Responses to:
The Moral Obligation of Volunteer Recruitment Promises
Posted on 5 October 2007 by H Roberts,
PLNJ Inc.,
Pres.,
Keyport, NJ USA
The moral obligation we have to clients, donors, Board members and the community in which our non profits campaign is no different or any more important than the obligation we make to volunteers reporting in. Mission is everything. If you find yourself at an ethical impasse, talk mission. If upper management or staff aren't inclusive to your VRM position or those you recruit-review the mission. Because if the mission fails, you've lost sight of your moral obligation.
Posted on 5 October 2007 by Margaret Robertson,
Manager Volunteer Services,
Queensland Australia
I wholeheartedly agree with Susan on this and I have recently been more upfront on confronting resistance rather than working around it. In the past I was inclined to just stop recruiting volunteers for areas that didn't support them well (and tell the manager concerned why I wasn't recruiting). These days I am much more likely to be direct. Recently I addressed some inappropriate behaviour by paid staff by asking them "Do you want the volunteer to leave? Because she should...," and then describing the issue. This was much better than a generic "you need to do more to support your volunteers..." as it provided concrete examples of what was wrong. Standard performance management, really - and if the behaviour does happen again, I'll take it further.
As Susan has said elsewhere, resistance or conflict is sometimes the result of ignorance rather than perceived threat or even philosophical disagreement.
Posted on 4 October 2007 by Teri, Dayton OH USA
Sometimes announcing a "Fresh Start" for your program can work wonders. Try bringing your seasoned volunteers onto an advisory team (make sure they understand that you have no obligation to actually use their advice) with other problem and supportive staff members. If people feel that a reorganization or redefinition of jobs was their idea, or involved their input, it is easier to get buy in. In this situation your staff can have a chance to more fully see where changes need to be made--even if the change is theirs to make.
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Debra Savitt, Supervisor, Volunteer Resources, Jewish Family and Children's Service, Minneapolis, MN USA
I feel blessed to work for an agency that truly values the contribution of our volunteers and, understands the worth and return on investment of our volunteers. We could not do what we do without our volunteers. The dilemma we face is presenting the challenges that arise in the lives of many of our client groups without scaring the volunteers away. So many volunteers have only the best of intentions, but when the going gets tough, many volunteers bail. Bottom line is the administration and staff are supportive of what we in Volunteer Resources do every day.
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Shirley Kirkpatrick,
OASIS Education Center,
Manager - Volunteer Programs,
Eugene, OR USA
I did indeed leave a job because of how undervalued and unacknowledged the volunteers were by the paid staff. The worst was the top management. Hard as I tried, I was met with resistance at every turn. I chose to leave the organization because in my gut I knew I could not in good conscience recruit volunteers only to have them be treated as less-than-desirables. I tried working with staff, educating them on the benefits of having incredibly talented and knowledgeable volunteers. They were too scared and intimidated by top level management to see what a valuable asset we had. I gave it a year and then left. Most of the volunteers have left as well.
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Virginia Norris,
Silverado Hospice,
Volunteer Coordinator, Simi Valley, CA USA
We had a problem with volunteers being treated by some employees as second class citizens in our office. With the approval of my supervisor, I put together an in-service on how to treat volunteers. I invited the boss in the corporate office, and he came. Since then there has been a 180 degree change in the office. I liked the idea from the article about noticing and reinforcing the positive change.
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Lea Taddonio,
National Tropical Botanical Garden,
Volunteer Coordinator,
Kalaheo Hawaii
I have an issue where established volunteers create an unwelcoming atmosphere for new participants in a certain department. Many of these volunteers have been here for twenty years which makes the change process slow. I have begun using honesty as the best policy with newbies placed in this department. Some fit in with the group mentality and some do not and request transfer. The problem is that the newbies who don't fit in often have the best and most creative ideas. However, they don't want to bang their head against the wall during their free time. My challenge is how do I keep creative, fresh volunteers to change to group dynamic when they can clearly use their talents in other areas of the organization with limited drama.
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Pat Bubb, Retired HR Manager,
Basking Ridge, NJ USA
I think any organization that truly values volunteers will require paid management support through their job descriptions and performance evaluations. Otherwise, the commitment does not have sufficient "teeth" to be successful and satisfying for everyone.
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Lise,
GSHFH,
Volunteer Coordinator,
Springfield USA
It is so important to bring these issues out as soon as they appear. We are all faced with some level of this problem. I know I have veteran volunteer who do not always believe that others can gain the skills needed to do the job. Talking about it with our executive director was helpful and a start to trying to fix the problem. COMUNICATION IS KEY!
Posted on 3 October 2007 by Dan,
UWEX,
Agent,
Medford USA
I agree we have this moral obligation. I am concerned also about how volunteers treat each other. Our executive board is all volunteer but sometimes individual members or coalitions of members speak or act in ways that are reason for other volunteers to take offense. As the only paid professional of this organization, I find myself seeking to help them see how to respect each other even when there are conflicting opinions. This is the most significant volunteer challenge I face.
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