Sustainable volunteering
· CastanetThe past two years, I’ve written columns about upcoming trends in volunteering.
When I reviewed the one from last year, I realized most of the trends I mentioned are still moving through, with only one significant addition that I see coming—awareness and recognition of volunteers and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
2026 is the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.
The fact the U.N. General Council specified “for sustainable development” in it’s declaration was, according to U.N. development program administrator, Achim Steiner, “a call for U.N. member states to make volunteerism an integral cog in their development pathways to drive forward the global goal.”
The 17 goals, in case you haven’t seen them recently, are:
1. No poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and well-being
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
17. Partnerships for the goals
Can you name one of the goals that isn’t supported by volunteers? I can’t.
Therefore, governments that are focused on achieving those goals need to start paying significantly more attention to the work volunteers provide to the process. With the high cost of living in many countries, many people no longer have the time to spend volunteering. They are now having to work multiple jobs, or care for family members at home rather than have them in daycares or care homes. That leaves the organizations that work toward the Sustainable Development goals scrambling for help.
Governments need to do more than pay lip service to the value of volunteers. Concrete action needs to be taken to make it easier for people to volunteer. Schemes such as “mandatory volunteering” are heavy-handed and generally ineffective. We need to find and implement more creative solutions.
Back in January, I suggested governments provide tax receipts for time donated, in much the same way they do for money donated. I’m not sure how well such an idea would work but it would certainly be better than what is being done now, which, in Canada, is little more than patting us on the head and telling us what a nice job we’re doing.
But what I really want to focus on is what we, as leaders of volunteers, can do to initiate action at the government level.
Get together with some of your colleagues and brainstorm creative ways government can support volunteering in a specific, actionable way. There are a lot of us, and we are smart people.
I’ve suggested one solution. What ideas can you come up with? Consider being part of the International Association for Volunteer Effort’s series of global dialogues to plan for 2026. It is hosting a number of online conversations to discuss questions like:
1. What action is required—and by whom—to increase recognition of the value of volunteering made by all types of volunteers?
2. What needs to be done to ensure that governments in all parts of the globe provide not only the rhetoric of support, but the financial investment that enables volunteering to flourish?
3. What must change to address power dynamics and ensure that a diversity of voices of volunteers (women, young people and other marginalized groups, formally or informally organized) play a key role in shaping an enabling environment for volunteering?
4. What needs to be done to generate the necessary investments to enable volunteers to fulfil their potential?
Here’s the link to the IAVE website for more information or to sign up if you’re interested: https://www.iave.org/iyv26-global-dialogues/
Talk to your federal government representative directly about what ideas they have for supporting you and don’t let them brush you off. Find out from them what exactly you need to do to make the ideas a reality. Gather petitions? Bring on larger organizations like Volunteer Canada or the Royal Voluntary Service? Try to get them to commit to taking specific action themselves, like speaking with other representatives about the ideas.
Lastly, thank you. I know I’m asking you to do more, but thank you for all the work you currently do to support one or many of the U.N’.s sustainable development goals.
Without your dedication and leadership, we would be moving a lot slower toward the better world we all want.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.