THE VBM TURNS 75!ANNUAL REPORT 2012

Above  It’s party time! Bureau volunteers bring sunshine to the VBM “picnic” in June 2011.  cover  The first Montreal Timeraiser, an unqualified success!

1937 The Junior League of Montreal sets up its Central Volunteer Bureau, the future Volun-teer Bureau of Montreal.

1939-1945 Close links are developed with Women’s Voluntary Services, a British organ-ization heavily involved in the war effort.

1947 The Bureau obtains its original letters patents under the name Women’s Voluntary Services.

1957 The name “Volunteer Bureau” is adopted.1966 The Bureau helps set up the first Meals on

Wheels group in Montreal.1967 Opening of the Bureau’s West Island

branch.1970 The Bureau, having stared out serving

primarily the English-speaking population, becomes officially bilingual and is jointly funded, in equal amounts, by Red Feather and the FOCCF (the Fédération des oeuvres de charité canadienne française).

1972 The Bureau is one of the founding mem-bers of the Fédération des centres d’action bénévoles du Québec (FCABQ), the Quebec federation of volunteer bureaus.

1973 Opening of the East End branch.1974 Following the merger of Red Feather and

the FCCCF with others to form Centraide, the Bureau becomes one of the original Centraide agencies.

1979 Opening of the Ville Saint-Laurent branch.1980-1984 The three branches become autono-

mous Centraide-funded organizations.1992 The Bureau changes its French name from

“Service bénévole de Montréal” to “Centre d’action bénévole de Montréal”.

1993 The Bureau moves to Old Montreal and in 1997 celebrates 60 years of promoting volunteerism.

2003 …and we are now back in the same building (2015 Drummond Street in downtown Mont-real) which housed us from 1969 to 1977!

2015 Drummond Street, Suite 300 Montreal, Quebec H3G 1W7

Tel.: 514.842.3351 Fax: 514.842.8977

info@cabm.net cabm.net

Milestones

·  2  ·

At the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal, we are firmly convinced that volunteerism and citizen engagement are motors of community develop-ment. It is this belief that motivates the actions we take and the decisions we make as Board members, staff and volunteers.

This past year has been a momentous one for the Bureau. 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the VBM and this milestone is being celebrated in style! Festivities were launched with élan in December at l’Hôtel de Ville de Montreal and then, in April, the VBM presented the first Montreal Timeraiser at Bonsecours Market. While many volunteers are involved in organizing such major events, we also have a team of volunteers faithfully holding the fort so that the VBM can continue meeting and advising Montrealers interested in volunteering. Many thanks to them all.

2011-2012 has also seen a major shift for the VBM in that we implemented a new approach to membership. The decision to change our concept

of membership was carefully considered by the Board and was aimed at ensuring the continued quality of the organization’s services. Introdu-cing the change in a gradual and flexible manner has involved a high level of professionalism on the part of VBM staff members (Antonella, Marjorie, François, Kiran, Stéphanie, Jacqueline, Marie-Ève and Tina), all of whom I congratulate on their accomplishments of the past months. I would also like to take this opportunity to offer heartfelt thanks to my colleagues on the Board (Kateri, Jean-Guy, Maryse, Vasko, Luc and Élaine), as well as to those whose terms have ended or are ending shortly (Nilsy, Lorraine and Amélie). A particular thanks to Alison, the Executive Director of the VBM, from whose vision, exper-tise and quiet leadership we have much to learn.

Long live the VBM!

Gabrielle richard president

board of DirectorsGabrielle richard, PresidentKateri décary, Vice-PresidentMaryse Grenier, SecretaryJean-Guy augustin, TreasurerVasko bolshevski

Nilsy desaintluc desjardinselaine Taillonlorraine Torpy

alison Stevens, Executive Director

Message from the Board of Directors

·  3  ·

The promotion and support of volunteerism is the basic mandate of any volunteer centre – a mandate that can take many forms.

At the VBM, promotion and support include the recruitment and orientation of volunteers

for non-profit organizations, volunteer fairs, our training program aimed at volunteer resource managers and various other activities.

Mission

vbM Staffantonella campa, Coordinator, Volunteer

Resourcesclarisse bonnefon (until October 2011)

and Stéphanie carrasco, Liaison Officers for Voluntary Food Services

Kiran chawla, Coordinator of Membership and the Christmas Index

Jacqueline Gutierrez, Coordinator, Group Volunteering

François lahaise, Communications OfficerSuzane langlois (until June 2011) and

Marie-eve lemay-Morel, Administrative Officers

Sylvain Messier, Information Systems Consultant

Marjorie Northrup, Coordinator of Voluntary Food Services

Martine Poupard (until September 2011) and Tina Mulongoy, Facilitators, presentations on Volunteering

Tahar rahali, Bookkeeperamanda cousy, Intern

The Volunteer Bureau of Montreal (VBM) is a Centraide of Greater Montreal Agency, financed in addition by the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal, a founding member of the Fédération des centres d’action bénévole du Québec (FCABQ), a member of Volunteer Canada, of COMACO, the coalition of Mont-real community organizations offering support services to seniors, and of Popotes roulantes et autres services alimentaires bénévoles (PRASAB) and a collaborator with the Réseau de l’action bénévole du Québec (RABQ).

·  4  ·

Recruiting and Referring Volunteers

Our teams of counsellors, receptionists and office workers contributed a total of 3,306 volunteer hours this year.

counsellorsAlta AbramowitzAmelita FloresBarbara PopolareCarole DesautelsDanielle PoulinDanielle TardifElise BeniaFrances AlgarJacqueline Blomfield Jo KimKate JessopLuana BoulangerLynda TétraultMarsha Bazile

Mary WilsonRoland HaddadUrsula TokofeloffXavier Parent-Rocheleau1,528 hours

receptionistsBernadette NagyCarole DesautelsEnid SlatteryGertie TremblayJacqui PoserLinda DraycottMarie ThériaultMarsha Bazile

Maureen LeithmanNatali DelarueSharon ChawlaTegist Habte1,675 hours

Adminstrative supportJacqui PoserKitt BondLinda Draycott Marsha BazileDanielle Tardif103 hours

·  5  ·

The volunteer opportunities posted on our website include contact information for each recruiting organization, allowing potential volunteers to follow-up on those they find of interest. Volunteers may also book an appointment with an in-house VBM counsellor (volunteers all!), for a twenty to thirty minute inter-view to explore which options best correspond to their par-ticular interests, aptitudes, and schedule. Interviewees are pro-vided with references for relevant opportunities, and later contacted by our counsellors via telephone or email to ascertain whether or not they followed through and are now volunteering. If a match has indeed been made, a counsellor also follows-up with the organiz-ation in question.

The numbers below refer only to those poten-tial volunteers who made use of the VBM’s recruitment services; many people find volun-teer work simply by making use of the informa-tion available on our web site.

This year:• Our web site was visited an average of 1,300

times a day• The site posted an average of 850 volunteer

requests at any given time• Our counsellors gave out roughly 6,000 refer-

ences, averaging 4.7% per client• 1,674 volunteers were referred to client organ-

izations, 1,295 during an interview and 379 via email

• Follow-ups of those interviewed showed that:• 35% had followed through with the process

and were confirmed to be volunteering at a client organization, and

• 65% had not followed through, could not be reached, or could not be confirmed to be volunteering at a client organization

Some interviewees ended up volunteering through means other than the references we pro-vided. In some cases, an organization on their list of referrals had filled their volunteer positions and redirected the caller to another agency which could use the help.

ThAnkS To The gAzeTTeThe volunteer recruitment team wishes to thank The Gazette for its extraordinary support. They have graciously published volunteer requests in the Arts section weekly for over fifty years and this is much appreciated.

Jo Kim, a volunteer counsellor, in an interview with a prospective volunteer.

·  6  ·

Profile of those interviewed• 47% had a mother tongue other than Eng-

lish or French;• 30% were recent immigrants or refugees,

France, China, Iran and Algeria being the most common countries of origin

• 59% found the VBM on-line, 12% were referred to us by other organizations, 12%  by a relative or a friend, 4% were referred by Immigration-Québec and 13% came to us via other means;

• 67% were women, 32% were men;• 25% were younger than twenty-five,

41% between twenty-five and thirty-four, 21% between 35-50, and 13% were 50 or older.

Based on a sampling of 1,295 interviews.

Profile of our client organizations and volunteer opportunities for 2011-2012• Number of recruiting organizations: 1,107• Number of new client organizations: 41• Organizations with one or more active

request: 587• Total number of volunteer requests: 1,864

Most commonly posted volunteer activities:

• Direct services to individuals (accompani-ment, teaching, transportation, friendly visits or phone calls, Meals on Wheels, etc.)

• Organizing & supervising activities (activity leader, arts and crafts, coordinating, etc)

• Office and computer work (reception, office work, IT work, etc.)

MeMberShiPmem·ber [mem-ber], noun: a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body; a part or organ of an animal body; a limb, as a leg, arm, or wing.

In an effort to foster a sense of common pur-pose and teamwork with our client organizations, last summer the VBM began a pilot Membership project. Based on the policy put forth by the 2010-2011 Membership Committee, our new Membership agreement targets organizations interested in using our volunteer recruitment services, benefitting from a discount on our workshops, or simply supporting the VBM in its mission to promote volunteerism.

Much discussion ensued! From responding to typ-ical phone inquiries about how to go about filing in the volunteer recruitment form, to establishing an appropriate annual Membership fee, to designing (and redesigning, and revamping), a Membership form, and a designated webpage... This change in how we operate involved plenty of decision-making and touched almost every facet of our services.

The results thus far are heartening: organizations keep in touch on a more regular basis, so potential volunteers find more up-to-date requests on our web site; we know our clients better and can respond to their needs accordingly; clients contribute to our pub-lications and take part in VBM-related special events, further supporting volunteerism in Montreal, and sev-eral much-appreciated comments about our services are appearing on Facebook!

·  7  ·

communications TeamIn speaking about communications at the VBM, we can no longer talk about an individual. It is really a team! This year our regular volunteers were joined by about thirty specialists in new media, fundraising, event planning, video production, marketing and publicity, web programming etc.

This team devoted most of their efforts to the planning, promotion and organization of the Bur-eau’s 75th anniversary celebrations. More infor-mation on the 75th on page 14.

WebBureau’s site (cabm.net) was consulted by an average of 1,300 visitors per day this year. The fact that this average is lower than last year is largely compensated for by an increase in the number of friends, members, relations and visitors on the Bureau’s Facebook (from 701 to 1,053), Twitter (from 171 to 306), Linkedin (from 47 to 65) and Youtube pages.

Traditional MediaThanks again to Québecor who is supporting us for the fifth consecutive year. This time, their sup-port is in the form of free publicity in their print media in April and September, as well as on the web in September.

VBM ads also appeared free of charge using unsold advertising space in other publications, including the magazine Bel Âge.

other communications ActivitiesVolunteer Montréal (1,750 copies) and Food for Thought (350 copies) were each published twice over the past 12 months.

Press releases, consisting of four or five of the most recent volunteer requests, were forwarded weekly to over 60  media addresses. Partner-ships with the ville de Montréal (installation of

banners in the downtown area) and Métromédia Plus (posting of volunteer requests in the métro) are in their 6th and 10th years, respectively.

Many thanks are due to our volunteer graphic designers Manon Pineault, Axel Pérez de León and all the other marvellous vol-unteers on the communi-cations team.

A prospective volunteer seeks more information about a photo on auction at the first Montreal Timeraiser by capturing its QR code.

Communications

·  8  ·

high quality training that meets organizations’ needsOur workshops take place on a regular basis in our premises and we are often invited to present them in other locations in Montreal as well as outside the city. Once again this year, more than 450 individuals benefited from training offered by the VBM. Our series “Essentials of Volunteer Resource Management”, given in both English and French, attracted more than half of these.

Keeping an eye as always on the latest trends in volunteering and volunteer management, we also provided opportunities for learning and reflecting on some current issues by developing new training partnerships and experimenting with new formats.

Having identified young people as a priority, partly due to their high level of volunteer partici-pation*, and partly due to the challenges involved

in attracting and integrating them into existing structures, we proposed two new workshops:• in collaboration with the Réseau de l’action

bénévole du Québec, “Cap sur les jeunes bénévoles”, and

• with Apathy is Boring, Volunteer Canada and Manulife Financial, “Everything you ever wanted to know about engaging youth in your work”.During the year, we surveyed participants

about their needs and interests in terms of training. This led us to providing “Comment faciliter les changements dans votre programme de bénévolat” and, in the context of our on-going collaboration with Volunteer Toronto, “The train-er’s toolbox: openers, closers and in-betweens”. Finally, again in the spirit of renewal and innova-tion, we proposed a series of 3 seminars focused on participants’ lived experiences and issues related to volunteer management.

Looking forwardIt has been a rich and dynamic year for the VBM in terms of training and we want to continue next year in the same vein. In order to do so we intend to:• improve “The Essentials”;• create a virtual interactive space where par-

ticipants in our training program can find tools and articles, and can exchange with one another;

• continue to develop new workshops;• create new partnerships and reinforce existing

ones.

VBM trainer, Valérie Millette, in discussion with participants.

Training

* Statistics Canada: “Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians: Highlights of the Canadian Study on Giving, Volunteering and Participating”, 2010.

·  9  ·

In order to be effective in our communications with an extremely diverse audience (people in career transition, schools, colleges and universi-ties, community centres, services associated with public health institutions, recent immigrants), we have developed various PowerPoint presenta-tions about volunteer engagement.

Our interactive workshops have been improved and adapted to the specific context of the group being addressed. To maximize the motivation of participants, all the workshops underline the many benefits of volunteering. In addition, the documentary film “Let’s do it Estonia” has proved to be very useful in raising awareness about volunteerism on a large scale.

Presentations this year (42)• Fondation Ressources-Jeunesse• Francisation centres (Pauline-Julien, William-

Hingston and Tétreauville)• Secondary Schools (Collège Stanislas, École

Cardinal et la polyvalente Saint-Henri)• Francisation programs in colleges (Vieux

Montréal and Saint-Laurent)• Francisation program at UQAM, École de

langues• Ministère de l’immigration et des commu-

nautés culturelles (programme de francisation)• Office français de l’immigration et de

l’intégration (OFII)• Les Carrefours Jeunesse emploi (Sud-ouest

and NDG)• Destination Travail• Allan Memorial Institute• Chantier d’Afrique du Canada (CHAFRIC)• Association québécoise des personnes apha-

siques (AQPA)• Réseau de la Fédération de l’Âge d’Or du

Québec (FADOC)• RECLAIM Literacy

* Some places were visited more than once.

conclusionThrough these promotional activities the VBM has demonstrated its capacity to respond to a wide range of requests for information about vol-unteering. We will continue refreshing our pres-entations, adapting them to the age, gender, inter-ests and level of education of the participants in each specific group. In this way, we show them how they can be involved and contribute to social change in their community.

Tina Mulongoy brings volunteering to a crowd of 500!

Presentations and Workshops

VBM presenter, Tina Mulongoy, explaining the many benefits of volunteering.

·  10  ·

FairsThe VBM once again partnered with the Vol-unteer Program of McGill Student Society to organize two volunteer fairs in September 2011 and January 2012. These increasingly popular events provide good opportunities for agencies to spread the word about their causes and to recruit volunteers. Visitors are primarily McGill students, but other people from the McGill com-munity and members of the general public are also interested to see what is on offer.

In September, 500 visitors and more than 60 organizations were present and the January edition welcomed more than 400 visitors and 56 agencies.

kiosksThe VBM’s participation in the March 2012 Training and Employment Fair at the Montreal-Bordeaux Correctional Facility was by far the experience that provided the most surprises. The Bureau’s kiosk was visited by more than 150 indi-

viduals and the interest shown in volunteering was much higher than we expected.

This year we visited:• McGill Volunter Fair• Centre William Hingston• Côte-des-Neiges Village• Holding GMCR Canada• Établissement de détention de Montréal/

Bordeaux

Looking aheadPromoting and explaining volunteerism to employees in their workplaces is likely to increase as the interest in employer supported volunteering and other forms of corporate social responsibility continue to expand in Montreal.

Volunteerism is always evolving and whether we are meeting prospective volunteers at a fair or at a more formal meeting or presentation, our aim is to provide information, but also to encourage them to get involved.

Students at the Centre William Hingston visit the VBM’s kiosk

Students and others interested in volunteering visit some of the 60 organ-izations participating in the September 2011 McGill Volunteer Fair.

Fairs and Kiosks

·  11  ·

During this fiscal year, the VBM’s Group Volun-teering Service (GVS) continued to receive, on a regular basis, inquiries from different types of groups wanting to spend time together vol-unteering. The predominant type of group was corporate volunteers.

From April 1st of last year to March 31st, 2012, the GVS dealt with one hundred and eight (108) groups, consisting of a total of 3,317 volunteers distributed as follows:• 46% were corporate volunteers;• 18% were groups of friends or families;• 18% were students;• 11% of the groups came from community

organizations;• 5% were recreational groups, and• 2% were religious groups.

Our biggest challenge was to place a group from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. These 200 persons wanted to volunteer four hours on a Saturday. We succeeded in pla-cing this large group thanks to the cooperation

of Héritage Laurentien, which engaged them in a project to control invasive species in parc des Rapides, located along the shores of the Lachine Rapids.

December 2011, was a busy month. As in pre-vious years, most of the groups wished to volun-teer on December 23rd and 24th. Our challenges during the placement process were:• finding placement possibilities, and• matching the two parties’ schedules and dates.

The GVS coordinator position remains a part-time post. The VBM would like to change this position to full-time post, in order to be able to create new tools and procedures, as well as follow up on the “matches” or “placements” we make. To achieve this goal, the VBM is trying to raise funds and will apply for projects subsidized by the government.

Group Volunteering

A group of volunteers from Manulife Financial give Share the Warmth a new coat of paint.

Future Shop employees enjoy a day of volunteering together.

·  12  ·

More than just a meal!To offer a smile, to soften the isolation of seniors living with a loss of autonomy, to participate in the life of their communities, all in the context of ensuring food security, these objectives describe the mission of volunteers and employees working in VFS.

Meals on WheelsMeals on Wheels services are a major part of home support activities permitting those living with reduced autonomy to remain in their home environments rather than in an institution.

The need for these services is increasing as the population ages. In addition to providing a meal, they encourage the active participation of seniors in the life of their communities, and ensure that meals are delivered by volunteers who have the recipients’ needs at heart.

Close to two-thirds of the Meals on Wheels services in the Greater Montreal area are affili-ated with the CABM. Local groups serve an average of 20 clients who receive a minimum of

two hot meals a week, delivered to their homes at lunch time. Some groups serving two or even three routes have a more extensive client list, while others offer a more frequent service, up to and including six days a week.

Volunteerism is the cornerstone of Meals on Wheels. Without the dedication of thousands of volunteers, the service could not survive. A heart-felt thanks to all the volunteers, past, present and future, and long live Meals on Wheels!

community MealsAs for community meals, offered to a more autonomous clientele, these are spread out over three-quarters of the Island of Montreal. They are usually organized through community centres for seniors. Here also, the service varies considerably from one centre to another, but the average is two meals per week.

central officeThe Central Office also acts as the intermediary between government services (mostly CLSCs and hospitals) and Meals on Wheels services for registering and following-up with benefici-aries. During the summer, some of the entirely volunteer-run services take a well-earned break. The Central Office ensures that all benefic-aires are served by other community centres or other Meals and Wheels networks during the break.

The Central Committee plays a key role within the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal as the main communications link between the network of Meals on Wheels groups and their volunteers on the one hand, and the Board and staff of the Bureau on the other. The committee is composed of nine members elected at the Annual General Meeting. Two members are delegated to sit on the Board of Directors of the VBM.

The Joy of Cooking comes alive on Green Avenue.

Volunteer Food Services

·  13  ·

Volunteer Food Services

The network of volunteer Food  Services at a glance• Over a quarter of a million served in 2011!• 1,500 active volunteers• 6,000 clients served (600 new clients com-

pared to last year)

Services provided by the central office• Liaison between Meals on Wheels services

and clients• Production of tools – cards, magnets, flyers etc.• New approaches – the project using a meal for

recruitment• Organizational support• Newsletter – Food for Thought• Volunteer recrutement• Insurance for groups without non-profit status• Contacts with the network and the Agence• Recognition and motivation of volunteers• Contact with MAPAC inspection services• Media relations• Accepting and supporting interns

networking and mutual support• Central Committee – 9 members, 8 meetings

a year• Annual general meeting – 60 participants• Various networking meetings – 2• Participation in the provincial network

(PRASAB) – the coordinator is president of the Board of Directors

• Member of COMACO, La Table de concer-tation sur la faim et le développement social and La Table de concertation des aînés de Montréal (member of the Board)We would also like to thank the many volunteer

photographers who have worked with us this year. They visited 33 of our groups to take wonderful pictures. In looking at the results, it’s easy to see why people say “Images speak for themselves”!

Philippe Beaudry, Ziad Bitar, Luciana Braga, Romain Caroff, Delphine Delair, Lili Guo, Daniel Juneau, Carla Labrosse, Hélène Liennard, Nor-mand Loiselle, Yiota Pigounakis, Linda Raymond, Jana Rojas Duarte, Jean-Eudes Schürr, Srivas Venkatesh.

Le Rameau d’Olivier is transformed into an urban sugar shack.

·  14  ·

The VBM was founded in 1937, the first volun-teer center in Canada. Employees and volun-teers have been working hard since January 2011 to ensure this important milestone is celebrated with success.

Press LaunchWe officially kicked off our celebrations on December 5, 2011 at l’Hôtel de Ville de Mont-real in the presence of 200 representatives of the Montreal community sector. Our special anniver-sary booklet and calendar were presented, along with the VBM’s 75th anniversary logo and we used the opportunity to promote the 75th anni-vesary blog and the first Montreal Timeraiser.

Montreal’s First Timeraiser“Professional, glamorous, artistic and trendy” – these are the words used by one of the partici-pants to describe the first Montreal Timeraiser. This event – an art auction where bids are made in volunteer hours – took place on April 12 at the beautiful Bonsecours Market.

The exceptional collaboration of the Timeraiser team (timeraiser.ca) and the hard work

of VBM volunteers and staff resulted in bringing together nearly 400 people.

Participants were mostly young professionals interested in volunteer activities related to their skills, but also present were emerging local art-ists pleased to have such a great opportunity to showcase their work, representatives of non-profit organizations, as well as forty volunteers who helped the VBM obtain media exposure never seen before in our 75 years of existence.

We already have some great ideas for next year’s event, so expect to be surprised and charmed by the event that will soon become

“the” annual event promoting volunteerism and the arts in Montreal.

Advertising campaignOur 75th  anniversary will culminate with an advertising campaign using web, radio and print media. Thanks to Québecor once again for their support, and to our volunteers David Murphy, Frederic Charpentier and François Tardif for their invaluable collaboration.

The VBM’s president, Gabrielle Richard, surrounded by young volunteers from St. George’s School of Montreal during the 75th anniversary kick-off.

A glimpse of the crowd who participated in the first Montreal Timeraiser.

The VBM turns 75!

·  15  ·

The Christmas Index works with Greater Montreal area community organizations which distribute Holiday baskets, cheques, or food vouchers to those in need. These agencies send in registra-tions for their intended beneficiaries, which the Index processes in an effort to weed out dupli-cates, thus ensuring that each household receives a single gift and that as many people as possible benefit from the generosity of Montrealers.

The 2011 christmas index• 93rd season, the 43rd under the auspices of the

VBM;• 43,149 registrations processed;• 3,753 duplicates found;• 3,121 “incorrect” addresses found and returned

for correcting;• 248 organizations worked together.

Each registration = one household. So just how many people were helped? Only Santa knows!

To our translators, Stéphanie Carrasco, Gabrielle Richard (volunteer) and Marie-Eve Lemay Morel, Thank You!

index coordinatorKiran Chawla

iT services and index software creatorSylvain Messier

Christmas Index

Revenues and expensesOperating fund 2011-2012

revenues    expenses approximatedistribution

Agence SSS de Montréal $ 245,734 Promotion of volunteerism $ 254,537Centraide of Greater Montreal $ 234,000 Volunteer Food Services $ 167,230Acitivities, interest, other $ 52,306 Christmas Index $ 12,000Donations $ 14,525 Administration $ 116,627Donations for the 75th $ 32,500

  $ 579,065    $ 550,394