“Volunteers Make Waves”: National Volunteer Week 2025 and the Ripple Effect

From 27 April to 3 May 2025, Canada marked National Volunteer Week under the theme Volunteers Make Waves. The image is apt. A single act of service, like a stone dropped into water, sends ripples far beyond its point of origin.

Volunteer Canada paired the celebration with candour. It noted that volunteering had declined since the pandemic, that 57 per cent of charities reported being unable to meet current demand, and that only one in five Canadians reported a strong sense of belonging to their community. It also announced work on a National Volunteer Action Strategy to reduce barriers to volunteering.

Two problems, one opportunity

At first glance, these are separate concerns: charities short of help, and Canadians short of connection. On reflection, they may be two halves of the same opportunity. Volunteering is among the most reliable ways to build belonging. People who serve alongside others tend to feel more rooted in their communities.

If that is true, then removing barriers to volunteering addresses both problems at once — strengthening organisations while strengthening the social fabric.

Removing the barriers

What prevents willing people from volunteering? Often, it is not a lack of desire but friction:

• Uncertainty about where to begin, which clear, welcoming information can resolve.
• Inflexible commitments, which shorter and remote roles can ease.
• Slow responses to enquiries, which simple systems can accelerate.
• Feeling unqualified, which good orientation and supportive supervision can overcome.

The ripple worth making

The theme reminds me that impact is rarely linear. A volunteer who teaches one senior to video-call her grandchildren has helped a family, not merely an individual. A mentor who encourages one student may influence a career, and through it, a community.

We cannot measure every ripple. We can, however, make it easier for more people to drop the first stone. That is work I consider among the most worthwhile our sector can undertake.