REQUEST FOR DIRECTION
DATE: February 9, 2016 Report No. ADM-16-005
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Anja Nurvo, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Volunteer Recognition Options
End
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Does Council wish to revise the current manner in which community volunteers are recognized in the Township of Esquimalt?
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the Committee of the Whole receive Staff Report ADM-16-005 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
Body
BACKGROUND:
At the In Camera meeting held on November 16, 2015, Council directed staff to prepare a report on options for acknowledging community contribution from all community groups, including those that receive funding from the Township.
The following are attached for Council’s information:
1. Council Policy ADMIN-72 ‘Mementoes, Recognition, and Volunteer Spirit Awards’, approved by Council on April 13, 2015;
2. Listing of Township of Esquimalt Volunteers and Service Groups, both Internal (appointed by Council for various functions), and External; and
3. Listing of Local Grants awarded by Council in 2015.
Township’s Current Recognition Activities:
Currently, since 2008, the Township of Esquimalt hosts an annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner to which it invites all members of the community who currently serve on any of our Council appointed Committees as well as representatives of our Service Groups, as listed in Item 2 above. Usually over 80 people attend the event. The annual budget for the dinner, held at the Chief and Petty Officer’s Mess, is $3,000, which does not include staff time spent in organizing the event.
In addition to this main recognition event, Parks and Recreation staff host a few afternoon teas throughout the year for their volunteers, mostly seniors, as a means of showing their appreciation for their ongoing actions benefitting the community.
Emergency Program staff also host a group BBQ in the summer and a holiday party in December for all emergency program volunteers.
On December 9, 2013, Council held an Esquimalt Service Group Recognition and invited representatives of all of the Township’s Service Groups which were presented with Certificates of Appreciation. Information relating to the event was added to the Township’s web page dealing with Volunteers and Service Groups, along with photos of the event and a brief description of what each group does for the community. Fifteen Service Groups were recognized at that event, which included: Buccaneer Days, Celebration of Lights, Anglers Association, Chamber of Commerce, Early Years Coalition, Garden Club, Kiwanis Club, Lantern Festival Society, Esquimalt Legion, Lions Club, Photography Club, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Harbourside Boys and Girls Club, Independent Order of Od Fellows, and St. John Ambulance.
In addition, information and photos relating to volunteer appreciation events are posted to Facebook and distributed through Twitter. The enhanced website which is currently under development will bring together the three different volunteer sections (municipal, recreation and emergency program) into one section.
On occasion, the Township has awarded Volunteer Spirit Awards to members of the community who have been nominated and meet the criteria set out in the Policy. Information relating to this Award and the nomination process is posted to the Township’s website; however, not many nominations have come forward from members of the community.
Capital Region Recognition Activities:
Staff canvassed the other Capital Region local municipalities to determine whether they conducted any volunteer recognition within their municipality. Attached is a summary of several municipalities that do present awards or hold events to recognize their community volunteers.
The Importance of Volunteer Recognition:
Staff conducted research on volunteer recognition options, and found several statements on the benefits of volunteers and the importance of developing an active volunteer recognition program, including the following:
- Volunteer Canada reports that “more than 13.3 million volunteers in Canada contribute 2.1 billion hours of time every year. Imagine what your community would look like if all of that went away.”
- “Demonstrating your appreciation for and recognizing volunteer contributions to your organization is important on so many levels. First and foremost, we all want volunteers to enjoy their experience and feel their efforts are appreciated. At the same time, saying thanks and formally recognizing volunteers is important to keep these individuals motivated and happy so they’ll keep coming back. After all, volunteer recruitment and training is time-consuming, so it’s in the organization’s and the volunteer’s best interests to ensure they have a fulfilling experience. But in addition, your volunteers are ambassadors - representing your organization during programs, at events, etc. - and their volunteer experience will directly impact the way in which they represent or personify your organization and its mission.” (www.wildapricot.com <http://www.wildapricot.com>)
Options for Volunteer Recognition:
Below is a summary of options for volunteer recognition, including both informal (more personal) and formal (scheduled event) means.
- Examples of informal recognition include: personal hand-written thank you cards; name badges for volunteers; have a “design the Volunteer T-Shirt” contest and use the winning design as that year’s T-shirt for special events; small tokens of gratitude (coffee or local shop gift card).
- Examples of formal recognition include: hosting lunches, dinners, teas, socials; Mayor’s bestowing of special award; Seven-year Service Medal; Volunteer Hall of Fame; Volunteer of the Year.
- Other options to consider include: posting appreciation event photos on website; asking those served by volunteers to craft personal gifts (art work, photography, poems) to be presented to volunteers; hosting an event for the families of volunteers (picnic, bowling, ice cream social, or fun-filled day); host “this is your life” event for a long-time retiring volunteer; have a “Volunteer of the Month” and post their personal story on website.
ISSUES:
There are numerous ways, both informal and formal, to recognize and show appreciation to community volunteers. The Township of Esquimalt currently has a combination of a formal annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner as well as a few informal recognition events hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department and Emergency Program staff. In addition, we regularly post information relating to volunteers on our website and through social media. The cost of the events and activities for an enhanced volunteer recognition program would need to be included in the Township’s budget. Consideration should also be given to the staff time and resources required in order to organize the program.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That the COTW receive Staff Report No. ADM-16-005 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
2. That the COTW provide alternative direction to staff.
3. That the COTW request further information from staff.