Posted 27Sep01
Submitted by Jayne Cravens, United Nations Volunteers, Bonn, Germany
I would add, to what volunteer involvment is NOT, this:
- a line on your annual report showing how much money your organization
saved
- a value based in dollars (or Euros) per hour contributed
I would add, to what volunteer involvement is, this:
- a better way to serve clients and the community than using only
staff
- an asset to staff that will help their work focus even more on
meeting an organization's mission.
Volunteer managers need to take the initiative in their organizations
and work directly with those creating grant proposals, the organization's
annual report, etc., to insert information about the impact of volunteer's
on the organization's work (and remember to state this BEYOND DOLLAR
AMOUNTS). Volunteer managers also need to start taking initiative
and going to funding fairs, corporate philanthropy presentations and
what not, and asking the questions and bringing up the topics Susan
has brought up in this hot topic!
Posted 25Sep01
Submitted by Manon Ellis Williams, Volunteering Development Officer,
Wales Council for Voluntary Action, Wales, UK
As part of the plans being developed in Wales for the United Nations
International Year of Volunteers 2001 (IYV2001) a Lobbying and Campaigning
subgroup has been formed to use IYV2001 to address issues which affect
many voluntary organisations in Wales. One aspect of volunteering
that is currently being looked at is the need for good practice in
volunteering projects and the costs incurred from implementing this.
The group hopes to use the occasion of IYV2001 to highlight the need
for recognition by funding bodies that in order to implement good
practice in volunteering, additional funding support may be required
for areas such as volunteer training and expenses. The group is working
in partnership with the Wales Funders Forum to develop a joint policy
statement addressing this issue. The statement would acknowledge that
the cost to organisations in ensuring good practice is a reasonable
expense to include in funding bids and one that has substantial benefits
for all stakeholders.
This piece of work aims to encourage funders to:
- recognise the value of volunteering to the local community
- recognise the value of volunteering to the individual who volunteers
- recognise that in order to maximise the benefits gained by the
community and the individuals involved, organisations involving
volunteers need to adopt good practice in the support and management
of their volunteers
- recognise that this good practice requires funding and is a reasonable
expense to include in funding bids
Posted 12Sep01
Submitted by Dawn Savidge, Volunteer Manager - FOCUS, Nottingham,
England
What a refreshing article. I have been volunteering for my organisation
for over two years now and have recently been employed as the new
Volunteer Manager. Funders and employers of voluntary organisations
really cannot underestimate the powerful impact that Volunteer Managers
can have on an organisation. After all, it's true that if we spent
time investing in our volunteers, we will reap the rewards. I am very
excited with my role and come with a lot of experience from not only
managing volunteers, but also being a volunteer myself too.
Posted 07Sep01
Submitted by Helen Rusich, Volunteer Manager, Terra Association,
Alberta, Canada
The potential for volunteers to contribute at least in our organization
is great. However the nature of our organization is such that clients
and their children are protected at all costs (pregnant and parenting
teens). This makes for interesting debate on what volunteers are capable
and qualified to do. We have them doing all kinds of interesting stuff,
mentors (program I've been waiting for 1 1/2 years), labour support,
Friends-to-Teens. The staff needs training in managing volunteers,
however the importance of this is not a priority to management. The
volunteer managers position is not full time. Some board members of
this organization do not feel like volunteers. I often wonder what
they do feel like. I've had to remind them they are volunteers, despite
being retired, having professional outside work, etc. It is a huge
job to educate my own colleagues on what volunteerism is and is not.
Thanks for beginning a list that will help, perhaps to have management
think about.
Posted 07Sep01
Submitted by Tom Rinkoski, Director, Volunteer Services, Green
Bay, Wisconsin
Ah! Yes! I feel the pain. I am a regional volunteer trainer for the
Catholic Church, and have observed the same problem in that institution.
This strikes me as ironic because our denomination has a marvelous
theological backing for volunteerism. But still it makes the mistake
of playing into the items you place in the category of "volunteer
involvement is not". Thus proving that good intent or even wise philosophy
does not speak to issues alone. I get asked a lot to "solve" this
dilemma by teaching recruitment skills, when I observe organizational
competence issues at the core of the problem. Exceptions exist and
they are telling. The churches for whom this is not a significant
problem are those with strong community spirits and high degrees of
affiliation from their members. I have even seen sub groups in churches
with high volunteer involvement, like a church youth group, even when
surrounded by a almost dead organization, when the leader of said
youth group is charismatic in his/her leadership and forging a group
identity. In the case of churches, who so clearly depend on their
volunteers, it strikes me as odd that they invest so little in them.
Posted 07Sep01
Submitted by Lori Burkart, Team NASA Volunteer Mgr/Education
Mgr
Thank you for writing this. I especially can relate to volunteer management
as a specialty management field and not an add on to an already over
loaded manager. There is a constant opportunity to educate and re-educate
an organization on these principles.
Posted 07Sep01
Submitted by Cissy Seibel , Director,Volunteer Center, Center For
Nonprofit Resources, Ohio USA
This topic hits my "hot" button! How many volunteer administrators
take the time to clearly show the "impact" of their volunteers? We
are professionals and as such we must do more than advocate and speak
up on behalf of our programs. Passion is not enough to garner the
attention of Boards or funders. Money talks. As a result we, as professionals,
need to show the dramatic program, dollar and donor impact of volunteers.
As an example, a small city government near here actually had their
HR person calculate the dollar amount of each clerical position. That
went to the City Commissioners office. Over $1M dollars in volunteer
time and a large part of their annual report! Make your fund development
person your new "best friend." Show them the dollar amount and savings
created by effective partnerships with your volunteers. Refer to your
volunteers as Ambassadors (and internally as Donors)because that IS
what they are. Make sure the impact of your program is an integral
part of the annual report and reports to funders. Finally, tell your
Board and grant writer the value of volunteers in time, talent and
dollars. Then, tell them again, and again, and again. We must, like
any program, show our dollar, our donor value and our program impact.
It is up to us as professionals to "shout it loud and long." If we
remain silent we doom our programs to dismissal.
Posted 05Sep01
Submitted by Margo Ashmore, Consultant, several organizations, Minnesota,
Hennepin County
In very small, community-based and arts organizations, the " "management"
are volunteers on a board of directors. If there is paid staff, it
tends to either be high-turnover (because of low pay), or invested
forever (and in danger of being a dynasty that excludes diverse participation).
These are often working boards, but they miss bringing in a lot of
other talent that "knows better than to get sucked in to the politics,
or the overwork." Community foundations and other funders could routinely
sponsor or co-sponsor workshops, and then score proposals based on
evidence that an effective contingent of the board have been exposed
to volunteer management principles. There are lots of workshops on
effective grant-writing, because funders appreciate a good proposal.
We can create a taste for these competencies, too. To encourage this,
we need to demonstrate the dollars stretched or stabilized by the
presence of good volunteer programs.
