Data Management for Creating Impactful Volunteer Programs

September 2023, Written by Roxci Bevis, VMPC Member & Communications Lead

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At VMPC, we encourage volunteer leaders to work with us to collect better data. Good data helps us understand what is really happening in volunteer programs and find smarter ways to support both volunteers and the organizations they care about.

Using data in volunteer management does not have to be complicated. It helps confirm what many volunteer professionals already see and feel in their work. It can also strengthen funding conversations and help get the attention of decision makers. Simply put, data gives you clearer direction and more confidence in your choices.

VMPC President Tara Gilroy-Scott puts it this way. As volunteer professionals, we work in a space that is deeply relationship-based. We balance the needs of our organizations with the motivations and goals of volunteers. While intuition and experience matter, we also need ways to measure our work, follow best practices, and leave strong systems behind for those coming into the profession. You cannot manage what you cannot measure, and data is one of our most important tools.

Collecting data about giving and volunteering helps volunteer leaders make better decisions and improve programs. It can support volunteer recruitment, training, task matching, recognition, and retention. It also helps show the real value volunteers bring to an organization and the impact they have in their communities.

VMPC is more than halfway through a national data and engagement project with Imagine Canada, Volunteer Canada, Ajah, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Canada. One of the key outcomes is the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering. This online resource brings together data and insights about volunteering and charitable giving in Canada.

The Knowledge Hub draws on trusted sources like Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating. This survey helps paint a clear picture of how Canadians give their time and money, and it informs policy and program decisions across the sector.

We want VMPC members and all volunteer leaders to use this data to understand trends, spot opportunities, and strengthen their work. You can take part by exploring the Knowledge Hub, using the resources, sharing feedback, and participating in regional and national surveys.

When used well, data can help you recruit more effectively, support volunteers better, and tell stronger stories about impact. It can also help you spot challenges early and create an environment where volunteers feel valued and want to stay. Data is not just numbers. It is a practical, powerful ally in building stronger volunteer programs.

If you lead volunteers, the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering is for you. Visit the Hub to better understand the giving and volunteering landscape, use the tools and insights, and help build stronger volunteer programs across Canada.

Who Cares?  (No, Really, Think About It.)

October 13, 2022, Written by Adam Janes - Chair, Advocacy and Professional Standards, VMPC

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Leaders of Volunteers, I have an advocacy question for you.

Who Cares?  (No, really, think about it.)

I reflected, who would care to hear about Volunteer Management and hear from Leaders of Volunteers like you?

I also thought, if "MANAGERS OF VOLUNTEERS NEED TO KNOW YOU CARE" was posted on LinkedIn or in various places and spaces on the internet, who would take note?

Finally, I thought who would care if there was a succinct and crystal clear message given to them from a current Leader of Volunteers about the value and importance of the profession and the impact it makes?

Think about it; who cares? It's an interesting list…

I will start with the most obvious – Volunteer Engagement Professionals, in all their titles, care. We are an emerging profession, with some college programs and university courses based on the field. We have a few national and international organizations and many small ones keeping an eye on trends, movements, growth and building up a collective knowledge in the field.

But in most fields, the members of that field themselves advocate and support the work of their profession. Social workers will rarely talk about supporting animal rights (unless they also happen to be animal rights activists). Volunteer Engagement Professionals support two causes: the cause their organization represents, AND we support volunteer engagement.

When we speak about advocacy for the professional management of volunteers-  It's mostly to us, from us. One vital role here is reaching out to those in the field who are not yet engaging with the larger profession. So let's throw some care into this read!

Action step one: Intentionally reach out and connect to those in the field who are not yet connected to all the rich resources available, connect them to VMPC or your local Volunteer Managers Association- Their presence is a gift to that community, and that community is a tremendous gift to that individual – like any community, most people need an invite, maybe three.

There are many more people on this list who care as well!

Who else cares? The organizations you, the Leaders of Volunteers, work for care. Even if they don't know how to show it, the Leader of Volunteers position or directives exist because there is value in it, and an organization can see that the value of one or two staff is worth two, three or even ten times the cost of the volunteer budget. They care because you bring real, caring people to the doorstep, and you build the community that enhances and increases the mission and impact of your organization. But can they 'get it' even more? Sometimes, there are opportunities to see where a leader of volunteers fits in an organization and a long list of items an organization can provide to build up the volunteer engagement team – a professional development budget is a great place to start!

Action step two – know your role; check out the VMPC professional standards resources and shine a light on your department.

Does anyone else care? Yes, Volunteers Care! Without you, they may not have found the opportunity to be trained and given access to such positions. They wouldn't have a voice in their corner when there was a disagreement, and they would often not know the impact of their time invested if you didn't take that time to share it with them. The volunteers are why we do what we do. We believe we are better together as communities with staff, participants (clients, cause), and volunteers because in that combination, we can be assured that people care and are cared for in our organizations.

Action Step 3: Talk about the profession to volunteers! If you have built rapport with a volunteer and they have told you what an excellent job you are doing, accept that! Be as bold as to ask them to write your supervisor about it.

Who else cares? The people and causes you represent! You matter to the mission and impact of your organization. Wear that with humble pride. Do not forget to insert yourself into the equation of how your organization makes a difference to the community. Share how a robust and active volunteer program is central to success in any cause! Get feedback and include volunteer evaluation in client and participant surveys.

Action Step 4: Do the math and research - Be clear with your supervisor, your organization's leadership and the board of directors about the value of volunteers. Share how much of that value comes to life with professional volunteer leadership! 

Finally, VMPC cares – as well as our affiliates. As we keep moving forward on Advocacy at VMPC, we will be leaning into this question of who does care. We will be aiming to represent you, the Leader of Volunteers, as we speak to the value and impact you make every day. We know the difference that comes when an organization has a well-informed, supported and connected volunteer management professional of any title and designation on their staff team. We will seek to hear what advocacy means to you, what you need to be an advocate, and what advocacy you need VMPC to take on to help you thrive!

Action Step 5: Keep building your communities one great connection at a time, knowing and utilizing that caring heart! The members of VMPC are the heartbeat of caring for and growing the Volunteer Management Profession in Canada. If you want to be more involved JOIN HERE Thank You!

Testimonies of three members who obtained their CVA designation

There are articles written on the value of a CVA International Certification. But did you know in 2014, VMPC moved from a Canadian certification to an international certification and formed a partnership with Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration to manage the process and administration.

Those who achieved the certification in 2014 were required to recertify in 2019 as the certification is valid for a 5-year period. As part of the recertification process, a personal reflection is submitted.  Below are excerpts from three members of the board and what has happened during their past five years as a result of achieving the CVA certification in 2014.

Ruth Millard, CVA, President

“Those three letters” opened many doors of where I am today in this field.  Opportunities to represent our profession on the national VMPC board, national and local workshop presenters. Certification has impacted my career bringing a world of fellow colleagues, peers and friends into my network. Certification brings respect to my thoughts, approaches and a solid understanding of volunteer management.  I feel privileged to be part of an international certification accreditation framework, the CCVA.

Michelle Mungar Lumley, CVA, Chair, Advocacy and Standards

I fell into this profession many, many years ago, I stay in it because I believe in what we do and the impact we make. To me, having the CVA means I take what I do seriously, and I am committed to this profession. I joined the VMPC Board of Directors because of the eye-opening experience I had going through certification, and my commitment to continuing on the board has been confirmed through recertifying. Advocating for our profession within my organization, community, province and country is important, and the CVA after my name confirms my commitment.

Lindsay Baker, CVA, Chair, Professional Development


I originally obtained my CVA certification because I consider myself a professional manager of volunteers. Professionals are part of something bigger than what they do from 9 to 5 - they are co-creating the future of their profession. I definitely wanted to be part of that objective.  In the past five years, I have joined VMPC's board of directors, presented at national and international conferences, started teaching volunteer management at a college, and won an award for exemplary leadership of volunteers from my peers. I also gained valuable insight into what intrinsically motivates me to continue this work, which is so important when you are hitting the 20-year mark!  My key takeaway was that having my CVA designation directly contributed to the incredible opportunities that opened up for me over the last five years and that I look forward to the next renewal period when I can take stock of what happens between now and 2024!