Volunteer Registration and Management (VRM)

University of Calgary Volunteers

Volunteers

Individuals who, with or without special training, provide services or assistance to the university without payment of fees, wages, or salary and without any expectation of any kind of compensation (except travel costs or meal expenses). Volunteers must:

  • be over 18 years old
  • have Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status in Canada or are a current international student enrolled full time at the University of Calgary and hold a study permit. In this case, the volunteer activities must be short-term and incidental to their student work.

Rev.  April 26, 2022

 

 

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work must be initiated by a university department/faculty and directed by a university employee. Departments should contact UService to determine if the duties fall under the definition of a volunteer.

Volunteers are often students who are provided with tasks of a short-term nature that are not part of their course work. This work normally requires little or no training and meets the students' learning objectives. There may also be event-specific volunteers who participate in a one-time event.

Volunteer opportunities for those other than students are limited both in terms of the tasks involved and the time associated with the volunteer opportunity. These tasks cannot include assignments normally done by paid employees covered under one of the university's Collective Agreements.

 

Link to Volunteer Coordinator page

UCalgary Volunteers

Before acceptance as a volunteer for the University of Calgary, certain requirements must be fulfilled.
These steps are generally what you can expect during the registration process. However, the University of Calgary does not use a central volunteer registration process, so please follow the directions as outlined by each sponsoring department, faculty or program.

Rev. April 26, 2022

Volunteer opportunities at the University of Calgary are managed by the respective sponsoring departments. To apply, you must first contact the department, faculty or program of interest who will then advise you of their available opportunities and application process.

Listed below are some of the departments using volunteers for support.

Rev. May 10, 2023

All potential volunteers are required to apply through a web-based registration system, called Better Impact. The sponsoring department will direct you to their application form, as each is department-specific. If you are interested in more than one department, you must apply to each separately.

 

Rev. April 26, 2022

Under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation, volunteers are considered workers so are to be provided with equivalent health and safety protection, as do our employees. ALL first time applicants, to any University of Calgary department, will be directed to complete online training about their rights and responsibilities for complying with health and safety regulations.

Once the Volunteer OHS Orientation is successfully completed, you will not be asked to do it again, unless there are changes in legislation. This training will follow you throughout all UCalgary departments to which you apply.

 

Rev. April 26, 2022

Along with the health and safety training requirement, you will be asked to accept our liability waiver, acknowledging that volunteers are covered by Alberta Workers Compensation; and accept our privacy statement. If you wish, you may use the links below to review these documents in advance, however they will both be presented on the application form for your review and agreement.

To be be approved for a volunteer assignment you are required, at minimum, to:

  • be age 18 years old or older;
  • have Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status in Canada; OR,
    • are a current international student enrolled full time at the University of Calgary and hold a study permit;
  • accept the Privacy Statement;
  • agree to the Liability Waiver;
  • complete the Volunteer OHS Orientation.

Along with these, the recruiting department may advise you of additional eligibility requirements specific to their volunteer positions. 

Once approved, the department will advise you of next steps (typically communicated by email).

 

Rev. April 26, 2022

Before being assigned to a position, the sponsoring department will present you with a role-specific Hazard Assessment. You will have opportunity to review the identified hazards and proposed hazard controls before accepting the assignment. If you have any concerns, please discuss them with your Volunteer Coordinator before signing the hazard assessment.

Along with signing the hazard assessment, you will be given an onsite orientation. Your volunteer coordinator will advise you of any additional safety requirements and next steps.

 

Rev. April 26, 2022

Along with the above steps, we need to keep track of your volunteer hours. Each department will have their own process for recording these in the Better Impact hours logging feature.

Generally, upon completion of an assignment, you will record the number of hours you volunteered. With our online registration and management system, this can be as easy as logging into the volunteer portal and updating the assignment in question. However, please follow your volunteer coordinator's instructions for recording your hours.

 

Rev. April 26, 2022

Once registered on the web-based Better Impact registration system, you may access your profile at myImpactPage.com.

Learn more here about using the myImpactPage.com portal.

 

Rev. April 26, 2022

Volunteer Health and Safety

Volunteers for the University of Calgary, are required to complete a volunteer occupational health & safety (OHS) orientation before being approved for assignment. After receiving your application, your volunteer coordinator will provide instructions for completing the orientation, and any other health and safety requirements.

Rev.  April 26, 2022

Volunteer OHS Info

Volunteer Injuries

If a Volunteer Injury can be Treated by First Aid

The volunteer coordinator must take the following steps:

  • Have a certified first aider treat the injury
  • Call Campus Security to report the injury at 403.220.5333
  • Initiate the Online Accident Reporting Form (OARS) 
  • Contact Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) at 403.220.6345 for assistance with completing the OARS report.

Should reporting to the Worker's Compensation Board (WCB) be required, the volunteer must complete the WCB Worker Report and Staff Wellness will complete the WCB employer report.

Rev.  April 26, 2022

Injured Volunteer Requires More Than First Aid

The volunteer coordinator must take the following steps: 

  • Call 911 for an ambulance if required 
  • Call Campus Security at 403.220.5333 immediately to report the injury 

Campus Security will contact Environment, Health and Safety who will also initiate the OARS Report.

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteer for...

The following departments engage volunteers to support their programs and events. To apply, you must contact the department or faculty directly.

Rev.  April 26, 2022

  • BMO Mentorship Program at Haskayne School of Business
  • Calgary Stroke Program
  • Career Services
  • Child Studies
  • Calgary Stroke Program
  • Community Engagement
  • Convocation
  • CSM BHSC
  • Clinical Nuroscience - Parkinsonism
  • Cumming School of Medicine - Office of Professionalism, Equity, & Diversity
  • Dinos Athletics
  • Earth Week Campus Cleanup & BBQ
  • Emergency Management
  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
  • Faith and Spirituality Centre (FSC)
  • Garage 142
  • Graduate College
  • Haskayne Undergraduate Student Centre
  • Indigenous Engagement
  • International Student Services
  • Joint Effort GLA:D Program
  • Leadership Student Engagement Office
  • Library And Cultural Resources
  • Little Red Reading House
  • Math/Stats Outreach
  • Minds in Motion
  • O'Brien Institute of Public Health
  • Office of Sustainability
  • Olympic Oval
  • Personal Training Department
  • Psychological Birth Trauma Study
  • Rehabilitation & Fitness Program
  • Rothney Astrophysical Observatory
  • School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL)
  • School of Creative & Performing Arts
  • Schulich Teams
  • Science Office
  • Science Student Experience
  • Student Success Centre
  • Student Wellness Services
  • Study Abroad Office
  • Thrive Centre
  • UCalgary Alumni
  • UCalgary Campus Tours
  • UCalgary Strong Festival
  • UCalgary Recovery Community
  • Werkland School of Education
  • Women's Resource Centre
  • Writing Symbols Lodge