Technology

Now more than ever, technology is playing an all-encompassing role in keeping nonprofits and volunteer programs going. While volunteer-matching apps and social media platforms have been around for a while, social distancing takes us to a whole other level in terms of technology use. In this issue of Research to Practice, Laurie Mook looks at a study of nonprofits in Hong Kong which explored in-depth how technology reconfigured their volunteer management. We focus mainly on the challenges these nonprofits faced to highlight the limitations and unintended negative consequences of going online. The study also suggests several ways to optimize online volunteer resource management, including how to engage your volunteers while programs are put on hold.

With more and more volunteer recruitment done online, it is important to take a step back and look at who has or doesn’t have the opportunity to volunteer as a result of not having household Internet access. Has digital access changed the demographics of who is being asked to volunteer or to serve in leadership positions such as on a board? In this issue’s Research to Practice, Laurie Mook reviews a study on the influence of household Internet access on formal and informal volunteering. The results confirm that “volunteer recruitment may not always be an inclusive process” and that nonprofits have a role in bridging this digital divide.

After more than 30 years of working directly in a variety of volunteer leadership roles, Andy Fryar now works with volunteer involving organisations to assist them in establishing cloud-based software solutions. Along the way, Fryar has come to recognise that many volunteer leaders can see the writing on the wall when it comes to moving away from their trusted excel spreadsheets, but they simply don’t know where to start!

In this e-Volunteerism feature, Fryar, who is also this journal’s manuscript developer,  provides a comprehensive Beginner’s Guide to help volunteer leaders understand, embrace, and use the new technology and volunteer management software that can benefit them and their programs. Writers Fryer, “It  seems that very few volunteer leaders know where to start to find an appropriate solution to meet their volunteer management needs! And so to this end, I thought it might be useful to put together some simple guidelines for those embarking on this journey.”

It's the holy grail of all trainers – more interaction! But how do you increase interaction if you continue to use your typical orientation and trainings methods?

In this Training Designs, author Sammy Feilchenfeld introduces "Poll Everywhere" – a free plug-in tool for PowerPoint^® that lets you to ask questions and get answers live. Using a number of resources, this Training Designs article will showcase a few different ways you can use Poll Everywhere to connect with volunteers in training sessions. Feilchenfeld explains that volunteers only need their phones to participate via web browser or text, and reviews how volunteer managers can work with their live responses. This Training Designs will no doubt help you deliver the highly engaging trainings you strive to create while interacting more with your volunteers.

Like the proverbial phoenix that rises from the ashes, George Washington Carver Senior High School rose from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Over the decade since the storm, the community has seen the emergence of a new brand of school and a different way of teaching—along with a new group of caring people, reaching out and giving back to help restore the city. One such project is Big Class, an organization that goes into the city schools to help students with their writing and creative skills. Through the mentoring of noted poet, writer, and essayist Kiese Laymon, and a corps of other volunteers, the Carver students are now authors of a published book.

History Between the Folds: Personal Narratives by the 11th Grade at George Washington Carver Senior High School, published in May 2017, is written by the 11th grade students of Eric Parrie, a young, energetic history teacher at Carver, a predominately African-American, inner-city school. Parrie, who is white, brought with him a style of teaching that gives the students a chance to have a voice, to see history, and to make history. The book gives readers the opportunity to see into the hearts and minds of teenagers who were young children when Hurricane Katrina hit, and some teens new to the city. They share their personal experiences and feelings about life and their futures.

This very special e-Volunteerism feature, by writer and writing volunteer Willmarine B. Hurst, reveals the process of writing and publishing History Between the Folds, and explains how volunteers served as student writing mentors.