Volunteering as a Newcomer
Volunteering is part of Canadian culture
Volunteering means willingly giving time to help others in your community, without being paid.
There are 1000s of volunteer positions available with organizations in Ottawa. Learn more about the many ways to get involved, give back, and stay connected.
Volunteer Ottawa is your local volunteer centre, here to connect you with all the information, tools, and resources you need to make a meaningful impact in our community.
Watch our video to hear about the experiences of newcomers volunteering in Ottawa
Get started with volunteering:
Volunteering in Canada: Infographic in 16 Languages
What to Consider when Looking for Volunteer Work
Time Commitment
When searching for a volunteer opportunity, you will be able to see the estimated time commitment requested for that role:
- One day or less
- Short term (less than 6 months)
- Long term (6 months to a year)
- Ongoing (more than a year)
Organizations usually request a time commitment because of the training they will be investing in the volunteers in that role. Volunteer positions with more training will request that volunteers plan to stay longer, to help offset the cost of training to the charity or non-profit.
When choosing a position, look for a time commitment range that is realistic for you.
It does sometimes happen that a volunteer plans to make a commitment but their situation changes. In these cases, inform the organization you’re volunteering with as soon as possible.
Current Skills and Experience
When searching for a volunteer opportunity, consider the skills and experience you have now that you want to use or build on. You can use the Filters on the Search page to narrow down the results based on the type of work you want to do.
For example, if you want to work with children, you could use filters like:
- Type of Volunteering: Teaching/Tutoring
- Type of Organization: Children, Youth and Family
- Clientele: Children (0-10 years)
What you Want out of Volunteering
Volunteering has many rewards for the volunteer: it can help you gain skills, it can help you build community, and it can help you feel a sense of satisfaction in doing good work. When searching for a volunteer position, consider the main things you’re looking to get back from contributing to a cause.
How does Volunteer Ottawa help people start volunteering?
Volunteer Ottawa is a local charity and non-profit serving the greater Ottawa region.
We exist to help people interested in volunteering connect with hundreds of charities, non-profits, and community groups who need their help.
Volunteer opportunities are written and posted by the organization that is recruiting volunteers. If you have questions about a specific position, please directly contact the organization who posted the position.
Watch the video to see how it works
Resources
Resources from Volunteer Ottawa
Other Resources
Are you part of an organization or community group for newcomers in Ottawa? Would you like to invite Volunteer Ottawa to make a presentation or set up an information table at an upcoming event? Check out our Volunteer Talks program for more information: