Weekly Volunteer Management News

Access our
text feed

6 May: At GoodStorm.com (www.GoodStorm.com), progressive organizations and individuals can launch online stores selling digitally printed T-shirts and other products featuring their own designs. GoodStorm handles inventory management, shipping, logistics, and billing, so sellers have more time to create designs and build and nurture communities of people who share their values. As they explain in their FAQs:

Nonprofits and other good people often have limited resources available to help them produce and market merchandise. We want to change that. Through our marketplace, we help you get your message out there and earn money. With GoodStorm handling the hassles of product marketing, you get more time to focus on your mission.

Nonprofits, political advocacy groups, and even independent artists simply need to provide a design and GoodStorm builds an online store, then manufactures and ships your merchandise as soon as customers order it. Sellers incur no costs for opening or running a GoodStorm storefront because the e-store tools are free and the shirts are printed and shipped on-demand. Best of all, store-owners keep 70% of the net profit generated from sales — instead of the 20% to 30% offered by other e-Commerce enablers.

      Every designer wants a bigger audience. And every non-profit is looking
          for new ways to raise funds. And they all need to do it on limited
          resources. So welcome to the world of GoodStorm.

Also, GoodStorm and Working Assets (WorkingAssets.com), a wireless, long distance, credit card and publishing company that donates a portion of its revenue to progressive nonprofits, have teamed up to launch GoodsForChange.com, an e-commerce store where $2 of every purchase is donated to progressive organizations. The sale of T-shirts and other products at the GoodsForChange.com store will benefit organizations like Planned Parenthood, Doctors without Borders and Greenpeace.

30 Apr: In a press release, the England Volunteering Development Council has announced the launch of the first independent “Commission on the Future of Volunteering” to develop a long term vision for volunteering in England as a legacy of the Year of the Volunteer 2005. They have also opened a new Web site at: http://www.volcomm.org.uk/.

This impressive initiative holds great potential for the UK and for the international volunteer community, particularly if it can meet the goals it has set for itself. For example, here is part of what they have announced as their scope:

The Commission will consider:

Volunteering in all sectors (not just focusing on the voluntary and community sector) and include both formal and informal volunteering within its remit
Specific issues relating to volunteering by hard to reach groups; by and within faith groups and black and minority communities; and in rural communities
The current volunteering landscape
Existing materials, listening to the opinion and experience of volunteers, academics, experts, and practitioners

The Commission will:

Publish its thinking as it develops, in order to inform and encourage wider debate
Develop its thinking on the future by consulting widely
Produce a final report that describes the state of volunteering in England as it is and as it should be ten years on; making recommendations about what is needed to make these aspirations come true, including proposals for delivering on any recommendations that are made

The final report is to be published in June 2007 and, it is hoped, that “the results of the commission's activity will be seen to be clearly independent of government, the corporate sector or any one agency in the voluntary and community sector, whilst retaining the confidence of all.”

23 April: We wish our North American colleagues a very happy National Volunteer Week (April 23-30)!

The Points of Light Foundation is the official sponsor of National Volunteer Week in the United States. This is a good time to remember the various year-round recognition options they coordinate (see http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nvw/recognize.cfm), such as the Daily Points of Light Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Volunteer Canada is the official sponsor of National Volunteer Week in that country. Along with offering how-to materials for planning recognition (http://www.volunteer.ca/volcan/eng/content/nvw/welcome.php), they encourage organizations to register their celebratory events. To see the long list and marvel at the variety of organizations represented, click here.

As mentioned in this space three weeks ago, “The 501c3Cast” is a new podcast for nonprofits – like a radio show that can be listened to via an iPod or other MP3 player, or streamed directly from your computer speakers. Susan Ellis was recently interviewed by volunteer reporter Corey Pudhorodsky, and the program will air in two parts beginning at midnight tonight (Monday, 24 April), timed to coincide with National Volunteer Week. Go to http://www.501c3cast.com/shownotes.asp for details.

16 April: Global Youth Service Day (GYSD, www.gysd.net) is an annual global event organized by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, together with a consortium of 32 international organizations and well over 100 national coordinating committees. This year the dates are April 21-23. Their Web site describes their vision this way:

On Global Youth Service Day, millions of young people in countries everywhere will highlight and carry out thousands of community improvement projects. This day will be a way for local, national, and international organizations to:

BUILD the capacity of an international network of organizations that promotes youth participation, service, and learning;
EDUCATE the public, the media, and policy-makers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders around the world;
MOBILIZE youth and adults to meet the needs of their communities through volunteering; and
LEARN and share effective practices in youth service, youth voice, and civic engagement in the world today.

Global Youth Service Day was created by Youth Service America (www.ysa.org) a resource center and network of 200+ organizations working to engage more young people in quality volunteer opportunities. Youth Service America first began a National Youth Service Day in the United States on the Friday before National Volunteer Week. After fifteen years, this event continues to involve an estimated three million young people in community service projects each April.

The GYSD Web site provides practical resources for anyone organizing a project (see http://www.gysd.net/involve/) and details about the event in all participating countries.

9 April: High school students have until May 7th to join the next class of the NetAid Global Citizen Corps and rally their peers in the fight against global poverty. Get more information at: http://www.netaid.org/global_citizen_corps/.

NetAid (www.netaid.org) is dedicated to educating, inspiring and empowering new generations of young people to get more involved in addressing global challenges like HIV/AIDS, hunger, and access to education. A non-profit organization based in New York, NetAid accomplishes this through a series of complementary programs that teach high school students about global poverty and connect them to real opportunities to make a difference.

The NetAid Global Citizen Corps (GCC) is national network of high school student leaders working to educate and mobilize their peers in efforts to end global poverty.
Each year, NetAid selects a diverse group of passionate and committed students to become GCC Leaders. Following an intensive training, either in person or online, GCC Leaders network with each other and receive tools, resources and support through an innovative Online Action Center. Turning their learning into action, GCC Leaders implement a series of Global Action Days in their schools and local communities which raise awareness about global poverty, generate media attention to spread the word, and mobilize their peers in effective campaigns.

A list of FAQs is at http://www.netaid.org/global_citizen_corps/faq.html.

3 April: Podcasting comes to nonprofits. The 501c3Cast (www.501c3cast.com), which started in July 2005, is a free, independent, weekly podcast produced:

…by a few people who care about helping nonprofit professionals, not-for-profit volunteers, and other “do-gooders” in the philanthropic world. Our weekly podcast focuses on issues that nonprofits face and shares proven solutions that individuals have created. Above all, the 501c3Cast is dedicated to helping people who work with nonprofit organizations to cooperate rather than compete.

You can subscribe to get the weekly podcasts which are like an Internet radio show and which can be loaded onto any MP3 player or listened to on any computer. Sample any of the archived programs at http://www.501c3cast.com/shownotes.asp. Most are between 30 and 40 minutes in length. Topics offered are wide-ranging, including volunteer-related themes such as Baby Boomer volunteers and interviews with people who work extensively with volunteers, such as Hilary Roberts of Project Linus NJ, Inc. There are also additional Web links and notes supporting each show. Susan Ellis will be interviewed for a program that will air in late April/early May (details will be announced here).

The 501c3Cast offers a promo skit, just over 2 minutes long, that features some entertaining sound bites from a 1942 Superman cartoon found on Archive.org. Click here and it will automatically open on whatever music player you have installed on your computer: 501c3CastPromo.

(If you have any trouble accessing the files, ask anyone with an iPod for help…or any thirteen-year-old passing by!)

26 March: HealthCare Volunteer (www.healthcarevolunteer.com) was started in January 1, 2006 by an American dental and medical student, in recognition of the need for a free portal to connect health professionals to volunteering opportunities around the world. The site explains:

The need for global health care has skyrocketed. This site aims to allow physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, podiatrists, veterinarians and other health care professionals to provide volunteer health care anywhere in the world. Due to resource constraints, several national health care organizations rightfully chose not to undertake such a drastic project, and so the opportunity to unite health care volunteers globally remained. It was clear that an independent, 3rd party, non-partisan, non-governmental organization (NGO) unaffiliated with any country or entity needed to be formed to promote health care volunteering in a rapidly globalizing world.

HealthCare Volunteer wants to assure that volunteers can efficiently search for opportunities more without endless Web surfing to hundreds of sites. “Through this undertaking it became known that there is no shortage of health care volunteers and definitely no shortage of patients who could use health care treatment. Now, there will be no shortage of health care volunteering activity.”

The site offers services to a wide range of health care professionals:

General physicians, specialty physicians, surgeons, nurses, veterinarians, dental hygenists, pharmacists, general dentists, specialty dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, healthcare social workers, optometrists, physical therapists, imaging technicians and even other caring people may volunteer health care services anywhere in the world. In fact, we've seen everybody from Peace Corps workers to the layperson volunteer health care services all over the world.

Organizations may also post opportunities to recruit health care volunteers. See the instructions at http://healthcarevolunteer.com/organizations/. The site has also started a “HealthCare Cal Global Volunteering Calendar” and a discussion forum.

19 March: The Centre for Voluntary Action Research at Aston Business School in the UK has just released a 40-page report, The Impact of Investing in Volunteers, by Ben Cairns and Romayne Hutchison, with contributions from Pradip Gajjar. It is available at no charge at http://www.investinginvolunteers.org.uk/Impact_Benefits_report_2006.pdf.

The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with Volunteer Managers, senior staff and volunteers from nine organizations pursuing Investing in Volunteers, senior staff from the four national (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) volunteering infrastructure bodies, and three Investing in Volunteers assessors. Findings are presented under ten main headings:

The background to organisations’ decisions to work towards Investing in Volunteers
Anticipated benefits
The challenges of working towards Investing in Volunteers
Support for the Investing in Volunteers process
Changes made as a result of working towards Investing in Volunteers
Volunteers’ reactions to the adoption and use of Investing in Volunteers
Benefits gained
Critical success factors
Reflections on the Investing in Volunteers process
The wider impact of Investing in Volunteers.

12 March : Kanti Kumar, the Web Editor for United Nations Volunteers in Bonn, Germany has announced that World Volunteer Web (www.worldvolunteerweb.org) is celebrating International Women’s Day -- March 8 – by highlighting the role of women volunteers, especially in their work towards gender equality and women's empowerment.

Goal 3 of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals – "promote gender equality and empowerment of women" - is an affirmation of women's rights. Although we now have women presidents, prime ministers, Nobel Prize winners, parliamentarians, and community leaders, serious challenges persist – “cultural attitudes that debase women, gender violence, laws that favour men, and limited access to healthcare, to name a few.”

Historically, volunteering has been a key way that women have influenced their cultures and societies, and this continues today. World Volunteer Web has compiled resources about the role of women volunteers in empowering other women and the challenges they face in promoting gender equality and volunteering:

A special section with stories and resources on this topic: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/browse/sectors/gender.html

A newly-created slideshow: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/resources/photo-gallery/international-womens-day.html

A section on MDG 3: Gender equality & women's empowerment: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/mdgs/mdg-stories/mdg-3-gender-equality.html

5 March: The Corporation for National and Community Service has announced the availability of a new online tool in its Resource Center (http://nationalserviceresources.org/): My Improvement Plan. It was designed for the many programs receiving funding from NCCS, but is free to any organization involving volunteers.

My Improvement Plan is a self-guiding instrument that helps identify the resources you most need to improve your service or volunteer program. More details and how to register at no cost can be found at http://my.nationalservice.org/outstart_db/. This new way of connecting your program to training and technical assistance was developed with input from experts in the field of volunteerism. Check out the list and descriptions of “Building Blocks,” the key components of well-managed and effective service and volunteer programs

The Resource Center also offers online courses in financial management, prisoner re-entry, and mentoring/tutoring, with more courses promised soon.

The Resource Center contains a wealth of information. Somewhat confusing to navigate at first, it’s worth your while to spend time learning what is offered.

26 February: The Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA), the professional society for volunteer program managers regardless of setting, has announced that it will dissolve as of March 1st. While the organization had been attempting to increase its international membership in the past decade, AVA remained largely North American, with the majority of its members from the United States. The formal announcement of the board’s decision to close its doors came last week through an e-mail to members from current president Ellen Didimamoff:

I am truly saddened to inform you that AVA is in the process of closing its doors on March 1, 2006 because there are no funds to continue operating. Starting in June 2005 the board persistently asked about the financial status of the organization. The board never really was given a true picture of AVA's financial situation until January 2006 when it learned that AVA was $300,000 in debt. Our auditors informed the Executive Committee that too much money was spent on salaries and Executive Director travel and that ICVA expenses were unusually high. The board also learned that assets were mismanaged, and signatures on AVA's money market and checking accounts were changed without the board's knowledge. Large sums of money were transferred from AVA's money market account to its checking account in December, and then the money was spent. Unauthorized contracts for future conferences were made. Delving deeper, AVA found other signs of mismanagement, misappropriation of restricted funds and abusive, unauthorized spending. The Executive Committee voted to terminate three employees on January 10, including the Executive Director and Office Manager. The Henrico County Police Department is investigating possible criminal charges.

The decision of course also cancels the 2006 International Conference on Volunteer Administration, scheduled for September in Minneapolis. However, efforts are underway to give AVA’s professional credentialing program (CVA) and its publication, The Journal of Volunteer Administration, temporary homes “where their credibility and integrity will be preserved.” This is further complicated by the untimely death of Mary Merrill, journal editor, last week.

Many colleagues are extremely concerned at this unfortunate situation and are attempting to encourage the development of something new to rise from the ashes. As Didimamoff further said:

AVA has been a cornerstone of volunteer resources management at its best. Collectively, we can bring together the talent of individuals like you to create a similar association to take its rightful place in the volunteer arena in the not-too-distant future.

The following will be clarified in the next few weeks:

A meeting to discuss possible reorganization options will be held at the upcoming National Volunteering and Community Service Conference in Seattle, June 18-21. Points of Light is generously offering time and space for this.

A Web page will be posted at what is now the AVA Web site (www.avaintl.org) to announce all developments and direct colleagues to where and how they can participate in reorganization discussions.

A listserv dedicated specifically to being a forum for a free exchange of ideas about reorganization will be started. Note: All discussions will be open to any colleague, whether or not that individual was a member of AVA – this is a new effort.

Watch this site for more news as it materializes. This crisis is also an opportunity, and it is up to all of us to make use of it to evolve the best professional network possible – learning from the mistakes of the past and creatively moving forward.

22 February 2006: Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Volunteer Administration and international trainer/consultant in volunteer program management, Mary V. Merrill, died suddenly on February 19th from a heart attack. She was 61. We at Energize are saddened by this news and appreciate the warm tribute to Mary posted on the Charity Channel Web site.

Further, Eli J. Segal, appointed by President Clinton as the first head of the Corporation for National and Community Service, died on February 20th of a rare form of cancer at age 63.

19 February 2006: Youth Service America is pleased to offer free materials to help you plan your service project for the 18th Annual National & Global Youth Service Day (N & GYSD), April 21-23, 2006.

Planning Tool Kits, Service-Learning Curriculum Guides, and Classroom
Posters are now available in print and on-line (in English and Spanish). Download these materials or order free printed copies at http://www.ysa.org/nysd/resource/nysd_resources_parent.cfm.

The Planning Tool Kit is a comprehensive guide to help project
planners identify their projects, recruit volunteers, generate media
attention, raise funds, and more.

The Service-Learning Curriculum Guide contains eight lessons to
develop students' project management skills while planning projects for N &
GYSD. The Curriculum Guide is appropriate for educators and community
leaders.

Classroom Posters are a colorful tool to recruit volunteers, plan
projects, and decorate project sites. The back contains project planning
activity sheets for teachers and students that you can photocopy and
disseminate.

Use these materials to plan your service project for N & GYSD and all your
service projects throughout the year. To learn more about N & GYSD and
access other resources to help you plan your project - including project
grants, tip sheets, effective practices, and more - visit http://www.YSA.org/nysd.

12 February 2006: Amid the spectacle of the opening ceremonies and first sport competitions, most Olympics watchers are well aware of the thousands of volunteers from all over the world who form the support team for the athletes, visitors, and employees. In fact, it's been great to see increased visibility of this army of unpaid workers from one Olympics to the next in the past two decades. The Summer Games in Los Angeles, USA and those in Sydney, Australia especially took pains to shine a light on volunteers. And Beijing - despite its inexperience with private nonprofit organizations - is already hard at work recruiting for its turn in 2008. Plus, the Paralympic Games that immediately follow the Olympics each time, involve just as many volunteers.

The Internet, of course, has increased the ability of Olympics volunteers to communicate with each other in formal and informal ways. There are already a variety of personal blogs online, but one of the most interesting is a full discussion board, "Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games Volunteers Forum." Check it out at http://www.torino2006volunteers.com/ .

In writing this news item, we found a range of articles about volunteers in Turin , such as "Enter the Volunteers, The Soul of the Games" at

http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/news/news_ita128976.html . There is also a concurrent project called The Ethical Village , described in an article as "the Social Face of the Olympic Winter Games" :

Until February 26, hosted in marquees along via Verdi, Ethical Village . is presented as a place for welcoming and promoting the values expressed by the Five Circles and the nonprofit world, represented by boards and associations of the tertiary sector, as well as by events that local institutions have dedicate to volunteer work. All in function of key concepts such as person, participation, well- being and good habits.

This is a project that the promoters. had already been thinking about, in view of the .moral legacy that the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games will yield. One of these aspects without doubt involves volunteer work, due to the great tradition that our region can boast in this sector and considering also the extraordinary enthusiasm of the over 40,000 people that have applied to become volunteers for the Olympic Winter Games; The Ethical Village, therefore, wants to become a real meeting point for all those who, with different tasks, will be involved in solidarity.

There's a special Web site for Ethical Village, written in Italian: http://www.ethicalvillage.it/volontariato.php . Try translating it through Babel Fish at

http://babelfish.altavista.com/ to get a flavor of what the project is all about.

5 February 2006: The NonProfit Times (www.nptimes.com), the popular American journal published in printed form since 1986, has just added a digital edition of the paper with a very futuristic look. Check out the prototype sample provided at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/npt/npt1205/index.php and see how you can "turn" the pages and even hear the paper swish! Apart from the cool look and feel of this software, this new version gives readers total flexibility to read it on screen or off, and to pay a lower subscription cost while saving the trees of North America. In the February 1, 2006 edition, editor-in-chief Paul Clolery says:

Most important is the fact that we will be able to put a complete issue in the hands of tens of thousands more nonprofit managers. Our mission has always been to educate with news, commentary, and how-to articles. The more executives we reach, the more we fulfill that mission.

In the interests of full disclosure, Energize president Susan Ellis has been a contributing editor to The NonProfit Times since 1990, writing the "On Volunteers" column every other month. She's excited that her column appears in this February issue launching the new electronic service.

Nonprofit executives can qualify for a free subscription, so if you don't already get this publication, check out the subscription offers at http://www.nptimes.com/main/subscribe.html. The NonProfit Times is published 24 times a year, and a free weekly e-newsletter and other specialized titles are available as well.

29 January 2006: Have you been wondering exactly what “blogging” means, or are you already deep into posting your own blog? The January 11th “Volunteer Management Review” from Charity Channel was entitled “Blogging. A Primer for Volunteer Program Managers." In it, Joan Perry, CAVS, from Roper St. Francis Healthcare, does a great job of defining the vocabulary of blogs and directing everyone to sites useful to the volunteer field. For example, she writes:

Interested in what is being discussed relating to volunteerism this very minute? Try typing “Volunteer” in Technorati, a search engine that tracks the blogosphere. Searching 23.9 million blogs it can come up with as many as 250,000 posts to review.

After you’ve learned about blogging, check out “Volunteer Management Review” editor Nan Hawthorne’s newest Web project. Yes, it’s a blog…called “Volunteer Management Resources Clearinghouse,” at http://vrmclearinghouse.wordpress.com/.

22 January 2006: According to research published this month by the Chartered Management Institute and the international volunteer agency VSO, individuals who volunteer internationally develop expertise that addresses skills gaps in the UK . Although employers are quick to recognize the value of volunteering, individuals do not always market themselves sufficiently when they return home.

The research, entitled "Valuing Volunteering," questioned 516 managers, revealed that the majority of managers (78 per cent) are involved in voluntary activity. Altruism and the desire to help others was the top reason for volunteering both 'at home' (79 per cent) and internationally (65 per cent). However, the findings point to a missed opportunity as few considered the impact volunteer work could have on their career. Only 23 per cent saw it as a chance to build networks, just 16 per cent cited the prospect of learning new skills and 12 percent said professional development was a motivating factor.

Yet the research, which also probed 100 former VSO volunteers through detailed interviews, demonstrated how international experience has a significant impact on skills development.

The report indicates broad support from employers for those who have undertaken overseas volunteer activity, with 94 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing that it increases skills and 48 per cent believing it increases employability. Many also accept that domestic (60 per cent) and long-term international (39 per cent) work can be an effective method of skills development. Key findings were:

• 88 per cent of managers said they would not be averse to employing someone who had recently returned from volunteering overseas;

• Of those who had employed a volunteer, 67 per cent agreed that they brought different skills and experience to the organization in comparison to other employees;

• 58 per cent of former volunteers said they had received a positive response from potential employers and just 5 per cent had difficulty in finding work

Download the free report from the Chartered Management Institute site and read a brief summary on World Volunteer Web.

15 January 2006: The Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR created the National Mentoring Month campaign in 2001, and are leading the NMM 2006 effort in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and other nonprofit groups. In cities and states across the country, nonprofit and government organizations will provide local telephone numbers for prospective mentors to call, and will handle the referral of volunteers. The national campaign is funded by MetLife Foundation and MCJ Foundation.

The centerpiece of NMM 2006 is the third annual Thank Your Mentor DayT, which will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 25. On that day, many Americans will reach out to thank or honor those individuals who encouraged and guided them, and who had a lasting impact on their lives. The theme for Thank Your Mentor Day is "Who mentored you? Thank them.and pass it on!" The idea behind "Who mentored you?" is to help people connect to the importance of mentoring by encouraging them to think about individuals in their lives during their formative years - family members, teachers, coaches, neighbors, employers, friends-who encouraged them, showed them the ropes, and helped them become who they are today. The campaign's message is that, today, too many young people do not get enough of that kind of support; mentoring programs can help fill the gap but need more volunteers.

Thank Your Mentor Day promotes "Three Ways to Honor your Mentor ":

Contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation;
"Pass it on" by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community;
Write a tribute to your mentor for posting on the campaign's web site.

To support Thank Your Mentor Day, the campaign's web site, www.WhoMentoredYou.org, presents video clips and written essays contributed by prominent individuals from various fields sharing recollections about important mentors from their childhood and young adult years.

8 January 2006: The Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) has been awarded $125,000 to develop training and related tools for those who lead volunteer programs in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The grants include $50,000 from IMPACT: A Fund for Change Through Volunteerism, based in Washington, DC, and $75,000 from the Otto Bremer Foundation, based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The three-year initiative, which will be supported with an additional $125,000 that MAVA is raising, will include developing a curriculum for those who lead volunteers, establishing a core team of trainers, using web seminars and weekly "Best Practice Alerts," and other elements designed to strengthen the ability of communities and organizations to recruit, retain and lead volunteers.

Carol Thompson, immediate past president and spokesperson for MAVA, said:

Our nation increasingly depends on volunteers to provide services - from disaster relief, mentoring programs, outreach to seniors, cleaning up parks and rivers, and countless other initiatives impacting communities large and small. Because of this, recruiting, training, leading and maintaining volunteer programs has taken on increased significance across the country. Our goal is to develop a model that provides affordable, accessible training for those who lead volunteers, and that can be easily replicated nationwide.

MAVA will implement the three-year initiative in collaboration with the Volunteer Centers of Minnesota, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the Girl Scouts-Land of Lakes Council, ServeMinnesota and the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota.

For information on participating in or supporting this effort, contact Carol Thompson at (952) 237-0015 or at cthompson999@gmail.com.

18 December 2005: The law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP has released a notice explaining four recent opinion letters from the US Department of Labor (DOL) regarding the interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act in cases in which employees of organizations also wish to "volunteer" as an additional activity. See http://www.ballardspahr.com/press/article.asp?ID=1315 for the complete explanation.

These opinion letters provide "important insight into the DOL's interpretation of the term 'volunteer,' and will help employers avoid liability for wage and overtime violations relating to employees who are improperly viewed as volunteers."

Four different scenarios were considered by the DOL:

a volunteer reserve deputy program that wished to pay members for short-term special service;
university employees who wished to volunteer for a race sponsored by the school during the regular work day;
a school janitor who volunteered to coach track but received a nominal stipend;
and "peer reviewers" offering their services to a private, not-for-profit, religious-based membership organization which operates an accreditation program.

Although each of these cases has unique elements, the various rulings expand understanding of the intent of the Fair Labor Standards Act - something that continues to be an issue in the American volunteer community.

11 December 2005: Just released: The 21st Century Volunteer: A report on the changing face of volunteering in the 21st Century, a 53-page document written by Elisha Evans and Joe Saxton of nfpSynergy (www.nfpsynergy.net), a think-tank and research consultancy dedicated to not-for-profit organisations and issues, based in London.. The report, sponsored by the British Scout Association, looks at the current state of volunteering, the socio-economic trends that may influence volunteering, and what the authors believe will be the key trends.

In particular, Evans and Saxton identify the rise of the so-called selfish or self-interested volunteer - who wants to know as much about what they will get out of volunteering as about what they will put in. This creates opportunities for charities to create win/win volunteering opportunities where both charity and individual get clear sustainable benefits.

The report is available free to download from www.nfpsynergy.net or by e-mailing reports@npfsynergy.net (however, be prepared that you will be asked to register before being able to access the file).

The nfpSynergy site further describes the report this way:

Although volunteers began as the heart and soul of the voluntary sector, the rise of professional fundraising and the professionalisation of the sector as a whole over the past few decades have resulted in the role of volunteers often being downplayed. However, as the realisation dawns that volunteers' goodwill is as valuable an asset and as formidable a force as funds raised from supporters, the important role played by volunteers, and therefore volunteer managers, is again coming to the fore. This is indeed a very exciting development, as it means that the volunteer managers of today are working with a relatively blank slate and have the power and opportunity to determine the way in which volunteering develops into the 21st Century.

Of course, it is not just exciting; it is also an incredibly serious responsibility. The volunteering experience that volunteer managers create will shape not only the effectiveness of the sector but also the enthusiasm and attitude with which the British public will approach volunteering.

This report aims to help voluntary organisations understand the current volunteering environment and to anticipate how volunteering will change over the coming years. In particular, it aims to disseminate the ways in which volunteer management will need to develop in order to accommodate changes in the external environment.

4 December 2005: The European Volunteer Centre (which goes by the acronym CEV, which is from their Belgian roots as Centre Europeen du Volontariat) is a European umbrella association of 38 National and Regional Volunteer Center across Europe, working together to support and promote voluntary activity. Visit its informative Web site at www.cev.be , including the Facts and Figures Research Project, ( http://www.cev.be/facts&figures.htm ), which is a work-in-progress,

CEV channels the collective priorities and concerns of its member organizations to the institutions of the European Union. Based in Brussels , it also acts as a central forum for the exchange of policy, practice and information on volunteerism. It supports networking among its members and organizes conferences, seminars, workshops and other activities such as research.

They boldly state their "ethos" as:

At CEV, we believe that voluntary action is at the heart of European ideals of democracy, active citizenship, participation and empowerment. Volunteering also makes an important contribution to national economies, and we believe it should be reflected in Member States' calculations of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Million of citizens throughout Europe are actively involved in service provision, mutual aid, advocacy, campaigning, management, community and environmental action. Volunteering is one of the ways in which people of all nationalities, religions, socio-economic backgrounds and ages can contribute to positive social, political and environmental change. We believe that everyone has the right to engage in some form of voluntary activity, that voluntary action should be effective and that volunteers should benefit from effective management and training.

In their most recent electronic newsletter, they welcome Volunteer Centres Ireland as a new member and report on a variety of current activities across Europe. Download various reports or subscribe to the newsletter at http://www.cev.be/publications.htm.

27 November 2005: The United Nations first declared December 5th as International Volunteer Day (IVD) in 1985 and in the past twenty years dozens of countries on all continents have found creative ways to celebrate it. For details of this year's event, see the extensive area on World Volunteer Web: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/intl-volunteer-day.html. The site also offers free planning toolkits so that even last-minute planners can do something.

In North America, IVD is largely overlooked. But especially in countries without other commemorations such as a National Volunteer Week, IVD resonates. If you want evidence of the truly global involvement of volunteers, spend some time looking at activities planned in such diverse countries as Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Uruguay, Ghana, and more.

It's to the credit of United Nations Volunteers, which coordinates both IVD and World Volunteer Web, that the site challenges those who celebrate volunteering on December 5 th with substance as well as glitter:

The critical question is, however, what happens on 6 December? Newspapers may turn their attention elsewhere and sound bites may fade away, but the work of volunteers goes on with or without publicity and well-deserved recognition. The spirit of IVD must live on as well. In its 2001 resolution, the United Nations General Assembly called on "governments, with the active support of the media, civil society and the private sector, to observe 5 December, IVD, and to include activities focused on following-up on the achievements of IYV".

Encouraging more people to volunteer is a 365-days-a-year task. If you consider the committed work of volunteers of all ages around the globe, carrying out every imaginable kind of activity, IVD should be a day that never ends.

(from http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/intl-volunteer-day/what-it-is.html)

20 November 2005: Try Googling "Thanksgiving + volunteers" and you'll find 1,970,000 different references, most citing charitable activities centered on providing a traditional turkey dinner or other food for families in need this week. There are still requests for additional volunteers in almost every State to do things ranging from serving communal meals to packing gift baskets to delivering food to the homebound. Hurricane refugee families are on the list of recipients this year along with those who are simply poor.

At the risk of editorializing, it's important to note that it's easy to provide abundance for one day a year (actually two, since this same scenario will play itself out again on Christmas). Volunteers who work hard on Thursday to bring some joy to those in need ought to consider that the real goal is elimination of hunger. Most of the organizations recruiting holiday help really want and deserve year-round attention.

On a slightly different note, Thanksgiving is a great - and under-utilized - opportunity to say thank you to volunteers for their many generous services in the past twelve months. Use the holiday for volunteer - and employee - recognition. It won't necessarily be expected, but it's logical and sincere.

Happy holiday to everyone, including our non-American site visitors. Thanksgiving is a non-sectarian day to stop and count blessings, and be thankful for the bounties of the harvest and the spirit of family and community. Sounds pretty international, doesn't it? Enjoy!

13 November 2005: It doesn't matter where in the world a natural disaster occurs - volunteers will be there to help. The November 12th edition of the Daily Times ("a new voice for a new Pakistan") reported:

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday urged all Pakistanis to exhibit a spirit of volunteerism and work zealously for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of earthquake-hit areas.

Addressing an 'enrolment drive' in connection with the National Volunteer Movement, Aziz said the movement would infuse fresh spirit in relief operations. The October 8 earthquake was a calamity that can only be tackled with bravery and national volunteerism, he said.

The article continues by addressing the controversy over allowing foreign nationals to help with the relief effort in an area in the middle of a volatile political dispute. Despite the problems, over sixty countries have sent paid and volunteer relief workers to the Kashmiri area. The Prime Minister stressed the humanitarian motive behind such outreach and challenge Pakistanis to come forward themselves in response to needs as varied as housing reconstruction and making artificial limbs.

In the following day's edition (November 13), the Daily Times examines the issues of opposition politics and how the relief efforts are divided between Army-led projects and those of non-governmental organizations. In the middle of all this is the proposed "National Volunteer Movement" that the current Pakistani government wants to initiate for long-term relief work.

6 November 2005: 2005 is a year of transition for International Volunteer Manager Appreciation (IVMA) Day. The observance, established in 1999 to both bring recognition to individual managers of volunteer resources and to promote greater awareness of the catalytic role of managers in effective volunteerism, is undergoing a change in its own management as well as a shift in the date of observance. For 2005, IVMA is set for the original date, December 5th, mirroring the United Nations celebration of volunteering, International Volunteer Day. Starting in 2006, IVMA Day will shift to a permanent new home on November 1st.

A new steering committee is being developed to guide the transition to the new date and to renew energy and excitement for recognition of volunteer resources management. Current members of the committee include interim chair, Nan Hawthorne of nanhawthorne.com, Andy Fryar of Australasia’s OzVPM, Linda Blanton of The Thanks Company, Ann Bain of SAVM in Scotland, Rosanna Tarsiero, Nancy Gaston representing the Association for Volunteer Administration, and Stephen Nill of CharityChannel, the host of IVMA Day’s Internet presence: www.ivma-day.org.. Active recruitment of more members from around the world is in process, with emphasis on international representation, important skills and connections, and representation form important professional associations.

International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day will be observed on these dates:

2005 December 5
2006 November 1
thereafter November 1

Those wanting to keep up-to-date with plans and activities can sign up for regular updates and learn more about IVMA Day and how to participate at http://www.ivma-day.org or by contacting Nan_Hawthorne@CharityChannel.com.

30 October 2005: CHARITY magazine, a new publication uplifting, promoting, and celebrating philanthropy in communities of color will be inaugurated with its January 2006 issue. You can preview the issue and subscribe both to the publication and to an e-mail list at their Web site at www.CharityMagazine.us.

With the tag line, "the new faces of philanthropy," and the slogan, "Giving is Living," this magazine has great potential to fill a gap in the literature. Publisher Joy Strickland said in a press release:

For years, there has been an information gap on the subject of philanthropy in communities of color, partly because positive stories usually take a back seat to headlines favoring crime and violence. We all stand to benefit when stories that exemplify the best in us are impressed upon our national consciousness. I started this project over two years ago. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina there is a heightened interest in nonprofit news, giving, and volunteerism, but this topic needs our sustained attention and focus.

23 October 2005: Scholarship applications are now being accepted for the 2006 Institute on Philanthropy and Voluntary Service , a residential summer program for undergraduate students interested in volunteerism and careers in the nonprofit sector.

INSTITUTE ON PHILANTHROPY

AND VOLUNTARY SERVICE

June 10 - August 5, 2006

Georgetown University , Washington , DC

This fast-paced Institute offers a rigorous combination of professional experience, academic learning and service projects that will provide students with an unparalleled experience in the nation's capital.

Nonprofit Internships - Competitive placements with leading nonprofit organizations
Classes - Up to 9 credit hours from Georgetown University
Housing - Furnished on-campus apartments
Service - Variety of hands-on community projects
Guest Lectures - With Washington's top nonprofit executives and scholars
Leadership Development - Leadership, mentoring and career building activities
Scholarships - Over half of all students receive full or partial funding

For more information or to request a brochure, visit www.dcinternships.org/ipvs

For more information on this opportunity, contact Ms. Shane Goldsmith, Program Director, by phone at 1-800-741-6964 or sgoldsmith@tfas.org .

Also:

An International Call for Papers

Volunteerism in the 21st Century

Original manuscripts that address issues pertaining to the importance of volunteerism with an emphasis on social, cultural, political, historical and economic dimensions of volunteering will be considered for publication in an anthology and/or presentation at a Jackson , Mississippi conference entitled: "Reinventing Mississippi: The Role of Nonprofits and Volunteers," April 19-21, 2006 . Empirical and conceptual/theoretical

papers written with practitioners, community groups or individuals from an array of disciplines are strongly encouraged.

Appropriate topics include, but are not limited to the following:

Changing patterns in volunteerism including who volunteers and motivations for volunteering.
Volunteers as agents of civic engagement and social capital.
Critical analyses of volunteerism (e.g., from a feminist, critical theory, or postmodern tradition).
The "under side" of volunteerism.
Conceptual and methodological issues related to the study of volunteerism.
Global volunteerism.
Evaluating and measuring the impact of volunteering in local communities.
Government as a historical generator of volunteer programs.
Volunteering in times of crises.
The changing significance of the non-profit volunteer.
Spaces where volunteerism occurs (e.g., community building programs, literacy campaigns, health promotion, tourism and volunteering, intergenerational programs, cultural events and organizations, environment and resource management associations, and state and local capacity building, etc.).

Sponsored by the Mississippi Volunteer Service Commission in conjunction

with the Jackson State University Department of History & Philosophy.

Abstracts of no more than two pages, double spaced, or queries, may be

submitted by January 15, 2006, to Dr. Elizabeth Overman, at

eoverman@jam.rr.com.

16 October 2005:

Washington Monthly magazine has released its national ranking of universities, but with a twist: the schools earned their scores based on their ethic of service . Titled: "The Washington Monthly College Guide," (http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0509.collegeguide.html ) the article has this subtitle: Other guides ask what colleges can do for you. We ask what are colleges doing for the country .

Explaining their methodology, the editors write:

The first question we asked was, what does America need from its universities? From this starting point, we came up with three central criteria: Universities should be engines of social mobility, they should produce the academic minds and scientific research that advance knowledge and drive economic growth, and they should inculcate and encourage an ethic of service. We designed our evaluation system accordingly.

Unlike other national rankings that concentrate mainly on academics, the top ten schools in this report include only two Ivy League institutions, MIT (which came in first) and the University of Pennsylvania, but three of the University of California system schools made the top of the list (see chart to right). Similar surprises appear in the rankings of liberal arts colleges, shown separately.

The Report explains its findings fully, but this is the paragraph of greatest interest to our Web site visitors:

Perhaps the most striking data, however, is found in national service. Our measures here were simple: whether a school devotes a significant part of its federal work study funding to placing students in community service jobs (as the original work study law intended); the percentage of students enrolled in ROTC; and the percentage of graduates currently enrolled in the Peace Corps. All schools, large and small, are capable of excelling in these areas. In fact, we found that while some very small and nationally unknown schools have made an aggressive commitment to national service, most of the highest ranking U.S. News schools have not. The University of Portland , for example, finishes first in national service while Harvard lingers down at #75. Harvard obviously has far more resources than the University of Portland , and there's no question that it could match Portland 's remarkable performance on service, if it chose to make a similar commitment to emphasizing that value among its students. But, at least by the criteria we set, it has not.

This is a fascinating report, with some valuable recommendations in its conclusions. Take a look.

9 October 2005:

More Australians are donating to charity and community groups - and giving record amounts.

But they give only when asked to do so. And though they loathe telephone requests for donations, they are quite likely to respond sympathetically .

So begins an article in the October 8 th issue of the Sydney Morning Herald, titled "In the big-hearted nation, just ask."

It is an advance peak at the findings from the just-completed "Giving Australia" research project, the largest survey of its kind ever done in Australia . The full details will soon be available at http://www.partnerships.gov.au/philanthropy/philanthropy_research.shtml .

Other interesting tidbits in the advance information include:

The publicity for volunteering during the Sydney Olympics is credited with helping to boost volunteering levels to 41 per cent in 2005 up from 24 per cent in 1995.

Traditional charities received only $1 in every $8 donated.

People gave mainly because they identified with the cause and the people it helped, the report said, and they preferred to help "innocent" victims.

Business gave almost one-quarter of its donations to sport and recreation, with most of it in the form of sponsorships.

2 October 2005: 2010 Legacies Now has unveiled an interactive online registration system for volunteers with a target of recruting one million Canadians by 2012: www.VolWeb.ca. The new site was unveiled at the launch of Volunteers Now in British Columbia – an initiative which will seek to develop sustainable legacies in the volunteer sector leading up to and beyond the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

In the press release announcing the program, Marion Lay, President and CEO of 2010 Legacies Now, said:

VolWeb.ca is an exciting new initiative that will help to capture the enthusiasm and excitement people have about the numerous events coming to British Columbia and Canada over the next few years….

Volunteering is such an important part of B.C.’s high quality of life, both as it benefits the community and as it benefits the volunteers themselves…VolWeb.ca is going to make the process of matching organizers and interested volunteers so much easier….

VolWeb.ca will initially connect volunteers across British Columbia with organizers planning sporting and community events such as the Grey Cup, World Junior Hockey Championships and the Hyack Community Festival.

2010 Legacies Now is a not-for-profit society that works in partnership with community organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), the private sector and all levels of government to develop sustainable legacies in sport and recreation, arts, literacy, and volunteerism. 2010 Legacies Now actively assists communities discover and create unique and inclusive social and economic opportunities leading up to, during and beyond the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For more information visit www.2010LegaciesNow.com.

24 September 2005: In the spirit of community service and assisting those in need, the Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP) joined the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS, https://www.accesscommunity.org/) and The National Network for Arab-American Communities in organizing the first ever National Arab-American Service Day on September 24, 2005. Arab-American community organizations in twelve cities engaged in community service projects outside of the Arab-American community in an effort to build bridges and assist those in need. A list of the cities can be found at http://www.nnaac.org/service.html. "In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we are reminded that we all have a responsibility to serve our fellow Americans," said Taleb Salhab, the ACCESS National Outreach Director, in a press release describing the event. "And the National Arab-American Service Day is about that, Americans coming together to serve their communities and assist those in need." The ACCESS Web site further explains:

While the service projects in each city will be unique, this event is a true testament to the fact that Arab Americans are giving back to their cities and to America... As a symbol of unity, participating organizations will partner with organizations outside of their own communities in order to serve all Americans. From cleaning up parks and schools, to entertaining terminally ill children at the Ronald McDonald House, to working food banks, to planting community gardens—each project is a way of bettering the community.

The Network of Arab-American Professionals (http://www.naaponline.org) is a “volunteer-based community organization that supports the Arab-American student movement, provides opportunities for networking among professionals, empowers the community through advocacy, and promotes and preserves Arab culture and identity.”

18 September 2005: NetAid, the Web-based organization that “educates, inspires, and empowers young people to fight global poverty,” has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2005-2006 Global Citizen Corps (GCC) Field Correspondent program. High school students in the US will have the opportunity to network online (and offline) to plan peer education campaigns at high schools around the country. And for our nation it will help build a long-term political constituency in the fight against extreme poverty. NetAid describes the project as:

The GCC empowers high school students to educate and mobilize their peers in efforts to end global poverty. During the 2005-2006 school year, GCC Field Correspondents will work in their schools and communities to implement a series of Global Action Days, which raise awareness around issues such as hunger, HIV/AIDS and access to education through participating in international poverty-fighting campaigns.

GCC Field Correspondents will have the incredible opportunity to benefit from the experiences and insights of a diverse group of inspired young people from across the U.S. and, through the GCC Online Action Center, receive ongoing support from both NetAid and their peers in designing and implementing Global Action Days throughout the year.

The application can be found at: http://www.netaidadmin.org/gcc/fc/. More information on the GCC Field Correspondent program can be found within the application. For additional questions, feel free to contact Natalie Wooller at gcc@netaid.org or 212-537-0513.

You can also check out a slide show of teens already in the program who attended a related summit last month:
http://www.netaid.org/global_citizen_corps/2005-summit/gcc-summit-arrival.html
Students who apply now might soon be joining those shown in the slides for learning, planning, and synchronized peer action days throughout the current school year.

11 September 2005: Karen Key, the Director of Volunteer Alliances for AARP, voiced a creative and powerful idea during last week’s National Human Services Alliance conference in Washington, DC. We had been talking about the barriers both young and old people face in offering their services as volunteers, as well as the importance of doing so.

Bob Goodwin of the Points of Light Foundation observed that two critical benefits individuals derive from volunteering are an increase in (sometimes the start of) confidence and a feeling of affirmation. Both are necessary for every human being , but often the young and the old have few ways to feel worthwhile or to achieve recognition. Service to others demonstrates – to volunteers themselves – that they can be givers of help as well as recipients, and that they have skills and talents to contribute that others value.

That led to a discussion of Hurricane Katrina and all those evacuees sitting in crowded shelters waiting to restart their lives. Karen mused, “wouldn't it be incredible if the evacuees were given the chance to go out and do volunteer work to help others? Think of how that would turn the tables for them and return some self-esteem.”

It's so easy to look at the thousands of evacuees as simply people in need. And, of course, they are in great need and truly in crisis. But once their immediate requirements for care and sustenance are met, they are sitting around doing nothing. Worse, as the days go by, they are continuing to receive charity from others in a one-way flow.

Read more about how volunteer program managers can act on this idea (and add your comments) at http://www.energizeinc.com/hot/2005/poweridea.html.

4 September 2005: The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is dominating American thought this week and is front page news around the world. It’s hard to comprehend the destruction and human cost, and there’s no time to reflect anyway while in full crisis mode. Community leaders all agree that the best way to help right now is to give money to an established disaster relief organization. Well-meaning volunteers without an authorized role should stay away – the last thing the southern coast needs is more human beings to organize, shelter and feed.

However, there are also some important (and even inventive) ways citizens who want to volunteer time and energy can be where the action is. Here are two that we’ve learned about in the last two days and want to help them spread the word about their efforts.

Hands On Network Teams
The American Red Cross has set up operations centers in Montgomery, Alabama to coordinate all volunteer response efforts and deploy volunteer groups to the areas in most need of immediate assistance. Hands On Network is supporting the Red Cross by coordinating self-organized groups of 25-100 people to serve in immediate response teams for seven-day shifts. Teams must have a designated Team Leader willing to take responsibility for overall team management. Requests from individuals to be placed on teams cannot be accepted at this time. There are strict volunteer eligibility requirements and volunteer teams must meet all of the volunteer eligibility requirements in order to participate. To learn more about getting involved, go to www.handsonnetwork.org. Further, Hands On Network has set up an e-mail account and phone hotline to direct volunteer action efforts: takeaction@handsonnetwork.org and (404)979-2933.

Hurricane Emergency National Housing Drive
At least 80,000 displaced people are competing for area shelters, and countless more are in motels, cars, or wherever they can stay out of the elements. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross are scrambling to find shelter for these people in need. MoveOn.org has therefore launched an emergency national housing drive to connect available beds with hurricane victims who desperately need a place to stay. Housing is most urgently needed within reasonable driving distance (about 300 miles) of the affected areas in the Southeast, especially New Orleans.

Anyone can post an offer of housing (a spare room, extra bed, even a decent couch) and search for available housing online at: http://www.hurricanehousing.org.

The process is simple and dramatically illustrates the impact the Web can have in such an emergency situation:

You can sign up to become a host by posting a description of whatever housing you have available, along with contact information. You can change or remove your offer at any time.

Hurricane victims, local and national relief organizations, friends and relatives can search the site for housing. MoveOn.org will do everything it can to get your offers where they are needed most. Many shelters actually already have Internet access, but folks without Web access can still make use of the site through case workers and family members.

Hurricane victims or relief agencies will contact hosts and together decide if it's a good match and make the necessary travel arrangements. The host's address is not released until a particular match is agreed on.

It’s hard to imagine a more direct person-to-person way of helping.

28 August 2005: One Day's Pay (www.onedayspay.org) is a New York City-based nonprofit organization leading the effort to establish September 11th as a national day of voluntary service, charity and compassion. They have a simple mission:

To encourage people everywhere to set aside time every September 11 th to help others in need. In this way, we hope to keep alive forever, in our memories and actions, the spirit of giving and selfless service that unified our nation following the terrorist attacks.

They are nondirective about what each individual may choose to do, but their Web site provides many ideas. It is also possible to “ register your good-faith, non-binding and confidential pledge [online] to devote a portion of your day on September 11 to serving others in any fashion you deem appropriate.”

This is not only an American-focused effort. The FAQs on http://www.onedayspay.org/about/faq.php explain that the work has broadened to an international concern for victims of terrorism everywhere:

Why was One Day's Pay formed?
One Day's Pay was originally formed shortly after the terrorist attacks by a group that included relatives of 9/11 victims, business leaders and others who felt compelled to find a lasting way to pay tribute to victims and heroes of 9/11. Today, One Day's Pay has become an international initiative honoring not only those affected by 9/11, but also others throughout the world who are victims of terrorism.

Because this is a one-day, small-act form of service, it can easily be adopted as a special opportunity for any organization, association, business, faith community, or existing volunteer program.

21 August 2005: Volunteers are always on the frontlines – where the action is – and the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is no exception. While most news stories from the region this week focused on the confrontation between entrenched Israeli settlers and the Army sent to remove them, here and there the media found hopeful examples of positive action.

The Haaretz Daily ran an article with the headline “Volunteer groups to help evacuees from Gaza settlements” (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/614869.html). Faced with the challenge of interim housing and resettlement into permanent homes, many of the uprooted Israeli families are struggling. The article says: “ The administration said it recruited dozens of volunteers deployed in 35 hotels where the evacuees had been sent, and welcomed any additional assistance.” More about this effort can be found at the Israel National News site at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=88157.

Similarly, the United Kibbutz Movement sent 100 volunteers to Gaza help dismantle hothouses and save agricultural businesses developed by Israelis there (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3121648,00.html):

"We volunteered to help, morally as well, from settler to settler, farmer to farmer," Marshak said. "It means we are creating a feeling that we are disengaging together and leaving here with our heads held high …We feel the pain, and cannot sit and watch the television."

As always in a conflict, both sides tend to mobilize their homefronts in similar ways.

The Daily Star of Lebanon reported on a clean-up campaign in Gaza City led by the Palestinian Prime Minister:

Dozens of volunteers working for Gaza City council were dabbing at other offensive graffiti, sweeping the streets and removing posters strung up largely by the governing Fatah party, and radical groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Children and their parents were among the army of volunteers who have joined the clean-up bandwagon in various districts of the teeming city. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_
id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=17693

Of course the term volunteer is used in many ways. The Middle East Online site ( http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/palestine/?id=14179) reports a Fatah party spokesman as saying:

"We have decided to create a popular army to help the Palestinian Authority take things in hand after Israeli forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip"… Around 250 volunteers make up the kernel of the new group, which on Tuesday was being put through fitness exercises in a football ground in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis….

"The popular army will consist of 1,500 volunteers throughout the whole of the Gaza Strip"… would be mainly volunteers from Fatah but would also be open to members of other Palestinian factions if they wanted to join.

The creation of a Fatah "popular army" reflects a desire among the previously dominant Palestinian faction to flex its muscles against the radical Islamist movement Hamas, which is particularly strong in Gaza.

United Nations Volunteers (UNV) has run a diverse and successful Palestinian volunteer effort in Gaza and the West Bank for many years and will continue to do so. See http://192.115.229.1/unv/activities.html for a description of several programs. But a unique effort is described by the Palestinian National Authority International Press Service: TOKTEN, which stands for the “Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals” ( http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_News/news2002-10/job_vacancies1.html). TOKTEN places professional expatriate Palestinians in various Palestinian institutions to share their skills and expertise as volunteers for a short period of time. Undoubtedly, they will be needed more than ever in the months to come.

14 August 2005: In development for the past year, "IMPACT: A Fund for Change Through Volunteerism," will combine financial resources from The UPS Foundation, The Home Depot and Capital One Financial. Grants will be made to both national and local organizations to support projects aimed at improving the involvement of volunteers. Organizations will be encouraged to work together to address challenges in effective volunteer management that in the past they have tackled alone.

The IMPACT Fund was initially established with a $1 million, three-year grant from The UPS Foundation. Capital One and The Home Depot then joined, and the Fund now is recruiting additional local and national funders. The National Human Services Assembly (NHSA) is providing management and staff support for the Fund.

In its initial phase, the IMPACT Fund is working with local funders in five states and plans to partner to fund several projects by early fall. Subsequent calls for proposals are expected for both national and local projects, based on the interest of the participating funders who will work together to award grants.

Volunteers are a key component to the success of many organizations but a resource that is not always well managed. In 2004, The UPS Foundation, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the USA Freedom Corps unveiled the results of the first-ever national study on volunteer management capacity, conducted by the Urban Institute.

According to the research, four in five charities were relying on volunteers but most were struggling with the task of managing volunteer resources effectively. That research, along with extensive input from stakeholders, produced a blueprint called From Research to Action.

The National Assembly has opened a new Web site specifically for this program at http://www.volunteerimpactfund.org/. From this site you can download the various reports that led to this point and keep informed about RFPs and other news. For example, the PowerPoint presentation used at last week’s workshop about IMPACT at the National Volunteering and Service Conference in Washington, DC has just been posted to the site.

7 August 2005: One of the really hot news items that hit the media in Washington, DC last week and was also introduced at last week’s National Volunteering and Service Conference – obliquely during a keynote speech by t.v. commentator Cokie Roberts – is a new strategy for increasing the number of military recruits by promising that part of the service obligation of 8 years can be fulfilled through Peace Corps or AmeriCorps.

The amazing part of this is that the plan was written into law three years ago but is only now surfacing. The Washington Post said (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/01/AR2005080101310_pf.html):

Congress authorized the recruitment program three years ago in legislation that drew little attention at the time but is stirring controversy now, for two reasons: The military has begun to promote it, and the day is drawing closer when the first batch of about 4,300 recruits will be eligible to apply to the Peace Corps, after having spent 3 1/2 years in the armed forces. That could happen as early as 2007.

Apparently the Peace Corps was completely unaware of this provision until now and there is very serious concern that this move could work against the Peace Corps’ dedication to separating itself in foreign eyes from any taint of spying or military connection. The full facts are yet to be understood, but the Post continued its article by explaining:

After the law went into effect in 2003, the Defense Department was slow to promote the option of combining military and Peace Corps service, but it is now energetically flogging the "National Call to Service" program, recruiters said. The Army, which began a pilot project in 10 of its 41 recruiting districts in October 2003, expanded it into a nationwide effort this year. The Air Force, Navy and Marines offer identical programs, said Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

In all of the services, recruits are eligible for a $5,000 cash bonus or repayment of $18,000 in student loans if they agree to spend three months in boot camp, 15 months on active duty and two years in the Reserves or National Guard. After that, they can fulfill the remainder of their eight-year military obligation in the Individual Ready Reserves -- available for call-up, but without regular drilling duties -- or by serving in the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, the domestic national service program created in 1993.

There are many questions to be answered. Will these folks serve at the same level of living allowance as any other volunteer? Can they be called to active duty at no notice? It also turns out that AmeriCorps grantees have just been told they will have to increase the amount they provide as matching funds – does this mean that nonprofits will effectively be subsidizing an obligation of the military?

The News & Observer in Raleigh, NC, responded to the news in its August 4 th editorial (http://www.newsobserver.com/print/thursday/
opinion/story/2673933p-9110740c.html):

The arrangement puts at risk Peace Corps volunteers with no ties to the military but who might be suspected of being former military anyway. The Peace Corps, which has done enlightened work around the globe, will have its credibility badly tarnished if its independence is compromised in this fashion. With military enlistments slipping, the Americorps option is a good idea. But the Peace Corps should be left out of this package deal.

Clearly this plan is more in response to the difficulty of getting enough new recruits for the military and very little to do with expanding peaceful service. The association of returned Peace Corps members is obviously incensed and is mobilizing to fight the plan. See http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/2629/2034163.html for more articles and responses.

The important thing is for everyone to stay alert and follow this story. It’s guaranteed to generate much more discussion in the months to come.

31 July 2005: It started as something of a joke but quickly proved to be a fun, leading edge event in Dacorum (about 40 miles NNW of London). Volunteer Centre Dacorum held a “Volunteer Speed Matching” session that proved popular with both potential volunteers and local organizations.

Described (with photos) at http://www.volunteerdacorum.org/volunteer_speed_match.htm, the event had all the elements of the current fad of speed dating: scoresheets, stop watch and "daters" moving tables on 3 minute whistle sounds! Volunteer Centre Dacorum clearly has a very positive sense of humor, both with this upbeat twist on recruitment techniques and how they write about what happened:

How was it for you? 31 local organisations & 53 new volunteers gave the event the thumbs up, with the earth moving for some of them! It turned out that everybody loved somebody, with all volunteers and organisations achieving some "yes" & "maybe" scores.

Second dates? Following the day, Volunteer Centre staff & volunteers matched "Yes" & "Maybe" scores and set up second "dates". We hope they'll all be very happy together!

Thanks to Heather Allen, Manager of the Centre, for drawing our attention to the event and also for working on a Volunteer Speed Matching toolkit which will contain everything you need to run such an event – templates for the daters, model press releases, scoresheets, etc. Watch our site for more information to come.

24 July 2005: Announced three years ago, it looks as though the plans for "The Extra Mile - Points of Light Volunteer Pathway" have finally moved forward and this unique national monument will be dedicated at 10:00 a.m., Friday, October 14, 2005. Former President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush are scheduled to appear.

The mile long Pathway of bronze circular tablets imbedded in concrete will "honor our country's greatest volunteers, those who have changed the world by going the extra mile for others." The Pathway is located in the heart of Washington , DC , in an area bounded by the White House, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol, one of the most heavily touristed areas of the city.

The Extra Mile Web site - www.extramile.us - has been updated by the Points of Light Foundation and there is now a Flash tour and a list of all the people selected to be honored to date. According to the site, it is still possible to nominate more volunteers for the bronze plaques. The criteria for recognition (apparently legislatively mandated) are that

been made in the public interest
materially improved American society or the environment
had a positive effect on a significant number of people in the U.S.
been made while the person was acting as a private citizen, not as an appointed or elected government official
been undertaken outside of the person's normal work assignment and not for profit
taken place at least five (5) years ago

17 July 2005: On 28 June, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and its Online Volunteering (OV) service announced the winners of the “Online Volunteers of the Year” award for 2005. The 10 online volunteers were selected on the basis of their drive, creativity, and enthusiasm in supporting the work of the United Nations, NGOs, and other organizations in the efforts to reach sustainable human development.

The winners were chosen by a jury of UNV representatives and external experts in information and communication technologies (ICT) for development and volunteerism.

The Online Volunteers of the Year 2005, their nationalities, and host organizations are:

Stephan Bren ( USA) – Mgbala Agwa Youth Forum ( Nigeria)
Sandrine Cortet ( France) – Professional Education Organization International (PEOI) ( USA) and RESPECT International ( Canada)
Sonia Ignatova ( USA) – Action Against Poverty International ( Nigeria)
Carlos Jiménez ( Spain) – UN Volunteers ( Egypt)
Mohammad Ashaq Malik (India/Eritrea) – Nile Basin Society ( Canada) + UN Volunteers ( Syria)
Jay Martin ( Australia) – UN Volunteers ( Viet Nam)
Haingonirina Angie Ramaroson ( Madagascar) – DatelineHealth-Africa ( USA)
Ana Maria da F.M. Saravia ( Brazil) – Shine a Light (USA)
Elizabeth and Tim Rose ( Canada) – Childcare and Adoption Society ( Zambia)
Online Volunteer team: Taru Agarwal (India), Charles Forrester (Australia), Kashif Kamran (Pakistan), Priscilla Lynch (USA) – UN Volunteers Syria

Congratulating the winners, UNV Executive Coordinator Ad de Raad said the efforts of the online volunteers serve as an example of the power of volunteering for development:

This group of dedicated volunteers represents the very best of what ordinary citizens can do online to help overcome poverty, fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, and support the advancement of human development worldwide in general… The purpose of this award is to not only recognize their contributions to development, but to demonstrate to others what they can do to support international efforts to free the world from want.

The Online Volunteering Service has been a leader in the effort to connect volunteers from developed countries with those in need of technical assistance and support in other parts of the world. Take some time to look at this extensive Web site and see what imagination and commitment can accomplish. You can also sign up for a free e-newsletter with tips on making virtual assignments successful. Programs in developing countries may also post opportunities for online volunteers to help them. http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/

12 July: The deadline for submitting proposals to for the November volunteering research conference in England (see news of 19 June below) has been extended to the 12th of August.

10July 2005: Changemakers.net is seeking the most innovative programs and initiatives around the world where young people and adults are working together to develop skills and understanding grounded in ethics and empathy. All winners will receive a $5,000 Changemakers Innovation Award prize. This competition is hosted in partnership with the Institute for Global Ethics and Ashoka's Innovative Learning Initiative. Details are available at www.changemakers.net . Note that the deadline to enter the competition is August 16, 2005 .

The "How to Build a More Ethical Society" Competition selects the top three winners through the votes of site visitors, so you can have a hand in the selection, too. See the current submissions being considered at: http://www.changemakers.net/journal/300506/ethics.cfm

In browsing the list, I discovered one under the heading of " fight poverty/promote volunteerism " - from Chile . Here is an excerpt of the full submission :

Country: Chile

Organization: UN TECHO PARA MI PAIS

Idea: UN TECHO PARA MI PAIS (A ROOF FOR MY COUNTRY) is a non lucrative civil association of young volunteers in Latin America with the mission and shared dream of working with families that suffer habitation problems in our continent and to contribute to overcome extreme poverty. We seek to improve their quality of life by working together building Minimum Modules (Emergency Modules). UTPMP works with more than 1000 volunteers a year offering the construction of minimum housing and social intervention which mainly includes a program of micro credits, technical education, health plans and judicial counselling and training of basic professions.

Submit you own work or just see what's happening around the world.

3July2005: The first symposium on promoting volunteerism among school students was held on June 25th in Damascus, Syria, under the slogan "towards a generation of volunteers." The event was run by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) in Syria and the United Nations Volunteers UNV.

The symposium's agenda included a presentation on "Learning to CARE: education, volunteering and community service” by Patricia Nabti, Founding President of the Association for Volunteer Services ( Lebanon). Nabti also conducted a two-part training workshop on: developing guidelines for school-based volunteering and community service, and creating an effective team ( administrator, teachers, students, NGOs, municipalities and other community partners).

The effects of integrating volunteerism in the lives of youth and children and their emotional well-being was addressed by by Adib Essali, President, Syrian Association of Psychiatrists. Presentations on individual volunteering experience were made by Samir Madwar (18-year old), Jida al-Saman (12-year old), and Hamza Koutabi (13-year old).

Chandan Naji, Vice President of Rainbow For A Better Childhood (a nongovernmental organization under the patronage of the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs) raised the issue on how can volunteering initiatives by youths and children benefit NGOs. Ms. Fumiko Fukuok, UNV program deputy resident representative, said that youth are best suited to volunteer and volunteering is often their main medium of social engagement. In Syria, she said, youths represent a huge proportion of the population, with more than sixty percent of the population under 25 year-old. So there is large potential for involving youth more deeply.

JCI Syria aims to raise the awareness and the responsibility of Syrian businesses towards the community, adding that projects will be conducted to raise community and social awareness.

For additional details, see http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050629/2005062908.html.

Archived News: Current | 2009 June-Jan | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 Dec - July | 2006 June - Jan | 2005 Dec - July | 2005 June - Jan | 2004 Dec - July | 2004 June - Jan | 2003 Dec - Aug | 2003 July - Jan

The (Help!) I-Don't- Have- Enough- Time Guide to Volunteer Management

Visionary Leadership in Volunteer Programs

Over 80 more books...

An international online journal to keep you current on trends, research, successes...
Learn more | Subscribe

Online training for individuals, organizations or corporations to work successfully with volunteers. Learn more