United States

The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (later known as the March of Dimes) was founded by Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 and immediately engaged thousands of volunteers in a two-decade struggle against the dreaded disease of polio. And it was successful, ultimately having to face the question: What happens to the energy and devotion of volunteers when their job has been accomplished?

In his 1957 book, The Volunteers, Columbia University researcher David L. Sills examined the phenomenon of the March of Dimes, particularly its devoted corps of volunteers, and raised issues still pertinent today.

Founded in 1904, the American Lung Association is the nation’s oldest voluntary health agency. Our work throughout our first century has been innovative – ours was the first disease-specific organization to couple the skills and expertise of the medical professional with the dedication and commitment of the lay volunteer, which is now the model most other voluntary health agencies follow. Volunteers were integral to the founding of our organization almost 100 years ago and still play a significant role in our efforts to prevent lung disease and promote lung health nationwide. With 1,300 staff and 130,000 volunteers working to achieve our mission in our 200 Lung Association offices, you can imagine the enormous challenges we face to stay connected and offer the essential learning needed to help those with lung disease.

As Director, Volunteer Management and Learning and a member of our organization’s Learning Center, the use of technology and e-learning techniques is an essential part of my efforts to enable idea sharing and learning opportunities no matter where our staff and volunteers may be located. The following article outlines some of the methods that we are employing.

This report examines the civic and volunteering behavior of young adults age 15-25 following September 11th. There are surprising findings, some of which we don't quite understand, so you'll have a chance to join in the analysis as we're trying to figure out what's going on.

One of the most basic and vital types of volunteering is citizen involvement in democratic political processes. All the elements of volunteering and volunteer management are here: recruitment, volunteer leadership, supervision, volunteer motivation, etc. Guest contributor Debbie Macon is uniquely qualified to help bridge the perceived gap between citizen involvement and volunteering. She has had 10 years in public service as an elected official, and is a 20-year member of the League of Women Voters. In addition, she is a member of the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) and a member of the adjunct faculty of Wayne State University as co-instructor for "Managing Volunteer Programs" in the Nonprofit Sector Studies program.

When designing a training workshop or planning a conference, you probably consider using an icebreaker or two as part of your format. Before settling for conventional icebreakers that you have used time and again in the past, take a moment to read this Training Design. Author Jim Laden explains why the “games people play” represent new ideas for icebreakers, which can bring added meaning and fun to the age-old practice of helping participants get to know each other. “Hello, my name is. . .” may never be the same again.

It seems increasingly complex to offer what the different generations of volunteers want, particularly Baby Boomers and Millennials: high impact volunteer opportunities, a range of choices of positions, ways to apply their workplace skills and more. The good news is there is a wealth of research on the topic. The bad news is that many of today’s leaders of volunteers don't have the time to sort through the gigabits of information on generation change, are puzzled by (or sick of) the hype on Boomers, and face real barriers in implementing the necessary modifications in their organizations.

For 30 years, Kate Hanson pursued two passions: growing vegetables and herbs in her organic garden and studying the complexities of working with others. Until recently, she viewed these passions as two completely different and separate areas of her life. But in this creative, delightful feature article for e-Volunteerism, Hanson asks an important question: “Could the basic principles of an organic approach to gardening also serve us as approaches for organizing and supervising volunteers?” Hanson provides the answer to this question and explains why the lessons she’s learned from her gardening can definitely be applied to working with others. You may never look at a tomato plant the same – and you’ll certainly never again plant a tomato beside a cabbage.