The twin labour disruptions among volunteers and paid workers is bringing about a rapid evolution in how social purpose organizations design, deliver and manage community-essential activities, programs and services, leaving more people vulnerable as demand rises.
In communities across the country, volunteering is down, and some sectors such as sports, the arts and frontline community services are hit harder than others. The paid labour market is under immense pressure as well. Demographic changes, financial challenges and economic uncertainty continue to impact hiring, training and retaining workers in the non-profit and charitable sectors.
These disruptions are not some passing ‘future of work’ trend. They represent deep systemic workforce challenges that have to do with power, transparency, wage equity, lack of labour market data, mentorship, and structural racism.
Social purpose organizations are struggling to find and keep the staff and volunteers — just as their communities need them most. How are workers and volunteers coping? How are social purpose organizations finding ways to strengthen their workforce? What does the future of non-profit labour look like?
In order to shine a light on novel volunteerism and workforce solutions, understand gender, racial and cultural nuances to the changing labour market, find under-the-radar patterns of volunteerism needs, analyze lived experiences of workers, and cover the trends and developments shaping volunteers and paid workers, Future of Good is thrilled to announce Brennan Doherty who joins us as reporter on transforming volunteerism and work. This independent journalism is supported by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.
Brennan Doherty (he/him) is a reporter whose work has appeared in the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, TVO Today, The Local, Maisonneuve, and elsewhere. Brennan also has a history of work with Future of Good — having worked as a news and features reporter and then covering the climate crisis for Future of Good’s readers. Brennan is based in Toronto, the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.
“For many sport organizations, volunteers enable them to successfully serve their communities and are vital to their long-term sustainability. In creating this editorial fellowship with Future of Good, Jumpstart aims to illuminate the reality of Canada’s volunteer ecosystem and provide non-profits with actionable insights to strengthen their operations. We look forward to reading Brennan’s stories and deepening our understanding of the future of social impact work.” says Marco Di Buono, President of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.
“Brennan has an admirable commitment to high-integrity labour reporting — this combined with his experience covering Canada’s social purpose sector make him well-positioned to uncover some deeply important stories on non-profits’ volunteer and paid workforces,” says Kylie Adair, Future of Good’s editor. “I’m excited to read and share the work Brennan does and am grateful to Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities for their commitment to this independent journalism.”
Please join us in welcoming Brennan (again!) to the Future of Good team.
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