United States

From the outside, the large agency looks like a model nonprofit when it comes to involving volunteers. It hosts a significant volunteer and paid staff team. There are volunteer applications, legal waivers and comprehensive training. The team is guided by operational plans based on lessons learned from the corporate world and nonprofit consultants. The leadership heeds and hones best practices for volunteer management; it collects and makes decisions using many, many data points. It has come a long way from its humble all-volunteer roots.

Article reviewed: Mamuji, A., Kenny, C., & Ahmed, S. (2021). Co-production Through Volunteerism in Emergency Management: Drawing Lessons from Canada’s Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative. Canadian Journal of Emergency Management 1 (1), 40-65. Available at: https://cdnjem.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CJEM-v1n1-Mamuji-Kenny-Ahmed.-Co-production-through-volunteerism.pdf

I recently noted to our 20-something Volunteer Coordinator that she might have to explain what she meant by “cassette tape” after she sent out an email to some of our student volunteers. The Volunteer Coordinator remarked at how quickly the world was changing.