Like other community organizations, Volunteer Toronto has seen a drop in volunteers coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic after witnessing a surge of interest in the early months of the global lockdown.
“I think many of us expected a rebound, a back to normal,” says Joanne McKiernan, executive director at Volunteer Toronto. “And that didn’t happen.”
Demand for public services like food banks is increasing as more people grapple with lingering inflation, just as fewer people are offering up their time. And donations are declining as individuals struggle to afford to give.
McKiernan knows the drop in volunteers is not because people have lost interest. With a global trade war escalating at a time when many were already facing a cost of living crisis, she understands that people who want to give their time are having to make a “tough” decision.
“There’s a privilege to having the time and capacity to participate in things that are not paid,” she says.
While McKiernan and other personal financial advisers acknowledge that it can be overwhelming trying to prioritize making ends meet while also giving back to your community, they stress that there are ways to balance your desire to help with your need to take care of your own financial well-being.
Quality over quantity
Volunteering an hour or two every week at your local food bank is incredibly generous — but it’s not always realistic.
“When it comes to volunteer work, it’s important to understand it’s not about the physical number of hours,” says Kelly Ho, a certified financial planner at Vancouver-based DLD Financial Group. “It’s about impact.”
Ho herself volunteers about once a month, whether through work or as a mentor for a high school service club, while juggling her work and family obligations.
McKiernan agrees, noting that Volunteer Toronto and others have started promoting more short-term commitments for people. She cites working as a music mentor for young people, providing graphic design for an organization’s promotional materials or being a “phone pal” for an isolated senior as examples.
“There are lots of different ways organizations are thinking about how to meet people where they are,” McKiernan says, “and in general adopt services to be more flexible and more digital.”
Find something you’re passionate about
Volunteering in an area you’re interested in can also help motivate you.
“If it’s something that’s really important to you, you can absolutely carve out the time and not have it impact your work,” says Jessica Moorhouse, a personal finance expert and author of “Everything But Money.”
Moorhouse points to a friend who works in music and volunteers at an animal shelter as an example.
“She loves it because she gets to play with all these animals,” says Moorhouse. “And that’s only, like, a couple hours per week that she dedicates. Whereas what else would she be doing with that time? Watching TV, scrolling social media?”
Having a passion can also help you find a good volunteering fit, Moorhouse says. And it can make volunteering feel less like an obligation — although Moorhouse says giving back should never feel this way, regardless if it’s for something you’re interested in or not.
“If it feels like a sacrifice, then you’re doing it wrong,” she says. “If you’re doing it because you feel like you should be doing it … you’re not going to have an enjoyable time.”
Plan ahead
As with most decisions related to personal finances, experts recommend having a plan before deciding to volunteer.
For Moorhouse, this could come in the form of a timeline: how often do you want to volunteer, and for how long? Nancy Grouni, a financial planner at Markham-based Objective Financial Partners, says it all goes back to having a clear financial plan that lays out what your needs are and how you can achieve them.
“Having that road map in place is really, I think, essential,” Grouni says, “so that when you go about volunteering, you feel good about it.”
Setting aside time to volunteer in advance can also alleviate the stress around finding free time, Ho adds. That way you can avoid any surprises or more easily find times that fit in with your work schedule.
Kill two birds with one stone
Finding time to meet up with friends in between work and other responsibilities can feel hard sometimes. Throw in the possibility of volunteering and the task of scheduling your time starts to feel impossible.
But incorporating volunteering into other facets of your life can help, Ho says.
“If you’re able to integrate it into your social calendar and make it an activity that your friends may want to partake in, then it’s a double win right there.”
Ho also recommends asking your employer if they would consider setting up an office-wide volunteering opportunity, particularly if your boss asks for feedback on things to improve in the workplace.
“And that’s something that could be done on work time,” she says. “Or it could be an after-work thing.”
Now might not be the right time — and that’s OK
While Volunteer Toronto is facing a shortage of volunteers, McKiernan recognizes that people are busy.
“People go through phases in their life where they can or can’t volunteer, or they have more or less capacity, or more or less resources,” she says.
She and other personal finance advisers say it is perfectly acceptable if now is not the right time for you to volunteer.
The more important thing, McKiernan says, is to stay connected with your community to know what is needed when you’re ready to volunteer again.
“Read your city councillor emails. Attend a community event. Join a neighbourhood Facebook group,” she continued. “And when you feel that connection and you see those needs in the local community … get involved.”
Moorhouse says it’s also reasonable for people to take a break from volunteering if they are beginning to feel overwhelmed by life events.
“Just because you start volunteering doesn’t mean you have to continue to volunteer forever,” Moorhouse says.
