By Josh Hall and Sheldon Spackman

End Of An Era

Volunteer Central closing its doors by June 30

Mar 27, 2021 | 9:23 AM

It is with great sadness that Volunteer Central and its Board of Directors have announced they are winding down operations and closing their doors on or before June 30, 2021.

The agency that has served central Alberta for over 30 years by connecting volunteers, non-profit organizations, and businesses to create successful volunteer relationships throughout the region, will soon be no more.

Board Chair Lynne Mulder admits the COVID-19 pandemic certainly played a role in this outcome.

“I think COVID perhaps led to the lesser amount of money that the City might have to give not-for-profits, but really, it was coming,” says Mulder. “It was coming because our funding is just not predictable. Every year we try to raise money on our own and it’s not a solid proposition to fundraise for Volunteer Central. We’re more successful in helping other people raise money.”

Mulder suggests Volunteer Central would never be able to fundraise the amount of money they would need to stay afloat and help serve the 79 agencies they support.

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“We often go unnoticed,” laments Mulder. “The real reason we had to close is that we had money for part of this year, but then we don’t have any money. The City is on a two-year budget, so there was no chance of us getting any money in the New Year because that portal isn’t open and we knew we couldn’t fundraise the amount that we needed, and so we made the decision to close our doors.”

With an annual budget of between $140,000 and $150,000, and government grants covering a portion of that, Mulder notes the City’s former funding — which it last received in 2020 — made up about $120,000.

“I personally believe so strongly in what we do, and our executive director was second to none,” she says of Pam Snowdon. “So it’s a very sad day. It’s the not-for-profits that are looking for volunteers who’ll no longer have a central hub, so people will have to do it on their own.”

As Volunteer Central winds down operations over the coming months, the organization will continue to honour its partner commitments regarding the planning and execution of the National Volunteer Week event and sharing volunteer opportunities in its newsletter and on its website.

Partner organizations that would like to discuss refund options regarding the 2021 partnership fee following closure, can contact Pam Snowdon, Executive Director, at Volunteer Central. Refunds will be pro-rated based on the time left in the annual partnership.

Mulder concludes it’s been a pleasure working with and serving those partner agencies.

“I believe Red Deer is a volunteer community and I hope that they will continue to throw their efforts behind the not-for-profits when there’s a need for volunteers,” she implores. ”I think they’ve done an awesome job and we’re grateful that we were able to play a small part in hooking them up for volunteers and helping the not-for-profits get the volunteers they need.”

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