Volunteering Is Inherently Political

Responses from Readers:
Volunteering Is Inherently Political

Submitted on 13 February 2012 by Sheri E Barnes, Volunteer Coordinator, American Red Cross, Wichita, KS, USA

This is a great article that makes some important points. It opened my mind to a different angle on volunteer recruitment, both in my full-time job, and in my own volunteer positions, in which I am also responsible for recruiting and managing volunteers. Although I am well aware that volunteering should be about "putting my body where my mouth is," I haven't really considered that idea in recruitment, and there have been times when I have accepted a volunteer position more out of a sense of duty than out of conviction (although I would never accept one that clearly contradicted my convictions). Thanks for making the points in this Hot Topic! I will be sharing the article.

Submitted on Facebook on 1 February 2012 by Katy Schappel Gaertner

Really interesting point of view. I have to agree, although without the explanation, I would have said no. I work with volunteers who support the arts in our community. The fact that they are often artists, actors, dancers, singers, etc sharing their talents for no financial reward just goes to show how important they think the arts are in the development of community and quality of life. That is a political statement, if I ever heard one!