Regional Engagement Atlas of Churches (REACH)
About REACH
Volunteers play a vital role in shaping both the heart of their congregation and the well-being of the wider community. The Regional Engagement Atlas of Churches (REACH) project aims to better understand the role and impact of volunteers within and outside of churches across Canada.
This project is both practical and academic. It aims to encourage and equip churches to further their mission and vision while also contributing to academic literature on volunteerism, giving, and faith in Canada.
What does this project involve?
The REACH project is carried out through the Volunteer Impact Survey. This 25-minute online survey is available for church congregation members ages 14+ and looks at how church members impact their communities. We measure community impact socially, materially, and spiritually through survey questions about volunteering, financial giving, work, and more.
Survey questions can be downloaded for preview here:
Do I have to be an active church volunteer to participate?
No. Anyone attending a church can participate in the REACH project and Volunteer Impact Survey. Those who volunteer within or outside of their church will be invited to share about those activities in the survey, and those who do not volunteer can also participate by answering all other applicable questions.
Why should my church participate?
There are plenty of ways that our data and analysis methods could be useful for your church. For one, participating churches (provided enough data is received) will receive a multi-page analytical report, outlining:
- Their volunteer DNA (‘who’ volunteers in their church; i.e., demographic data on church members)
- Their community footprint (measuring the material, social, and spiritual impact of church volunteers on the surrounding neighbourhood/community)
- Their congregation’s level of flourishing
Preview a sample REACH report here:
How do I get involved?
If you are a church leader looking to run the REACH project in your church, please contact wycliffe.ciecr@utoronto.ca and include ‘REACH’ in the subject line. We look forward to working with you soon!
Interested in contributing? Access the Volunteer Impact Survey here or scan the QR code below to get started.
Human Ethics
This project has been approved by the University of Toronto’s Human Research Ethics Unit [Protocol #: 00049371].
Promotional Materials
Consider downloading REACH promotional materials to support your church’s participation in this project:
