December 28, 2022
Note: In this article, we use the term “volunteer” differently from the way the CRA does. The CRA counts anyone who works on the CVITP as a volunteer. This includes the staff from host organizations who work on their CVITP clinics as part of their job. However, we use the term “volunteer” here to mean only those individuals who work on the CVITP for no remuneration. This latter group is smaller than the total number of volunteers reported on by the CRA, although by how much is unclear. (In the following article, we make a rudimentary estimate of this number.)
Once a CVITP volunteer has been recruited, trained and gained some experience, the CVITP stands to gain if the volunteer comes back again next year. For two important reasons. First, an additional volunteer means that more clients can be served. And second, a returning volunteer brings their accumulated CVITP experience with them. This means that better service can be provided to clients.
What do we know at the national level about the number of CVITP volunteers come back after their initial year? And how many years does a returning volunteer generally serve with the CVITP? As all CVITP volunteers – whether new or returning – are required to register with the CRA before the beginning of every tax season, the CRA has this information. But as it does not publish any information about its volunteers, we do not know if the CRA analyzes its volunteer registration data to get the answers to these questions.
Why it matters
In the first of our three articles on volunteer recruitment, we presented evidence indicating that the CVITP faces an existential threat with stagnant or declining volunteer numbers.
Given that the CRA does not publish any information about its volunteers, we do not know if the root of the problem behind its stagnating volunteer numbers is principally one of poor recruitment of new volunteers or of poor retention of existing volunteers. Both are likely to be problems. But one of the two may be the greater problem. A CRA strategy on volunteer involvement informed by the data on new and returning volunteers could place greater emphasis on efforts to address the main problem, whichever of the two it is.
In the second article, we showed that the CRA currently relies primarily on its host organizations to recruit new volunteers. Yet the evidence from our first article suggests this indirect approach, mediated via its host organizations, is not working.
In the third article in our series on volunteer recruitment, we assumed that there is a problem with the recruitment of new volunteers. Consequently, we proposed ways that the CRA could get directly involved in efforts to recruit new volunteers in order to help reverse the stagnation or decline in volunteer numbers.
In this article, we assume that there is also a problem with the retention of existing volunteers. Just as with the recruitment of new volunteers, we show that the CRA relies primarily on its host organizations’ efforts to retain their existing volunteers for the next tax season.
Community-based organizations vary in their strategies for retaining their volunteers. They should also be able to look to the CRA to complement their efforts.
Given the stagnation or decline in overall volunteer numbers, we believe the CRA should get directly involved in efforts to retain its existing CVITP volunteers. We are not suggesting that the direct approach to volunteer retention is a substitute for the retention efforts of the CRA’s host organizations. Working with volunteers is a collaborative effort between the CRA and the CVITP’s host organizations: each must do its part, playing to its strengths. When taken together with the indirect approach the CRA currently relies on for retaining existing CVITP volunteers, a direct approach could form a more comprehensive strategy for volunteer retention.
Chief among the CRA’s strengths are its national scope, its convening power, the public visibility afforded its minister, its privileged access to taxpayers, specialized knowledge of taxes and benefits and significant financial resources dedicated to the CVITP. The CRA can use these strengths to directly promote greater volunteerism within the CVITP.
Below we highlight some ideas to illustrate what we mean by a more direct approach in which the CRA could leverage some of its strengths.
In putting forth these ideas, we are once again guided by Volunteer Canada’s Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement (CCVI) and, in particular, its checklists for putting the Code into action. While the CRA has not adopted the Code, it should heed its advice as the Code represents the current industry standard for Canadian organizations, whether non profit or government, in working with volunteers.
The ideas we offer fall into two general areas. We are not saying that the CRA should implement all of these ideas (nor that this list is exhaustive). But we hope some of them may prove useful in this effort.
A. Recognizing the contributions of CVITP volunteers
Volunteers need to be recognized for their efforts. This is a fundamental aspect of any organization’s work on retaining its volunteer. We are not suggesting that recognition, by itself, will guarantee the return of an experienced volunteer. But it is a rare volunteer who returns to serve in the CVITP again in the absence of any recognition of their previous contributions.
(Prior to COVID, when in person clinics operated, many volunteers obtained recognition of their contribution directly from the clients they served. The introduction of virtual clinics, in which some of the volunteer’s personal contact with the client was lost, may have partially contributed to the recent decline in volunteer numbers.)
There are two forms of recognition. In both cases, the contribution of the volunteer should be acknowledged by the CRA. One involves the CRA communicating directly with the volunteer. The second involves the CRA communicating with the community in which the volunteer lives.
1. Acknowledging the volunteer’s contribution – to the volunteer
In the past, the CRA provided a computer-generated certificate of appreciation to the volunteer following the regular tax season. None was automatically provided this year. Only if a volunteer registers again for the next season will they be asked if they wish to receive a certificate of appreciation for the last season. This certificate is limited to acknowledging the volunteer’s participation in the CVITP.
“The performance of individual volunteers is assessed on a regular basis.”
CCVI checklist, page 6
At present, the CRA does not provide those CVITP volunteers who prepare and file returns with any feedback on their performance.
Providing performance feedback would serve two related functions: it would signal to the volunteer that the CRA cares about the quality of the volunteer’s work and it would help the volunteer to learn how to improve. The CRA could do this as the returns filed by each volunteer are identified with the unique identification number the CRA assigned to the volunteer in the first year that they registered with the CVITP.
At a minimum, the CRA could confirm for the individual volunteer the number of returns they have filed. Better still, the CRA could indicate the number of returns filed by the volunteer that were free from errors. Ideally, the CRA could also identify the most common error the volunteer made in preparing the return as well as how to correct for this.
Further performance feedback could include: how the returning volunteer’s number of submissions compares with their previous year’s performance as well as cumulative data for the volunteer on the number of clients they have served and the returns they have filed over the years of their involvement with the CVITP.
Other performance feedback could also include the most common errors made by volunteers across Canada (and ones relevant to the volunteer’s province) together with the way to correct for these errors.
“The impact of a volunteer’s contributions is shared with the volunteer… The organization communicates the value and impact of volunteer contributions to the volunteer.”
CCVI checklist, pages 6 & 14
At present, the CRA does not provide its volunteers with any information on the value of their contributions.
Providing feedback on value would convey, in a concrete way to the volunteer, just how much the CRA appreciates the volunteer’s efforts. This could also be done using the volunteer’s unique identification number.
The CRA could provide the total amounts in dollars of the refunds, benefits and credits generated through the returns submitted by the individual volunteer. More individualized feedback could include the dollar breakdown for each benefit and for each credit generated by the volunteer.
Further feedback on value could include: the average amounts in dollars of refunds, benefits and credits produced by volunteers across Canada, how the volunteer’s figures compare with their previous year’s performance as well as cumulative data on the amount of benefits and credits generated by the volunteer over the years of their involvement with the CVITP.
Other feedback on value could include the total amount as well as the breakdown, in dollars, for each benefit and credit (and ones relevant to the volunteer’s province) produced by volunteers across Canada.
“Volunteers are able to give feedback to the organization about their involvement, through accessible formats… Volunteers are able to give feedback to the organization about risk factors.”
CCVI checklist, pages 6 & 10
At present, volunteers are invited by the CRA to fill out a short survey at the end of the regular tax season that only includes questions defined by the CRA. The CRA published online the results only for its 2018 and 2019 surveys, and most volunteers were likely unaware where or even that these results were available.
Providing more opportunities for volunteers to give feedback (not just structured in a manner to suit the CRA) would serve at least two purposes: it would convey to the volunteer that the CRA values their opinion, and it could help the CRA to learn more about what works and does not work well within the CVITP (as well as to garner ideas from volunteers).
The CRA should make it a regular practice to share the results of its annual surveys with its volunteers.
Volunteers should also be offered other less structured opportunities to provide feedback. These could include: a dedicated email inbox to which spontaneous volunteer feedback can be provided, and end-of-season volunteer focus groups with CRA regional coordinators.
2. Acknowledging the volunteer’s contribution – to the community
“The contributions of volunteers are regularly acknowledged with formal and informal methods of recognition. Senior management acknowledges the involvement and impact of volunteers, both internally and externally.”
CCVI checklist, page 14
In 2021, on the occasion of National Volunteer Week, the Minister of National Revenue issued a public statement acknowledging the contribution of CVITP volunteers. This action was not repeated in 2022.
Up until FY 2021-22, the CRA reported in its annual Departmental Results Report to Parliament and the public on the number of clients served through the CVITP; this was one of its key performance indicators for the delivery of its tax service. (Information on the number of volunteers, host organizations and returns filed has been provided sporadically over the years. No other information on CVITP performance or impact is provided to Parliament or the public.) Starting in 2023, the CRA has indicated it will no longer provide consistent information on the CVITP in its Departmental Results Reports to Parliament and the public.
Providing information on the CVITP to Parliament and the public signals to volunteers the importance the CRA attaches to the work of its volunteers.
Going forward, the CRA should annually report, at a minimum, on the number of clients served, the number of host organizations and volunteers involved, the number of returns filed (and for which prior years) as well as the dollar amount of benefits generated for its CVITP clients. This could be included as part of the information it provides on its benefits service (in line with what we have said in our previous article about the main reasons clients seek out this service and the federal government promotes it) within its Departmental Results Reports to Parliament and the public.
B. Other measures to promote the retention of experienced volunteers
“Statistical information about volunteer involvement is regularly shared with staff and volunteers in the organization.”
CCVI checklist, page 7
At present, the CRA does not consistently share any statistical information with its volunteers.
Publishing and circulating a volunteer focused newsletter to all volunteers would allow the CRA to maintain contact with its volunteers during the off season. Such a newsletter could fill a number of the information gaps already identified above, with the CRA sharing information on various aspects of the CVITP.
Information in such a newsletter could include:
- a statistical profile of the CVITP volunteer base (e.g. returning volunteers vs new, age groups);
- the results of the CRA’s annual survey of volunteers;
- data at a national level on number of clients served that year, the number of host organizations and volunteers involved, the number of returns filed (and for which prior years) as well as the value (the dollar amount of benefits generated for all CVITP clients across Canada that year as well as the average amounts in dollars of refunds, benefits and credits produced by each volunteer);
- data on volunteer performance (e.g. average number of returns, range, common errors and fixes);
- special features highlighting a subset of volunteers and their work; and
- the CRA’s tentative plans for the CVITP in the next tax season.
“Volunteers are asked to complete an exit interview to learn about their unique experiences. Participation in an exit interview is voluntary.”
CCVI checklist, page 6
At present, the CRA invites volunteers from the previous season to register again for the next tax season. But it does not ask those not returning the reasons for their decision.
Where a volunteer is not planning on returning, the CRA should seek feedback on the reasons why the volunteer may not be returning. This will be important for informing its future retention efforts.
How the CRA could manage this change in its approach
Note: The steps to be taken here are the same as those needed to tackle the recruitment of new volunteers. If you have already read the third article in our recent series on recruiting volunteers, you may wish to skip this section.
If the CRA is to do a better job of working with its volunteers, it needs to dedicate financial and human resources specifically for this purpose.
It has the budget to do this. As we have previously mentioned, Budget 2018 indicated that the CRA’s budget for the CVITP has quadrupled in recent years. Therefore, it should allocate funds to support its efforts to increase volunteer involvement (if it has not already done so); it is primarily a question of its own budget priorities.[i] Furthermore, the CRA should designate an individual – with appropriate experience and the authority – to spearhead this effort.[ii]
Volunteer management systems would need to be put in place to support, and track volunteer involvement.[iii] Volunteer roles and responsibilities would need to evolve to remain consonant with current working conditions.[iv]
As per the CRA Ombudsman’s recommendation #6, the CRA should follow through and prepare a strategy for recruiting CVITP volunteers. This action is overdue.
The CRA should analyze data on volunteer characteristics collected through its CVITP volunteer registration process to identify trends which could help inform this strategy. The strategy should incorporate annual recruitment targets against which the CRA should report results on. It also should be subject to regular review.[v]
As host organizations are the CVITP’s main partner in the volunteer retention process, the CRA should be mindful to consult with host organizations before finalizing the strategy.
Conclusion
As mentioned in the conclusion of our third article on volunteer recruitment, we see four stages in the annual cycle of CVITP service delivery in which volunteers are implicated: recruitment, training, support and supervision, and finally recognition and retention.
A recognition and retention strategy addresses only one stage in this cycle. Together with our three-part series on volunteer recruitment, we have now discussed two of the four stages. A comprehensive CRA strategy for volunteer involvement would address all four stages.[vi]
In forthcoming articles, we will also share ideas the CRA could consider for both the training, and the support and supervision stages of its involvement with volunteers.
[i] CCVI checklist, page 2: “A budget is allocated for volunteer involvement.”
[ii] CCVI checklist, page 4: “The organization has a clearly designated individual(s) with appropriate qualifications responsible for supporting volunteer involvement.”
[iii] CCVI checklist, page 5: “Volunteer management systems are in place to support, and track volunteer involvement.”
[iv] CCVI checklist, page 8: “Volunteer roles are developed to reflect the needs of the organization and the needs of volunteers, incorporating a range of approaches and reflecting current trends.”
[v] CCVI checklist, page 6: “The impact of the volunteer involvement strategy is evaluated to ensure the needs of the organization are met. This includes both the social and economic value and impact of volunteer involvement.”
[vi] CCVI checklist, page 3: “The organization has a planned approach for volunteer involvement. It includes linking volunteer roles to achieving the mission, providing the appropriate human and financial resources to support volunteer involvement and establishing policies for effective volunteer management.”