United States

How do you manage volunteers who don’t choose to be in your organization, those volunteers who often show up after being “bullied” into service? In other words, how do you manage the non-volunteer volunteer?

In this e-Volunteerism feature story, volunteerism expert and author Thomas W. McKee discusses this overlooked issue and offers a step-by-step guide to help organizations and managers face the problem. McKee outlines special considerations for working with this large category of volunteers, and offers additional advice for volunteers who lead other volunteers (especially those who would rather not be volunteering).  McKee uses authentic examples of non-volunteer volunteer situations throughout the article – ranging from the soccer field to an elementary classroom to the board room.  His personable and purposeful technique will engage volunteer managers from all sectors. And they will have no trouble relating to McKee’s descriptions and learning valuable coping techniques from his experiences. 

In 1983, Jane Mallory Park wrote one of the early books on volunteerism: Meaning Well Is Not Enough: Perspectives on Volunteering.  In this book, Park discusses the legacy of volunteering that shaped what volunteers were doing in 1983, provided some solid, practical management advice, and looked to the possible future of the field. 

In this Voices from the Past, we’ll excerpt sections from one of Park’s chapters, “Vision Volunteering.” Here, Park proposes “What if?” scenarios and speculates about such intriguing concepts as “promoting volunteer liberation” and “appealing to enlightened self-interest.”

Formal volunteer awards are designed to acknowledge the extraordinary achievements of extraordinary individuals, those volunteers who’ve extended themselves beyond expectation and contributed their services to an issue, project or cause. But it’s not easy to jump into the award nomination process. Criteria vary widely, nomination deadlines don’t always coincide with a particular time of year, and awards aren’t always well publicized. The good news, however, is that award opportunities for volunteers are increasing with the growth and accessibility of the Internet. And there appears to be a growing appreciation and understanding of the value of nominating volunteers for individual awards.

In this Training Design, we review how to avoid existing road blocks when nominating a volunteer for an award. We’ll also highlight the multiple benefits that come from seeking formal recognition for volunteers. Training Design materials include the development of a nomination timeline, award do’s and don’ts, and techniques for writing a winning nomination. This training will inform participants from start to finish on the process of nominating a volunteer for a formal award. And it will emphasize the benefits and value of tackling such a process by answering, “Why should our organization nominate a volunteer for an award?”

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.