Volunteer Program/Resources Manager, Role of
The Long, Hard Road to Respect
At some point in any meeting of volunteer managers there emerges a recurring theme:“They” don’t respect us! It is raised in tones ranging from angry shouts to bemoaned cries, and is often followed by a litany of examples of neglect, misunderstanding and abuse. To whom the “they” refers varies. Sometimes it’s staff or administration, occasionally the general public, even, from time to time, mothers who are puzzled about strange career choices.
The reality is that volunteer managers haven’t always done a good job of earning respect. In previous “Points of View” we’ve talked about ways to gain respect within our own organizations; this current discussion will focus on societal initiatives. The suggestions in this article are probably outside the reach of any single volunteer program manager, but are well within the capacity of a united profession to achieve.
Watching the Horizon from the Four Corners of the World
During the last year, e-Volunteerism presented a number of retrospectives, looking at what happened in volunteering over the last decade. Now it’s time to look forward.
Though Susan Ellis and Steve McCurley use their quarterly Points of View as an outlet for their opinions, the journal’s feature section editors generally keep their personal thoughts out of the pieces they edit. We decided that this special, re-designed issue was a great opportunity to share the voices and varied perspectives of our far-flung editors – professionals who are all deeply immersed in the field of volunteerism as authors, trainers, consultants and volunteer-involving agency executives, representing the United States (both coasts), England and Australia.
In this Voices, we ask each of our editors to respond to the following question:
What volunteering trends and issues are you keeping your eye on that have the greatest implications or potential for the volunteering field in the next few years?
The responses are presented in recorded audio clips, so you can hear their “voices” for yourself.
The Marriage of HR and Volunteer Management: The Odd Couple?
In their last Points of View, Steve and Susan offered a somewhat tongue-in-cheek reaction to the current fad that suggests volunteer involvement would improve if we simply turned everything over to corporate human resources “professionals.” But in this follow-up column, the authors take another look at this topic from a somewhat more serious perspective. First, they identify five things about managing volunteers that are very different from managing employees, which reinforce why turning responsibility for volunteer involvement over to a human resources department is not such a good idea. Next, to be fair, Steve and Susan identify three things that HR professionals tend to do better than volunteer managers. Which begs the question: Would the marriage of HR and volunteer management really create such an odd couple?
Training for Organization Leaders: Capitalize on Volunteer Resources During Tough Economic Times
In these incredibly difficult economic times, there is perhaps one silver lining: volunteer resources. For those organizations wise enough to seize it, the economic crisis can be viewed as an opportunity to take advantage of the skills and ambitions that today’s volunteers have to offer. This Training Design can be used to guide volunteer leaders in exploring the challenges and opportunities of volunteer management during economic distress. Participants in the training learn six strategies to capitalize on volunteer resources during tough times. The result? A win-win for both organizations and volunteers.
Reflection on Reflection: Ivan Scheier's Think Tank Legacy
One of Ivan Scheier’s unique contributions to the volunteer field was his multi-day retreats for experienced practitioners, which he called “Challenge Think Tanks.” He hosted these retreats in various places across America during the 1980s and 1990s, whenever he could find a host organization. Ivan led the Think Tanks as a facilitator, not an instructor. He constructed the program to make people think and provided plenty of time for small group discussions and individual reflections. Most attendees remember their Think Tank opportunities with gratitude, and many credit them with changing the course of their careers.
The Challenge Think Tank approach is remembered in this article. It includes examples of different retreats and explains how elements of the program continue today in events like the annual Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management. Several colleagues share impressions and memories from their Think Tanks, as well as ideas for keeping the concept alive today and in the future.
Training Small Nonprofits and Community-Based Groups about Leadership of Volunteers
Despite the prevalence of small nonprofits and all-volunteer organizations, training for leaders of volunteers is often geared towards the full-time volunteer manager working in a large organization. While most training is valuable to volunteer managers in all sizes of organizations, this common focus does not give the leaders of volunteers in small organizations a chance to explore the challenges when volunteers are responsible for most of the work and staff resources are slim to nonexistent. How to insure follow-up? How to avoid burn out? How to bring in new members?
This Training Design is offered with small nonprofits and organizations in mind. It is designed specifically to be delivered by volunteer centers, nonprofit management centers, academic programs and trainers/consultants who wish to meet the needs of volunteer leaders in small nonprofits, community-based groups and other informal all-volunteer organizations. It will provide participants with an opportunity to address common challenges, share ideas and learn practical tips to maximize their success through volunteers.