After recent AGM ratification, SVC to dissolve non-profit status in July
Student Volunteer Connections (SVC), which has operated as an independent non-profit corporation since 1987 and has helped students become active in the greater Guelph community since 1967, will dissolve its status as a corporation in July of this year to become a program of Student Life.
Aside from changing the way the organization operates internally, SVC says this shift will not significantly alter the services they offer to students.
A motion put forward by the SVC Board of Directors to become a program of Student Life was approved by the membership (all U of G undergraduate and graduate students pay the less-than-two-dollar student fee, making every student a member) at the SVC annual general meeting on March 27. Only one member in attendance noted their dissent.
The decision followed a year-long process whereby SVC surveyed student opinion – asking what qualities they most valued about SVC – and deliberated on the pros and cons of several different organizational models.
Shawna Smith, who has held several roles at SVC, was hired in 2013 to research a transition away from the non-profit model. She says the decision to move beneath the umbrella of a larger organization stemmed in part from a number of ongoing problems and inefficiencies.
Chief among those was a lack of institutional memory. Because the SVC doesn’t have a permanent staff, students often find it hard to learn the ropes. As a future branch of Student Life’s Community Engagement and Global Citizenship (CEGS) department, Smith hopes SVC will benefit from some of Student Life’s collective wisdom.
“The goal of SVC is still to provide that ‘learning lab’ experience for students without having that legal responsibility [of running a non-profit],” said Smith.
And Smith says Student Life is happy to have SVC under its wing, especially because the two groups work so closely right now as it is. CEGS has “very similar values and a similar mandate as what SVC does,” said Smith, and Student Life also stands to benefit from SVC expertise in coordinated volunteer efforts.
Likewise, Laurie Schnarr, the director of Student Life, is confident that the new relationship will be mutually beneficial.
“This new partnership will enable us to further align our values and vision in order for SVC to deliver more community engagement opportunities for students,” said Schnarr, who added the Student Life is “excited to work with SVC staff to better gauge levels of student volunteerism and to determine gaps in our collective offerings.”
Now that the AGM has approved the transition, a memorandum of understanding will be drawn up between SVC and Student Life that will give a better picture of the what future relationship will look like. Smith adds that while its still too early to say exactly how much autonomy SVC will retain, or how much, for example, the transition is expected to save off of SVC’s bottom line, she is sure that Student Life is comfortable taking the back seat role.
Smith also stressed that SVC still wants to remain as transparent as possible, and noted that students will make up the bulk of an Advisory Council and continue to fill the traditional staff roles.
While Smith says that the decision to become a program of Student Life seems like an ideal fit in hindsight, SVC was keen from the outset to consider all possible transition options, including becoming part of the CSA or becoming an program merely “affiliated” with Student Life. A full report on the transition decision can be read on the Student Volunteer Connections website.