The heart of The Ontarion has always been its volunteer contributors. Since 1951 we have worked with over 5,000 volunteer contributors, who have helped create tens of thousands of articles and photos. Read on to see the many ways you can get involved with The Ontarion!

First, let’s address the most common question we get: how much experience do I need and what’s the time commitment like?

Experience

Volunteering for The Ontarion requires no previous experience! If you’re eager to tell stories or shoot photos, you’re ready to get involved. We strive to be an organization that welcomes folks who are motivated to learn a new skill and contribute to a team at the same time. 

We pride ourselves on being a supportive learning environment where you don’t have to be afraid to ask questions or make mistakes. The Ontarion is a great place to develop confidence and experience in writing, communications, and teamwork, even if you’ve never volunteered before.

Time Commitment

Our volunteers love how flexible The Ontarion is! Being an Ontarion volunteer DOES NOT mean mandatory meetings and articles. We typically have weekly meetings, but you’re free to show up once a week, once a month, or once a year. Of course, we would love to see you often, but we know you have other commitments. We get it.

Once you sign up to volunteer with us, your foot is in the door. You can come to any of our meetings, workshops, social events, or wait until you’re ready. The same goes for writing and photography. When you’re ready to create something, let us know—we’ll be there to help you every step of the way. Our goal is not to overwhelm you, but rather to create a space that inspires and encourages you to achieve your goals.

Of course, it’s a little different for volunteer board directors, but you can learn more about that below.

Writing

One of the questions we hear most is, “what can I write about?

The answer is almost anything! Between our News, Arts & Culture, Sports & Health, Features, and Opinions sections, the sky is the limit. If you have something to say, we guarantee that people want to read it.

Learn more about what writing with The Ontarion can look like.

Photography

A newspaper without photography only tells half the story. There’s a reason they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The impact of a photo on a story is undeniable, and photos have the power to change the course of history as much as any writing can.

We always need photographers to help gather images to support our stories. Our staff are happy to get you comfortable using DSLR and mirrorless cameras—we promise, they’re easier to use than they look. Our photography workshops can help you take your skills to the next level as you learn to capture breathtaking photos.

Learn more about photography with The Ontarion.

Art & Design

Of course, writing and photography are great for telling a story, but art and design can convey things that words and pictures simply can’t. Illustrations can be incredibly effective at increasing reader engagement and improving the look and feel of our content. 

Layout and design has always been a key element of effective storytelling, whether in print or online.

See how you can contribute using your artistic skills. 

Board of Directors

This last one is a bit different. As you know, The Ontarion is a newspaper, but it’s a newspaper published by a non-profit corporation called The Ontarion, Inc.

Making a newspaper takes more than great writers and creativity. It takes money, planning, legal knowledge, and people to make decisions. In order to be a non-profit organization, we have to follow the rules set out in the Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act. One of these rules is that we need a board of directors to oversee the big picture and the business side of things.

If you are interested in policy, business management, leadership, accounting, or any number of business related topics, then the board might just be for you.

Learn more about our board of directors.