Committees

With apologies to Sesame Street and its well-known song lyrics, “One of these things (is not like the others)” applies to the world of volunteer management, too. Consider organizational constructs like boards, councils, committees, and advisory groups. When it comes to your organization or specific project, which is most appropriate? How do you differentiate one from the next? How can volunteer administrators most effectively involve and activate members of these groups?

In this e-Volunteerism feature, academics and volunteer organizational experts Ken Culp, Harriett Edwards, and Jenny W. Jordan help answer these questions while working to clarify the many diverse angles to this topic.  

Do church volunteers ever experience conflict? Of course they do. Conflict is unavoidable and, when handled in a healthy way, can even result in benefits. Identifying strategies for building unity and minimizing unhealthy conflict among church volunteers are crucial steps in a ministry’s success.

In his doctoral dissertation, Shan Caldwell explored whether applying the recognized secular principles of conflict management and volunteer management would succeed in dealing with disputes among church volunteers. In this feature article, Caldwell shares a set of simple concepts with implications for any faith-based organization. By putting these concepts into action, Caldwell examines how the possibility for healthy, productive, and successful volunteer teams in any setting grows exponentially. 

Meetings, no matter what format is used, take considerable time. I hear many stories about the difficulty organizations are experiencing as they recruit volunteers for the board, a committee or a special project team because of the number of meetings required or because these individuals have ‘heard about the meetings’ from others! Imagine the difference if current volunteers were promoting involvement by saying: “You really want to be part of our group…we have the best meetings I have ever attended!”

So, we want to ensure we aren’t wasting volunteers’ time, nor discouraging others with unproductive, boring, never-ending meetings. This training design might be used as part of an orientation for individuals taking on the role of chairing a committee or as a tool to assist a group that has identified that their meetings need to be more focussed….

Barb Gemmell provides group exercises and worksheets on the five key meeting elements – Minutes, Agendas, Groundrules, Involvement and Consensus – so that you can add MAGIC to your meetings, too.

The refrain is heard time and time again in the groups and organizations of modern society. Schools have been crying out for ages about the shortage of math and science teachers. Corporations have been wailing about the lack of skilled workers. Community issues go un-addressed for lack of passionate people. There is a leadership crisis; a volunteer crisis, a "can't find the person I need when I need them" crisis. Why such a shortage of people?

Yet people increasingly ask us, "Why aren't there more leaders?" Why are people reluctant to answer the cry for leadership? ... We believe this cautiousness results not from a lack of courage or competence but from outdated notions about leadership. (Kouzes, Posner. The Leadership Challenge)