Weekly Volunteer Management News
Archive for 2003 December-August (Current News)
28Dec2003: The US Department of Labor has issued its annual report, "Volunteering in the United States 2003": http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.toc.htm . This updates the first report, issued in 2002, and is based on new data collected in a supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The free PDF summarizing the findings explains how the survey was conducted, what types of questions were asked, and what was not included in the study.
In brief, the findings indicate that 28.8 percent of individuals (about 63.8 million) age 16 and over volunteered through or for an organization between September 2002 and September 2003 (four million more Americans than in the previous year) and that volunteers spent a median of 52 hours on volunteer activities during the period.
The survey uses the "Volunteer Service Indicator," an annual national measurement of volunteer activities developed by the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics and the President's USA Freedom Corps. For more details on the Indicator, see: http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/about_usafc/whats_new/announcements/20031217-2_A.asp
For other statistical surveys, including those for other countries, see the links at: http://energizeinc.com/art/statistics.html.
21Dec2003: CIRCLE - the Center for Education and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement - ( http://www.civicyouth.org/) announces a new grant competition for research on civic engagement that is conducted by youth . Research teams that include youth and adults working together, or research teams of youth and adult mentors are welcome to apply. For the purposes of this RFP, "youth" means people younger than 18. They will also consider proposals involving young adults who are between the ages of 18 and 25 and have not attended college. Youth-led teams that are part of a registered 501(c)(3), a local government agency or council, or a school will be considered CIRCLE currently has a total of $25,000 to support youth research. Interested parties should submit a mandatory preliminary letter of inquiry no later than Wednesday, February 18, 2004 . Download the details of the RFP at http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/Youth-Led%20Research%20RFP.pdf.
Research topics may address themes of youth civic engagement including the effects of volunteering, service-learning, group membership, youth leadership, news consumption, or political participation on the civic attitudes and behaviors of youth in a community or school, the causes of civic participation in a community or school, differences in youth civic participation, attitudes, or behaviors by race, culture, gender, age, family income, or other factors, barriers to youth civic engagement in a community, and community strengths or opportunities for civic engagement.
14Dec2003: The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) brought over 15,000 participants from 200 nations to Geneva last week and volunteers were a key topic of discussion. It was remarkable that just about everyone acknowledged the instrumental role of volunteers in developing - and maintaining -- the Web, Open Source software, and other technical elements of cyberspace. In addition, the Summit recognized the wide range of ways that volunteers are using the technology to assist the world's poor.
For a flavor of the discussions, see the speech " Volunteers - The First and Last Mile of Connectivity" delivered to the assembly by Ad de Raad, Executive Coordinator of United Nations Volunteers: http://www.unv.org/infobase/speeches/2003/adr_wsis.htm
Since the notice of WSIS in the "News of the Week" for 9 November , the online library of papers in preparation for the pre-Summit "Conference on Volunteering and ICTs" has grown considerably. Start by going to http://www.worldwidevolunteer.org/en/library/documents.cfm?keywords=WSIS%20Background%20and%20Contributions and looking at the various background documents and reports (written in several languages). Then use the index in the left column to see dozens of articles written expressly for the Geneva event.
If you are interested in this process, be aware that it is continuing for the next two years, culminating in another Summit in 2005 to be held in Tunis.
6Dec2003: The Evaluation Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) produces "Essentials," a publication which "summarizes and synthesizes cutting edge issues and main lessons learned from experience on selected topics by UNDP and other development partners."
The November 2003 issue of "Essentials" is on "Volunteerism and Development" and you can download a free PDF copy at http://www.undp.org/eo/documents/essentials/volunteerism.pdf
The 12-page report focuses on these lessons learned:
- Volunteerism can reduce dependency and promote empowerment.
- Volunteers are valuable knowledge brokers, linking know-how with community needs (includes references to online volunteering).
- Thinking about volunteers in terms of their cost reduces their value.
- Harnessing volunteerism to fight HIV/AIDS is critical in mitigating the spread and the effect of the pandemic.
- Volunteerism in post-conflict and crisis situations offers a powerful way to aid the building of trust within and between communities.
Each lesson learned includes examples and a "what to do" list of suggestions.
To learn more about "Essentials" and download other issues as well, visit: http://www.undp.org/eo/publication/essentials.htm
30Nov2003: The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia has just released a 52-page guide titled Working with Volunteers and Managing Volunteer Programs in Health Care Settings, the product of a three-year process that involved a "working group"of practitioners. It includes a section specifically for hospital CEOs to read, which should be taken seriously as the NHMRC is a highly credible organization within Australian healthcare circles. This may prove one of the biggest benefits of the guide.
The guide is applicable to almost any country since hospital and nursing homes operate similarly around the world. A PDF version can be downloaded free from http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/nh48.htm
23Nov2003: AARP has just published a new study entitled Time and Money: An In-Depth Look at 45+ Volunteers and Donors that attempts to capture data on a wider range of volunteering in the US . An Executive Summary is available in free PDF format at http://research.aarp.org/general/multic_2003_1.pdf . Although it is hard to understand why AARP used a respondent base starting at age 45 to measure "older" volunteers, this is nevertheless a useful addition to the field's data. Two things make this research unusual: First, the survey attempted to ask questions that would include all sorts of informal helping activities as well as more organized, agency-related volunteer service. Again, there will be some controversy about whether caring for a member of one's own family at home should be counted alongside more other-directed service, but at least good neighbors are acknowledged here. Second, AARP was very interested in learning more about volunteering by African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans. So they weighted their samples to assure accurate responses from such populations.
16Nov2003: Regis University in Denver, Colorado has been quietly amassing one of the field's largest online depositories of volunteering research and writings in its "Special Collection on Volunteerism" ( http://www.regis.edu/regis.asp?sctn=lib&p1=services&p2=arch&p3=volunteer ). The Collection's goals are " to collect, preserve, promote and encourage research and study in the field of volunteerism." Under the devoted management of Mary Lou McNatt at Regis, the first project was to archive all of Ivan Scheier's documents from over 30 years of writing. That Archive is now fully digitized and can be found at http://academic.regis.edu/volunteer/ivan. Next the Collection posted the contents of the 2050 Time Capsule on Volunteerism and the supplementary "Caplet."
The newest feature of the online Collection is a summary of student papers and Master's theses that have an emphasis on volunteer subjects: http://www.regis.edu/regis.asp?sctn=lib&p1=services&p2=arch&p3=volunteer&p4=thesis .
If you can travel to Denver, all of the material is physically available for reference-only reading on site on the 4th floor of the Dayton Memorial Library at Regis. But meanwhile, browse this fine, free online resource and consider donating to the campaign to raise a $25,000 endowment to sustain the Collection into the future (the Denver DOVIA and the Regis Masters of Nonprofit Management program were instrumental in sponsoring the start-up phase). Also, if you have materials that ought to be added to the depository, Mary Lou McNatt would be delighted to hear from you.
9Nov2003: It's exciting to know that WSIS, the World Summit on the Information Society, to be held in early December in Geneva , has incorporated volunteering into its forward-looking agenda. First, UN Volunteers and its UNITeS program are gathering and posting examples of ICT volunteering, and are promoting the involvement of volunteers as essential to the successful achievement of fair and inclusive information societies. See: http://www.unites.org/wsis/ and especially their position paper on "Volunteering in the Information Society" (scroll down the page).
Second, a number of international volunteerism organizations have collaborated to create something called the "WSIS Volunteer Family" ( http://www.worldwidevolunteer.org/en/icts_and_vol/volunteer_family.cfm ), to provide a channel for bringing input from volunteer organizations and volunteers working with new technologies to the World Summit on the Information Society. In addition to a 2-day pre-Summit conference in Geneva (Energize's Susan Ellis will be there), the WSIS Volunteer Family has planned several projects in which anyone may participate by sharing feedback, ideas and photographs.
2Nov2003: Ever wonder why new board volunteers seem to be recruited mainly by inside-circle referrals when other volunteer positions are more publicly advertised? That may be changing with boardnetUSA (http://www.boardnetusa.org), a site "revolutionizing the way nonprofit boards and new leaders find each other." Nonprofits can post their board member vacancies and individuals interested in board service can browse what might suit their interests. While the site is presently only for American organizations, the model is worth watching by everyone.
26Oct2003:The 2003 International Conference on Volunteer Administration was in Cincinnati last week. Whether or not you were able to come to Ohio , it's not too early to consider attending the 2004 event in Portland , Oregon next year (October 20-23). One way to push for your attendance is to be accepted as a workshop presenter. Through AVA's RFP (request-for-proposals) process, you can submit your proposed workshop and share your knowledge with everyone else. Download the RFP form at: http://www.avaintl.org/education/icvarfp.html . The deadline is December 15, 2003 !
19Oct2003:The Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation has just produced the UK's "National Occupational Standards for Recruiting and Managing Volunteers" and made it available for free in both PDF and Word formats at http://www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=22478&ParentNodeID=22478 The document is detailed and comprehensive, and will become the standard work "qualification" (S/NVQ) for any job involving managing volunteers in the UK. S/NVQs are work-related, competence based qualifications reflecting the skills and knowledge needed to do a job effectively, are recognised by employers and other organisations throughout the UK and give that all-important recognition to the learner for the skills and knowledge they have.
12Oct2003: "Gifts of Time in America 's Communities" Symposium We just received notice of the following Symposium and hope that colleagues near Syracuse , NY can attend:
"Gifts of Time in America
's Communities"
Maxwell School , Syracuse University
October 24th, 2003 , 9:30am-12:30pm
Policymakers, civic leaders, and scholars have increasingly focused their attention over the last decade on the importance of voluntary participation in civil society. As former President Clinton declared the end of the era of "big government" and President Bush has turned to "community initiatives" in the delivery of human services, many communities are looking to increase their levels of volunteerism in the provision of public goods and services.
What mobilizes volunteerism? What are the characteristics of communities that are engaged, and those that are not? This symposium, the first of two that will be organized by the Nonprofit Studies Program of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute
in 2003-2004, will focus on these questions. Presentations by prominent speakers and panel discussions will center on the state of volunteerism, needs for the future, and policies to encourage greater participation.
This event is open to the public. More information and the full program are available at: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/campbell/Events/GivingCommunities.htm
5Oct2003:International Volunteer Day is only two months away!
Every 5 December, International Volunteer Day (IVD) is celebrated
under the auspices of the UN, promoting volunteerism worldwide and
drawing global attention to the work of volunteers. As part of this
year's IVD preparations, the WorldVolunteerWeb.org ( www.worldvolunteerweb.org
) site has launched a new and highly interactive IVD web section
which will provide volunteer organizations from around the globe more
resources to help them plan their own national events. Organizations
can share plans and resources while learning from other national organizations.
Promotional materials including the IVD emblem and posters translated
in the six official UN languages, media kit, idea and planning sheets,
and the IVD newsletter are also available for downloading. If you
have news or resources about IVD preparations to share, send them
to
info@worldvolunteerweb.org. Learn more: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/ivd
List events: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/dynamic/cfapps/events/give/give_events1.htm
And. Celebrate IVD Online:
NetAid Online Volunteering is gearing up for International Volunteer Day.
Organizations and volunteers are invited to join the digital campaign.
http://www.netaid.org/ov/groups/news/news_item.pt?article_id=1156&group_id=118
28Sept2003: An innovative new Web site was launched last week at the National Volunteering Convention in London that may serve as a model for other countries in the future. Count Me In Calendar Website http://www.countmeincalendar.info is a free, comprehensive daily listing of charity awareness campaigns in the UK, such as National Tree Week, Youth Work Week, Refugee Week, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the Loud Tie Campaign, and events sponsored by the United Nations. The easy-to-navigate site (funded by Whitbread), which will be constantly updated, allows users to search campaigns by day, week, month or sector type. Each campaign is profiled with a summary, useful links, volunteering and fund-raising opportunities and contact details.
21Sept2003: Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) are launching their ninth annual search for outstanding youth volunteers. Young people in grades 5-12 who have worked to improve their communities through volunteer activities over the past year have until October 31 to apply. Application forms are available from middle and high school principals, county 4-H offices, Red Cross chapters, YMCAs, Girl Scout councils, Camp Fire USA councils, and member Volunteer Centers of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network. They also can be obtained at www.prudential.com/spirit.
14September2003: MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership is offering a FREE online event next week, 22-26 September 2003, on "Risk Management for Mentoring Programs" -- but it sounds like a great opportunity for any project matching volunteers with vulnerable populations. Topics to be covered include: What risk management policies should your program implement to protect mentors and mentees? How can you access low-cost criminal background checks? What is your mentoring program liable for? Should child abuse or harm occur in your program, what should you do? For more information on the event, on MENTOR's online community, or to sign up to participate, go to http://www.mentoring.org/community.adp.
7September2003:
The Grantmaker Forum on Community and National Service
has released its 2003 report, The Cost of a Volunteer, in a free PDF
format at:
http://www.gfcns.org/pubs/
Cost%20Volunteer%20FINAL.pdf . Although it doesn’t quite
live up to the promise of its title, the report strongly recognizes
and explains the level of infrastructure necessary for an organization
to effectively involve volunteers. This is great news because this
document is likely to be taken seriously by a range of officials and
funders.
31August2003:In
the United States, this is the Labor Day holiday weekend. If you don’t
know the history of how this holiday came about, read the Department
of Labor’s summary at http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
and the transcript of Jim Lehrer’s 2001 editorial for PBS’
“News Hour”: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/
september96/labor_day_9-2.html. Then take a moment to reflect
on how the labor union movement was, in fact, an effort involving
countless working class people volunteering together to force change
– activism that was often risky to their livelihoods and even
their lives. Further, Labor Day has become the date for many festivals,
parades, commemorations, craft shows and other fundraising events,
all of which engage thousands of volunteers to make them successful.
And one last thought: As we celebrate the contributions of “working
people,” let’s be sure to remember that “labor”
can be paid or volunteer. So this is an opportunity to say thanks
to volunteers everywhere, too!
24August2003:In honor of the European Year of People with Disabilities, new photographs have been added to the National Centre for Volunteering’s IMAGE BANK showing volunteering by this special population, usually under-represented in visuals. The addition of these photos was supported by Abbey National with expert advice from SKILL (a UK organization specializing in disabilities). The photos can be previewed and purchased online at: http://www.volunteering.org.uk/imagebank.
17August2003: If you’d like a sobering look at truly overwhelming challenges, visit the “Campaigns” page on the VIA Africa Web site at http://volunteer.co.za/asp/campaigns.asp. “Visionaries in Action” is a growing network of volunteers and volunteer opportunities across Africa (35 countries), with the vision of creating an enabling environment for volunteering on the continent. Browsing the site is indeed inspirational and perhaps we can establish supportive exchanges between colleagues from other continents and new programs in Africa.
10August2003:
Despite the appearance of back-to-school items in the stores, summer
(in the Northern Hemisphere) is really not over yet. So it’s
not too late to think about the “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”
initiative of the USA Freedom Corps
http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/about_usafc/whats_new/
announcements/20030703-1.asp – even if only to take note
for some good ideas for next year. For our Southern Hemisphere visitors,
maybe this will spark some creativity in advance of your summer yet
to come.
3August2003: OzVPM (www.ozvpm.com) is the newest and immediately valuable volunteer management Web site worth bookmarking. Although it premiered only a month ago, this Australasian-focused site already offers a wealth of information from Australia and the Pacific rarely seen by anyone outside the region. Read host Andy Fryar’s excellent August Hot Topic essay on “Breaking Down the Grass Ceiling of Volunteerism” (http://www.ozvpm.com/hottopics.htm) – yes, that’s “grass.” Energize is proud to note that OzVPM is our first international online partner site and welcomes OzVPM to our network of resources.
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