Celebrate National Volunteer Week
April 18-24, 2021

Every April, Volunteer Canada leads the National Volunteer Week (NVW) celebration. It is the perfect time to recognize volunteers and celebrate the power of volunteerism in our communities. This year’s theme is, “The Value of One. The Power of Many”. In Alberta, the Government of Alberta and Volunteer Alberta work together to help communities recognize their volunteers by distributing enhancement funding for local celebrations.

According to Adrienne Vansevenandt, Senior Communications Coordinator at Volunteer Alberta, “National Volunteer Week is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the value and impact of volunteers’ contribution to the community. Many organizations in Alberta and throughout Canada would not be able to serve their communities and carry out their missions without volunteers. Volunteer recognition is important to keep your volunteers engaged and returning to volunteer again.”

Celebrating National Volunteer Week during the pandemic may look different. And, that’s okay! There are many safe ways that you can recognize your volunteers while adhering to current health measures. Check out Volunteer Alberta’s blog, 6 ways to recognize volunteers during a pandemic this National Volunteer Week to help you get started!

Here are some volunteerism facts for Alberta. According to the 2013 Statistics Canada General Social Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating:

Alberta’s volunteer rate is 50%.

Average annual volunteer hours are 161 hours.

Albertans volunteered 262 million hours.

Each year, more than 1.6 million Albertans provide more than 262 million volunteer hours to support their communities. The value of volunteer time is estimated to be worth $5.6 billion per year. Stat available from the Government of Alberta.

According to Imagine Canada, almost 12.7 million Canadians aged 15 and older volunteered for charities in 2018. In 2018, almost 12.7 million people volunteered for charities, non-profits, and community organizations – accounting for 41% of Canadians aged 15 and older.
June 26, 2020

Fun Facts – Why do People Volunteer?

Canadians state that the primary reason they volunteer is to contribute to their communities. The following two primary reasons are to use skills and experience and be personally affected by the cause. The breakdown is as follows:

to contribute to the community (93%);

to use skills and experience (78%);

personally affected by the organization’s cause (59%);

to explore one’s own strengths (48%);

because their friends volunteer (48%);

to network with others (46%);

to improve job opportunities (22%); and

to fulfill religious obligations or beliefs (21%).