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2013 ANNUAL REPORT
VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
Empowering & connecting volunteers Strengthening & building our community
363 Coventry Road Ottawa (ON), K1K 2C5
T: 613-736-5270 F: 613-736-5262
www.volunteerottawa.ca [email protected]
2013 ANNUAL REPORT VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
VOSCARS 2013
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR...
As always, I would like to start by thanking the staff and Board for their dedication and their commitment to both the organization and to the Ottawa community as a whole. This dedication and commitment comes to life in the excellence of the services and programs that we provide. Board turnover occurs every year, and this year we welcomed Heather Badenoch, Adam Day, Gavin Lumsden and Candace Denison to the Board in May of 2013. Unfortunately, Candace Denison was unable to complete her term as she was lured west with an exciting job opportunity. We wish her well in her new endeavours. 2013 was a very busy year for the Board of Directors. The Board completed what we believe is one of the strongest strategic plans Volun-teer Ottawa has had in many years. One key initiative of that plan is the development of a fundraising plan. I am pleased to report that the fund-raising plan is complete and has received Board approval. Margo Nelson and Nicole Belanger took on this daunting task managing a large group of volunteers divided into several subcommittees. And they are leading ably the development of the communications plan, another key initiative of our strategic plan. We cannot thank them enough, nor can we thank enough the tireless efforts of Will Coukell, Executive Director and staff who con-tributed and who continue to contribute their expertise in concert with the Board and other volunteers. The strategic plan will allow Volunteer Ottawa to continue supporting the not-for profit sector in multiple ways, from education through to promoting volunteerism. As well, we look forward to exploring new ways and opportunities for growth and change, as the non-profit community itself grows and changes. Volunteer Ottawa held the third annual VOscars this past fall. This great fundraising event celebrating volunteerism in our community continues to grow. Through this event, we witness the selfless dedication of so many people in so many parts of our community. Claudia Newman
CHAIR
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VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENSES
As at December 31, 2013
2013 2012
REVENUE
United Way Allocation
$ 216,241.00
$ 223,141.00
Community Foundation Allocation $ 39,550.00 $ 81,762.00
Corporate Sponsorships & Program Funding $ 86,686.00 $ 161,309.00
Donations and Fundraising $ 55,365.00 $ 38,761.00
Memberships, Tuition and Training $ 57,532.00 $ 51,161.00
Miscellaneous $ 4,215.00 $ 7,242.00
$ 459,589.00 $ 563,376.00
EXPENSES
Salaries and Benefits $ 346,761.00 $ 411,691.00
Miscellaneous $ 58,087.00 $ 65,479.00
Occupancy $ 62,396.00 $ 62,396.00
Contractors $ 39,427.00 $ 38,050.00
$ 486,185.00 $ 577,616.00
EXCESS OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES -$ 26,596.00 -$ 14,240.00
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2013 was an extremely busy year for the staff of Volunteer Ottawa. First, we launched VolunteerOttawa 2.0, our new and improved web site; our database is growing so large and complex that we needed to move to another platform to support the growth. We also worked along with Board members on the first fundraising plan in VO’s history, and hired our fundraiser, Pat Shapiro. My hope is that by improving how we do business, we can improve how our members do business. That is why Volunteer Ottawa is here; to ensure that nonprofits and charities in the Ottawa region are able to provide their service at both the highest quality, but also with the highest efficiency. As we move together into the future, with changes in how we do business and how we provide our much needed services. It is important that we work together to ensure that Volunteer Ottawa is providing the services that you need and the services that our community needs. I look forward to our future together. William Coukell Executive Director
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR…
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MEMBERSHIP SERVICES In 2013 Volunteer Ottawa served over 259 member organizations. The majority (90%) have joined with comprehensive (full) memberships. Our membership is representative of a wide variety of organizations, from small community groups formed by civic minded citizens to volunteer departments located in larger institutions, such as hospitals. Arts/Culture, seniors services, environmental organizations, services for those with disabilities, children’s services, sports organizations, community health centers, animal welfare organizations and international agencies have memberships, providing prospective volunteers with a wide selection of organi-zations and opportunities to choose from.
Program Highlights
Thirty-five new organizations joined Volunteer Ottawa in 2013.
Make the Most of your Membership (MMM) with Volunteer Ottawa is a 90-minute presentation that is offered to those who are new to Volunteer Ottawa. The presentation is offered ten times per year and provides an excellent opportunity for member representatives to learn about the many services available to them.
The Volunteer Round Up (VRU) appeared in the “UP Beat” section of the Saturday Ottawa Citizen every week in 2013.
In 2013 Volunteer Ottawa took part in more than 35 speaking engagements, fairs, marketplaces, and public events. Collectively, our Speaker/Display team gave more than 100 volunteer hours to spread the word about the importance of volunteerism in our community. Approximately 1,400 people received information about volunteering. The Speaker/Display booth team bid farewell to three of it’s members who had successfully found employment.
In partnership with United Way Ottawa, we held one Community Action Day on December 5, 2013. Thanks to the collaborative effort of both Volunteer Ottawa and United Way Ottawa, there were 33 projects with 440 workplace and community volunteers participating.
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STAFF MEMBERS William Coukell Executive Director Paula Coons Manager, Programs and Finance Mark Hughes Manager, Web and Communications Shelley Ann Morris Coordinator, Membership Services Ulyana Zanevych Coordinator, Community Engagement Program Rose Anne Leonard Education Associate Vasilinka Tsar Office Coordinator Patricia Shapiro Development Coordinator Nik Mechanda Coordinator, Education Services Sarah Swan ChangeTheWorld Coordinator Hartley Butler George* Manager, Web and Communications Joan Anderson* Volunteer Coordinator and Development Assistant Bridget Vickers* ChangeTheWorld Coordinator *Resigned in 2013
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Directors Claudia Newman, Chair Christopher Dore Dobrila Rancic-Moogk, Vice-Chair Gavin Lumsden Joseph Griffiths, Corporate Secretary Heather Badenoch Adam Day, Treasurer Heidi Hauver Keira Torkko, Treasurer* Margo Nelson Naomi Morisawa, De Koven, Past-Chair* Nicole Belanger Sharron McIntyre Stanley Janas Amy Yee* *Resigned in 2013 Canadace Denison*
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WEB COMMUNICATIONS AT VOLUNTEER OTTAWA 2013 was a year of change and growth for the Volunteer Ottawa communications department. We focused on streamlining information, engaging in conversation, and finding new ways to connect and share our message. Our focus was finding the best ways to connect volunteers with the volunteer opportunities on our website, and find new ways to connect with volunteers in the Ottawa area.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Website: Based on user feedback, we completely overhauled our website throughout the year and after exhaustive research and development, we launched our new website in Septem-ber. We developed a website which can grow to serve the changing needs of Volunteer Ottawa and create a strong platform for our members to connect with volunteers. When we transitioned to a new website, our reporting tools changed. As such, we have a very accurate picture of our website traffic from January 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013. At that point, our website transitioned to a new reporting metric. From January 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013, we had 90,000 visitors who viewed over 1 million pages! Let’s consider this: the classic novel “War and Peace” is 1,225 pages long. That means the number of website page views is equiv-alent to reading “War and Peace” 815 times! Social Media Leadership: We expanded our social media networks and continued to grow our branding awareness strategy. In 2013, we nearly doubled our twitter followers from 5,821 in 2012 to 8,951 in 2013. Our Facebook page totaled 2,800 Facebook likes. Our blog was viewed by over 17,000 people. Online income: We still gained a modest income from Google Ads on all volunteer post-ings and we have introduced a search engine that permits us to gain additional income through pay-per-click. We continued to build relationships with our community technology partners and assessed the needs of our member agencies. VO continued to explore new tools & ways of communicating online through our tools and established networks.
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EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CONSULTATION (MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER RESOURCES AND VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM)
Volunteer Ottawa’s Educational Services are dedicated to providing information, resources and development opportunities to voluntary sector staff and volunteers (including Boards of Directors and Committee members) so they can make effective decisions and demonstrate dynamic and accountable leadership. Thanks to community partners and consultants, Volunteer Ottawa continues to deliver quality, affordable, community-oriented training and consulting services.
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Nicole Belanger Nikhil Mechanda
Nipa Farjana
Nisini Sandara Dias Ousmane Amandou
Paul Astell Paula Coons Phred Hughes
Quan Dang Rachel Chen
Rashari Henry
Renee Legault Richard Desjardins
Ronald Frank Elmer Ronald Saumure
Ronica Wong Roxanne Holloway
Ruth Deme Safiatou Yabre Samantha Grills
Samantha Schultz Sandra Paola Orellán Díaz
Sarah Brice Sarah Hill
Scott Florence Sharron McIntyre
Shefali Adhikari Sheila Jenkins Shelby-lyn Miller Shelley Ann Morris Shelley Morris Sima Gabrielian Sophia Jacob Stanley Janas
Stephanie Joyal Steven Lee Sue Solomon-Morin
Susan Barr
Susan Murray Tania Tack
Terry and Raymond Cowan Terry Cowan
Troy Brownlee
Victoria Victoria Gautheir Victorine Akpele
Viviane Rossini Waleed Bin Faisal
Wendy Yinting Wang Yvonne Ackerman Zaina Kahiel Zoe Easton
VOLUNTEERS CONT’D
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VOLUNTEERS (Administration, translation, library, interviews, peer mentors, speakers,
committee members, technology support, website, special
AL Connors Adam Day
Alexandria Richards
Alisha noel Perreault
Ally Kolisnyk
Alvin Shawn Mailvaganam Ama Uchelimafor
Amy Yee
Andrew Jordon
Angela Rheaume
Anita Pearce Anna Cheung
Anne Craig
Arlene Laude Barb Koppe
Barbara Rosenes
Beth Rintoul Candace Denison
Carol Evoy
Caroline Freemantle
Caroline Frost Caryn Wilson
Cathryn Wake Cathy McGovern
Charles Li Chelsea Dagenais
Chia-Chi Nicole LIU Chris Dore
Christine Contant
Claire Marshall
Claudia Newman
Cliff Thornton
Cristina Dragulin
Daniel Braimoh
Darrel Outschoorn
Debbie Gilmer Debi Zaret Dobrila Rancic Moogk Douglas Brierley Elise Nsegre Elizabeth Winklaar Ene Tikovt Felix Leclair Florence Hearn Fred DeRosa Gabriela Foresti Gavin Lumsden George A.P. Kozoriz Harrienne Rosenes Heather Badenoch Heidi Hauver Ivon Doan Jacqueline Tilgner Jane Rowland Janet Harris Jennifer Foerster Jo-Anne Hicks Joanne Kilby-Coulas Johanne Fulford John Redins Jonathan Lee Slew Joseph Griffiths Karen Harrison Karen Torikko Karen Wilson Katherine Hampartzoumi-an Katie Clarke Kayla Fitch Keira Torkko Kelly Yang
Kerry Coons Kevin Liu Kiana Choi Kim Saikali Kseniya Kozhina Kyle Hemond Lauren Ball Layah Weinstock Leona Campbell Lillian Chen Lisa Greenall Lisa Kelleher Lise Breau Lorraine Joly Lucile McGregor Malak Jebara Margo Nelson Marie Theriault Mark Ball Mary Li Mary Macies Maya Pilin McCay Duff LPP Megan Brady Michael Shabinsky Milly Pang Miranda Mercuri Mirjana Adzija Monica Fosado Murshida Haider Mustafa Popalzai Nada Chaban Naomi Morisawa De Koven Natalia Rueda Nerissa Bautista
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Program Highlights
In 2013, the Education program offered free workshops to Volunteer Ottawa member organizations and community volunteers, including the following: Make the Most of your Membership, The 3Rs of Volunteer Management, PREB Certification;
Volunteering 101; and Leveraging your Volunteer Experience in your Job Search.
Full curriculums of quality and affordable workshops were offered, including: Project Management Training; Risk Management; Board Basics; Police Background Checks; More than the PRC; Writing Good Web content and Managing Effective, Efficient and Enjoyable Meetings.
In 2013, partnerships were formed with the following:
NPO PM Training to offer workshops on project management training with follow up support;
Centre d’action bénévole de Québec (CABQ) and Volunteer Canada where we received certification to train our members on the use of the new PREB software which allows trained members to become certified to create detailed certificates for their volunteers.
Volunteer Ottawa held 38 workshops with 562 attendees.
The Education Program continues to support local community organizations through learning opportunities such as conferences, needs assessments, customized training, consultations and open workshops.
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VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM The volunteer engagement program supports community organizations who would like to diversify their volunteer pool and create more volunteer opportunities within our four focus groups: Seniors/Retirees, people with disabilities, youth and new Canadians. The volunteer engagement program was a pilot program that ended on March 31, 2013.
Program Highlights
Our Disability Awareness Training prepares member organizations (staff and volunteers) to confidently serve and comfortably work alongside people with disabilities. In 2013 this training was held for Volunteer Ottawa’s Speakers Bureau.
We held a "Diversify your Volunteer Pool" workshop for volunteer coordinators and managers. This workshop was designed to demonstrate creative ways to recruit volunteers with disabilities, retirees, new Canadians and youth.
The following presentations were held in 2013:
The Glebe Centre (Abbotsford): Why Positive and Active Aging and Volunteering Among Seniors are Priorities
Multicultural Seniors Support Services – JFS: how to engage multicultural seniors in volunteering
Ottawa University and Osgoode Township High School (for international students): How to gain professional experience through volunteering
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DURING 2013, WE WERE MEMBERS OF THE FOLLOWING:
Canadian Journal of Volunteer Resource Management (CJVRM)
GAIN (Associum Consulting)
Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN)
Ottawa Administrators of Volunteer Resources (OAVR)
Volunteer Canada
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THANK YOU COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS!
RBC Foundation
Recherché concept coiffure & spa
Richcraft
Rideau Centre
Rinaldo's Hair & Esthetics
Roderick MacLean
Rogers TV
Sandra Pollack
SAP Canada
Savvy Company
Scotiabank
Sharron McIntyre
Signature Show
SIM Furniture
Stanley Janas
Starbucks on Bank and Hopewell
Starbucks on Richmond
Stella Luna Gelato Café
Sue Morin
TD Canada Trust
Techsoup Canada
Terry Cowan
The Modern Shop
The Ottawa Citizen
The Table Restaurant
The Works - Westboro
Tim Hortons
Timeraiser
Toss Salon
TRAP Wilderness Art (Terry Cowan)
United Way/Centraide Ottawa
Volunteer Canada
Welch LLP
Your Better Living Coach
ZaZaZa Pizza
Zengarry Vegetarian Cuisine
Absolute Comedy
Adam Day
Akran Marketing
Alison Trant
Anne Washington
Babbos Cucina Italiana
Basket & Bows
Bayshore Shopping Centre
Billings Bridge Shopping Centre
Body Shop St. Laurent
Brian Montgomery
Bridgehead
Brita Housez
Burke-Robertson
Bytown Sports & Entertainment
Canada Aviation Museum
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian War Museum
Candace Denison
Carleton University
Christopher Doré
City of Ottawa, Voluntary Sector Services
Claudia Newman
Coach House Shortbread Compa-ny
Commando Paintball
Community Foundation of Ottawa
Conam Charitable Foundation
Coralie Lalonde
Crabtree Foundation
Dana Wheeldon
David Aplin Group
David Burns and Associates
Dobrila Rancic Moogk
East India Company Ottawa Res-taurant
Elgin Massage Therapy Clinic
Empower ME Yoga
Family Movie Trust Foundation
Fred Astaire Dance Studios
Gavin Lumsden
George Richmond
GGFL LLP
Harry P. Ward Foundation Haunted Walks Heather Badenoch Heidi Hauver Ian Burns - David Burns & Associ-ates Joseph Griffiths Kathy Smart Katsura Investments Koffman Signs Laura Daub Lawrence Greenspon Manotick's PepperMill Margo Nelson Martin Landry Melinda Newman Michael Hill ST Laurent Mall
Ministry of Citizenship and Immi-gration
Montgomery Asset Management
Morisawa De Koven Professional Corporation
Morrison's Moulin Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa My Smile National Arts Centre NCA Associates
Nicole Belanger Novotel Hotels Ontario Trillium Foundation
Originals Show Ottawa 67's Hockey Team Ottawa Family Cinema Ottawa Fury
Ottawa Race Weekend Ouseley Hanvey Clipsham Deep LLP
Pancho Villa Mexican Restaurant Patricia Shapiro Paul Boat Lines Paul Robillard & Family Pearls 4 Girls Pure Yoga Rainbow Cinemas Raymonde Cowan Cards
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CORPORATE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM (CVP) Volunteer Ottawa’s CVP program is designed to facilitate Ottawa area businesses and their staff volunteering as a group. VO tries to meet the needs and goals of each corporate group’s interest and capacity. The CVP program is a multi-level service program intended to encourage and support the corporate sector in accessing meaningful group volunteer opportunities.
Program Highlights In 2013, Volunteer Ottawa coordinated four corporate volunteer projects with SAP:
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) – Informed people about CBS and recruited donors through an information sign-up booth at Rideau Centre. 124 potential donors signed up and 36 appointments were made. Every donation made could impact 3 lives.
The Ottawa Food Bank – Sorted and organized donated food and prepared boxes to be distributed to local food banks. We worked with 4 tons of food and 800 people were impacted.
Planned Parenthood – Prepared safer sex packages for distribution in the community. 2880 packages were prepared which will protect 5760 people in the community.
Soup Sisters – Prepared soup to support women’s shelters and programs for youth in crisis. 200 servings of nourishing soup were delivered to local shelters.
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YOUTH VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
Volunteer Ottawa’s Youth Volunteer Initiative actively engaged young people of all abilities and cultures by promoting volunteer activity among their peer groups. Meaningful volunteer opportunities for Ottawa youth between the ages of 16 and 24 were fostered. New creative communication tools were developed by youth and used to reach out to young people who traditionally would not have been involved in their community. The main goals of the youth program are: to increase the frequency and duration of youth volunteerism by educating youth on the value and benefits of volunteering; to increase the number of meaningful volunteer opportunities available to youth by coaching our member organizations on the unique benefits of engaging youth; and to build the capacity of our member organizations to effectively work with youth as volunteers. Although our funding for the youth program ended in February of 2013, with the information we gathered over the past three years, we were able to continue to support youth in a variety of ways throughout the year.
Program Highlights
In February of 2013 we held first ever “Virtual Volunteer Fair”, An innovative and interac-tive online tool to help our member organizations meet, speak with and recruit volunteers without leaving their office. Volunteers were able to learn about organizations and message them through an online chat feature to get more information about volunteer opportunities.
More than 550 of our new volunteer opportunities throughout the year were geared towards youth.
We took part in the following during January and February of 2013:
Career class presentations about volunteering in Ottawa
Participation in the Youth Fair for Juku Konbit - Operation Come Home
Delivery of a custom presentation for teachers about involving youth in volunteerism at the Carleton Place - Volunteer Forum
Volunteer Ottawa thanks the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their funding of this initiative.
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Wrap ‘n Raise: Our annual gift wrapping event, which runs from December 1-24, was our final fundraiser of the year, with over 100 volunteers wrapping presents at Billings Bridge Shop-ping Center throughout the month. United Way Campaign: Volunteer Ottawa supports the Ottawa United Way annually through fundraising to help raise money for their campaign. We held a bake & soup sale, and a silent auction. Volunteer Recognition: Our Volunteer Recognition Event was held at East India Compa-ny Ottawa Restaurant on Somerset Street with approximately 50 volunteers attending. These volunteers support Volunteer Ottawa on our Board and Committees, in administration, education, events and so much more. Congratulations to Janet Harris for winning the “Volunteer of the Year Award” and Dobrila Rancic Moogk for winning the “Outstanding Contribution Award”. We added a new certificate this year to thank an outstanding volunteer for their incredible support with the VOscars. Congratulations to both Heidi Hauver and April Da-vidson for receiving the “Event Volunteer Certificate”. AGM: Our Annual General Meeting was held at Volunteer Ottawa’s new offices at 363 Coventry Road with thirty-two people in attendance. Our Executive Director, William Coukell presented our guests with the changes to our proposed new website.
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EVENTS AT VOLUNTEER OTTAWA VOscars: Volunteer Oscars… Amazing! With close to 200 people in attendance, we held our third annual “VOscars” Gala Fundraiser and Awards Ceremony on September 26, 2013 at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. We recognized those who raise awareness of; provide innovation in ; and encourage volunteering in the community. We had an extensive silent auction, delicious dinner, amazing talent and an awards ceremony enjoyed by 200 guests. Congratulations to Grete Hale, the recipient of our 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award (past recipients include Max Keeping and Lawrence Greenspon). CBC’s Adrian Harewood hosted this very successful event. Our nominees and recipients of the evening were an amazing group of individuals who showed us how strong the volunteer sector really is!
“What an inspiring evening! I was pleased to be able to attend the VOscars and enjoy the ambiance, people, food and all the extras you incorporated into the evening.”
“The evening was delightful if not magical. All the staff and the volunteers really made the experience memorable.”
Toast of the Season Wine Tasting & Art Sale: Held at our offices at 363 Coventry Road. More than 50 guests attended to taste the hottest wines of the season and learn how to pair them with food. Wines were paired with delicious savory and sweet shortbread from our sponsor Coach House Shortbread Co. Our Sommelier, Dobrila Rancic Moogk held an amazing presentation. Four wonderfully talented local artists joined us this year and donated a percentage of their sales to Volunteer Ottawa.
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CHANGETHEWORLD: ONTARIO YOUTH VOLUNTEER CHALLENGE
ChangeTheWorld is an Ontario-wide campaign with the goal of getting high school students to volunteer in their communities. With funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and run in partnership with the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network, Volunteer Ottawa is one of 23 Volunteer Centres putting the campaign into action across the province. In 2013, the campaign increased to four weeks, and ran from April 21 to May 19. In spite of provincial labour disputes which saw teachers working-to-rule (and unable to volunteer to support some student initiatives which they may have liked to do), there was still an increase in number of student positions and volunteer hours recorded during the ChangeTheWorld campaign.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
2,841 students contributed 8,523 volunteer hours during City of Ottawa’s Cleaning the Capital
607 Students at Carine Wilson SS, Hilcrest HS, and St Patrick’s CHS, raised $60,000, $34,745, and $19,200, respectively, for cancer research, through 7,100 volunteer hours.
1,229 student contributed 4,748 volunteer hours to 8 local races (runs, walks, cycles) Each year, since the campaign’s inception, seven years ago, our relationships with, and participation from, both community organizations and high schools has strengthened, and our recorded number of student volunteer hours during ChangeTheWorld has increased.
Year # of Weeks Volunteer
Hours 2008 1 55 2009 1 2,232 2010 3 2,918 2011 3 3,740 2012 3 25,355 2013 4 29,088
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