are the promising practices that have been identified in using the code?

Background:

After the Code was created in 2001, in Calgary, efforts through workshops and meetings were put in to making organizations aware of the Code. After this effort, only 50% of the organizations in Calgary knew about the code, and only 20% had implemented it or taken steps to implement it. The history of the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement and its components was presented. This background then led into a discussion of the organizational standards of the code and its implementation within organizations in Calgary, focusing specifically on the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society.

Discussion:

In breakout groups, participants identified the benefits and obstacles to implementing the Code.

Discussion included the management of volunteers, including what to do when a criminal records check comes back positive, how often to make follow-up calls, and how long a typical Host match lasts.

The breakout groups focused on two questions:

1. How can the Code positively influence your work in the Host program?
2. What are the obstacles you can think of or are experiencing in implementing the Code?

A list of benefits and obstacles was created as a result of the breakout discussions:

Benefits include:

• The Code provides consistent structures, standards, and guidelines for volunteer management
• The Code increases professionalism of volunteers
• Accountability is clarified on both sides; therefore it is a good tool to help get the board involved
• The code provides security and value
• Agencies and volunteers will know their roles and understand their responsibilities and boundaries
• The Code provides for evaluation and performance objectives
• The Code adds a sense of legitimacy because it connects everyone to a national project
• A checklist approach gives an affirmation that organizations are already headed in the right direction.
• The Code can be used to convince funders to support volunteers financially
• If volunteers understand that there is a national policy, this will ease any bad feelings about background checks
• Volunteers will have a more thorough knowledge of the agency and in turn will become ambassadors for the agency

Obstacles include:

• Lack of understanding at the board of directors level
• Lack of organizational structure that allows the implementation and development of policies
• Resources - including a budget for volunteer appreciation, budget for paying for criminal records checks
• Volunteers may not be committed to fulfilling expectations of them; volunteers may be resistant to comply with the Code
• Staff turnover means new staff need to be trained in volunteer management - it is difficult to find ways to train staff in this important aspect
• It may be awkward to check references for high profile volunteers
• Many organizations already intuitively apply aspects of the code.

Recommendations:

• Resources allocated to Host Programs be sufficient to allow for good volunteer management practice as instructed by the Code.
• Host Service Providers and CIC continue to discuss implementation of the Code.

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