The Challenges of Running Green Venture’s Volunteer Programs
As an environmental not-for-profit organization trying to install, enhance, and maintain green spaces in Hamilton, Ontario, Green Venture experiences a unique set of challenges. Managing gardens, green spaces and forest sites demands dedication, coordination, and problem-solving skills to navigate the complexities of volunteer management.
Here are some of the most significant challenges we face:
1. Recruitment and Retention
One of the primary challenges is attracting and retaining volunteers. While many people are passionate about the environment, competing commitments and busy schedules can make long-term involvement difficult. We often have a dozen people sign up to volunteer and on the day of the event 1-3 show up! This is due to various factors including weather. Ensuring a steady stream of volunteers requires continuous outreach efforts, appealing to diverse groups, and creating a flexible program that accommodates various levels of availability and commitment.
We currently run a bi-monthly program called the Urban Gardening Club. This is a free club that is an inclusive space for like minded individuals to meet and improve upon their gardening literacy and knowledge. Our meetings focus on environmentally conscious topics and are delivered through workshops, volunteer opportunities, and experiential group outings. Each meeting is created to be its own topic so members of different commitment levels are able to drop in when available without feeling left behind.
Maintaining volunteer commitment during the summer is one of the Urban Gardening Club’s biggest challenges. Though we currently have 198 members registered, only 2-4 members regularly attend each meeting during the summer months! To encourage volunteer retention in the summer, we diversify the topics and scope of the Urban Gardening Club meetings, trying to improve and evolve the previous programming, especially during the summer months.
2. Training and Skill Development
Environmental conservation work often requires specific skills and knowledge. While our team will provide guidance on plant identification, sustainable gardening practices, and forest management techniques, it is helpful when volunteers have some basic knowledge. Providing this training can be resource-intensive, and ensuring that volunteers feel confident and competent in their roles is crucial for the success of the program.
3. Communication and Coordination
Effective communication is key to managing a volunteer program, especially when dealing with a diverse group of individuals. Coordinating schedules, assigning tasks, and providing updates can be challenging- especially when volunteers don’t follow the outlined registration processes. Utilizing digital tools and platforms can help streamline communication, but ensuring all volunteers are comfortable using these technologies adds another layer of complexity.
4. Volunteer Motivation and Engagement
Keeping volunteers motivated and engaged is vital for the program’s longevity. Green Venture is lucky to have a handful of dedicated and active volunteers who are comfortable with self-paced work and constantly join us at events. But they are rare! Most often, we see volunteers a handful of times. Consistent engagement allows us to train and educate our recurring volunteers better and encourages us to develop deeper relationships in our local community.
5. Balancing Maintenance and Expansion
Green Venture has installed close to 20 green spaces and green infrastructure sites from rain gardens, pollinator gardens, permeable surfaces, tree planting sites, and mini forests. We’d love to keep expanding and adding more sites but need to balance our goals with maintaining the existing locations. Installing a new site is viewed as more important which is evident by significantly higher volunteer turnout and sponsorship. But the reality is that tasks such as replacing plants, weeding, and site maintenance are equally important to keep the sites sustainable.
6. Weather Challenges
Weather can change plans, so maintaining progress on our conservation projects requires flexibility and resilience. While ideal weather conditions can enhance the stewardship experience, inclement weather poses one of the most significant challenges during volunteer events. Rain and extreme temperatures can deter many participants, but they can also demonstrate the commitment of our volunteers. Assessing the forecast ahead of stewardship events allows for adjustments in scheduling and gives us the opportunity to notify and prepare volunteers for what they might expect during the event.
7. Community Engagement and Education
Engaging the local community and raising awareness about environmental issues is crucial for building support and fostering a culture of conservation. Organizing educational workshops, outreach events, and collaborative projects adds another layer of responsibility to the volunteer program.
Conclusion
Though volunteer management may require a complex set of skills, volunteers play a crucial role in the installation, enhancement, and maintenance of green spaces in Hamilton, Ontario. Through the many challenges of running volunteer programs, Green Venture has been able to accomplish many milestones in 2024.
So far this year, we’ve:
- Completed 52 volunteer events, up 160% from 2023.
- Engaged 172 volunteers, up 45% from 2023.
- Collected 240 bags of litter, up 774% from last year.
- Ran 9 Urban Gardening Club Meetings since the club’s inception in November 2023.
