Volunteering At Opportunity Canada

Opportunity International Canada highly values its volunteers and the contributions they make to the organization. Opportunity Canada aims to make volunteering with us a mutually beneficial experience for both the organization and the volunteer. Volunteers have an opportunity to contribute to and gain valuable hands-on experience in a dynamic and rapidly expanding international development organization. All volunteer opportunities are unpaid. Please click here for complete Volunteer Policy.

We are currently recruiting volunteers to fill the following on-call positions:

These volunteers are not needed regularly.

• Event Volunteers (work at local events)
• Translators (work at local events and/or your home/office)
• Media Relations Assistant (work from home/office)
• Graphic Designer (work from home/office)
• Proposal Writing Support (work out of Toronto office)

Other Volunteer Opportunities:

If you would like to be notified about other volunteer positions as they arise, please email your contact information to: amadonia@opportunityinternational.ca. Please feel free to include a resume and/or an indication of your volunteer interests. Your information will not be shared and you will not receive frequent emails.

Applying for a Volunteer Position:

Volunteers from all over Canada are welcome to apply for positions which allow you to work from your home or office. To apply for a position, please send a resume and/or reference letter to:

Adele Madonia, Project Coordinator

Email: amadonia@opportunityinternational.ca
Fax: (416) 444-8166
Mail: 295 The West Mall, Suite 504, Toronto, ON, M9C 4Z4

If you have any questions or would like to further discuss the positions listed on this page, please feel free to contact our volunteer coordinator, Adele Madonia, at (416) 444-2448 or at 1(877) 867-2448, ext. 2210, or by email at amadonia@opportunityinternational.ca.

On - Call Volunteer Position Profiles:

Event Volunteers

Start Date: On-Call

Times Requested: As needed.

Work From: Local event locations (events are held across Canada).

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to assist with events. This type of assignment might involve event set-up, managing booths, technical support, assisting with guests, answering questions, and/or event clean-up.

Skills Required:

• Reliable and punctual.
• Completed or attending University/College.

• Strong verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with Power Point.

Translators

Start Date: On-Call

Times Requested: As needed.

Work From: Local event locations (e.g. Vancouver, Calgary, GTA) and/or your home/office.

Volunteer Duties:We are looking for volunteers to assist with translation on an on-call basis. We need both volunteers who are comfortable translating in person (at events), and volunteers who are willing to translate short written pieces (which can be done from home over email). We will probably only be able to make use of translators who speak Spanish or Portguese, but please let us know if you speak another language, and we will add you to our list of potential volunteer translators.

Skills Required:

• Fluency in English and one other language (preferably Spanish or Portuguese).

• Comfortable public speaker.
• Personable and empathetic.
• Willingness to become informed about the specific program methodology of Opportunity Canada.

Media Relations Assistant

Start Date: On-Call.

Times Requested: As needed.

Work From: Your home/office

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to assist with the placement of microfinance-related stories and Opportunity International news in the Canadian media. Over the past year, interest in the microfinance sector has increased dramatically and the opportunities for media placement are likewise vast. Accordingly, we have several press releases and story ideas “ready to go” (e.g., microschools, microinsurance); we only need to connect these stories with journalists who might be interested in featuring them. We are looking for someone that has experience with PR and/or media placements who could help us follow up with journalists who have already expressed interest in microfinance as well as pitch ideas to new media contacts. The volunteer could use our roster of pre-existing contacts and/or leverage their own contacts in the industry.

Skills Required:

• Ability to take initiative and be proactive.
• Ability to summarize/synthesize information.
• Completed or attending University/College.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Proposal Writing Support

Start Date: On-Call. Assistance will likely not be required in the next six months. If you are interested in this type of work, please let our volunteer coordinator know and/or ask to be notified about other volunteer positions as they arise.

Times Requested: As needed.

Work From: Your home/office

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to assist with proposal writing. Our proposals are often used to request funding from either public or private sources. This volunteer will likely only be needed a few times during the year. This type of assignment might involve researching and writing a few paragraphs about a particular country, including a review of its economic situation and poverty-alleviation efforts. Or it might require a summary of the effectiveness of a certain kind of microfinance product (eg microinsurance).

Skills Required:

• Ability to take initiative and be proactive.
• Research skills.
• Ability to summarize/synthesize information.
• Strong writing skills.
• Completed or attending University/College.

• Political Affairs Research Assistant
• Fundraising Research Assistant
• Microfinance Enthusiast
• Communications Assistant (work from home/office)
• Client Story File Coordinator
• General Admin Support
  
  

Political Affairs Research Assistant

Start Date: Position Already Filled

Times Requested: Ongoing as needed, flexible

Work From: Your home/office

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to monitor and report on the changing political situations in the countries that we have current or potential projects in (Peru, Colombia, Rwanda, Ghana, Mozambique), as well as updates within the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). This will involve reading current foreign affairs news sources that report on changes in economic and political situations that might affect our operations. It will also involve staying abreast of the updates within CIDA, and providing a summary of any relevant information to staff. There is potential for this volunteer to also take on additional research responsibilities, as well as reading responsibilities for a variety of topics related to microfinance.

Skills Required:

• Ability to take initiative and be proactive.
• Research skills.
• Ability to summarize/synthesize information.
• Completed or attending University/College.
  
  

Fundraising Research Assistant

Start Date: Position Already Filled

Times Requested: Ongoing as needed, flexible

Work From: Your home/office

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to support our fundraising department as a research assistant. This will involve using the internet to gather information about subjects that we will provide. There is potential for this volunteer to also take on additional research responsibilities, as well as reading responsibilities for a variety of topics related to microfinance.

Skills Required:

• Ability to take initiative and be proactive.
• Research skills.
• Ability to summarize/synthesize information.
• Strong writing skills.
• Completed or attending University/College.
  
  

Microfinance Enthusiast

Start Date:Position Already Filled

Times Requested: Ongoing as needed, flexible

Work From: Your home/office

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to read and summarize articles and sometimes books about new developments in microfinance. This will involve reading provided materials, and completing brief summaries which will be used by our staff. There is potential for this volunteer to also take on additional research responsibilities, as well as reading responsibilities regarding the political and economic situations in target countries.

Skills Required:

• Ability to take initiative and be proactive.
• Research skills.
• Ability to summarize/synthesize information.
• Strong writing skills.
• Completed or attending University/College.
  
  

Communications Assistant

Start Date: Position Already Filled

Times Requested: As needed.

Work From: Your home/office

Volunteer Duties:
We are looking for a volunteer to assist with designing and/or improving various types of communication pieces on an on-call basis. This type of assignment might involve modifying Power Point presentations, working with our staff on graphic design pieces, etc.

Skills Required:

• Experience in Communications Design

• Familiarity with Power Point and Publisher.