United States

This Research to Practice looks at a study of older volunteers and their volunteering profile. It is a study which uses panel data (that is, it tracks the same people over a period of time) between 1996 and 2004. The incorporation of panel data is quite useful, because so often research is a ‘snapshot’ at a specific time. This study tracks people between the ages of 55 to 65 in 1996, and then asks them about their volunteering practices every two years up to 2004. As you will see, the results tell us something about who volunteers, and something about why some people do not. 

Anticipating the huge number of Baby Boomers entering retirement in the next two decades, RSVP of North Central Iowa leaders decided to focus their attention on how to engage that cohort in volunteer service.  Attracting even a small percentage of the area’s approximately 22,000 Baby Boomers into volunteerism could yield enormous dividends for the citizens in the region. In this feature story for e-Volunteerism, RSVP Director Elaine Hanson and consultant Elizabeth Weinstein reveal how the organization responded to the “call to action” – a move that resulted in series of activities and research projects aimed at capturing the hearts and talents of potential Baby Boomer volunteers.

The wall between church and state in the United States often extends to a wall of separation, ignorance or avoidance between secular and faith-based volunteering. In this deeply personal article for e-Volunteerism, author Karen Kogler encourages the dismantling of that wall. She describes the world of faith-based volunteerism, and gives practical help to secular volunteer managers on how to build partnerships with faith-based organizations.  She notes the challenges in pursing this goal, and describes the benefits to both sides in working together.  Writes Kogler, “As I see it, both the faith-based and secular worlds of volunteerism would benefit from the demolition of the wall that often separates us.”

The face of volunteerism is changing globally and our field is being challenged to respond in new and innovative ways. How do we create programs that welcome and affirm the variety of experiences our volunteers bring to the table? How do we meet the needs of our organization and mission in the process of change?  In this Training Design, we focus on considerations and strategies for building cultural competence within volunteer programs. We provide handouts and activities that encourage and strengthen volunteers’ awareness of their own culture(s), as well as those of their colleagues. This Training Design can be used as a tool for both reflection and action in shaping volunteer programs that are welcoming and attractive to a diverse volunteer pool. 

“Whatever Happened To . . . " is a new feature at e-Volunteerism.  Periodically, we plan to revisit articles from past issues to see what has been happening since we first published the stories. Here we update two articles by revisiting animal contributions from the past.

You may have read the article, “Volunteering Through the Eyes and Ears of a Dedicated Dog Volunteer,” written (so to speak) in 2003 by a beloved therapy dog named Mikey.  In a return to our tradition of encouraging canine contributors, e-Volunteerism presents a new dog author named Sammy. In this article, Sammy explores what it’s like to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor – not only in the volunteer world of therapy dogs but in the hearts of those who own him.  

In the weeks ahead, we’ll catch up with recent news from a true dog lover, Betsy McFarland of the Humane Society of the U.S.  She will update readers on her earlier article, Animal Rescue:  Another Heroic Volunteer Effort during Hurricane Katrina, and describe some important national changes when it comes to pets caught in the throes of natural disasters. This addition to Whatever Happened To . . . will be posted in February.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers.

From this beginning (as described on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Web site), the concept of the volunteer “Big Brother” emerged. By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country and a parallel organization for girls, Big Sisters, had started, too.  Merged in 1977, Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states and in 35 countries around the world.  This is the history of this effort to bring “caring mentors into the lives of children.”

They packed nearly 500 boxed meals, including sandwiches and homemade cookies. And when teenagers with autism spectrum disorders got together last summer to prepare meals for needy families, they proved that volunteering is for everyone. This e-Volunteerism feature article tells the moving story of how a non-profit organization in Phoenix, Arizona, teamed up with a catering company and a homeless shelter to bring the volunteer experience to teens with autism. 

Gwen Fujie calls it “martial arts ideas for the mind and mouth.”  In this article, Fujie explains why “Tongue Fu!” leads to cooperative communication and more peaceful relationships, both essential elements to success in volunteering. Based on author Sam Horn’s popular book by the same name, Fujie argues that Tongue Fu! is the “constructive alternative to giving a tongue-lashing or to being tongue-tied, a step-by-step process for turning hostility into harmony and aggravation into aloha.”  

In this quarter's issue, Harrison discusses her "logic model of decision making," designed to guide managers of volunteer resources through the steps and choices associated with managing virtual volunteering. This interview is a follow-up to Harrison’s interview in the last quarter of e-Volunteerism, where she discussed the misconceptions about virtual volunteering. 

After more than a decade of promoting virtual volunteering or online service as an important new development (which it is) for the volunteer field, it's time to step back and look at what is really happening as organizations put the theory into practice.  Yvonne D. Harrison, Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Leadership at Seattle University, has done some innovative research on virtual volunteering, particularly in Canada.  She also wrote her PhD dissertation on the subject and is devoted to helping practitioners understand the theoretical foundation of their work. In this interview with e-Volunteerism, Yvonne tackles misconceptions about virtual volunteering by sharing her research on such issues as how much is going on, who actually engages in it and how they engage, the appropriateness of virtual assignments and management implications, among other points.