Formerly Volunteer Markham

Inclusion Policy

Database Information Collection and Maintenance Policy

Listing Policy

Volunteer Markham (aka IMVC) offers a comprehensive information and referral service (I&R) to the general public. The geographical area served shall be the City of Markham and surrounding communities.  This can include non-profit organizations elsewhere that service Markham.

Inclusion in the database listed on the Website is free and is not dependent upon the purchase of a membership, products or separate advertising space from Volunteer Markham.

Subject to the priorities detailed the Volunteer Markham database includes organizations or programs that:

Provide a direct service to the public i.e. in person, by telephone or the Internet (including email or online forums, etc.);

Are networks or coalitions of direct service providers;

Are involved in licensing, planning or coordinating direct services;

Are not-for-profit, community-based or government organizations;

Are community development or social enterprise initiatives;

Are organizations (such as churches, social clubs) that provide service to the community at large, not just their own members;

Or are commercial organizations that provide first or second priority services and that fill a local gap in the non-profit sector.

Are commercial organizations licensed by the government or with special contractual agreements to operate long term care facilities, child care centres and certain home care services.

Organizations must demonstrate the ability to provide ongoing reliable services, and have an established funding base or the support of an established parent organization. Exceptions may be made in emerging or underfunded service areas.

Purpose

The purpose of the Database Information Collection and Maintenance Policy for Volunteer Markham (VM) is to outline how VM includes listings in our database (both Organizational Listings and Volunteer Postings).

Scope

This policy applies to all VM stakeholders and the general public using the database included on our webpage at www.volunteerconnect.ca.  

Content

Volunteer Markham offers a volunteer referral service to the general public with the goal and purpose of providing this service to the City of Markham and surrounding communities.  Listings appearing in the Volunteer Markham database may also include non-profit organizations who are located outside the Markham area, but whom provide direct service within Markham and the surrounding communities.

Inclusion in the database, which is linked to the Volunteer Markham website, is provided as a free service and is not currently dependent upon the purchase of a membership, products or separate advertising space from Volunteer Markham.

Volunteer Markham’s database includes non-profit organizations and community services or programs that service the Markham area.

Disclaimer:  Inclusion in the database does not imply endorsement by Volunteer Markham, nor does exclusion reflect on the quality of any program or service.  Every effort is made to ensure that the information is this database is accurate and up-to-date.  Volunteer Markham cannot assume liability resulting from errors or omissions.  Inclusion or omission of an organizational listing or volunteer posting is not a comment on its quality.  The reader should verify the information before acting on it.

Priorities

It is the policy of Volunteer Markham to set priorities for the listing of services on the Website.  For first-priority areas, every effort is made to have comprehensive listings of all eligible services.  For second-priority areas, collection depends on staff resources, agreements with other agencies, and the ability of other agencies to collect and disseminate information.  Rather than collect comprehensive information in second-priority areas, Volunteer Markham may collect information regarding representative or umbrella groups, or refer Users to other telephone or Internet-based services.

First Priority:  Basic subsistence and survival-related services, including:

Food, clothing and shelter

Emergency assistance

Crisis intervention

Financial assistance

Legal and correctional services

Victim services

Immigrant and refugee services

Physical and mental health services

Employment and training services

Home support services

Public and specialized transportation

Child care

Access to permanent affordable housing

First Priority Services are also provided for people who may experience barriers to service because of:

Language spoken

Ethno-cultural group

Age including risk factors associated with infants, children, youth or seniors

Low income, unemployment or lack of education or literacy

Physical, mental or developmental disabilities

Homelessness or social isolation

Immigration or refugee status

Fear of violence

Second Priority

Quality of life services, unless they are for people who may experience barriers to service:

Alternative health/medicine

Education, school boards

Recreation, sports groups, community centres, meeting places

Arts, culture, heritage

Consumer assistance

Environment

International development

Hobby and special interest groups (i.e. clubs, faith or political organizations)

Networks and forums (including online support groups)

Animal protective services

Exclusion

Volunteer Markham reserves the right to exclude from its database any organization that it has, in its own discretion, adequate reason to believe may spread hatred or have a philosophy that could be hurtful to the well-being of individuals, groups or the community as a whole.

 Potential grounds for exclusion or removal from the database may include, but is not limited to: service non-delivery, fraud, misrepresentation, discrimination, criminal activities, or operating outside licensing mandates. Volunteer Markham does not discriminate organizations based on any protected grounds outlined in the Canadian Code, and will not exclude any organizations from the databased solely based on their cause, services, and/or targeted volunteer/audience group.

 Volunteer Markham also reserves the right to refuse to list or to discontinue listings for organizations that have had serious complaints lodged against them with any regulatory body, with other organizations included in our database providing similar services, or with one of our volunteer or staff members should it come to our attention.

 Decisions to include, exclude, or remove a service listing may be appealed by writing to the Executive Director or Board Chair after a reasonable attempt has been made to resolve the issue with the editorial volunteer or staff.

Availability

This Inclusion Policy is made available to the public through the Volunteer Markham website.

Endorsement

Inclusion in the database does not imply endorsement by Volunteer Markham, nor does exclusion reflect on the quality of any program or service.

Enforcement

The Information Resource Specialist is responsible for ensuring that the Volunteer Markham database conforms to this policy. This is done by reviewing the addition of all new organizations to the database and confirming adherence to this policy. A periodic check of the database against this policy is done on an annual basis.

Practices

    • Volunteer Markham will create and maintain the maximum number of records that it can reasonably be expected to maintain annually.
    • The records will fairly represent a cross section of the services / programs / agencies / organizations of the community and government human services available in Markham  and the surrounding communities with an intererest in volunteerism.
    • These records will be kept in electronic files 
    • Volunteer Markham will strive to reduce duplication of record information collection and maintenance but the database must remain as comprehensive as possible in order for Volunteer Markham and any partners to have access to updated comprehensive information and in order to provide a comprehensive Volunteer Matching service.
    • Volunteer Markham records should not be so date and time sensitive that it requires daily / weekly / monthly changes but will refer to the programs themselves and let the user determine specifics (such as date, time, place) of program / services with the service delivery agency / organization.
    • Volunteer Markham will use alternate resources when available (Internet, other directories, etc.) to answer clients, but will do so only when sure that the information is current.
    • Volunteer Markham will call for an update of each record once a year but will make any changes throughout the year that come to its attention and are from a reliable source. Records will be e-mailed to a specific contact at each organization and subsequently phone calls will be made (if required) to complete the information. In compliance with the new Privacy Legislation, all information pertaining to contact names and coordinates will be authorized for public distribution before being entered into the record.
    • In collecting information for the database, Volunteer Markham will remain non-judgmental and will not exclude legitimate services, programs, agencies, organizations serving the needs of the population and directed to personal and social growth of the people. In cases of documented controversy, Volunteer Markham will provide the information in a non-judgmental fashion allowing the client to judge the organization or program by his/her own standards.

Please Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the information in this database is accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive. Volunteer Markham cannot assume liability resulting from errors or omissions.  The reader should verify the information before acting on it.

    • This Site may be linked to other websites that are not under the control of and are not maintained by Volunteer Markham. Volunteer Markham is not responsible for the content of those websites. Volunteer Markham is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link to such websites does not imply endorsement by Volunteer Markham of those websites. Anyone linking to this site must comply with these Terms and all applicable laws.