This article is an excerpt from Human Resources Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Charities and Nonprofits, a report published by CharityVillage and The Portage Group. The full report covers staffing, volunteering, and the use of government subsidies and relief programs and is based on a survey completed by 1,361 Canadian charities and nonprofits in February 2021. Click here to download the full report for free.

The survey results suggest that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on volunteerism across the charitable and nonprofit sector in Canada. A majority (64%) of surveyed organizations indicated that they have experienced a decrease in the number of volunteers since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Among those that have experienced a decrease, the impact has been significant with most experiencing a decrease of more than 30% of their volunteer base. A full quarter (26%) of participating organizations lost more than 75% of their volunteers over the last year.

Conversely, a comparably small number (11%) experienced an increase in volunteers. One quarter (26%) experienced no change in volunteer levels at all. The challenge has been greatest for charities, with 67% indicating a reduction in volunteers, compared to 48% for foundations.

The pandemic has had an equally adverse impact on the ability of Canadian charities and nonprofits to recruit and retain volunteers. A majority (63% to 65%, respectively) indicated it has become more difficult to recruit and retain volunteers since the onset of COVID-19.

This article is an excerpt from Human Resources Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Charities and Nonprofits, a report published by CharityVillage and The Portage Group. The full report covers staffing, volunteering, and the use of government subsidies and relief programs and is based on a survey completed by 1,361 Canadian charities and nonprofits in February 2021. Click here to download the full report for free.