Immigrant Volunteers: Their Characteristics, Contributions, and Experience

It is more common to hear about the resources and services needed by immigrants than about the contribution they make to Canada. One of the contributions made by immigrants that has received little attention is their volunteer work. Immigrant volunteers make an extraordinary contribution to Canadian society by offering their time, skills, and energy to non-profit and charity organizations. Despite their important contribution, very little is known about immigrant volunteers, factors that influence their decision to join mainstream organizations, and their experiences with mainstream organizations. Considering that organizations rely more and more on the contributions of volunteers and that first generation immigrants make up a significant proportion of the Canadian population, this paucity of information is surprising. In what follows, some of the characteristics of immigrant volunteers are presented