NorthStar Ford Renews Volunteer Centre Partnership Agreement with FuseSocial
Fort McMurray, AB – December 5, 2025 — FuseSocial is pleased to announce NorthStar Ford Lincoln has generously returned as the Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre’s naming partner by extending their sponsorship agreement for an additional two years with a funding commitment of $200,000.
This continued partnership will provide crucial operational support to the NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre (NSFWBVC), ensuring it continues to thrive and support capacity building within the social profit sector through active volunteer recruitment and engagement, as well as mass volunteer coordination needed for recovery efforts and disaster risk reduction.
“Thanks to this invaluable partnership, NSFWBVC has experienced significant growth in volunteer engagement, as well as an uptake in sector utilization with enhanced organizational supports since the inception,” says Shannon Rex, Executive Director of FuseSocial. “We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from NorthStar Ford Lincoln and the Giles Family Foundation which couldn’t be timelier given the current vulnerability of the social profit sector.”
“We understand the challenges facing the social profit sector – from reduced funding to employee burnout – compounded by external economic pressures. These challenges are straining organizations’ ability to meet growing community needs and why corporate support is more important than ever,” says Dennine Giles, owner of NorthStar Ford Lincoln. “We are proud to renew our commitment to the sector and the community by supporting capacity-building initiatives like the NSFWBVC, which will strengthen the sustainability of local organizations in Wood Buffalo.”
Since the original partnership agreement was signed in 2021, the woodbuffalovolunteers.ca platform has experienced more than a 30 per cent uptake in registration and produced over 37,000 hours of volunteer service equating to a monetary value of over $1 million of service hours directly benefiting non-profit organizations.
In addition to the significant and steady growth of volunteers over the past three years, NSFWBVC has partnered with local organizations to raise the profile of volunteerism and actively engage volunteers through tailored presentations and special events – particularly within the student, senior and newcomer populations. NSFWBVC has also partnered with organizations to support large scale volunteer efforts in areas of recruitment and on-site volunteer coordination such as Fort McKay Treaty Days, Northern Lights Health Foundation’s Festival of Trees and Athabasca Tribal Council’s Cultural Festival.
The NSFWBVC will continue to support community volunteers and organizations by providing a supportive space for them to find and match with volunteer opportunities vital to social profit programs and events; engage in active recruitment and training of board members; and continue to build capacity for social profit staff and their volunteer workforce. The NSFWBVC will also continue to work as a critical partner to Emergency Social Services during emergency activations, as they did during the 2016 Horse River Wildfire, 2020 flood and 2023 Fort Chipewyan wildfire.
Further growth focused on supporting social profit capacity is anticipated in early 2025 as NSFWBVC launches their Volunteer Skill Bank – a platform designed to allow skilled volunteers to offer specific skills to non-profits in areas such as arts & entertainment, administrative and skilled trades. FuseSocial’s Shared Services will also expand existing support services to offer a more comprehensive volunteer management package that includes participation in planning, administration of volunteer screening, onboarding, training and scheduling, and on-site execution.
FuseSocial’s volunteerism efforts are also funded in part by Suncor, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, and Government of Alberta.
About FuseSocial
FuseSocial is a trusted leader in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo social profit sector, working to strengthen the capacity of local nonprofit organizations. Each year, it supports more than 100 local nonprofit and charitable organizations through workforce training, leadership development programs, board governance supports, and shared services.
FuseSocial also convenes and mobilizes organizations to improve sector collaboration, and operates the NorthStar Ford Wood Buffalo Volunteer Centre, connecting thousands of residents with meaningful volunteer opportunities across the region.
Media enquiries can be directed to:
Shannon Rex
Executive Director
587.570.8021
shannon.rex@fusesocial.ca
