Low volunteer turnout has local non-for-profits feeling the pinch

K-W non-profits short on volunteers Amid national staffing shortages, local non-profits say they’re also facing a lack of volunteers. Tyler Kelaher reports.

As staffing shortages affect several sectors across the province, local non-for-profits say they’re facing a shortage of volunteers.

Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region hopes to complete construction on its development on Kehl Street in Kitchener.

Volunteer engagement manager Debbie Hind says the last six units are expected to be completed by the end of 2023, but construction could be delayed due to fewer people doing the work.

“We used to have 1,200 volunteers a year coming. We are nowhere near those numbers right now,” Hind told CTV News.

Hind said Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region has seen a 75 per cent drop in volunteer turnout over previous years, and it could lead to longer wait times for families looking for a new home.

“If they have to wait even longer because we have a shortage of volunteers to build those homes, that is one more stress that they do not need,” Hind said.

According to Volunteer Waterloo Region, over half of those who work with non-for-profit organizations are volunteers.

“If we’re going to be needing and wanting those kinds of services in the community, we really need volunteers to be instrumental in delivering services,” Volunteer Waterloo Region executive director Jane Hennig told CTV News.

Volunteer Waterloo Region recruits volunteers for more than 160 organizations in the region. Hennig said volunteer turnout was already on a decline before the pandemic began, and organizations are looking at new ways to entice new people to join.

“Organizations are really cognizant of pandemic burnout, of the change in the way people were engaged, even prior to the pandemic, Hennig said. “They’re really stepping back and going ‘ok let’s figure out how we can develop our program so that it is attractive to the new volunteer.’”

With Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest set to kick off next month, organizers campaigned for new volunteers to apply.

“We actually ran an event called ‘Volunteerfest’ over the summer to attract more volunteers to the festival,” said Oktoberfest president Allan Cayenne in an interview with CTV News. “We ended up with about 50 [new] volunteers from that event.”

Some groups are also finding help through virtual volunteers who can work from home remotely, but hands-on organizations say they still need people on-site to help get the job done.

“Building homes does not translate well to virtual volunteering,” said Debbie Hind.

Volunteer sign-up information can be found be visiting the Habitat for Humanity, Oktoberfest and volunteer Waterloo region websites.