Get Informed
Before embarking upon a volunteer opportunity, take the time to get informed about the opportunities and the obligations.
Here are some hints and resources to get you started. If you have discovered an informative volunteer website that you think would be great for this section, please share your suggestions by emailing us.
Getting Started
Approaching a volunteer opportunity is very similar to approaching any employment opportunity. Be prepared. Many organizations will require that you provide a résumé, attend a face to face interview and check your references. In addition do not be surprised if you are asked to submit to a police record check as this additional screening procedure is becoming a standard practice for many volunteer organizations.
The following are some helpful resource to get you started on your search:
York University Career Centre
To help you prepare an effective résumé, the Career Centre provides several interactive résumé workshops and one-on-one résumé advice throughout the year. Tips on interview skills and one-on-one guidance through interview practice sessions are also available.
Marketing Volunteer Experience on the Résumé
Having volunteer experience is invaluable on your résumé. Find out how to incorporate your volunteer experience on your résumé when preparing for future paid or volunteer positions.
Evaluating A Potential Volunteer Opportunity
Before you accept a volunteer opportunity, ensure that the position matches your goals and interests. The Service Leader website provides information on assessing whether a volunteer opportunity is the right one for you.
Volunteer Information
What is Volunteering?
Check out Volunteer Canada’s website for answers to important questions about the benefits of volunteering, why volunteering is important, and what volunteering actually is.
Screening
Many organizations will administer some form of a screening on their staff and volunteers to ensure that they are engaging the very best applicants. The following are some links that explain the process.
What is Screening?
Volunteer Canada has developed an informative resource centre with information on all aspects of the screening process including information on laws relating to screening, and province specific data.
Police Checks
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have provided an information sheet entitled ‘Understanding Police Record Checks’ that is made available on the Volunteer Canada website.
Trends and Statistics
Canadian Volunteering Statistics
The National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, conducted by Statistics Canada and several prominent Canadian volunteer organizations provides interesting information on several aspects of volunteerism in Canada including the benefits of volunteering, types of volunteer activities, and employer-supported volunteering.
University Students as Volunteers
An information sheet created by the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy that assesses the trends in Canadian university students’ volunteering attitudes and activities.
Disclaimer
When you click on the link above, you will leave York University’s website and connect directly to an external website, which is independent of York University. York University provides this link to you for convenience, on an "as is" basis. The provision of this link does not imply endorsement by York University of that website or the entity or entities owning or operating that website, or its respective contents, information, publications, products or services. York University is not responsible for any link contained in that website. Your personal information is subject to laws applicable to the jurisdiction in which the external website carries on business.
Use of the link to the external website is voluntary. If you do not wish communicate online, you should phone that website and speak to a representative.
