2010 Weekly Volunteer Management News
Archive
for 2010 July-Dec (Current News)
26 December: Germany's coalition government has voted to end compulsory six-month military service for young men in 2011. This also means the end of six months of community service as an alternative option for completing the obligation. Now hospitals, retirement homes, and other social service agencies across the country -- who have relied on the conscripts as free labor – are seriously concerned about how to continue their client programs.
Eric Westervelt filed the story, “As Germany Ends Draft, Fears of a Labor Shortage,” for National Public Radio (you can read the article or listen to a recording of the radio broadcast). He does a good job of explaining the pro and con ripple effect across Germany:
- Most think it’s a good thing to end military conscription.
- Charities worry about losing the alternative community service participants – both because of the poor economy limiting their ability to hire replacements and the effort it might take to recruit 60,000 true volunteers.
- The German government hopes to create a fully voluntary 12-23 month service program, but the details are not yet in place.
- German universities aren’t sure they can handle the additional 40,000 applicants predicted next year.
- On the other hand, the German Red Cross welcomes the “opportunity to build long-term volunteers.”
- While, the trade unions are optimistic that new paid jobs will be created since the work the conscripts did was low-level labor that purely voluntary workers won’t like.
Be careful what you wish for! The situation will certainly bear watching over the coming months.
19 December: CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (http://civicus.org/) is an international alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. It acts as an advocate for citizen participation as an essential component of governance and democracy worldwide. “CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people…giv[ing] expression to the enormous creative energy of the burgeoning sector of civil society.”
This year, CIVICUS launched PG Exchange as a site for knowledge development, sharing and learning on participatory governance (PG). The site provides information on a wide range of participatory governance practices and tools – all aimed at achieving more transparent, responsive, accountable and effective governance, at both the local and national level, through active citizen participation.
PG Exchange offers free access to:
- A growing database of over 30 PG tools and selected key resources.
- A global Community of Practice supporting information sharing on participatory governance through online discussion groups.
- An online calendar of participatory governance events around the globe.
To learn more, go to www.pgexchange.org/.
12 December: A new study released last week by Volunteer Canada, in partnership with Manulife Financial, shows that, while Canada's voluntary sector is the second largest in the world after the Netherlands, a significant number of volunteers report an experience that is less than satisfying.
The national research study, Bridging the Gap: Enriching the Volunteer Experience to Build a Better Future for Our Communities, gathered practical information for use by organizations to attract and retain skilled, dedicated volunteers. The study revealed there are significant gaps between the opportunities organizations are providing and the meaningful experiences today's volunteers are seeking, such as group or family projects, greater flexibility in ways to serve, and more.
The study examined the perspectives of four key groups: youth, Baby Boomers, families, and employer-supported volunteers. Respondents revealed that the volunteer experiences individuals are looking for change significantly as Canadians move through the different stages of their lives. The results also pointed to an increasing number of recent immigrants of Boomer age, who could play a pivotal volunteer role in helping to integrate and support new immigrants into Canadian society, thanks to their unique cultural and linguistic skills.
Unlike surveys that simply describe participation rates, this new research captures what Canadians want in their volunteer experiences and suggests what organizations can do to enhance their volunteer base and ultimately build stronger communities. Ruth MacKenzie, CEO and President of Volunteer Canada, said: "The findings suggest the optimal formula for engaging volunteers is one where organizations are well organized but not too bureaucratic and open to letting volunteers determine the scope of what they can offer."
Download the Fact Sheet - Download the Full Report
5 December: With an article last week by Hilary Stout, “Frazzled Moms Push Back on Volunteering,” The New York Times has created an uproar in volunteer circles. It is worth reading both the piece itself and the growing number of comments posted online in reaction to it – 88 already in only two days.
The article itself is provocative, but not insightful. Basically it highlights the decision of one mother to cut out all volunteering, cold turkey, in order to refocus her attention on her family. There is no indication that she attempted to simply cut back nor that the school, where she spent most of her volunteer time, had any idea about how much she was growing to hate her service. Even if she is an extreme example of a volunteer at the end of her rope, there is no question that this article strikes a nerve. Especially in an environment of budget cuts, calls to service from every quarter, and the escalating pace of everyday life, it’s going to happen that at least some volunteers feel overworked and under-appreciated.
In some ways, this article connects well to the new Hot Topic on what we mean by “volunteering.” Readers of The New York Times might conclude that we’ve moved from service to servitude, and never realize that volunteering is supposed to be a form of leisure as well as a form of work.
This is a fascinating glimpse into how we are perceived by the general public. It is also a great example of challenging sacred cows, since many of the respondents question whether school-related volunteering is too often directed at outdated and meaningless traditions.
28 November: As announced in this news feature before, the 5th of December is the annual International Volunteer Day as declared by the United Nations in 1985 and coordinated by United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
This year, UNV is holding an online “Film Festival” on Saturday, December 4th – and we’re all invited: “Starting at 14:00 Fiji Time and continuing for 24 hours the festival will circle the globe, stopping in …12 time zones…and inviting discussion from you.” (Note the cool world map used for displaying what time the festival will take place in each area of the world.) Watch a video clip for an introduction to the idea of “Share Your Story.”
You’ll see the acronym “MDG” in various places. It stands for the United Nations’ “Millennium Development Goals” and UNV also discusses how volunteering is connected to them.
Go to the UNV Facebook page for more information on the Film Festival, IYV+10, and general interaction among the global volunteer community: http://www.facebook.com/unvolunteers.
And, happy International Volunteer Day to everyone from all of us at Energize, Inc.!
21 November: Individuals seeking to earn the CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration) credential in 2011 may now register with the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (www.cvacert.org). This unique, international, performance-based program recognizes practitioners with at least 3 years of experience in the field of volunteer resources management.
Registration for the next cycle will remain open until March 1, 2011. (Register by December 31 and save money with the special Early Bird discount!) Candidates registering for this cycle will be expected to take the online exam at local sites in May 2011, and will have until December 2011 to complete the written Portfolio component. This is a self-study process, requiring no travel or special classes.
To get started, visit the CCVA web site to print a copy of the 2011 Candidate Handbook and registration form (and read testimonials from recent CVAs). Specific questions can be directed to CCVA at 804-794-8689 or ccva@comcast.net.
14 November: Volunteering England (www.volunteering.org.uk) and YouthNet (www.youthnet.org.uk) are hard at work planning in advance for the Olympics and Paralympics Games that will come to London in 2012. Of course they are involved in recruiting and organizing volunteers for the Games, but they are giving equal focus to what is called “Inspiration and Legacy from the 2012 Games.” In other words, what other volunteering can the Games inspire, highlight, and foster – long after the crowds have gone home?
To that end, the two organizations have created a range of tools, from how-to workshops held around England, a 6-page “Guide to Creating Volunteer Opportunities Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” and even ideas to find funding.
They answer the question: What is a Games inspired volunteering opportunity? – like this:
A Games inspired opportunity is one that meets all of the following points:
- It will benefit your local community now and/or in the future
- Be an opportunity that celebrates the 2012 Games
- Have a demonstrable link with the 2012 Games
- Be a practical expression of the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, respect and the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
Examples of Games-inspired opportunities are provided on YouthNet’s do-it.org site.
Every city that has hosted the Games hoped for a volunteering legacy, with varying success. Perhaps this English effort will provide a new model for future cities.
7 November: Mission Serve (www.missionserve.org), a new organization focusing on connecting American volunteers to the military, identifies the challenge like this:
As our nation enters its tenth year of war, we have never been more united in our desire to serve with and alongside the military community – our servicemembers, veterans, and military families. And yet, despite our best efforts, too many Americans still do not know how they – as individuals – can help.
To help, ServiceNation created Mission Serve as a “civilian-military initiative, connecting the civilian and military communities through a broad array of service and volunteer partnerships…” The Web site highlights a wide array of active volunteer projects and allows organizations and individuals to post and find opportunities to serve.
Youth Service America (YSA, www.ysa.org) released a “Special Veterans Day Edition” of its weekly e-newsletter, giving a list of 10 youth-oriented volunteer ideas. One example:
Halloween is over and you probably have a lot of Halloween candy left over and your candy can go to a good use. Several organizations are currently collecting candy donations to add to care packages they send to deployed soldiers. Visit Operation Gratitude at www.halloweencandybuyback.com or Operation Shoebox at www.operationshoebox.com.
YSA also links to more Veterans Day ideas from the National Service Resource Center.
31 October: Happy International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay)! This event is celebrated annually on the 5th of November, and there are all sorts of activities planned around the world this week to bring attention to our profession. See the full list of ideas, get the official logo (shown here), and find ways to display it. Start some discussions about leadership of volunteers! You can also exchange ideas with colleagues on the IVMDay Facebook page
Then, plan ahead for International Volunteer Day (IVD). Not to be confused with IMVDay, the United Nations has designated IVD to be celebrated annually on December 5th. Largely unrecognized in North America, IVD is important in many areas of the world.
This year, IVD has extra meaning. It marks the launch of “IYV+10” in 2011 – the tenth anniversary of the 2001 International Year of Volunteers, which also coincides with the European Year of Volunteering. IYV+10 will be an opportunity for people all around the world to join a global effort to reinvigorate the spirit of volunteerism. Both efforts are planning exciting programs and research, well worth following.
24 October: Now on newsstands, the November 2010 issue of U.S. News & World Report is devoted exclusively to articles about volunteering and other forms of public service. Titled "Giving Back: A Citizen's Guide to Public Service," the magazine contains 15 articles and commentaries, including a pro and con debate on the merits of compulsory national service.
The first article in the section "Americans in Action" is a quick historical overview of volunteer contributions to United States society and culture. You can read "The Distinctly American Tradition of Charity" online for free (the same piece is better titled "A Venerable Tradition" in the printed issue).
Other articles include:
- "Making Their Voices Heard," about advocacy and public policy
- "Bottom Line on Corporate Giving," about how businesses are turning to employee volunteer programs over financial donations to charities
- "The Military Option," considering the choice of public service through the military
- "Find the Best Volunteer Fit" urges readers to consider the choices available to them no matter what stage of life they are in
- "Social Network Cause and Effect," about online philanthropic action
The magazine should be complimented on the range of articles and contributors. The pieces are thoughtful and multi-dimensional, and filled with stories of Americans who serve – from the famous (and rich) to the determined individual fighting for a cause without fame or wealth.
17 October: Volunteering England has announced the launch of its Value Volunteer Management Campaign Stage 2.
The first stage of the Campaign focused on raising awareness of the value and importance of volunteer management. Over 250 organizations have signed the Value Volunteer Management Endorsement so far, and many have cascaded the Campaign to their members and networks, providing a total readership of more than 130,000 individuals. You can still sign on to the endorsement – and you can be with an organization anywhere in the world.
Stage 2 is a practical call to action, asking organizations to assess and champion how they currently value volunteer management, as well as to consider further ways of valuing the profession. One of the main outputs of Stage 2 is “Recognise, Support, Invest – Your Guide to Valuing Volunteer Management,” a free 16-page exploration of what “valuing volunteer management” really means. This can be used to assess how an organization currently values volunteer management, why this is important, and what extra steps they could take.
This is a wonderful contribution to the profession and comes just in time for International Volunteer Managers Day on the 5th of November.
You can also follow the Value Volunteer Management Campaign on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VEVolManagement. Or contact the staff at valueVM@volunteeringengland.org.
10 October: Starting today, October 10th, and continuing through the 12th, something called Service Jam: Making the World Work Better Through Service will take place. This online event that will engage non-profit organizations, corporations, academic institutions, and government agencies in “a discussion on how social innovation can help solve our world’s largest problems.”
Sponsored by IBM’s Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, registration was first-come, first-served, but after everyone who received an “invitation” responded. And lots of partners sent out lots of invitations. This is a major, international undertaking, with staggered starting dates in cities around the world. As explained on the site:
By bringing together prominent leaders, professionals, and passionate individuals, the Jam aims to generate breakthrough ideas that will redefine service and social innovation. Through IBM’s Jam technology, participants can collaborate virtually and have the flexibility to log into the Jam from anywhere in the world at anytime most convenient to them during the three day event.
This is so amazing a venture, and unprecedented, that it is very hard to know what it all means. Is it hoopla or meaningful dialogue? We’ll report back. For now, here is the organizers’ answer to “Why Service Jam?”
As our world becomes more technologically advanced, experimental, and globally connected—service has also shifted. New business models that strive for social impact are being developed by non-profits and for-profits alike. Organizations and individuals are reassessing what it means to be global citizens. At the same time, there is a challenge in measuring the social impact and prioritizing programs that will result in the greatest social return on investment (SROI). By capturing such important conversations in the Service Jam, we can better understand the current state of the service sector, discuss the key challenges and unleash possibilities to innovate for the future. So take the opportunity to participate in this important dialogue around service.
Read much more at www.ibm.com/servicejam.
3 October: Cities of Service (www.citiesofservice.org) is a bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the country who have taken a pledge to engaging more of their citizenry in community service and “harnessing the power of volunteers as a serious strategy to address local challenges.” In a September 29th press release, the coalition announced that it “has grown rapidly since its inception in September of 2009, from 17 mayors to 110 mayors representing more than 47 million Americans today.” NYC Mayor Bloomberg is the driving force behind this effort and is funding “Chief Service Officers” in participating cities.
To date, fanfare has been the most visible product, but the press release seems to indicate some steak may come with the sizzle. For example:
- Launching now is the City of Newark’s Brick City SERVES, which will “target volunteers to address Newark’s greatest needs.”
- The Rockefeller Foundation has created ten “Cities of Service Leadership Grants” to fund creative initiatives.
- In Detroit:
…local corporations will enlist 3,000 employees who are working inside neighborhoods every day (public utility service workers and others) to serve as additional “eyes and ears” in those neighborhoods, notifying the police of observed conditions that could be indicators of criminal behavior.
The most important development is that now all ten original cities have created and posted a detailed “service plan,” all of which are now available on the Cities of Service Web site.
Also new are two free guides created for the Cities of Service planning teams, but potentially useful to any community organizing: Cities of Service Playbook and Cities of Service Resources. Other resources can be found at http://www.citiesofservice.org/cities-of-service-playbook/.
26 September: i-volunteer.org.uk, the social action network based in the United Kingdom, has launched a provocative new campaign to promote micro-volunteering. With the tag line (and an attention-grabbing photograph you need to see) of “Try Something New in the Bedroom,” the campaign shows how easy it is to volunteer in small amounts of time by undertaking bite-sized actions either from a computer or a mobile phone. This emerging form of service is known as micro-volunteering.
i-volunteer founder Jamie Thomas says:
Evidence shows that encouraging volunteers to give small amounts of time to begin with usually leads to more sustained volunteering and micro-volunteering can help – today’s slacktivists could become tomorrow’s social entrepreneurs!
Learn more about micro-volunteering on the site, with links to more in-depth information.
The Something New in the Bedroom campaign – distributing full-color postcards with the provocative photo and tag line – will launch in bars and clubs, supported by a number of events and online advertising.
i-volunteer brings together people who want to be active in the community and connects them with charities that need help. Micro-volunteering is just one of the volunteering activities they promote. Prospective volunteers can search for other opportunities and also register their skills, interests and experience and let charities ‘head hunt’ them with opportunities and requests for help. British volunteer program managers are also using the site to exchange ideas with one another.
19 September: The Corporation for National and Community Service is in the midst of their strategic planning process for the years 2011-2015. Have you weighed in yet? The deadline to submit comments is Wednesday, September 30, 2010.
According to the Corporation’s Web site, “This plan will define our mission, goals and the means by which we will measure progress for the next five years. It will also inform our funding opportunities, program guidance, and other resource decisions.”
The Corporation’s work has major implications for volunteerism and volunteer resources leadership. Insight and expertise from the volunteer community, including practitioners, grass roots volunteers and volunteerism experts will bring a needed perspective to the Corporation. Take this opportunity to express your views.
More information about the strategic plan is available at: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/focus_areas/index.asp. Be sure to read the linked material from the above page of the site as you prepare your comments.
Information about the Corporation ‘s budget can be found at: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/budget/index.asp
There are two easy ways for you to share your input:
- Provide feedback through the community dialogue website
- Send an e-mail to strategy@cns.gov
(Thanks to Paula Beugen for her heads-up on this opportunity for American volunteerism folks to voice their opinions to decision makers.)
12 September: A Timeraiser is a unique event concept designed to connect agencies with new volunteers in their 20s and 30s. “The Timeraiser is part volunteer fair and part silent art auction where, rather than money, you bid a number of hours you are willing to volunteer for an organization of your choice over the next 12 months.”
Started in 2002, the initiative has flourished into a well-known, annual event that operates in six cities across Canada.
Our vision for the Timeraiser is to make it the most memorable, engaging and impactful civic engagement program in the country.
Our hope is that, in a few years, thousands of Canadians will be able to trace their engagement in their community back to the Timeraiser. We want to plant the seeds of life-long civic involvement.
You can learn more at their Web site (www.timeraiser.ca) and their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/timeraiser), but it’s the inclusion of the art community that makes this concept a 3-way win-win-win event. Artists are paid for their work at a fair price, while young professionals are introduced to volunteer opportunities in their community. The Vancouver Timeraiser is on September 23rd, followed by the one in Edmonton on October 16th.
5 September: On Saturday, Americans will observe the second annual September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance. In a press release, the Corporation for National and Community Service explained:
The tragic events of 9/11 moved Americans to come together in a remarkable spirit of unity and compassion. It was a stark reminder that our fate as individuals is inherently tied to the fate of our nation. .September 11 continues to evoke strong emotion, and it also serves as a reminder of the American tradition of heeding a call to action. In 2009, President Obama signed into law the designation of September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, which came about as the result of years of hard work by 9/11 families and service organizations.
Event organizers are encouraging organizations to develop service projects at any time this week and next. To learn more and to get many ideas of ways to observe 9/11, these two Web sites are where to start:
Naturally there are many social media opportunities as well, with various Facebook and Twitter pages, special blogs and more focusing on volunteering as remembrance.
29 August: Every year, the Australian Conservation Foundation (www.acfonline.org.au) produces a “Sustainable Cities Index,” which “provides a snapshot of comparative performance in each of Australia’s 20 largest cities, with the aim of encouraging healthy competition, stimulating discussion and suggesting new ways of thinking about our cities.” The 2010 report has just been released, with Darwin the overall winner.
To the ACF’s credit, one of the 15 indicators in the study is “public participation,” reported as the percentage of population that volunteers in that city. So while Bendigo, a city in the state of Victoria, came in 10th overall in the Index, they ranked #1 in public participation, with 17.54 of its residents volunteering in some way.
This prompted the local newspaper, the Bendigo Advertiser, to write an editorial, “Volunteers making us stand out.” Here’s an excerpt:
TAKE a bow, Bendigo. Our city’s claim to fame as the nation’s top city for volunteering cannot be allowed to pass without comment, as this is a simple statement born out of the incredible hours of effort and community service of so many… the result only serves to highlight what many of us already knew – that Bendigo people are always ready and willing to help others and support the community.
Australia is a nation that prides itself on the contribution so many volunteers make towards our country, and there is an undeniable community spirit and sense of belonging here in Bendigo that helps makes our region as great as it is.
Although this might never make front-page news, being recognised as the number one volunteering community of the 20 largest communities across Australia is fantastic recognition of the vibrant spirit that is so alive and well among Bendigo residents.
22 August: VolunteerMatch (www.volunteermatch.org) is the largest online registry of volunteer opportunities in the United States. The folks there enjoy technology and new bells and whistles. The newest examples are VolunteerMatch Live Map, showing real-time referrals being processed on a Google map and their creative 2009 Annual Report. They announced the report this way:
Annual reports can get a little dry, so we thought we would try something new this year. We discovered Prezi, an 'eye-popping' new storytelling tool, and used it to create our first ever online annual report. We had a lot of fun making it and hope you will learn as much from it as we did.
Think about how you might present your story in more engaging ways, too.
15 August: Volunteering England is taking a stand to educate top executives of organizations – whether nonprofits, businesses, or government agencies – about the critical importance of investing in volunteer management to assure the success of volunteer initiatives. The “Value Volunteer Management Campaign” has many different elements, all focused on spreading this message:
Whether your organisation is a charity, a public sector body or a private corporation, the level of benefit you stand to gain from volunteering is directly correlated to the amount of investment you make in it. The greater the investment in volunteer support and management, the more thought that has gone into it and the more robust the business case that backs it up, the greater the benefit will be.
On its Web site there are wonderful quotes from a wide range of executives and much more detailed information about what “investing” means and how it can be done. Further, the site invites executives to publicly endorse the following short declaration:
“My organisation values volunteer management and recognises the benefits of proper investment.”
Everyone is invited to sign the endorsement, whether in or outside of the UK, so we are helping to spread the word. Find out what’s in it for your organization at: http://www.volunteering.org.uk/valuevolunteermanagement.
8 August: After many years of hard work, Patricia Nabti, director of the Association for Volunteer Services in Lebanon, has succeeded in forming a coalition of organizations and finding funding for a new venture called “The Arab Initiative to Foster a Culture of Volunteering” (http://www.arabvolunteer.org). With a new Web site in Arabic and English, the Initiative is now reaching out to find colleagues throughout the Arab world who wish to support their basic objectives:
- Bring together key people in volunteerism in the Arab World to share knowledge, experiences, and needs regarding volunteering in the region.
- Provide basic training, as well as orientation to other training opportunities available, with the goal of expanding and improving the core of specialists in volunteerism in the Arab World, drawing on Arab cultural traditions and experiences, as well as expertise from within the region and worldwide.
- Develop effective service programs for elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools, technical schools, and universities that foster a culture of volunteering.
- Provide funding opportunities for those who would develop major sustainable volunteer development projects in their countries in 2011.
- Provide information, models, support, and advocacy for the development of national volunteer policies in countries of the region.
- Develop mechanisms for networking, resource development, sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among those who promote volunteering in the region that will last long after 2011.
Its first major event is the Arab Forum to Foster a Culture of Volunteering, scheduled in Beirut, Lebanon on September 15-18.
The Initiative is proud that its Arab Forum to Foster a Culture of Volunteering serves as The First IAVE Regional Volunteer Conference for the Arab Nations. IAVE (The International Association for Volunteer Effort), one of the three Strategic Partners of the Initiative, has held regional conferences in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific Regions, but never in the Arab World. We are very excited that the first conference for our region will be held this year in Lebanon as one of the main components of The Arab Initiative to Foster a Culture of Volunteering. We hope that this conference can help position the Arab World to actively participate in International Year of Volunteers + 10 (IYV+10) in 2011, and truly help foster a culture of volunteering throughout the region.
For more information on the conference, go to http://www.arabvolunteer.org/node/113.
1 August: Big Apple Greeter (www.bigapplegreeter.org) is a remarkable organization. Founded in 1992 as the first “welcome visitor” program of its kind in the United States, volunteer Greeters have welcomed more than 88,000 visitors from all 50 states and 124 countries, with visits conducted in 22 languages. Visits to New York City neighborhoods are offered at no charge. The idea grew from:
… friendly exchanges Founder Lynn Brooks had with people she met on her own vacation travels around the world. Lynn realized that New York City suffered from an image problem: almost everyone she spoke to wanted to visit New York City, but thought the city was too dangerous, expensive and overwhelming. Lynn wanted the world to know New York City as she did: a great big small town with diverse neighborhoods, mom-and-pop stores, fun places to dine, and friendly residents who go out of their way to help an out-of-towner feel welcome.
Big Apple Greeters are not simply nonprofit “tour guides” and, in fact, avoid that vocabulary. Visitors are shown around a New York neighborhood by a welcoming volunteer who wants to share what it’s like to actually live in the bustling metropolis. Another service offered by volunteers are “neighborhood information profiles” written to help visitors get to know different parts of the city on their own.
Even though they have continued to connect thousands of visitors with volunteers who know and love New York City, this past year has been one of the most financially challenging for the organization. Corporate and individual contributions have dramatically decreased in this recession, so Big Apple Greeter is extending its fundraising efforts. They have opened a special Web site, “Save Big Apple Greeter,” through which anyone can make a donation.
Energize President Susan Ellis took a Big Apple Greeter tour two years ago to return to the Yorkville neighborhood where she was born. It was a wonderful morning and her assigned volunteer Greeter was great. This organization deserves to continue!
25 July: Ed Madara from the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse (www.selfhelpgroups.org) observes in an e-mail that:
An increasing threat to the continuation and expansion of volunteer-run self-help support groups across the country is the demand for insurance coverage that churches, public libraries, and other community agencies are requiring of self-help groups. For decades, the groups thrived and helped millions of people. But the insurance demand is having its toll.
We all know that fear of legal liability drives too much decision making into risk avoidance rather than risk management. But requiring costly insurance means that community clean-ups, neighborhood fundraisers, and many other activities may be headed for extinction.
New attention is being paid to this same problem in the UK, where the new Cameron coalition government is supporting something called The Big Society (www.bigsocietynetwork.co.uk). Their creative response to the increasing risk management demands is described in the Daily Telegraph article, “Big Society insurance policy to be launched.”
18 July: With the clever tag line “Scoop It Forward” and their usual sense of fun in naming ice cream, Ben & Jerry's has introduced two new flavors: "Berry Voluntary" and "Brownie Chew Gooder"! A free ice cream give-away is the focal point of a campaign to promote volunteering in partnership with VolunteerMatch and Target® stores.
Until the end of 2010 (or while supplies last), people can search for volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch and register their interest. This then allows them to get 5 coupons from Target for free ice cream to share with friends “when you ask them to volunteer,” too.
Kudos to Target for supporting the project by posting this message on their Web site for people who try to by-pass the system and go directly for a coupon:
Hey, we think you missed a step.
First you need to go to www.VolunteerMatch.org/scoopitforward.
Sign up to do something good in your neighborhood.
Then come back and get your free ice cream coupon.
Target and Ben & Jerry’s call their partnership “Together for a Sweet Cause” – learn more here.
For more fun, while you’re on the VolunteerMatch site, check out their nifty new live map (powered by Google Earth) showing real-time activity of people searching for volunteer opportunities. You’ll see a map of the United States with markers popping up as prospective volunteers are referred to organizations – zoom in for more details.
11 July : In November 2009 the Volunteer Rights Inquiry was established by (but is independent of) Volunteering England as a response to a number of high profile cases of volunteers being poorly treated by volunteer-involving organizations. The following month, the Inquiry commenced three months of evidence gathering that sought input from volunteers, volunteer-involving organizations, volunteer resource managers, and many other stakeholders. Inquiry members have been considering the contributions received and are now able to share their thinking in the Volunteer Rights Inquiry Interim Report, a 32-page document.
The report is thoughtful and challenging, as this excerpt from the introduction demonstrates:
From time to time, volunteers are celebrated and championed but the bulk of their work goes unsung. By and large, volunteers are driven by their commitment, empathy, goodwill and self-interest and expect little external reward. Is there a risk though, that we could be taking volunteers for granted? Are they entitled to any rights comparable with the responsibilities they choose to embrace? More importantly, could deregulation make volunteers even more vulnerable?
This report is about the growing importance of volunteers in the way we live and their interaction with paid staff. It is about augmenting and enhancing existing practices to protect the volunteer experience and ensuring it remains positive and mutually productive.
Earlier last year, when newspapers reported of serious breaches of trust between volunteers and their organisations, Volunteering England was prompted to set up the Volunteer Rights Inquiry to begin to understand the nature and scope of the problems experienced by volunteers and identify suitable remedies.
Members of the Volunteer Rights Inquiry heard from numerous volunteers recounting shocking stories of bad management, poor governance, bullying and improper behaviour. The sheer scale and diversity of volunteering in its settings across the public, private and voluntary sectors presents some challenges in identifying a universal solution. In this report, our aim is to share the findings with those responsible for recruiting and resourcing volunteers. By working together, perhaps we are better placed to design solutions and fail-safes that are proportionate to the range of voluntary action, maintain the reciprocal nature of volunteering and which uphold parity of esteem between volunteers and paid staff.
This background and context is detailed in section 1 of this report. Most significantly, the individual stories we heard and comments we received are set out in section 2. These illustrate the nature of the problems that volunteers face and provide a snapshot of the stress suffered as a result. Section 3 flags up the opposing views about how much enforcement and external pressure, is required. As a result, section 4 goes on to summarise the range of options that have been proposed thus far.
The Inquiry members firmly believe that the solutions to address this important issue must come from a co-productive approach with the wider volunteering movement. To that end the Inquiry would like to hear what you think.
And to act on the desire to get input, the Web site offers its British visitors to:
- download and read the Volunteer Rights Inquiry Interim report
- tell us what you think by completing the stakeholder engagement response form and emailing it to volunteering.rights@volunteeringengland.org.
- attend our free stakeholder engagement event. This is taking place between 2pm and 4pm on Thursday 29th July 2010 at NCVO, Regent’s Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and availability is limited. To book your place email events@volunteeringengland.org.
The Volunteer Rights Inquiry will meet again in early October to consider the responses of stakeholders to the interim report. In light of the contributions received the Inquiry members will further refine their thinking before issuing a final call to action before the end of 2010.
Bookmark the Web site to keep informed: http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Policy/Volunteer+Rights+Inquiry/ .
4 July : The volunteer world has been inundated with press release after press release announcing new initiatives, many of which sound suspiciously like repeats of past activities. What these newcomers seem to share is a love of “branding,” with Web sites, logos, and lots of graphics. They also seem to share the inability to do even the most basic Internet research to learn whether anyone is already engaged in the same sort of service.
Now comes “VOLiNTEER” – the “i” is purposeful, to denote “international.” You can read the press release. It has trademarked the name VOLiNTEER.netTM although the URL www.volinteer.org works too and is shown on its homepage. While the Web page proclaims a “new global volunteer service network,” there is actually no site beyond the homepage. Instead, clicking takes the visitor to the Global Leaders Collaboration Network at Meridian (with the URL www.meridianleadersnetwork.org). It is very hard to understand what this site is all about, especially as it has branded yet another initiative, “Volunteerism: United We Serve,” tagged as “International Visitor Leadership Program.” That activity apparently had a conference in April of this year and committed to arranging for 100 foreign visitors to give an “estimated 15 to 20 hours collectively up to 2,000 hours of volunteer service travel in over fifty cities across the United States from April 12-30.” Huh?
There are dozens of excellent organizations linking people from different countries together, and even including a volunteering component. Not one is even hinted at on any of these sites. Sister Cities International, AFS, Youth for Understanding, Habitat for Humanity International, Voluntourist.org – and many more nonprofit service organizations would already consider themselves as doing this work, as so all the international service clubs from Rotary to Soroptimists. And there is also IAVE (International Association for Volunteer Effort) which runs global conferences every two years, the next being in Singapore in 2011 – a decade after the United Nations’ International Year of Volunteers 2001.
Other than siphoning off money, energy, and attention from groups that are actually doing something, initiatives such as VOLiNTEER contribute precious little in their attempt to “own” service. While it is hard to pinpoint the source of this effort, the same people behind Be the Change and Service Nation seem to be behind this – two groups with lots of media and little outcome.
As this is an editorial as much as a news announcement, readers are welcome to send their responses to info@energizeinc.com and we will publish anything that explains what is going on.
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