There’s been a fair bit of talk recently about community-centred volunteering.

It focuses on the challenges, priorities and solutions defined by the community itself, rather than what an organization believes are the challenges.

It’s a long over-due concept but what exactly does it look like from the point of view of a leader of volunteers? ABC was a youth organization that ran after-school programs. Its volunteer tutors were passionate, knowledgeable and reliable. Yet, it wasn’t working. Attendance was inconsistent and families didn’t stay engaged. It wasn’t until the leader of volunteers sat down with a group of parents that it became clear—the kids didn’t really need more academic tutoring. What they needed was real-life knowledge, mentorship and the chance to explore different career options.

That conversation changed things. Instead of only focusing on homework help, volunteers began offering workshops on budgeting, health, presentations by people in different careers and the chance to build a network outside their usual community.

Attendance grew, but more importantly, the youth gained skills and experiences they couldn’t get elsewhere. That’s the heart of community-centred volunteering—ensuring the work volunteers do responds directly to what the community values.

For leaders of volunteers, that doesn’t necessarily........

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