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Why did we choose "Should Volunteer Administration Be a 'Profession'?"
as our inaugural topic for "Points of View?" Quite simply, it is because
the jury is still out on whether or not it is a profession. This
is not a debate over the need for professional skills and attitudes. We have
written reams of material urging the acquisition of both. Rather, we are considering
the validity of formalizing our work into something recognized by others as
not simply a highly-skilled job, but instead as a "profession." Note,
too, that someone can make a career out of volunteer administration, whether
or not it is considered a "profession."
Yes...Susan Ellis
Let's start by discarding the issue of pay as irrelevant. While it
is true that the practice of any profession most often allows members to earn
a living (and usually, but not always, a better wage than someone outside of
a profession), being on the payroll is not, in itself, a criterion for recognition
as a profession. It is possible to work in the field of volunteer administration
both as a paid employee and as a volunteer. This scenario is not different from
that of doctors or architects who choose to volunteer their services to causes
that matter to them. The expertise of those in the medical and design fields
are not questioned when no paycheck is evident....
No...Steve
McCurley
The first AVA business meeting I ever attended (roughly 25 years
ago) featured a rousing argument over whether membership in AVA should be restricted
to "paid" managers of volunteers. Those speaking in favor of this
proposition cited the need to demonstrate the "professional" nature
of the field, something that would lead to increased respect and greater pay.
I
was so baffled that it took five years of coaxing to get me to go back to my
second meeting....
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