Leadership 2020
Leadership 2020 is a Federation Recruitment and Retention initiative that will bring together emergent and legacy leaders from Federation member agencies and establish a community of practice (CoP) for leadership co-learning and networking. The program was announced at the Federation's Annual General meeting in June 2011 and applications have been received for the first cohort. Find more information on the Leadership 2020 page.
Recruitment and Retention Project
Staff and board recruitment and retention challenges have been identified as one of the top three challenges facing Federation member agencies and the sector at large. These challenges are mounting as a result of demographic shifts as well as other factors that are deterring people from choosing to work in our field. The Recruitment and Retention Initiative was launched in 2008 and aims to:
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of staff and volunteer recruitment and retention issues in the community social service sector;
- Work collaboratively with other organizations to develop strategies that will mitigate the risks associated with a declining labour force and that will enhance recruitment and retention of employees and volunteers;
- Implement and evaluate recruitment and retention strategies.
Our goal is to develop and implement a comprehensive staff and volunteer recruitment and retention strategy that will enhance the recruitment, placement, and retention of employees and volunteers in community social services agencies and organizations in BC. Through this work, we aim to enhance the sustainability of community-based services and networks.
The work is being undertaken in three phases:
Phase 1 - Understand the phenomenon: This phase consists of three activities that will be undertaken simultaneously in the first six months of the project: problem assessment, identification of current/planned action, identification of promising practices. Learning and resources will be continuously added to and updated on the website.
Phase 2 - Engage others to co-create a comprehensive strategy: In the first year, we will work intensively with representatives from a range of organizations and institutions to co-create a comprehensive strategy. The strategy will be modified as implementation unfolds.
Phase 3 - Experiment and evaluate: Beginning in year one and continuing through year three, we will encourage and support experimentation and evaluation of diverse recruitment and retention strategies. The evaluation process will ensure that we understand what works, why, and what the impact is. Information and documentation will be posted to our website.
Funding for this project has been provided by Vancouver Foundation, an anonymous donor and the Federation’s strategic projects fund. The Ministry of Children and Family Development also assisted with funds for Phase One. Thank you to all of our support organizations.
For further information contact: Jennifer Charlesworth jennifer@fcssbc.ca