DJ Cronin

On Volunteer Management Network Meetings!

2012-01-27T21:59:00.000+10:00

I have often seen in literature on Volunteer Management (VM) advice to VMs to join a VM network. I am a supporter of this. Volunteer Managers normally work in isolation within organisations i.e. you rarely find a team of volunteer managers and volunteer coordinators in the one building.
There are many advantages in my opinion to a network:

Connection
The simple fact of meeting others in a similar role to you
Communication
Talking a talk that others should understand!
Sharing
Ideas, solutions, problems in a safe environment and with people who share the same issues or solutions
Debriefing and support
Good networks can do this.
Professional contact
If you truly value your job as a profession meeting like minded souls can be empowering.
Identifying best practice
Networking encourages you to learn from others who have good ideas or who have implemented great strategies.

A great truism for me is the belief that sometimes we need to experience something negative to truly get something positive!

My first experience of a volunteer management network wasn’t the best. I sat with a group of people who were offloading their issues. And the big issue was ….drum beat…..those pesky volunteers! Yes I kid you not! Story after story was about what this volunteer did and what that volunteer did to annoy this coordinator or that manager. Sure it was an opportunity to vent but where was the balance? There was none. Where was the professionalism? Sadly lacking with this approach I felt. So I quietly disappeared from the group. Instead of speaking up which I should have done! In my defense I was a new kid on the block!

I’ve since been involved in several networks. Plus we now have online networks. That may be a topic for another blog altogether for they blow hot and cold.

So here are my 10 tips on effective networking and network meetings.

1.Serious Structure

A network needs to have terms of reference. There must be a vision. A stated purpose. To “ chin wag” and gossip doesn’t cut it! Volunteer Managers are busy so there needs to be clarity and structure. Agenda items, minutes and all those lovely things associated with committees don’t go astray!

2.Strong chairs

Not the kind you are sitting on! If you are going to have an effective network meeting then the chair needs the strength to keep everyone on topic and on time!

3.Not Social Now

Yes, you are meeting up with fellow VMs but professional network meetings shouldn’t be social occasions. To be sure you can organise social get together’s as part of the agenda but focus is required for professional network meetings

4.Goals

Have a goal for each meeting. What will be our learning? What will we resolve? What will we discover? What can we achieve?

5.Trust and confidentiality

A good network needs to establish a safe environment. Do you feel you can talk on any issue and have it remain within your network group?

6.A full agenda

You must work together to ensure there are many items to discuss. Now come on! There is so much to discuss in Volunteer Management. There is never an excuse to have a network meeting without an agenda!

7.Full participation

A network can’t survive if the same one or two people are giving agenda items or speaking up at each meeting. Everyone has a unique viewpoint and everyone should be encouraged to share.

8.Outsiders and other views

Invite guests to your network meetings. Think outside of your VM square. Look for other successful managers. Leadership and management skills can be universal – explore!

9.Follow up

Network meetings are about networking!! Have you got the business cards of everyone at that meeting? Continue the networking? Ask if they are comfortable sharing ideas and touching base with you on issues on a one to one basis. Ask first though.

10.Thank you and appreciate

Being on a network is a voluntary act more often than not! It could be a Key performance indicator for your job. Whatever the case, a basic tenet of volunteer management should come into place – recognising and thanking the efforts of others. If you get some great advice or tip at a network meeting follow up with a quick email to the individual who helped you out.
Volunteer Managers often spend a great amount of their precious time offering solutions or being good sounding boards. Acknowledge peoples contribution.

Effective Networks can only strengthen our sector. Join one today if you haven’t already or if there are none that you know of – start one yourself! Feel free to use some of the tips above!

20 reasons why I volunteer

2012-01-17T22:29:00.000+10:00

There was some talk on volunteering at the end of 2011. Some commentary that suggested that there was pure volunteering i.e. Simply altruistic and everything else besides!

I believe that volunteering is like the rainbow. Many shades..many colors and that the motivation for volunteering is the same. In my 15 years of Volunteer management I am proud of the many motivations volunteers give for volunteering.

I am not one for pigeon holing. I am of the belief that volunteering does not fit into any category.

Volunteering in my eye is lucid, flowing, powerful and “unshapeable!” Have I coined a word?

And for goodness sake – those of you that conduct research or write articles on what exactly is a volunteer and what motivates a volunteer..here is a tip – ask a Volunteer Manager!!

After 15 years of managing volunteers I write this little piece. Of course you may have much more to add. But this is my experience. I am richer for it!

Thanks for taking to time to read.

20 reasons why I volunteer

I volunteer because I want to give back
I volunteer because I want to take back
I volunteer because I believe in your cause
I volunteer because I need social contact
I volunteer because it’s the right thing to do
I volunteer because it’s the clever thing to do
I volunteer because it helps people
I volunteer because it helps me
I volunteer because my skills can assist people
I volunteer because I want to use my skills
I volunteer because you need me
I volunteer because I need you
I volunteer because it’s a job someone needs to do
I volunteer because it will help me find a job
I volunteer because in a dark world volunteering can bring light
I volunteer because I can pour light on my skills and abilities
I volunteer because it makes a difference to people
I volunteer because I can
I volunteer because it’s important to you
I volunteer because it’s important to me

TOPS

2012-01-12T23:17:00.001+10:00

TOPS

That word might not mean a great lot to many people.

Tops of the Parish

An alien term to many.

But for me – its personal!

Allow me to share my “Tops” story. Because it’s a story of volunteering and a story of “fitting in” and a story of sharing talent and a story of belonging.

Tops of the parish was the name of a variety show competition held in my native hometown of Rathmore County Kerry Ireland. It was an event ran by the local Gaelic Athletic Association (The GAA) most famous for Gaelic football and hurling. It helped raise money for the Rathmore GAA.

Tops of the Parish or “Tops” had a great impact on the life of this man.
Huge in fact.

Gaelic football is huge in the county I was born in. County Kerry is to Gaelic football what Manchester United is to “soccer” . Many Kerry men have the gift of the footballer. Alas this writer did not. What made the predicament worse for this writer is the fact that he was endowed with two of his three brothers who were quite talented at football. Two lads who made the Kerry Minor football team! Two lads who went to the same primary school as yours truly. Yet I was hopeless. I couldn’t catch a ball if you paid me. A teacher once informed me that “I was as lazy on the football field as I was in the classroom”. That does a lot for the confidence of an 11 year old!

By the age of 16 I had given up the pretence of liking to play football. Don’t get me wrong – I wished I could play! I followed the Kerry team with just as much devotion as any GAA fan. But I didn’t have the talent of my brothers before me. That made it a little difficult. And then I discovered acting…or as it was known then in my parish..Tops Of The Parish!
My parish was broken into four segments – The Village, Shinnagh, The Bower and my own locality – Shrone!

Each of us on a yearly basis produced a variety show that involved volunteers from their respective communities. The part of County Kerry where I hailed from was already enriched by the glorious talents of singers, writers and musicians. “Tops” encapsulated a local desire to share their talent. It was community theatre at its best and strongest.

And it was magic!

Local youth was heavily involved. My first time on stage was when I was 13 singing a line from a song that was totally in the Irish language. I still remember the director’s name – Daniel Vincent! Shrone won Tops that year! I was never to be part of a winning entry again!

Every year, hundreds of volunteers met in 4 different locations to plot their victory in this comp. And I loved every minute of it. It shaped our youth. We had to be disciplined but we had fun. We respected those who had treaded the boards for years.

It encouraged singers, actors, musicians and comedians. There would be two semi finals and a final. The local community hall in Rathmore would always be packed with hundreds cheering on their own team yet enjoying the efforts of the opposition. It gave birth to so much creativity.
It gave me my interest in acting. Since Tops I have acted with groups for the last 30 years. As an amateur of course. However I once acted in an amateur theatre company with Michael Fassbender in Killarney and sometimes wonder what life could have been like had things turned out differently. I mean he could have turned out to be a happy bloke with a great family in a great country like Australia!!

I write this little piece now because TOPS is dead. It’s been dead for many years. It’s been replaced by fundraisers such as local lotto’s and other methods of raising revenue.

There is a local pantomime group in my old parish and they do a great job. Their volunteers harness local talent and there will always be a place for groups such as this. But TOPS had a difference. A competitive edge. And it made people like me, who didn’t have the prowess in football, proud to support my local GAA through my other talents.

In a world that is so becoming social media there is a longing for old fashioned local interaction.

Tops of the Parish needs to return to give our youth another avenue of interaction. It needs to be there for the artistic side of our community and it needs to be there to carry on tradition which it does so well in so many other areas!

So says the expat in Australia. And if you need a judge for the final all I will charge is the Return trip!

Where you are

2012-01-08T22:41:00.001+10:00

I looked on YouTube tonight for “the most amazing place in the world”
And didn’t find you.

So while YouTube might be brilliant

It is not brilliant enough to realise that the most amazing place in the world

And the most amazing person in the world

Is you.

Yes you.

The most amazing place in the world is the place where you are found.

Volunteering quote!

2011-11-17T21:41:00.000+10:00

Volunteering is the trend that transcends all trends and will one day be forever cool or the word that supplants cool…after all something that just keeps on giving and giving will never be uncool!

DJ Cronin

On where we are at and what we say.

2011-11-15T21:32:00.000+10:00

I’ve been blogging for over 17 months now. And anyone except for the non occasional reader can tell that I have the same few points. Indeed maybe some will say that I go on about the same old thing again and again and again and again.

And again.

For that I make no apology. For I only go on and on about any matter if I think it’s an ongoing issue in our sector.

Sometimes I feel like it’s a crime to expect that volunteer management should be a well resourced and well paid occupation. And this is a major “fall down” aspect of our sector. The same I suppose could be said of many areas in community service. The old line goes like this “ if you are in any sort of community service such as volunteering, caring for the disadvantaged, a carer, counselor, social worker, youth worker, etc then you will not be paid as much and in my opinion linked to something that is valued as much as other professions.”

As much as I hate to admit it there is a connection surely between value and pay when it comes to employees. And of course being in volunteer management leads to major conundrums when it comes to that thought bubble. But one we must face up to. Those with a want to disagree will say that such thinking flies in the face of volunteering. We don’t pay volunteers so there is lesser value. A ridiculous statement right? Or is it? Is there a subconscious feeling in operation here that because there is no cash figure placed upon it there is less meaning and less worth?

I have no doubt that this is the case. I think the whole philosophy stinks but I am not an ostrich with my head in the sand about the matter and I am pretty certain that this is one of the many reasons why Volunteer management remains an under resourced and undervalued profession and why it’s even referred to as a profession by so few of us in the volunteer management sector. And we remain where we are because some in the sector subscribe to the same view. “I aint in it for the dollar” and “I’m in volunteer management for the only reason that I love volunteering and volunteers.”

Is the idea of providing a professional service which will result in better volunteering outcomes a complete anathema to some? If so why is that???

What do volunteers deserve? Professionally run programs? Leadership teams that last the distance and spend the time on strategic development ensuring the best outcomes for volunteers and those they serve? Advocates for better run volunteer programs that can get the resources that they deserve from organisations that can do that? Volunteering solutions?

Not free labor. Not money saving. But real value. People value. Skills value. Heart and soul value as well as the accepting of skill and time from those who donate it for their own reasons.

Volunteering used to be an “out of the goodness of my heart activity”. And it still is…but that’s not the exclusive reasoning behind volunteering any more.

To me it’s the end result of volunteering that matters.

We spend so much, too much maybe, time on our ever so serious debates on definitions of volunteering and big society and social capitol and generations and Xers versus boomers etc that we lose sight of the real volunteering stuff….the receiver at the end of it.

Because volunteerism deserves all the recognition and support it can get and that includes the notion that volunteer management must be taken seriously.

Unfortunately our issues lie within the volunteerism sector itself. Unless we can sort ourselves out first we will never be taken seriously by other stakeholders in the community.

Regrettably there has been little or no dialogue from our sector on such matters. Those few who do speak up or often cast as trouble makers.
The critics in our sector ( and these are those who have sometimes been critical of lack of progress in our sector) have recently been spoken of badly in some blogs and commentaries.

They are seen by some to be just critical all the time so therefore unworthy of an audience, a debate or an understanding.

Regrettably I have seen some bloggers and commentators in our sector lately come under personal attack for expressing views. Some have refused to publish posts to their sites because of attacks of a personal nature. This is shameful in my opinion. And I cannot remain silent on the tone of some of the conversation that exists in our sector.

I know of some people, in various nations who are refusing to publish their opinion for fear of personal attack. This is a ludicrous situation.

Too many people are having a say under the” brave” title of ‘Anonymous” or utilizing pseudonyms. Yes, that’s the nature of Social Media these days. However it’s interesting to note that Anonymous letters will not be printed in most print media (unless requested where name address and number is nevertheless provided to the letters editor)

People must be able to express their opinions without the fear of personal attack. Freedom of speech demands this.

My other concern though is the silence of those in the sector on these matters who are quick to offer an opinion on various topics. Those purporting to be “voices” or taking leadership roles in the sector.

Let us please continue our debates. Let us please agree to differ. Let us grow through our differences. Let us become wiser and learn from each other. But let us not become bitter and personal. Let us speak of constructive ways to find solutions to our differences.

And if we speak out...Let us be consistent, brave and emotionally intelligent enough to speak out for what is right and fair.

‘History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.’
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Self belief

2011-11-15T07:38:00.001+10:00

Sometimes we can get a little lost in our roles. By that I mean we can get caught up in the busyness and feel like it’s difficult to come up for air.
Very often we work in isolation. This is why it’s healthy to have networks and colleagues to support us.

But every now and then I think it is worthwhile to have a little self dialogue. I am a person who believes in self affirmations. I know its not for everyone and each to their own. But here is one I found a while ago. The author is unknown. If you do know who wrote it please let me know.

“There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren't the way you had hoped they would be, that’s when you have to tell yourself that things will get better.

There are times when people disappoint you and let you down, but those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself and all that you are capable of.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are, So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be, because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep believing in yourself. “

Great YouTube Vid from Volunteering Queensland to Mark IVMD! Click here and Share!

2011-11-05T09:20:00.000+10:00

DONT QUOTE ME BUT HAPPY INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER MANAGERS DAY!

2011-11-04T23:55:00.000+10:00

Effective Volunteer management is about leadership

"Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty and industry. Don't take too much advice — keep at the helm and steer your own ship, and remember that the great art of commanding is to take a fair share of the work. Fire above the mark you intend to hit. Energy, invincible determination with the right motive, are the levers that move the world."
Noah Porter

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
John Quincy Adams

"Any one can hold the helm when the sea is calm."
Publilius Syrus

Effective Volunteer management is about Action

"To be a great leader and so always master of the situation, one must of necessity have been a great thinker in action. An eagle was never yet hatched from a goose's egg."
James Thomas

"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."
Abraham Lincoln

"Go before the people with your example, and be laborious in their affairs."
Confucius

Effective Volunteer Management is inspiring

Inspiration and genius--one and the same.
Victor Hugo

"The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be."
Horace Bushnell

Effective volunteer management brings about change

"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."
Bruce Barton

"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts."
Arnold Bennett

"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."
Harold Wilson

Effective Volunteer Management is bold!

"Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute! Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Only engage, and then the mind grows heated. Begin, and then the work will be completed."
Jean Anouilh

"It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what might happen."
Herodotus

"It is wonderful what strength of purpose and boldness and energy of will are roused by the assurance that we are doing our duty."
Walter Scott

Effective Volunteer Management makes a difference

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

"The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all." ~Leo R

And Finally for Volunteer Managers around the globe:

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." ~William James

Rob Jackson On YouTube on International Volunteer Managers Day!

2011-11-02T22:26:00.000+10:00

OK! Here’s a way we can support International Volunteer Managers Day! Let’s support a colleague who has taken the time and effort to make a You Tube video about the day!

I have only met Rob Jackson once but I am confident in saying that this is a man who is an absolute advocate for our profession!

I think he has made history in being the first person to create a vlog on IVMD????

This vid has 22 views. It deserves much more. Please spread it around!
Hear Robs views By clicking on the title of the blog!

Support IVMD by watching this on Youtube!!!

Where are the Fireworks on International Volunteer Managers Day?

2011-10-30T17:33:00.000+10:00

Sue Hines writes an interesting piece on International Volunteer Managers Day in her latest blog. The link to Sues Blogsite can be found on the right!

The view that there will be noise all round the world to celebrate the day is one, alas, I cannot share.

The problem, as I see it, with IVMD is that it is being smothered with niceness and tarnished with insignificance.

Years ago I had an issue with a well known speaker on volunteerism who basically stated the day was cringe worthy and had no time for volunteer managers patting themselves on the back. I disagreed vehemently then.

I am not so sure now.

My belief in the day and its purpose has not wavered. I am not too sure that people understand what the day is about. If small pockets of volunteer managers throughout the globe meet for tea and cakes and do nothing more for the sector itself then how is this “education through celebration”

I saw someone writing on the IVMD Facebook page that they were going to get a few Volunteer Managers together to clean up a beach. How is this “education through celebration?”

Where is IVMD being celebrated? Is the Volunteerism world itself sitting up and taking note? Let’s take a quick look at what the sector is saying 6 days before the event.

Volunteering Australia fails to mention the day in its “Latest News”. There is no story about the day on its website. Click on the Managers of Volunteers page and you find no mention of the day.

Search “International Volunteer Managers day” on its site and you get a link to the days website. Nothing more.

Ok – let’s look at the AAVA website. The professional association for Volunteer Managers in Australasia has no news on this day, which is 6 days away, on their website. It’s a bit harder for our sector to make the above comments on the lack of Interest from Volunteering Australia when our own sector is not getting it right. Stones and glasshouses and all that! There is no news about what is happening anywhere on this site for IVMD!

Same can be said of the Association of Volunteer Management website in the UK. No mention of our “big day” on their site either. A search of IVMD on the site yields a few results and articles from 2009 and 2007.

Close to home again there is no mention of IVMD on Volunteering Queensland’s webpage (would be a good story for the Wonderful VOLQLD TV Channel IMHO!)

Nadda on Volunteering New Zealands site – not even on the events calendar. Better news from Volunteering WA and Volunteering Tasmania who are highlighting some events associated with the day. Ok I guess tea and cake is better than nothing!

Rather than go on I encourage you to check your own local association or volunteer centre and check out what they are saying or doing about IVMD this year.

Sue Hines writes that “Most events will happen on Friday November 4. At least we avoid the fireworks this time.”

We actually need Fireworks for IVMD! We need more passion and to get more people to take notice.

How?

•Drop an email to your professional body for volunteer management and ask them how they are marking the day?

•Send a blank Celebration card to your national body on volunteering. In it slip a note and write “Please don’t ignore IVMD again next year – from a Volunteer Manager!

•Send a congrats email to those organisations that do support the day

•Alert your local member of parliament/Senator about the day and encourage them to get together with local VMs

•Write a blog here on the merits or otherwise of IVMD.

For me IVMD should be about raising the profile of our profession thus increasing its value! IVMD should be the vehicle to profile Volunteer Management in a positive light. It should be used to educate organisations and the community about the importance of effective and well resourced Volunteer Management.

It should be the Blue Ribbon day for all professional associations for Volunteer Managers! It should be an important date for Volunteerism!

But is it?

How happy and fulfilled are you in Volunteer Management?

2011-10-20T23:27:00.003+10:00

How happy and fulfilled are you at work?

Now there’s a question that may well stop you in your track. Because, let’s face it, in your busy role when was the last time you were asked that question? Have you been asked that as part of your own annual performance evaluation? Or is it a question you regularly ask yourself?
This train of thought arises from some info I’ve come across on the net. I am grateful that we live in an age where a vast amount of knowledge and information is available. In terms of volunteer management I sometimes think that we are guilty off seeking guidance or leadership from a narrow silo. That is to say that we seem to lack the courage and conviction to look outside our sector at generic leadership and management philosophy. We sometimes tend to think that Volunteer Management is so unique and different that we can’t learn from others.

Of course Volunteer management is different and unique…but I do belive we can learn from othert sectors as they can learn from us! But back to happiness and fulfillment at work. There haven’t been many surveys on the Volunteer Management sector. Not many in my memory at least. The only one that I recall is an international survey conducted by People First Total Solutions> I’ve written about that one before but it appears that it was largely ignored by the volunteerism sector. Which is a shame if I am correct?

A section on the Wall Street Journal called ‘The Source” has teamed up with the iOpener Institute for People and Performance to find out how happy and fulfilled their readers are at work. The Institute has a specially designed survey to help readers establish how happy they are at work .

Before inviting people to take part in the interview the article has some great ways of describing happiness at work

Their research shows that there are five important drivers that underpin the science of happiness at work.

1. Contribution.

This is about what you do, so it’s made up of some of the core activities which happen at work. Like having clear goals, moving positively towards them, talking about issues that might prevent you meeting your objectives and feeling heard when you do so.

2. Conviction.
This is the short-term motivation both in good times and bad. That’s the key point: keeping going even when things get tough, so that you maintain your energy, motivation and resources which pull you through.

3. Culture.
Performance and happiness at work are really high when employees feel they fit within their organizational culture. Not fitting in a job is like wearing the wrong clothes to a party—all the time.

4. Commitment.
Commitment matters because it taps into the macro reasons of why you do the work you do. Some of the underlying elements of commitment are perceiving you’re doing something worthwhile, having strong intrinsic interest in your job and feeling that the vision of your organization resonates with your purpose.

5. Confidence.
Confidence is the gateway to the other four drivers. Too little confidence and nothing happens: too much leads to arrogance and particularly poor decisions. Without greater levels of self-belief, the backbone of confidence, there will be few people who’ll take a risk or try anything new. And you can’t have confident organizations without confident individuals inside them.

To see the whole article and to do the survey follow the link by clicking on the heading of this blog!

Make you own mind up on the science of this survey because there are plenty of comments in the comments section.

I do feel it’s an interesting experiment for us to take in a sector that is devoid of self analysis and research in the first place!

Be who you must be

2011-10-17T19:45:00.000+10:00

I’ve had a recent period of mental blockage followed by self reflection. I rewrote that first line and added mental. Attempts at humour are still there.

I like to write on volunteer management issues but recently I’ve suffered writers block. I would sit in front of the keyboard and stare at the blank screen. But nothing came. “What gives” I thought. Had I run out of things to write about? Had I said all that needs to be said on Volunteer Management?

I love Volunteer Management and I enjoy writing. Here I was fusing two passions.

So during my moments of writers block I had many competing thoughts.

“What’s the purpose of it all?”

“Finish the blog and write on other things you are passionate about”

“ write that book that’s in you and bursting to get out” That’s the espionage thriller about the secret agent posing as a Volunteer Manager who thwarts the alien takeover at the White House!

And then just as I was tiring of staring at a blank screen and as my bored fingers were getting fidgety and restless at the cobweb ruined keyboard I had a thought. I nearly said I heard a voice. But I didn’t want to freak you out. However when one says “I had a thought” I wonder what is this awareness having the thought?

Anyway the thought said

“Relax release and reflect”

The 3 Rs of writers block!!!

You cant force writing. Or if you do, it may very well come across that way. By relaxing I was able to release this frustration of not being able to write. By relaxing and releasing I was able to find the space to reflect on my writing and indeed on many other aspects on my life too. This resulted in a good moment of clarity and self awareness. Here I’ll defer to a websites definition of such matters

“To get a clear understanding of self awareness, it's a good idea to first understand awareness itself. So what is awareness?...

Simply put, awareness is our capacity to notice things. We may be aware of the time or aware of a particular situation - we may notice that we are late or that someone is watching us. Being aware of such things means we have taken note of them.

This is awareness.

Self awareness basically describes a situation where the light of awareness is turned onto ourselves. While awareness is our ability to take note; self-awareness is our ability to take note of ourselves.

When we turn our awareness to shine on ourselves, we may become conscious of a great deal of internal activity. We may notice specific thoughts or thought patterns. We may notice particular emotions or flows of energy. We may awaken to physiological processes happening in our body such as heartbeat, heat, sweating. We may notice intuitions or gut feelings.

The world of the self is rich and fascinating and we are privileged to possess the ability to actually enjoy all of this consciously. Our capacity for awareness is what makes this possible.”

Definition Of Self Awareness - What Is Self Awareness http://www.evolutionary pathways.com/definition-of-self-awareness.html#ixzz1aznnKAUg

Our lives are busy. So often we hear the cry of “ Not enough time” from people in our sector. It is not exaggerated. So we look towards Time management workshops, Gurus or books. Sometimes we even hear “ I haven’t time to attend a time management workshop”

There is too much doing. There is too little being. As I commute to work I notice how people are still so busy. Devices of all kinds are stuck to ears of the commuter on the train. If tweeting had a noise we’d all be deaf. How long can we go without checking what our “Friends” on Facebook are up to? News is assimilated not absorbed. Politicians “live in Spin”. The modern world – I phone, I Pod, I Pad, I have forgotten to relax!

So I am thankful for my writers block. It allowed me the space to reflect. It reminded me to sit and look at everything about me. It led to a little awareness and more self awareness.

What has all this got to do with Volunteer Management one might ask? Everything and nothing!

Have you had the time lately to step back, metaphorically speaking, from your job and observe where it is at? Where you are at?

Have you looked at the people around you and wondered in awe that such inspiring people such as volunteers are in your life?

Have you looked at everybody around you and wondered why they were in your life in the first place? Or why you are in theirs?

Instead of worrying about this blog as in “What’s the purpose of it all?” I will just be and do what I do. Just be who I must be.

If one person gets something from any of this then this is a bonus.

I am grateful for my writers block. I am grateful for the space where I can reflect. I am grateful to those around me. To all those who come into my life. For the lessons, the challenges, the tears of joy and sadness, the ups and the downs.

Try a little being, a little less doing.

If Time were a person I suspect they would laugh at the concept of being managed!

I end with a piece I wrote several years ago. Its time I reflect on my own stuff more!

Be who you must me

I don’t know where you are on your path
I have never stood in your shoes
I see not with your eyes.
I know not what your purpose is here
In this stage of your evolution.
But I feel blessed to know you.
As you are not in my life by chance
And you are my teacher
As I hope you learn from me.
I pray I show reverence to you
I pray not to judge you.
I wish to let you be
Who you are
Who you dream of being.
I will just be beside you
And watch you grow.
And the day will come for sure
When we will know why
Our paths crossed this way.
And until then my friend
Be who you must be.

Erin Barnhart: "true facilitators of democratic action"

2011-10-14T20:20:00.000+10:00

Erin Barnhart is an internationally recognized expert in domestic and international service and volunteer engagement. She has been quoted by such media sources as CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York Post, The Boston Globe, Smart Money, Marie Claire, and Budget Travel and has developed and delivered effective engagement tools, trainings, and resources for volunteers, volunteer resource managers, and organizations worldwide.

An AmeriCorps*NCCC alum, Erin has an MPA in Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Not-for-Profit Management from the University of Oregon. Following completion of her Masters Degree, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Canada to study volunteer centers (PDF) in British Columbia and the Yukon. In 2005, Erin began work on a Ph.D., studying international civic engagement at Portland State University; she expects to complete her dissertation in 2011.

Here Erin has kindly taken the time to answer 10 questions of mine on Volunteerism.

In 20 words of less, describe/define Volunteer Management

The practice and profession of engaging and facilitating collective voluntary action by global citizens and community partners

What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

1) While both professions require the building of relationships and trust with their team members, the incentives for showing up a second (and third, fourth, fifth, etc.) time are different for paid and unpaid staff. Unlike HR Managers – who may only be required to assess employee satisfaction once a year via an annual evaluation – volunteer managers must consider and assess the motivations and satisfaction of their volunteers on a daily – if not hourly – basis.

2) When the economy is tough and organizations freeze the hiring of new positions, HR Managers likely begin spending less to perhaps no time on recruitment and much more on managing existing staff needs. Conversely, the need for volunteers generally goes up – especially for human service organizations – which means that the volunteer manager is often called upon to find even more individuals to lend a helping hand, all while also maintaining relationships with and taking care of existing volunteers. This reality makes it all the more frustrating when volunteer manager positions are among the first to be cut in times of financial crisis.

3) HR Managers generally work with predetermined staff positions; there might be some room to negotiate pay, benefits, etc., but the position’s hours, expectations, etc. have almost always already been decided. In other words, applicants for paid roles apply within existing position frameworks. Alternatively, volunteer managers may have a desired framework in mind but are more often negotiating many critical details of the role, both upfront and on an ongoing basis, with potential volunteers, all while likely experiencing an higher level of turnover.

Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

While there are a handful of national volunteerism and service organizations around the globe that are doing exciting work to support the field – Volunteering England’s recent VM initiative is one example – it does seem that much of the current leadership is driven primarily by consultants. I can see why this might be the case though: consultants are similarly immersed in the day-to-day work of their clients and audiences but also have the benefit of a 30,000 foot view. By drawing from the experiences of peers and practitioners around the globe, they are in an excellent position to offer both anecdotal and collective evidence on the state of the field. At the same time, as self-employed professionals, they may potentially have more room to innovate and try new models, all while avoiding some of the politics that others have no choice but to address.

Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

...serve as the collective voice for the field, including advocating for and educating leadership and the public on the critical role volunteer management plays in facilitating meaningful, effective community engagement and providing accessible and innovative tools and resources to adequately support practitioners in the field.

There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

I generally use two definitions to define voluntary action. First, there is “service” which I consider to be a broad umbrella under which many kinds of voluntary action efforts take place – from people serving in stipended national service programs like AmeriCorps in the United States to those who give their time as part of a court-ordered mandate. Within “service,” there is also “volunteering” which is, to me, anytime an individual freely contributes their time, skills, and perspectives to a cause or issue without expectation of financial compensation.

If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

Ah, well, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut, but then I realized that I wasn’t gifted in science and didn’t really enjoy flying. I also wanted to be the first female President of the United States but that was before I discovered that I have very little patience for politics. Ultimately, I recognized that what I really wanted to do was find a way to help the everyday citizen make a difference. One can see why I’m such a nerd for all things volunteer management!

Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

Rosa Parks. Not only was she courageous, inspirational, and utterly selfless, but she was also smart, engaged, and strategic; Rosa Parks was both an everyday citizen living in a scary, segregated world as well as an active participant – the secretary of her local chapter of the NAACP – in the struggle for Civil Rights in America.

Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management

I think social media offers great potential for the world of volunteer engagement and management. It can potentially be used as a tool for outreach, recruitment, and building truly global connections; it can also be used to galvanize, inspire, share stories and practices, and build community among many different kinds of organizational supporters (advocates, donors, volunteers, etc.). Social media may even help to blur the lines between how we define these actors in community involvement, redefining how we engage and inform citizens to take action. While the learning curve to keep up with new models of social media as they rapidly emerge may be daunting, I’m confident that there is a real opportunity to harness the power of web-based connections for greater social and environmental good.

Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

This is indeed a very big question. I’m hesitant to give any kind of definitive answer here as I know that governments – like all institutions – are made up of a broad and diverse spectrum of individuals and opinions. There are certainly some government entities that appear to have more readily embraced volunteer engagement but there are also many who do not seem to understand yet how important it is to engage citizens in the inner workings of their own communities - nor how much extraordinary impact individuals can have if only given the chance.

What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

Ultimately, I’d like to help facilitate meaningful volunteer engagement in the world – those opportunities where an individual recognizes that they have ideas and skills of real value, and organizations and communities benefit from partnering with them to collectively make the world a better place. My best shot at making this happen is to harness my passion for volunteer engagement and my understanding of the importance of supported, effective volunteer leadership and focus them on serving the field of volunteer management itself. Volunteer managers are such extraordinary heroes to me; they are true facilitators of democratic action. If, throughout the course of my career. I’m able to effectively support the people who do this work day to day, I’ll feel that I’ve succeeded.

Somebody, nobody and Anybody in Volunteer Management

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000+10:00

I recently came across a great poem by someone called Charles Osgood

“There was a most important job that needed to be done,
And no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none.
But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to ask
Is who exactly will it be who'll carry out the task?

Anybody could have told you that everybody knew
That this was something somebody would surely have to do.
Nobody was unwilling; anybody had the ability.
But nobody believed that it was their responsibility.

It seemed to be a job that anybody could have done,
If anybody thought he was supposed to be the one.
But since everybody recognised that anybody could,
Everybody took for granted that somebody would.

But nobody told anybody that we are aware of,
That he would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of.
And nobody took it on himself to follow through,
And do what everybody thought that somebody would do.

When what everybody needed so did not get done at all,
Everybody was complaining that somebody dropped the ball.
Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame,
And everybody looked around for somebody to blame.

Somebody should have done the job
And Everybody should have,
But in the end Nobody did
What Anybody could have.”

Funny enough, the poem reminded me a little of our sector in Volunteer Management. In particular it made me think of 2 upcoming momentous events for Volunteer Managers. Globally, International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMD) and in Australia the 2011 AAVA Volunteer Manager Award of Excellence. I’ve written about both on this blog before. I believe that both should be supported in Volunteer Management. I believe however that both concepts may fail if everybody thinks that somebody else should organise events to mark IVMD or anybody could nominate for the AAVA award but nobody does!

Many of you of course will be able to draw parallels with the following whose author is still unknown to me ( happy to attribute if you know who wrote it!)

“This is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.
Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did.

Somebody got angry (about that) because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody knew that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Somebody wouldn't do it. And It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody because Nobody actually asked Anybody.”

"A very different philosophy of management is arising. We are moving beyond strategy to purpose; beyond structure to process, and beyond systems to people.... Asshole management is not inevitable."

2011-10-05T21:25:00.000+10:00

Sumantra Ghoshal, humanist management thinker, writer and academic, 1948-2004, who believed that management should be, above all else, a force for good!

Where do we share ideas on Leadership?

2011-09-28T21:34:00.000+10:00

I have a longing for a dialogue on leadership within our sector. Go through my blog postings and you will see this emerge. I guess I will keep coming back to it. Of course we will have to have a debate about the word “Leadership” first.:-)

Where is the Leadership Lounge in Volunteer Management? Where do you turn to for leadership ideas? Where do you turn to for a little inspiration? Leadership and inspiration are different things yes but I see them as intertwined on so many occasions.

Don’t leaders inspire?

When I see dialogue in volunteer management I still come across much of the same old dialogue Ive seen come up intermittingly over the last 14 years.

An example is some recent discussion I’ve come across on some forums. What should we call volunteers? What should we call volunteer managers? Or should that be managers of volunteers.

We seem to be addicted to questions of semantics and terminology. Meanwhile the great issues for our sector remain largely unspoken of or commented on. Yet we will get plenty of folk engaging on the semantic topics. Are basics like “what we should call each other” the Everest of our intellectual conquests in volunteer management?

Where can we form our leadership lounge? Where can we find the space to share thoughts on leadership?

Lessons in leadership can be found in many places.

One place I often go to for ideas and inspiration is the Ted Talks. Here’s the wikipedia definition of TED

“TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading."

TED was founded in 1984 as a one-off event and the conference was held annually from 1990 in Monterey, California. TED's early emphasis was largely technology and design, consistent with a Silicon Valley center of gravity. The events are now held in Long Beach and Palm Springs in the U.S. as well as in Europe and Asia, offering live streaming of the talks. They address an increasingly wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture. The speakers are given a maximum of 18 minutes to present their ideas in the most innovative and engaging ways they can. Past presenters include Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, educator Salman Khan, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and many Nobel Prize winners. TED's current curator is the British former computer journalist and magazine publisher Chris Anderson.

From 2005 to 2009, three $100,000 TED Prizes were awarded annually to help its winners realize a chosen wish to change the world. From 2010, in a changed selection process, a single winner is chosen to ensure that TED can maximize its efforts in achieving the winner's wish. Each winner unveils their wish at the main annual conference.
Since June 2006,the talks have been offered for free viewing online, under a Creative Commons license, through TED.com. As of August 2011, over 900 talks are available free online. By January 2009 they had been viewed 50 million times. In June 2011, the viewing figure stood at more than 500 million, reflecting a still growing global audience.

TED's mission statement begins:
We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.”

TED can be found at www.ted.com

The title of this blog links to a fun TED talk on leadership!

Taking a break.Chilling. Being.

2011-09-20T08:04:00.000+10:00

Right now i'm enjoying a holiday. Smelling the roses more. Being. So Ive decided to also take a break from blogging and writing.

Happy trails to you.....

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so."

Mary Jean Iron

A call for International collaboration on Volunteer Management

2011-09-16T21:02:00.000+10:00

A blog I posted to I -Volunteer today. The link to I - Volunteercan be found on my favourite links here

There have been some criticisms of England’s professional body for Volunteer managers (AVM) on I-Volunteer of late. Unwarranted in my view. And I say this as a Volunteer Manager from down under!

To me, at least your association is visual. They have a fairly current and active website with some very interesting and topical blogs. People on their website can engage in conversation. As I look now the most recent comment is a couple of hours old.

I’ve seen them active on social media. I’ve seen them consulted by the press. I’ve seen them engage with Government. I’ve seen them comment on issues of the day relating to volunteerism and volunteering. I’ve seen them demonstrate a healthy relationship with the peak body for volunteering "Volunteering England". You’ve had a national campaign to recognise Volunteer Management with AVM and you have a National Conference on Volunteer Management!

So to an outsider looking on – they seem to be doing ok in my book. And fair play to them. Whilst I know that they don’t need my defense it intrigues me that they are condemned for being “London Centric”. Whatever the significance of this may be anyway.

I wouldn’t care if my association were Canberra or Sydney centric as long as they were carrying out their brief. But alas in Australia, in my opinion, things are very quiet as far as development in the volunteer management sector is concerned.

Right now you folk in the UK have great conversations on our sector as is evident by your robust debates on this great website I - volunteer.
Keep it up! Try not to make the debate personal though.

I’ve always believed that our sector is so small that we need to collaborate globally. Some professional associations around the world tried to do this once but it pretty much fell over on its arse! What happened?

There is some great dialogue and thought going on globally about Volunteer Management. How can we tie it all together somehow? How can we help each other?

These are just the thoughts of an outsider as far as your sector in the UK is concerned. But the global village of Volunteer Management is a very small one. Let’s get to know our neighbors to begin with!

Somehow I have a feeling that we can achieve much together!

Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

What we do in Volunteer Management

2011-09-15T22:34:00.000+10:00

I began a blog on “The 20 traits of Volunteer Management in 2050.” Simply because several people look at 2020 to bring about new change.

I am not as hopeful. I started writing thus:

1.Our sector will be seen as a vital part of society

2.We will extract ourselves from the traits of volunteering

And then I stopped. And then I realised, as a Volunteer Manager for many years, that I had come upon a major issue in our field. One that is, of course, not discussed due to the general lack of curiosity in research in Volunteer Management.(Oh we have heaps of research into volunteerism...great fodder for acedemia at conferences......)

And it is this.

We have for far too long equated feelings or assumptions on Volunteering with Volunteer Management.

Let me give you an example of what I am hinting at:

Volunteering is nice. Therefore Volunteer Management is nice

Volunteering is a warm, cozy and fluffy story therefore so is Volunteer Management

Volunteering is nice but not necessary therefore…….

The problem, as I see it, is that so many in our field self perpetuate this line of thinking.

On top of this we have peak bodies for volunteering in some countries not taking Volunteer Management as a profession seriously. I will resist mentioning my own national peak body …suffice to say they have never written a piece on this blog anyway or responded to other volunteer management blogs or forums and there are a few!…so enough said!!

But maybe we have attached ourselves too much to the motivations and traits for volunteering.

We do not need to do this! We need to understand the motivation behind volunteering but we do not need to be advocates for these motivations!

Let me give you an example of what I am getting at. I’ve heard it say that a prerequisite for a Volunteer Manager should be individual volunteering experience!I.e.that you need to have been a volunteer.

I absolutely disagree!

You need to have an understanding of managing or coordianting and an understanding of how you do this in relation to volunteers. Period!

I’ve done one form of volunteering or another for over 2o years. In my next volunteering role I won’t care if my manager has volunteered or not. Let’s get over our non issues! I’m happy as long as I am engaged and utilised appropriately and as long as I leave my volunteering job for the day with a sense that I achieved something!

Volunteering and Volunteer Management needs a demarcation too.

In 2050 we can have a confident, resourced and respected sector that manages and leads. Let the volunteers do what volunteers do best please!

Observations on Volunteer Management dialogue

2011-09-13T22:04:00.001+10:00

On my own blog site several people have responded to my 10 questions on Volunteerism and Volunteer Management. I am delighted that they did and thank them. I believe that some more will be responding soon. When they have the time I suspect! I’ve always been a champion for dialogue in our sector. I believe that its important.

I see a lot of interesting dialogue on Volunteer Management in certain quarters right now and I’ve been observing some strong views over the last few months.

On I Volunteer (which has a link on this site) there has been some fascinating conversation.

Sue Jones, a training manager in Warrington UK has an excellent post there at the moment. In it she proclaims:

“And, when I say 'raise the profile' of the profession, what I really mean is that we are simply talking more about it. Whilst at first look, this might not seem like much, it's actually really important that we keep doing this - to one another, to our managers, to our colleagues, to our friends and family, to government, to our funders, our partners and most importantly across our whole organisations. Every movement needs a starting point and through communication with one another, we can explore how we really feel about stuff, gather our thoughts and then act. But this starting point does need to gather momentum and this won't happen without participation from those of you actually working in this field.”

There are obviously some wonderful things happening at Warrington as another blogger on I volunteer from there by the name of Huffee is talking about some inspirational stuff:

“Thoughtful Thursdays

We're keen to encourage more volunteer managers to share their ideas and skills. One idea that came out of the Volunteer Management Champions group was Thoughtful Thursdays. Using the hashtag #ttvolmgrs we're encouraging people to share their thoughts and experience as volunteer managers.
There's plenty more coming up, as soon as details are confirmed I'll post more here”

Love the sound of this and how they are utilizing social media to promote Volunteer Management! Fantastic!

John Ramsey has a great piece on I Volunteer

“We need to decide if this is what we as ‘volunteer managers’ want. This is not something a small group of people can do. Aside from the practical capacity issues it needs to have legitimacy. But where is the mass rising up of volunteer managers? Quite often I hear the same old reasons: I don’t have time, I’m not sure if I’ll still be here in 6 months etc etc. There’s a reason for this. It’s because volunteer management is not valued and so it becomes a vicious circle. We need to break that circle and to do that requires sacrifice, commitment and belief.”

I Volunteer has this and much more opinion on their site. So right now there is a great conversation happening so please check it out if you have the time.

Meanwhile on the Energise website which is also Linked here Susan J Ellis has chosen as her Hot Topic for the month "Addressing Volunteerism Issues in the Blogosphere"

“Sometimes I worry that I am known more for criticizing than celebrating, so I’m happy to devote this Hot Topic to praising the courageous people who post their informed opinions about volunteer-related topics online. While serious discussion of principles and issues is so often missing at major conferences in our field, in the last couple of years we’ve seen the emergence of some truly wonderful and provocative blogs. Here are some of my favorite volunteerism blogs at this time and the reasons why you should pay attention to them.”

Susan makes one particular observation that I would like to respond to:

“While some of these blogs are produced by major organizations, it is striking that the majority are written by private consultants. Is there a lesson here? Is it necessary to have a degree of independence to comment and criticize – to be willing to take risks? Do consultants feel that their primary loyalty is to the readers of their blogs – their actual target market – without having to worry about offending any third-party funding sources? What makes some organizations and individuals take a stand publicly? And that last question refers to both the blogger and the reader, who always has the choice to join in.”

My blog is not produced by a major organisation. Neither is it written by a private consultant. I have never considered readers to be a target Market though I understand the terminology. I have stated from the start that “This is my personal blog on matters pertaining to Volunteer Management and Volunteerism. It consists of my own opinions and does not represent the opinions of any other person, business or organization.”

I have always felt that the beauty of blogging lies in the fact that anyone can do it. I’ve been pulled up in the past when I’ve used the phrase “Just a volunteer manager” in this context. Whilst I understand that this word mix can cause consternation in some quarters I have used the wording to try and go to the heart of my motivation for blogging on matters related to Volunteerism and Volunteer Management. That is to say I am “just” availing of the opportunity to speak as someone who is on the ground as a Volunteer Manager. I believe there should be more bloggers in a similar vein sharing their experience. I believe that this is happening slowly. But happening nonetheless!

I do understand that it takes some courage to write publically. What I feel may be a deterrent to those who want to write is fear of being attacked. Yes, sure, when we express a view then the right to talk should be always respected whether or not we agree with that view. But I know of some people who will not express a view for fear of being assailed. This is a shame. I wonder how many of you are nodding your head in agreement.
I am not afraid to be constructively critical of organisations that purport to represent my profession or volunteerism. After all if you choose to be part of a board or committee then critical analysis becomes part of the territory.

As bloggers and commentators though we need to be aware of the language we use.

Steve Moreton in a response to a blog on I Volunteer sums it up beautifully in his response to a particular blog article

“Generally people management does not seek to belittle or undermine anyone. If you do not understand where they are coming from, recognise that all management is a genuine partnership and seek to recognise and understand the motivations of others. Also, our special contribution to the organisation is managing volunteers. If we expect others to respect us for our contribution, we need to respect others”

And this

“The responsibility of being in charge is never easy. There are many complex pressures and different stakeholders to manage. No-one knowingly sets out to do a bad job. Mutual respect is the best way to any approach to authority”

I feel that there are some real jems in the snippets of volunteer management conversation. I do worry about echo chambers (See my blog on this)

One thing I will say. If we want to appeal to other sectors and demonstrate our professionalism then we need to be professional at all times.

David Maister states that professionalism is, "...believing passionately in what you do, never compromising your standards and values, and caring about your clients, your people, and your own career."

Wikipedia states

The main criteria for professional include the following:
1.Expert and specialized knowledge in field which one is practicing professionally
2.Excellent manual/practical and literary skills in relation to profession
3.High quality work in (examples): creations, products, services, presentations, consultancy, primary/other research, administrative, marketing or other work endeavors.
4.A high standard of professional ethics, behavior and work activities while carrying out one's profession (as an employee, self-employed person, career, enterprise, business, company, or partnership/associate/colleague, etc.). The professional owes a higher duty to a client, often a privilege of confidentiality, as well as a duty not to abandon the client just because he or she may not be able to pay or remunerate the professional. Often the professional is required to put the interest of the client ahead of his own interests.
5.Reasonable work morale and motivation. Having interest and desire to do a job well as holding positive attitude towards the profession are important elements in attaining a high level of professionalism.
6.Participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs b : having a particular profession as a permanent career c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return
7.Appropriate treatment of relationships with colleagues. Special respect should be demonstrated to special people and interns. An example must be set to perpetuate the attitude of one's business without doing it harm.
8.A professional is an expert who is master in a specific field.

Whist we engage in the dialogue of promoting our sector as a profession we need to keep an eye on exactly how we engage in dialogue.
Let’s encourage more dialogue. But let’s be professional about how we talk too.

What do you think?

"Unique ability to motivate people" - More thoughts on Volunteerism and Volunteer Management

2011-09-07T20:23:00.000+10:00

Sue Kobar is the Volunteer Services & Hospice Shop Operations Manager for Nurse Maude New Zealand. She is passionate about volunteerism and believes that volunteers are an integral part of an organisation. Her motto of “don’t ask someone to do something you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself’ has served her well over the past 25 years.

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Volunteer management is the unique ability to motivate people to donate their time to be of service to others.

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

Do you mean other than the huge pay discrepancy! Human Resources Management is very structured and HR staff tends to work in a black or white environment. Whereas Managers of volunteers tend to create volunteer opportunities where needed and work in all shades of grey. Both provide staffing (paid or unpaid) assistance, guidance, advice and support across an organisation.

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

There are lots of people out there making themselves heard however I believe the strongest evidence of leadership is still in the grass roots organisations where the work is identified and organised mostly, if not entirely, by volunteers. If anything has been confirmed in the volunteer sector since the Christchurch earthquakes it is that people will take action to help and side step the obstacles – that is true dedication and volunteer leadership.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

I’m probably not the right person to answer this...however, since you asked: I believe an association of volunteer management should promote all aspects of volunteerism, engage their membership in dialogue about future directions, and be inclusive rather than exclusive.

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

Volunteering is the willingness to be of service to others without expectation of remuneration.

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

I would very much like to be in theatre – and I don’t mean serving the refreshments.

7. Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

Princess Diana

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?

Social media is fantastic for promoting volunteer opportunities. It also provides a mechanism for feedback which means we will be instantly held accountable for a person’s experience while volunteering with us.

9. Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

Yes, absolutely there is a place for government in volunteering. They have the resources to pass legislature that will improve all aspects of volunteerism and we should become more comfortable in working alongside government agencies and key government officials.

10.What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

My goal has always been towards education & support for leaders of volunteers. Other professions have educational requirements – why not us. What I have seen though is that in the process of developing an educational component it becomes too complicated and people become discouraged because it takes years to achieve.

I would also like to leave a legacy of promoting voluntary service and work hard to ensure that a person’s volunteer experience is so positive that it results in a lifetime of service. That a person know it’s okay not to volunteer all the time however say yes when they can.

SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

2011-08-31T20:10:00.000+10:00

Repetitive signals going to Volunteers on Mars

2011-08-28T21:36:00.000+10:00

I’ve been writing on Volunteer Management for some 15 months now. I’ve been a Volunteer Manager for 14 years. Hard to believe that after all this time I’ve only discovered on the world wide web some definitions on Volunteer Management and some tips as well!

My enlightenment comes from Idealists.org. I’m not too sure how long this piece or page for Volunteer Management has been there

Let me share some of what I have found. My commentary will be in brackets
What is Volunteer Management?

“Volunteer management is, at its core, selecting and supervising volunteers. Yet it is also much more than that. (Phew…I am so glad you added this part) Volunteer management is a key position in the leveraging of an organization’s resources, on par with fundraising/development and human resources. (Kinda, I would have said on par with any management position in your organisation)

Volunteer management is the gateway to the community, providing citizens with opportunities to become more involved in local issues and global causes, and serving as a grassroots source of public relations and marketing. Volunteer management ensures that there is community buy-in of an organization’s mission, thereby strengthening an organization’s credibility in the eyes of the public.

Volunteer management is the guardian of well-being, for volunteers and constituents, and for the organizations involving them. ( I really like this last line but feel it should be explained in more detail)

An eloquent narrative of the responsibilities of volunteer management professionals, the Universal Declaration on the Profession of Leading and Managing Volunteers, can be found on the Volunteer Canada website. (The What?? First I’ve heard of this)”

Ok then – let’s take a look at this Universal Declaration.

When I clicked on the link it informed me that “Page was not found”
So I googled Universal Declaration on the Profession of Leading and Managing Volunteers

So this is something that was developed in 2001 by the International Working Group on the Profession Convened by the Association for Volunteer Administration Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001

Here it is. (again my commentary will be in brackets)

"Value and Contribution of Directors of Volunteers

*The phrase Directors of Volunteers applies equally to terms like administrators, managers, coordinators and directors of volunteers. For this declaration, the term “Director of Volunteers” was selected to represent these many terms.

Directors of Volunteers promote change, solve problems, and meet human needs by mobilizing and managing volunteers for the greatest possible impact.

Directors of Volunteers aspire to:

act in accordance with high professional standards.

build commitment to a shared vision and mission.

develop and match volunteer talents, motivations, time availability and differing contributions with satisfying opportunities.

guide volunteers to success in actions that are meaningful to both the individual and the cause they serve.

help develop and enhance an organizing framework for volunteering (sounds good so far!)

Role

Directors of Volunteers mobilize and support volunteers to engage in effective action that addresses specified needs.

As Directors of Volunteers we strive to:

be innovative agents for change and progress.
be passionate advocates for volunteering. (and Volunteer Managers??)
welcome diverse contributions and ideas.
develop trusting and positive work environments in which volunteers and other resources are effectively engaged and empowered.
ensure the safety and security of volunteers. (Huh?- isn’t this part of any organisational responsibility?)
develop networks and facilitate partnerships to achieve desired results.
be guided by, and committed to the goals and ideals of the cause/mission towards which we are working and to continually expand our knowledge and skills.
communicate sensitively and accurately the context, rationale, and purpose of the work we are doing.
learn from volunteers and others in order to improve the quality of our work. (would love them to expand on what this means)

Core Beliefs

As Directors of Volunteers, we hold these beliefs and seek to demonstrate them in our actions:

We believe in the potential of people to make a difference.
We believe in volunteering and its value to individuals and society.
We believe that change and progress are possible.
We believe that diversity in views and in voluntary contribution enriches our effort.
We believe that tolerance and trust are fundamental to volunteering.
We believe in the value of individual and collective action.
We believe in the substantial added value represented by the effective planning, resourcing and management of volunteers.

The complexity of the problems the world faces reaffirms the power of volunteering as a way to mobilize people to address those challenges.
In order for volunteering to have the greatest impact and to be as inclusive as possible, it must be well planned, adequately resourced and effectively managed. This is the responsibility of Directors of Volunteers. ( er..no. Isn’t this the responsibility of organisations???)

They are most effective when their work is recognized and supported.(They can be and more often than not are effective without support and recognition... it should state that they should be recognisesd and supported!)

Therefore, we call on leaders in:
Non governmental and civil society organizations, to make volunteering integral to achieving their missions and to elevate the role of volunteer directors within the organization

Government at all levels, to invest in the sustainable development of high quality volunteer leadership and to model excellence in the management of volunteers

Business and the private sector, to understand the importance of volunteer management and to assist volunteer-involving organizations in developing this capacity

Funders and donors, to support the commitment of resources to build the capacity of volunteer management

Education, to provide opportunities for leaders of volunteers to continually expand their knowledge and skills

(they should have added: Peak bodies for volunteering, local, state, national and international to support the commitment of resources to build the capacity of volunteer management)

We call upon Directors of Volunteers worldwide to accept this Declaration, to integrate and embody it in our shared work, and to promote and encourage its adoption.

While we recognize that all countries in the world do not approach volunteer development in the same way, this Declaration is intended to encourage all those concerned with the advancement of this profession, to aspire to these statements.

Developed by the International Working Group on the Profession
Convened by the Association for Volunteer Administration Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001

With representation from: Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Hungary, Israel, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland, United States
(where was the UK, Australia and others back then?)

So there it is. How many of you in Volunteer Management have even seen this. Whatever has become of this declaration? From what I can see the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA) still adheres to the principals of this declaration.

As for the declaration itself I have some thoughts.

Much of what is said is great. But I bet that many in our sector have never heard of it. Or indeed heard of AVA. But my real concern here is that any advancement or progress in our sector seems to be cyclical. I am basing this thought process on anecdotal evidence. It seems to me that we seem to be making great strides once in every 10 years. And by great strides I mean an ability to have great dreams and aspirations.

If all of this was happening in 2001 then we have not progressed much at all. Indeed I reflected on this in a blog of mine on the examinations of Hot Topics by eminent writers in our sector over the last 10 years. In my blog I stated that we tended to be revisiting our issues cyclically. You know the debating points du jour right now:

Definitions of volunteering
What should our titles be?
Credentialing of volunteering
Creating a strong profession
Why are we ignored by other management?

It makes for great reading on blogs and journals. It makes for more interesting workshops and presentations to Conferences on volunteering. It fills the gaps there.

But can we not see the sign or message coming through?

We are still stuck on the same issues after too many years. Where is the evidence of progress in our sector? I am talking about progress for the sector nationally and internationally. I say this to deflect the “ Oh there is good stuff happening at a local level here” brigade. I get that and praise that. But tell me why I fear I could be reading the same old hot topics in 10 years!

HOT TOPIC 2021 – “Volunteer Managers – Is everyone happy with this title?”

HOT TOPIC 2021 – What is the definition of a volunteer? – discuss for another 10 years!

HOT TOPIC 2021 – Why don’t Executive get me?

HOT TOPIC 2021 – Volunteer Managers Versus Time Management

To those who will say “what are the solutions DJ” I say read all my blog postings please. Part of the solution is in self realization. The ability to see there is a problem here. Followed by the ability to form groups who recognise this and act.

There are so many people new to our profession and you may be one of them.

New to the Hot Topic of the day

New to universal declarations

New to some of the issues of the sector

Let’s hope you grasp some of these issues and take positive action to change our way of being.

Because in 2021 our sector needs to be just that - a sector – one that has gained the confidence to be strong and heard and I certainly don’t want to be blogging on the same old stuff to our sector on earth and other planets who may or may not have come in contact with. Are there volunteers on Mars?! Now that’s a true Universal thought!

A blog snapshot

2011-08-25T23:01:00.001+10:00

There is a bit of fun in being a blogger. Indeed, if it were devoid of fun I wouldn’t be doing it. And sometimes it has felt that way , albeit briefly. I am fascinated by who is reading what and where they are coming from. To me, the snapshot of volunteerism and those who manage volunteers can be encapsulated in the little blog that I write.

I have to give thanks to two companies that enable me to look at what is happening with my blog - Statcounter and Blogger

Statcounter is A free yet reliable invisible web tracker, highly configurable hit counter and real-time detailed web stats. StatCounter is a web traffic analysis tool. Access to basic services is free and advanced services can cost between $9 and $119 a month The company is based in Dublin.

I love their work!

Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a subdomain of blogspot.com. Up until May 1, 2010 Blogger allowed users to publish blogs on other hosts, via FTP. All such blogs had (or still have) to be moved to Google's own servers, with domains other than blogspot.com allowed via Custom URLs. In July of 2011 a news outlet announced that Google intends to change the name of the service from "Blogger" to "Google Blogs," as part of a larger plan to re-brand or retire all non-Google brands in its portfolio of products and services.

Ok now that the free plug is over I can get back to my point

Thus far I have had close to 20,000 individual readers in 15 months.

Here’s what I can determine about Volunteer Management based on what people are reading on this blog.

We have a huge sense of humour! We like jokes about volunteers and volunteer management or we are seeking out such humour! Volunteer Management Jokes a blog posted in August 2010 is still the most popular blog. Maybe we need some light relief every now and then!

On a serious note though we are very interested in the notion of leadership in Volunteer Management. My blog on Leadership in Volunteer Management posted in 2010 is the second most read blog and consistently gets views every day!

Thank you speeches for volunteers comes a close third. Many people are seeking guidance or appropriate words in their recognition of volunteers.

My next most popular post is in fact by a guest blogger. Coming in at number 4 is a piece on change management by Volunteer Coordinator Wendy Moore from Brisbane Australia. Wendy has obviously identified an area where Volunteer Managers are seeking guidance on!

I’ll just stick to the top 5 for brevity sake but its interesting to note that the 5th most read post is an article of mine titled “What’s holding us back”

I think it’s significant that out of just under 220 postings on this blog that this one hits the top five. It tells me that people are interested. It tells me that Volunteer Managers do care about the following:

“Do we have an embedded subliminal fear that our jobs are not “real” because we manage a movement that is unpaid – and thus devalued? Would a psychological analysis reveal some real fears on job security, career authenticity and a predisposition to not rock the boat at any cost?
Do we keep our heads down so we aren’t really noticed and thus keep our positions? Do we therefore have problem putting up boundaries. Do too many of us take on too much, with too little resources? We try to do it all, and then wonder why we aren't provided with the resources, pay, etc.
We won't be until we demand it by saying "No", I cannot do this without additional resources.Our jobs create and add enormous value to our societies. Let us stop being afraid to acknowledge that. Let us cease being fearful of validating ourselves and our profession.”

You Go you people reading this blog post!!!

My biggest audience comes from the United States with about 38% of viewers coming from there followed by Australia, Canada UK and then……Russia!
And of course I am happy to speak on Volunteer Management in any of those beautiful countries!!! LOL
And finally to end this blog, What are the key words that people enter on search engines that result in them finding my blog? This is for the last few days!

thank you speech for volunteers 240

volunteer jokes 163

volunteer thank you speech 96

thank you speech to volunteers 87

dj cronin 67

thank you speeches to volunteers 57

leadership 39

good news 38

volunteer thank you speeches 35

I hope you have enjoyed reading some of these stats!

40,000 Thanks

2011-08-23T22:21:00.000+10:00

This blog recently passed 40,000 page views.

I have to say I am humbled by this figure. After all this blog is just the musing of a Volunteer Manager on matters pertaining to our volunteerism sector. And its just been going for 15 months.

So I’ve nothing to gain or lose from the amount of visitors. If I had reached 400 views after the same amount of time I’d probably be posting this blog in a similar vein.

I do this blogging for a number of reasons but have to admit that I do it primarily because I enjoy writing. My passion for Volunteer Management therefore is a direct beneficiary of this enjoyment!

I continue to remain blown away that 18,300 individual people around the globe have read some of my blogs!

Its takes a lot for people to respond to postings. I realise this now. So I salute those who respond to posts. But I also salute those of you who read my musings on Volunteer Management and Volunteerism.

Thanks for being part of my journey.

DJ

Acim4me@live.com

A Tasty Dish in Volunteer Management Part 1

2011-08-23T21:51:00.000+10:00

The Tasty Volunteer Manager: Volunteer Management Master Chef – Part One

Yep it’s been done the death in many areas but here I will attempt to cook my very own successful and effective Volunteer Management dish using ingredients I have used over the years. It’s based on personal experience. You may not like the taste and you may have different ingredients. Fair enough – After all we choose the cookbooks or chefs we feel work best for us. This has worked for me. Enjoy!

Take one person

Add

Niceness

Some of you may and will baulk at this already. Some will frown on this ingredient immediately. Many of our sector will resist the word “nice” because of perceived negative connotations in regards to volunteering. I get that. Nothing worse than an organisation thinking volunteers are “nice but not necessary” for example. And how many of you when asked your occupation get the delayed response of “that’s nice”. It sounds a little condescending but maybe it’s not such a bad thing in today’s world.

Someone said once that nice guys finish last. Perhaps that’s why there are so few men in Volunteer Management! I say that with a wink a nudge. After all to counter this Addison Walker said “It's not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts.”

In this day and age is niceness an attribute that is valued at the workplace? It should be in Volunteer Management.

“Oh what do you mean by nice” people will say. Of course.

I have to spell it out because some people will say I can be a great professional…but I don’t have to be nice.

Not in our profession I say.

Nice is made up of a few ingredients. This is handy for our MasterChef – having one ingredient made up of many

Nice consists of :
Courtesy
Empathy
Gentleness
Compassion
Friendliness
Patience
Tolerance

There you have it. My definition of Nice. My first ingredient. If it’s not in our dish then I believe the dish will end up with a foul taste! And I have heard of this taste anecdotally!

Our next ingredient will be advanced communication skills

Come back here for the next blog to see how that tastes!

Here’s a preview

“Advanced can be a word loosely used these days. However the communication skills of a Volunteer Manager need to be highly developed in my opinion in order to deal with a wide range of stakeholders critical to the success of any effective Volunteer program. It’s amazing the amount of people we need to be dealing and communicating with effectively – often far more than any other management profession. If we don’t include this ingredient – our dish is in serious trouble!”

It makes perfect senses yes? How you see Volunteer Management is how you see Volunteers?

2011-08-18T19:48:00.001+10:00

Do you give credence to this statement?

Sue Hine in a response to one of my blogs lately stated “Why do so many of us undervalue the work we do, and thereby the work of volunteers??”

Do you make that connection? Can it be possible if we don’t value our own roles that we don’t value the role of volunteers?

Who can this question pertain to?

Volunteer Managers?

Surely not, Surely the one and only truism in our sector is the value we place on volunteers? If this is not the case then our management sector has no hope. No future. True?

Organisations?

Those that value volunteers value Volunteer Management right? Makes sense yes? Take out the value in one and you erase the value in the other. Right?
Peak bodies on volunteering?

They celebrate volunteerism thus they celebrate effective Volunteer Management right? Makes sense to me. They do this by celebrating IVMD, by having Volunteer Management people on their boards, by taking an active interest in our sector by consultation, by inviting Volunteer Managers on their networks, by inviting them to write on their websites and journals, by having them involved in their national and international conferences and by engaging with Volunteer Managers on their blogs and social media.
All of this is happening yes? No?

I have to pose this question to the “person from peak body” who may be reading? Is this happening? Yes? No? I mean…you do value volunteers don’t you?

Associations on Volunteer Management?

What are you doing here on this list? Of course you value volunteers. Its evident from your support of Volunteer Management. I mean..That’s what you do isn’t it? Support Volunteer Management...by

advocacy..Education..Networking…politics etc. etc. etc. And you are holding peak bodies for volunteering and organisations and government to account aren’t you? For example those who exalt volunteerism are exalting volunteer management as well and you are on top of that to make sure this is so yes?

So there. It’s really all ok I am sure. We all value volunteers don’t we? And by extension…Volunteer Management?

As they say in Australia

No worries.

Fantastic insights into Volunteer Management

2011-08-14T20:10:00.000+10:00

I’ve had some fantastic replies to my 10 questions on Volunteer Management. All are published here and I’ve had quite a few comments to my email as well that are unpublished as requested. Whatever one may say about the questions themselves there does seem to be a chord that is being struck! And I thank everyone who has responded thus far!

I talk about a narrative in Volunteer Management. What do I mean?

Wikipedia says – “For general purposes in semiotics and literary theory, a "narrative" is a story or part of a story. It may be spoken, written or imagined, and it will have one or more points of view representing some or all of the participants or observers. In stories told orally, there is a person telling the story, a narrator whom the audience can see and/or hear, who adds layers of meaning to the text non-verbally. The narrator also has the opportunity to monitor the audience's response to the story and modify the manner of the telling to clarify content or enhance listener interest. This is distinguishable from the written form in which the author must gauge the readers' likely reactions when they are decoding the text and make a final choice of words in the hope of achieving the desired response.

Whatever the form, the content may concern real-world people and events; this is termed "personal experience narrative".

Someone asked me today if there was a deadline to submitting responses?

No. There is no deadline. There will never be a deadline to the exploration on our sector!

Please remember that you can answer anonymously!

And please remember that I am just a Volunteer Manager asking questions on Volunteer Management!

Let’s keep the discussion going on acim4me@live.com

10 more insights

2011-08-12T20:28:00.000+10:00

Wendy Moore is a Volunteer Coordinator in Brisbane, Australia. She has a background in many fields including IT, administration, sales and marketing.

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Volunteer Management involves the creative, development of programs which utilize the skills of volunteers to meet a community need.

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

Managing volunteers is different from managing paid staff because their motivation is different. Volunteer Managers need to have
•Flexibility to include into programs, volunteers with differing levels of commitment.
•Adaptability to change within a dynamic and unpredictable environment.
•Emotional energy to support and encourage volunteers.

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

There are leaders of Volunteer Management around the globe who share their knowledge and insights on websites, blogs and forums. There are others who have yet to find their voice. Perhaps fear is holding them back; fear of “the tall poppy syndrome”, fear of change or fear of criticism.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in Volunteer Management should…
advocate for volunteer management by promoting, educating and lobbying governments, organisations and communities. They should seek out opportunities to promote volunteer management and forge relationships with organisations which could build and support volunteer management. They need to be fiscally responsible in achieving these objectives.

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

Volunteering is an individual’s choice to freely give their time and skills, without expectation of reward, to meet a community need.

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

Perhaps something creative like Marketing, Promotions, Visual Merchandising or Event Management.

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

Fred Hollows:- for seeing a need and setting up a program to train others to continue with his work to bring sight to people, in poor communities, who would otherwise remain blind.

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and Volunteer Management?

“…..to boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Social media can take volunteerism and Volunteer Management to anywhere around the globe where there is internet connection. It provides a communication pathway which is unprecedented. Social media is only the conduit providing the communication. The message we wish to communicate is up to us.

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

No. While governments recognise volunteer contribution, it is important for governments to go beyond that, by understanding that volunteering doesn’t just happen. Volunteering requires good management and coordination of resources so that volunteers are utilized appropriately.

10.What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

I would like to educate people about the role that volunteer management plays in valuing, supporting, coordinating and appreciating the contribution of volunteers.

10 answers from Sue Hine.

2011-08-12T20:19:00.000+10:00

Sue Hine, from New Zealand has been been engaged with community organisations for more than 40 years, as a trainer, facilitator and clinical supervisor, and a volunteer in all sorts of roles. Sue is an independent advocate and also a member of the Managing Volunteers Development Project, sponsored by Volunteering NZ.

Sue informs me that she has been reading too much political philosophy this year, but manages to keep in touch with management of volunteers through tutoring and mentoring individuals and groups.

Now over to Sue!

Each question deserves a full-blown research thesis. I am very reluctant to confine 'management of volunteers' into neat sound-bytes or 50-word statements. We deserve more, and we need to do more than achieve a once-over-lightly item on the news agenda. I understand your motivation to get a narrative on volunteering and management of volunteers going, but I am not confident your methodology will achieve your intentions.

In my irregular following of international news-groups I find the conversation pertains more often to local issues and to questions on basic practice in management of volunteers. It is at this local level that we should be making the plugs, promoting good practice, finding education pathways for managers of volunteers, getting organisations and government to understand and appreciate volunteer know-how and can-do. We cannot go global before we get local.

So - with all that in mind I submit my responses to your questions.

1. In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management
Enabling those who donate their time, their knowledge and skills and their energy in contributing to organisation goals and/or community services to find personal satisfaction and rewards for their efforts.

[This is an attempt to be inclusive of the divergent streams of community altruism, corporate volunteering, community sentencing and work-experience volunteering, et al. But corporate volunteers still get paid for their efforts… is there a way out of this bind?]

2. What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?
• Flexibility in job placement
• Creating a role to fit the person not the other way round
• Freedom to ‘experiment’ with new ways of doing things
Vs : Paid staff are hired for specific purposes – along with application of employment contracts and practices; and too often HR has a place at executive team level while management of volunteers is relegated to lower orders.

3. Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?
Leadership is evident in many different ways in different organisations at local and national levels. If the question is about leadership of the profession there can be no claim to global leadership until we can reconcile differences in socio-political cultures and service delivery. At present Management of Volunteers is a fractionated discipline.

4. Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…
• Be the mover and shaker for the occupation;
• Represent and advocate for the profession at government level, with organisations (collectively and separately) and with corporate and philanthropic donors;
• Be an independent voice, collectively, and for individuals
• Be a central point for dissemination of information; resources; research

5. There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?
Undertaking work tasks at no cost to the organisation.

[Again, I am trying to ‘keep it simple’. This statement sounds awfully mercenary, yet it includes the different avenues of volunteer involvement, and avoids the interminable debates on ‘compulsory’ volunteering and being paid for your time as a corporate employee. However, we need to acknowledge somewhere that “Volunteers do not come for free”, and identify costs such as a manager’s salary and expenses related to training, recognition functions, travel reimbursement etc.]

6. If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?
Pass – I am single-minded on Management of Volunteers.

7. Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?
Not a fair question, because I might be forgetting important bits of history. If a manager of volunteers is doing their job they will be inspired every day by the willingness and enthusiasm of the volunteers that come their way.

8. Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?
Not very far. Yes, social media is a tool for recruitment and communication for volunteers and their managers (as evidenced from experience of the Christchurch earthquake and Queensland floods). But there is still a lot of grunt stuff to do. Getting volunteering and management of volunteers on the map requires research, writing, and a bit more communication and political activism than a few shorthand phrases on Twitter and Facebook.

9. Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?
Yes, of course Government ‘gets’ volunteering: it’s the next best thing in provision of community services, all that safety net welfare stuff! “We can do it on the cheap, and draw in the corporates and philanthropic institutions to help us do more with less.” Translation: The government does not fully appreciate the goodwill that goes into community services and volunteer involvement. We have become more of a convenient political tool. Right now I think we are experiencing a phase of exploiting the community sector and volunteers – most evident in UK’s Big Society policies. I think it is happening in New Zealand too.

10. What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?
To foot it as an equal at the table of the public and private sector policy determinations.

This ambition is a bit late in the day for me, yet I see it as vitally important for future development of social and community services. When Civil Society gets subsumed (really, ‘consumed’) by the other two power-brokers then the voice of volunteers is drowned, along with the spirit of volunteering and the ethos of community development. Not to mention the business of democracy and human rights and all that. Right now a concerted voice needs to be raised from community organisations along with their managers of volunteers.

A view from Warrington and Volunteer Management Champions!

2011-08-06T08:18:00.000+10:00

Hi DJ,

I have responded to your 10 questions as below, and am also encouraging my Volunteer Management Champions (VMC) group to respond individually – it might take a week or two though as lots of people are on leave currently here!

Liked this piece a lot and it really got me thinking, so well done for asking such insightful questions. The idea behind the VMC work is to encourage some new and different voices from the field of VM, in order to add to the existing leaders, writers and speakers out there such as yourself. I do believe that the more VMs that contribute to the debates – especially those who are really doing it, because it’s a long time since I managed volunteers directly and my role as a trainer and coach is as an enabler – the more we can raise the profile of the role and really make a noise about the important stuff.

We are running a series of webinars to link with this work and as part of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 which you may have seen advertised via i-volunteer – (Rob J is hosting the first one on 17th August), and one of the themes will be to look at a kind of Volunteer Management manifesto – asking VMs what do you want? From support, from a national association, from each other, from the policy makers etc. I am aiming to encourage more thought and reflection about this stuff and for VMs to lead the discussion themselves with a view to feeding into the report I need to do at the end of this piece of work, but also to link with AVM here and to keep pushing these issues to the forefront.

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Balancing the needs of the organisation with the needs of the individual volunteer to create a harmonious and quality experience through effective leadership.

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

The need to be continuously creative and work without a clearly defined legal framework. The basic fact that you are not dealing with paid staff, so in a sense- anything could happen.

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

I believe there are high profile examples internationally where there are individual trailblazers - writers, speakers and trainers etc who are inspirational in the way they seek to challenge and educate the VM community and volunteer involving organisations. There are also pockets of truly amazing leadership demonstrated across a wide range of organisations, usually which is unrecognised, even by those who are delivering it.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

Listen, encourage, advocate, consult. Widen its reach and really understand what it means to represent those it seeks to. To ask insightful questions of itself, it's members and the policy makers of the day.

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

Giving time because you choose to, to something which provides a wider social or community benefit and which is important to you.

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

Dancer, actor, cake maker, milliner, stay at home mum.

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

I have absolutely no idea. I meet lots of inspirational people - usually they are the ones who don't realise it. Perhaps those who sometimes come back to the volunteer centre years after that initial 'match' and they tell you what they have achieved in their life as a result, how it made them feel and the impact the experience had on them and others.

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?

If grasped positively and with a little thought as opposed to assumption, I believe it can connect the profession, both internationally and locally to develop a strong, clear, passionate voice so it can state what it wants and needs in a way that will be noticed. As a tool, it simply enhances and extends our reach to connect, to access resources and should enable individuals to feel supported and that they are part of something bigger and truly valuable.

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

Sometimes, but then they do what governments do and try and make things fit with their agenda instead of asking- what's working already? What needs to change? And, how can we help rather than hinder?

10.What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

As a trainer and coach, I am here to support individuals to realise their potential and to support them to become the leaders in this field.

Sue Jones

Training Manager
Warrington
UK

The dialogue continues on the 10 questions – thanks Lynn!

2011-08-05T23:21:00.000+10:00

Lynne Dalton is the CEO of the Centre of Volunteering in New South Wales Australia

Lynne has over 25 years experience in the community sector. Most recently Lynne worked with the NSW Department of Family Services and Community Services on capacity building projects. Between 1983 and 1995 Lynne was the Director of the Community Action Network Ltd, a non-profit organisation providing community services in areas such as Children, Family Support, Volunteering, Youth Services, Disability Services, and Multi-Cultural Services. Lynne holds a degree in Social Science and was previously a Board member of The Centre for eight years.

Here are Lynnes responses to my "great 10 questions" on volunteerism.

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Volunteer Management is the overt acknowledgement of the intrinsic value of volunteers to an organisation.

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

•Recognising and therefore compensating for the lack of rights of volunteers in the workplace.
•Understanding and responding to the different motivations of volunteers and paid staff
•The need for VMs to acknowledge Human Resource Development as vital aspect of managing volunteers effectively.

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

Actions of individuals appears only to classified as leadership if acknowledged by those with power and/or influence. The failure of “authorities” to value or understand the worth of the volunteer sector to the global economy and to global social capital results in few if any volunteers activists being considered “leaders” at a national/international level. Whilst those in the sector recognise leaders, very few others in the world show them the same respect.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

……examine closely its purpose and motivation, establish robust objectives and then got for it.

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

Volunteering is Social Inclusion in practice.

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

Singing (but I’d probably starve to death!!) then politics.

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

Aung San Suu Kyi– she has volunteered to put her life on hold for her country.

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?

I think Social Media can be seen as both a boon and a barrier to communication. We have to make sure that we don’t become too isolated from human contact. Remember a large percentage of effective human communication is through body language. Bit hard to see via the internet or I-phone!!

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

No. If they did they would invest in it more. There has been heaps of research showing its value (Productivity Commission Report, 2009) and a large number of research activities showing the health benefits to individuals. But Governments still see the sector as a conveniently cheap option for services delivery rather than another option for professional service delivery.

10.What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

Having volunteers recognised through legislation as a valid sector of the workforce who have the right to be treated with respect and dignity.

John Ramsey Continues the narrative on the "10 great questions"

2011-08-03T22:48:00.000+10:00

John Ramsey is a Volunteer Manager and has served as the Chair of the Association of Volunteer Managers, Head of Volunteering at Citizens Advice , Chief Executive at Student Volunteering England and Head of Information at Student Volunteering England.

Here is his reponse to the "10 great questions"

1. In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Getting the best out of volunteers for our beneficiaries, our organisation, our community and our volunteers

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

Legally – at least in England. Volunteers have no definition within employment legislation therefore there has been plenty of case-law about how you separate volunteers from employees.

Culturally – Volunteer Management requires a different mind-set to paid staff management. It is easy to be a lazy or incompetent manager of paid staff as people need jobs. A lazy or incompetent Volunteer Manager will quickly find they have few volunteers.

Operationally – the above two mean there should be a different framework for managing volunteers. For many reasons, paid staff sit within quite a prescriptive management framework. Volunteers should sit within the opposite, a fluid and flexible system that is much more focussed on meeting the needs of volunteers rather than those of the employer or the needs of legislation.

3. Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

On the positive side, volunteer management in England has definitely moved up the political agenda in the last five years. It was not so long ago that it was never mentioned when talk moved on to volunteering. That is rarely the case now. And that is down to the likes of Association of Volunteer Managers, Volunteering England and a few vocal individuals.

However, we are missing two key ingredients.

Firstly a coherent discourse on the vision for volunteer management. And secondly a failure of individual leadership. Every volunteer manager has a responsibility to lead on volunteer management, whether that is in their organisations, their community, regionally or nationally. Failing to do so means we are failing both are own volunteers and are own beneficiaries.

But where is this mass rising up of volunteer managers demanding that they be listened to, demanding that they be involved? Apart from the odd voice, it is deafening by its silence.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

…not be afraid.

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

Away from the more mundane ‘proper’ definitions: An expression of freedom to help your community be a better place.

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

Bread-maker perhaps. Or a sportsman – although I rather lack the talent, the dedication and the drive.

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

No-one comes to mind. One of our problems is that inspirational, successful volunteers are rarely celebrated as volunteers.

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?

Down a blind alley, if we’re not careful. When you spend your working day on the internet, using emails, linked in to social media etc, it’s easy to forget many people don’t. It should be seen as one of many tools to develop volunteerism and volunteer management, nothing more, nothing less.

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

From an England perspective - yes and no. Without wishing to get too political, I think the principles behind the Big Society agenda do show an understanding of the role volunteering plays in the community but this has not been bought into at either national or local levels. I think a few individual members of Government understand the full power of volunteering but this has yet to be translated into meaningful action.

Why not? For the same reason that organisations don’t fully buy into volunteering. We, the volunteering sector, are failing to show that volunteering works in the way we say it does. We live in hard-pressed times when pragmatic decisions are being made every day. If we are saying volunteering is part of the answer without robust evidence to show that, it takes a very brave or a very crazy person to commit substantial time and resources into it. And to be honest, I don’t particularly want my government to spend its limited amount of cash on every scheme that comes along simply because there’s the odd bit of research that says it’s wonderful.

What we need to be doing is, firstly as organisations providing robust proof on the impact of volunteering, and then as a sector bringing that all together to show the benefits it has on health, on behaviour, on community cohesion… on every topic under the sun. If we’re not prepared to do that then why should we be taken seriously? And the same applies to volunteer management.

10.What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

Make a positive difference in developing volunteer management and improving the lives of older people (who I work with in my day job)

More Response to "The Great 10 Questions"

2011-08-03T21:51:00.000+10:00

"Rob Jackson is one of the leading authorities on volunteering in the world. His standing is based on an impressive mix of the practical and strategic. For much of his career he has been involved at the coalface of volunteer management." - Dr Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive,Volunteering England

In April 2011 Rob left Volunteering England and founded Rob Jackson Consulting.Rob has written, spoken and trained on volunteer programme management internationally for nearly twenty years.

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Volunteer leadership and management is about engaging and inspiring people to bring about change.

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

HR management, in my experience, is largely about compliance, making sure managers and staff follow set policies & process. It is about ensuring a paid workforce is managed by the rules, reducing the risk and liability to an employer of being sued by disgruntled employees. In volunteer management there is an element of policy and process setting but there are key elements that don’t appear in HR management. These are leadership, empowerment and flexibility.

Leadership – setting and/or communicating a vision and inspiring people to work together towards its fulfilment. That’s not something I’ve ever come across in HR where managers tend to be so focused on making sure people play by the rules they often seem to forget what the game is.

Empowerment – encouraging and supporting people to use their skills, their talents, their experience, their abilities to the fulfilment of the vision. HR keeps people in their boxes, volunteer management encourages them to flourish and realise their potential.

Flexibility – processes and policies are important but they cannot prepare for every eventuality. Good volunteer management realises this and is prepared to be flexible where necessary. HR sees the rules as absolute.

If I can cheat and have a fourth thing it’d be passion. I’ve met many volunteer managers who are passionate about what they do but not many HR managers with the same passion.

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

There are great leaders in volunteer management in organisations all around the world, leading amazing volunteers who achieve marvellous things.

However, I suspect your questions is less aimed at an organisation level and more of a global level.

In which case I’d say that the leadership I see in volunteer management is twofold: that aimed at making what we do better; and that aimed at setting a vision for where we should be going as a field.

We have ‘professional’ bodies, peak bodies and individuals all playing a part in one or both of these areas of leadership.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

…be independent; be an advocate for volunteer management; be vocal; work with and for its members; nurture talent and grow leaders for the future; represent the field.

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

I’ve always liked Ivan Scheier’s definition:

"Volunteering is doing more than you have to - because you want to - in a cause you consider good."

I like it because it defines volunteering from the perspective of the volunteer – if they think it is volunteering then who is to say that it isn’t?!

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

No idea.

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

The people who right this minute are giving their time out of a quiet conviction that things could be better and they will take some personal responsibility to make some change happen.

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?

I think social media has lots to offer volunteerism but it is a tool. It has its place but it isn’t the magical solution to the challenges facing volunteerism in the 21st Century as some would have use believe. For example, it can help make it easier for people to find out about volunteering but it doesn’t help us create new or re-engineer existing volunteering opportunities that meets the needs of people when they decide to volunteer.

Where social media, and the internet more generally, has helped volunteer management is in making it easier for us all to connect. There is no reason for volunteer managers to feel isolated anymore because with the click of a mouse they can engage with peers across the globe to share problems, discuss solutions and build support networks.

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

Government as an entity, no. Why? Because government is made up of people. So what about people within government (elected officials and staff)? Well some do and some don’t. Why? The same reasons some people see what they do as volunteering and others don’t – backgrounds, belief, philosophy, experience etc..

10. What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

I’d like to continue to make my living in this wonderful field, meeting new people, deepening existing friendships, contributing to our collective knowledge and experience, sharing my passion for volunteerism and learning from others along the way.

First Response to “The Great 10 Questions” – Martin J Cowling

2011-08-01T20:12:00.000+10:00

A big thank you to Martin J Cowling CEO at People First Total Solutions for being the first to respond to my “great 10 questions” in Volunteer Management.

Martin is a Leading Consultant on People issues in the Community and Non Profit Sectors. Blogger, consultant, trainer and world traveler Martin has a passion for people, volunteerism and Volunteer Management.

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

Volunteer management is the process of engaging members of the community in achieving a common mission.

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

Volunteer Management needs to incorporate good HR practices along with community development and what I call an entrepreneurial view of the world. The error in imposing a solely HR model on volunteer management is that the fundamental relationship between employees and employer is legally, morally and socially different to that of a volunteer and an agency. However failing to see volunteers as part of your HR is also a grave error.

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

Globally or in Australia? Globally: NZ and Canada. In Australia..Volunteering Queensland, CFA Victoria.

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in volunteer management should…

support their members, advocate for their members, not try to do too much and not duplicate

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

A member of the community giving their time on an unpaid basis to further a community mission

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

space commander- serious, teacher,

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

Jesus

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and volunteer management?

I do training on this!

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

Some elements do but most governments see volunteering in motherhood and or economic savings terms

10. What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

Make a difference in the lives of others

Volunteer Management - The Great 10 Questions

2011-07-31T21:01:00.000+10:00

Over the next few months I plan on doing my own questionnaire on volunteerism and the Volunteer Management sector. I plan on asking people 10 questions.

The reasoning behind this is to encourage a narrative on volunteerism and the sector of Volunteer Management.

I have already sent emails to some leaders in volunteerism around the globe

It’s time we talked!

And I will publish all answers here.

These are not questions meant for only the ”leaders” in our field or the field of volunteering but for anyone interested in volunteerism.

Let’s talk

10 questions on Volunteerism

1.In 20 words or less describe/define Volunteer Management

2.What are the 3 main differences between Volunteer Management and Human Resource Management?

3.Where is the current leadership evident in Volunteer Management?

4.Finish this sentence in less than 50 words… An association in Volunteer Management should…

5.There have been many debates on the definition of volunteering itself. How would you define volunteering?

6.If you weren’t doing this what other profession would you have been interested in?

7.Who do you believe has been the most inspiring volunteer in history?

8.Where do you think social media can take volunteerism and Volunteer Management?

9.Does Government get volunteering? If not why not?

10.What would you like to achieve personally in the volunteerism world?

Post your answers as a reply here or email me on acim4me@live.com

STOP PRESS: Volunteerism Gazette latest Controversial article on Volunteer Management

2011-07-17T20:54:00.000+10:00

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit - Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

July 2013
By Don J Volau
Article Copyright of Volunteerism Gazette

There has been some debate on some forums internationally on qualifications and credentialing for the Volunteer Management sector. Don J Volau, Editor at Large of Volunteerism Gazette spoke to some Volunteer Managers across the world on their views. All asked to remain anonymous. Paul from Sheffield was asked to remove his mask as this was an online piece and not audio visual.

Paul from Sheffield:

“I decided not to enter the debate. I was going to argue with some people but then I thought people might get personal and I was scared. I thought to myself – How do we define success in Volunteer Management – well after seeing recent debate and reaction I’ve come to the conclusion that the road to Volunteer Management success is under construction”

Anita Sanita, a volunteer coordinator from Banita in the republic of Salamanita stated that she had no intention of entering the debate. Speaking on complete Anonymity (Doh!) Anita told Volunteerism Gazette that “ Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt – so that is why I won’t say a thing!”

Cary O Leary from Tipperary however took a different more reactive view –“Some people say "If you can't beat them, join them". I say "If you can't beat them, beat them", because they will be expecting you to join them, so you will have the element of surprise.”

Errol Flynn Magnum Columbo, President of the International Association of Volunteer Management and also President of the Famous movie and TV star Association said that the Volunteer Management sector must simply study and gain more knowledge “ Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil.” Because after all we must ask “How Many Roads Must our sector Walk Down Before we Admit we’re lost?

The last word goes to Wendy Bottoms, author of Bubbles in a Bath and president of IVEHADIT

“Just remember...if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.”

©, Don J Volau
Volunteerism Gazette
July 2013
Volunteerism Gazette “The International Journal for Volunteerism ahead of its time”

There are 34,678 comments on this article
To add yours comment here

Any ideas for this IYV+10 global project?

2011-07-14T20:47:00.000+10:00

Recently I received an interesting email from Anna Belousova who is an UNV Programme Officer with a United Nations Development Programme. I am very impressed with what she is trying to achieve and would like to share her story here in the hope that some reader might be able to assist. Please email Anna with any ideas and share here if you like.

"My name is Anna Belousova and I am contacting you for I ran into your blog while googling for any resources on children education on volunteering.

Here in Tajikistan we've got an interesting initiative going on by the virtually established Facebook group Beautiful Tajikistan, where very active and young citiznes organise some real-time volunteer events.

Recently they picked up on the idea of collecting drawing for the IYV+10 global project "Illustrating volunteerism by and for children". They would like to contribute to the latter by organising a one-day drawing contest for local children in the framework of educational event on what's volunteering and how everyone can contribute.

Considering the age of the children 4-11 years, we are now looking for any possible training modules, manual publised or even just a games aimed at introducing the concept to children.

Do you think you could share with me the experience you might have on this? Have you ever organised educational events of this kind for children yourself? Or, perhaps, could refer me to someone who did?

Thanks ahead of time for your consideration,"

Anna Belousova (Ms.)

UNV Programme Officer

United Nations Development Programme

39, Aini Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 734024

e-mail: Hanna.Byelousova@undp.org

Speak now, or forever hold your peace.

2011-07-05T22:37:00.001+10:00

“Don’t wait for your ship to come in- swim out to meet it!”

I often bemoan the lack of response from the Volunteer Management sector to issues of the day.

I have to however distinguish between the effective Volunteer Manager and those who purport to represent my sector of professional Volunteer management. I speak here with an international tongue by the way and do not single out any national body.

Firstly, let’s take the Professional Volunteer Manager. We can have a complete book on what makes a professional and an effective one at that. Er..is there one?

Here’s the crux…doesn’t a Volunteer manager have every right to say that their sole brief is to manage effectively volunteers at their organisation? This encompasses the traits of effective management of volunteers which includes providing meaningful tasks, recognition, training, orientation, evaluation, etc. etc. etc. and there are so many etceteras in the job.

At the end of the day the Volunteer Manager Position Description does not normally include

• Must be an advocate of the Volunteer Management sector
• Must be an advocate of volunteers
• Must have volunteered within the last 12 months
• Must have volunteering experience
• Must demonstrate professional development in the field

It simply is not the case. No matter how many of us wish it was so.

What I will challenge however is those who purport to represent volunteer managers or the volunteerism sector. Namely

1. Associations for Volunteer Management
2. Peak bodies for volunteering

A malaise in the Volunteer management sector is connected to both the above

Associations for Volunteer Management are so silent I could nearly bet that there might be a whole range of people out there in Volunteer Management who don’t even know that these groups exist.
I keep hearing better things are on the way. What was that about cows coming home?

What is to be done?

In black and white here’s what our associations should be doing

1. They should represent their members. Definition of “Represent”: transitive verb to act or speak on behalf of somebody or something!
2. They do this by gauging their memberships thinking and then responding to any issues of the day.
3. They respond to every volunteerism issue and -Volunteer Management issue in every possible forum.
4. They LEAD “Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determination”
5. They LEAD by being involved in decision making, by consulting with government and peak bodies for volunteering.
6. They demonstrate their leadership by being consulted by Government, peak bodies and media!
7. They make decisions that the rest would like to consult on
8. They have respect
9. They have earned that respect by their actions
10.THEY ARE CONSULTED!

None of this exists internationally in the volunteer management sector! If you can prove me wrong email me or post a comment here.

Oh yes – we may have some lovely thought bubbles. We may attend a retreat or conference where we have what is akin to a lovemaking afterglow that lasts for a few days.

But nothing much is happening. “We are what we repeatedly do”

Every time Volunteer management associations are mentioned for example their media expert should be responding. That’s one of the problems with professional associations-who amongst them have a media expert?

All of the above should apply to peak organisations for volunteering. But we have to start with our own Volunteer Management sector first.
Susan Ellis in her latest Hot Topic says “We have to aim much, much higher."

I have written on the Sound of Silence in our sector before. But now I ask:

Are there enough people out there who want to go in another direction? Who want to take the sector to higher places? Shall I invite you on a journey?
Lets create the future

I would love to hear your views

click on the title of this post for a great Youtube vid on leadership quotes and the quotes I use are credited there.

Now that sounds more like it for Volunteer Management!

2011-06-28T21:26:00.000+10:00

Spotted something exciting happening in the U.S.

MY 200TH POST ON VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT: AND IT GETS POLITICAL!

2011-06-26T21:32:00.000+10:00

Where there is a vacuum of leadership there is an opportunity for dissenting voice. You see this quite often in politics. You don’t expect this in Volunteer Management.

Volunteer Management is not political nor does it conjure up ideas of dissent or disagreement. After all, the definitions and theories behind volunteerism are seen to be well and adequately defined by those who believe they have the moral right to say what is and what isn’t in the field of volunteerism.

Pity that!

In the Volunteer Management sector, things just seem to roll on. A few localized and encouraging waves towards the true advancement and professionalization of the sector wiped out by the tsunami of indifference by a sector that struggles to find its political voice and fundamental raison d’être.

To those who are perplexed by my talk of politics, dissent and such matters then you have obviously not been a follower of this blog and the message I seek to propagate.

But seeds of hope have been set.

More blogs have been born since I started blogging.

More voices are finding confidence.

There is more challenge to the status quo. Although it may look small to you right now, remember it is enormous compared to what came before – little or nothing!

There is such a long way to go.

Over 35,000 pages on this blog have been read in just a short 15 months.

The top 10 read posts suggest we seek a sense of humour as well as leadership in Volunteer Management. On top of that we really desire more knowledge on managing change and want to articulate great speeches that recognise volunteers! We also are curious on what is holding us back as a sector and the perception of volunteering and our role in maintaining or changing that.

200 posts.

Thanks for reading and have a say!

XXXX SAYS THANKS

2011-06-18T20:03:00.000+10:00

Last Wednesday night during a big football game here in Oz betwwen Queensland and New South Wales, the Queensland based beer company XXXX ran a great ad about the people who put their hands up to help during the flood crisis in Queensland. I think its a powerful ad. I would have loved to hear the "volunteer" word but people will get the drift. Have a look by clicking on the title of this post

Volunteers are awe inspiring!

Why volunteer management requires specific skills

2011-06-16T21:37:00.000+10:00

I came across some great writing on Volunteer management today thanks to a twitter prompt from Rob Jackson from Rob Jackson Consulting Ltd

Skills - Third Sector is an organisation based in the UK that helps to make sure that charities and social enterprises have the right people with the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities.
They believe that a thriving voluntary sector is crucial to building stronger communities and delivering good quality services.

Here’s some of what they say about Volunteer management in a position statement released on May 31st this year

“Skills – Third Sector champions the skills of volunteer management. From our research and experience we know that the nature of volunteering means that people who manage volunteers require specialist skills – skills that are distinct from those needed to manage paid staff. By skills we mean the knowledge, understanding and experience that someone needs to do their job well.”

I like this language on Volunteer management. They go on to say – “Managing volunteers is a skilled job that is different from managing paid staff. While the role has more in common with other management roles at a senior or strategic level, at the day to day level there are a number of important differences.”

They go on to list some of these and then talk about Evidence for specialist volunteer management skills

“Research on Valuing Volunteer Management Skills carried out by the Institute for Volunteering Research identified: “several differences between managing volunteers and staff including differences in terms of motivation, recruitment methods, attendance at meetings, taking holidays, boundaries between paid and volunteer roles and the need to deal with mental and physical decline as volunteers got older.”

The volunteer managers interviewed felt strongly that: “There was a need for volunteer management to be seen as a more clearly defined profession.”

Nodding your head? Are we not hearing this globally for some time now?

One of their conclusions states that “Not understanding the different skills needed to manage volunteers and how they differ from managing paid staff, can lead to poor quality services for the people who use the services and poor volunteering experiences for volunteers”

I felt that this was simply a well articulates position paper and something that should be adopted by professional associations for volunteer management firstly and secondly embraced by all bodies and associations involved in volunteerism.

A call for action as well as a wake up call.

At the very least please publish these types of articles and position papers on your websites.

To read the full article just click on this posts title.

Susan Ellis on Tour - and a snapshot by VOLQLD TV

2011-06-12T22:46:00.000+10:00

Thanks to the efforts of Volunteering Queensland, OZVPM and People First Total Solutions we had the honour of having Susan Ellis touring Australia recently. I had the privilege of seeing Susan at workshop in Brisbane Australia.

Volunteering Qld have developed A TV Channel which I believe to be an innovative step for any volunteer agency in the globe
It features a regular mix of best practice features on organisations leading volunteering, evocative stories detailing interesting, meaningful volunteer experiences and news on volunteering trends, issues and happenings.

I have talked about this agency taking a leading global position on leadership in matters volunteering before and here is a perfect example
They have great people doing great things in my opinion.

And I am lucky to be a witness to that as I reside in Queensland.

The volunteers they have working on VolunteeringQLDTV are most impressive.
By clicking on the title of this posting you get to see their production and report of Susan Ellis, "It takes a whole organisation."

It is already the top rated clip on Volunteering Qld TV after only being up for 4 days and is the 4th highest viewed clip. Given that it’s only been online for 4 days I am thinking that its resonating with people already.

And why wouldn’t it?

In a few minutes you get to see some great pearls of wisdom from Susan!

Volunteer Management: Perhaps our greatest weakness is not realising our own power.

2011-06-12T21:35:00.001+10:00

Power. – “The ability, strength, and capacity to do something - control and influence over other people and their actions” – The Encarta Dictionary.

Lord Acton wrote that power corrupts and I bet you never viewed Volunteer Management as a position of power. Power and Volunteer Management don’t seem to belong in the same sentence – don’t seem to be a natural fit. And good grief why would I be pitting them together when after all other word combinations seems to sit uncomfortably in our profession.

Such as:

Career aspiration and Volunteer Management

Education pathway and Volunteer Management

Financial security and Volunteer Management

Consultancy and Volunteer Management

The above 4 are surely a blog for another day. If you have doubts on what I am saying or difficulty understanding just look at the combinations again and change Volunteer Management into Human Resource Management.

So basically there are positions or philosophical places or contemplations where Volunteer Management is a no go area in my view or an uncomfortable and unwelcome guest because some of us have tried to bring a few of these ideals together.

Take power and Volunteer Management. What power do you wield as a Volunteer Manager or Coordinator within your agency, your community and world?

Have you ever even contemplated this question?

If we follow assumed constraints this may seem like a silly question. Ken Blanchard author of the One Minute Manager wrote that “An assumed constraint is a belief you have , based on past experience, that limits your current and future experience.”

Looking at this statement - I believe that as a sector we don’t believe we have any power at all.

None.

Zilch.

We are not consulted as a profession on a national or international level; if you think so – where I ask you? Please point out and I will publish here. There may be some positive things happening globally but nothing groundbreaking – Again, if you think so – where I ask you? Please point out and I will publish here.

When was the last time you ever saw an association for Volunteer Management exhibit or exercise power? Where? Anywhere in the globe?

Where is the evidence of our ability to act and speak with strength, our capacity to do something and control and influence other people?

Where are the voices then who challenge our consumed constraints? I hear individuals but not a collective organised voice.

Anywhere.

I’ve always believed that in order to have a successful Volunteer Management sector we need to have a critical mass of successful Volunteer Managers driving the sector forward.

If the majority of us feel we don’t get what we deserve, or we are under recognized and under resourced or that nothing ever changes within our own organisations then how can we expect any advancement for our sector?

If we, as Volunteer Managers and Coordinators feel powerless at our workplaces then how can we expect our sector to influence anybody or anything?

Power?

Effective Volunteer Managers bring to organizations:

Knowledge of an amazing movement that Susan J Ellis calls People Raising (As opposed to Fundraising)

An enormous array of talent and skill given freely

A diversity of background, age, nationality, thought, belief, skills, and motivation

Priceless, yes Price less community buy in

And you, yes, you reading this, manage or coordinate this.

You cultivate the most amazing experiences and influence the lives of so many. Volunteers look to you if you are an effective leader. Other look to you for volunteering solutions. The community seeks you out for gateways to involvement. Society relies on your efforts for building.

You don’t acknowledge your power. It is time you did. And when you do…Lead others to the same belief. And lead some real collective action.

“The only way in which anyone can lead you is to restore to you the belief in your own guidance” – Henry Miller

Boldy going where no Volunteer Manager has gone before

2011-06-07T22:34:00.001+10:00

STAR TREK QUOTES ADAPTED TO VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

"I was out doing volunteer management when your grandfather was in diapers" -- Kirk

"But this is the court of the year 2079, by which time all 'United Earth' nonsense had been abolished and Volunteer Management had been recognised as a profession" -- Q, presiding in a postholocaust court (Encounter at Farpoint – Star Trek The Next Generation)

"interesting career this volunteer management is, isn’t it?" -- Spock
It has always been so. -- Sarek
Indeed. Why did you choose this one? -- Spock
It seemed the logical thing to do at the time." -- Sarek (Journey To Babel)

"Please, Spock, do me a favor ... 'n' don't say Volunteer Management’s `fascinating'..." -- Dr. McCoy
"No... but it is... interesting..." -- Spock (The Ultimate Computer)

"Computer, we have decided to support IVMD, abort self destruct sequence; authorization Janeway, pi, 1, 1, 0" -- Janeway (Dreadnought)

Some Quick Bites

2011-06-07T22:26:00.000+10:00

Who bites for Volunteer Management?

Should professional associations for Volunteer Management become more political and vocal about all matters volunteerism? If they adapt the philosophy of only dealing with matters pertaining to Volunteer Management specifically do they risk lessening their impact on decisions and dialogue on volunteerism? Volunteer Management is only one spoke in the wheel of volunteer management. Our associations should be having a say on everything happening within the volunteerism sector. Adopt a position people…please..really..Any type of position will do for now. It beats silence. And don’t tell me it’s not your brief because then I don’t know what brief you have.

Retreat

Anybody at the most recent retreat for advanced volunteer management want to give us a review?

Please email me.

A Seinfeld moment in Volunteer Management

Where is the conference for Volunteer Management in Australia? It doesn’t exist at the moment. Ive thought of a title and slogan:

VPM Festivus – the affordable conference for the rest of us!

News

From the Korea Herald

An Asia-Pacific conference is seeking speakers to pass on their volunteering experiences and knowledge. The 13th International Association for Volunteer Effort Asia-Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference (Korea) is to be held in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam Province.

The conference titled “Volunteer Initiatives for a Sustainable Global Community: Climate Changes, Poverty, Conflict, and Natural Disasters” will run from Oct. 28-31.

The English-language event is to host discussions on how volunteering can help address problems brought to the Asia-Pacific region by pollution and natural disasters.

Organizers are looking for people to talk on issues falling within four broad categories including volunteering and in relation to climate change, poverty, conflict and natural disasters. There will also be opportunities to present on corporate volunteering, volunteer management, volunteer centers, and the definition of volunteerism.

Applications to make presentations opened on May 12 and will close on June 31. Go to www.iave.org for more information.

Another Response to "A bit rich for Volunteer Managers"

2011-06-07T07:33:00.000+10:00

According to blogspot - "We're investigating an issue which is preventing login and comment posting for some users, and hope to have a fix released shortly.Thanks for your patience in the meantime. — latest update on Tuesday, May 24, 2011"

There are still problems as some readers of this blog are unable to post. As previously mentioned, please email me fi you would like to post a comment and are unable to do so on this site. Hopefully the issue will be rectified soon.

In the meantime I recieved this reply from Andy Fryar of OZVPM

"Thanks for raising this issue DJ.

I'm one of those who would certainly take up exhibit space if it was available, and have no qualms with stating up front that as a small business this would be a great place for me to advertise commercially.

My big beef with VA choosing not to have exhibit space however is far broader than me simply not being able to promote the prodcuts I have to sell

I actually believe that a conference should be about more than keynote addresses and workshops - and should instead be a space where the entire volunteer sector can share new initiatives, products, ideas and publications. I actually see this as a responsibility of a peak body to allow this type of dialogue to occur.

I just returned from the MAVA conference in minnesota and their exhibit space went even further and included local craft and jewellery to be sold. needless to say, the exhibit area was always a lively place for people to meet, explore and network between session.

I do hope this may be rectified in the future"

Reply to Post on “ A bit rich for Volunteer Managers”.

2011-06-06T21:07:00.000+10:00

Some people are having difficulty lately posting replies to my blog. I am befuddled as to why although a colleague has pointed out that Google is having some technical problems of late with their blogs. If so I hope this is rectified soon.

So if you are having difficulty posting please email me and I will post your replies on my blog.

One such reply came from Sue Hine. Sue was replying to my blog “ A bit rich for Volunteer Managers”.

I would have posted in the reply section of my blog but the word count exceeded the reply amount. And I decided that every word of this passionate response should be seen.

Thanks Sue.

“You are highlighting an infection in our industry - one that pushes us to corporate business aspirations. When we forget our origins we become no better than the profiteers and exploiters that did so much damage to our communities in the past.

This is nowhere more evident in your assertion (June 3) that IYV+10 "isn't meaning much to some". Maybe it is overkill - United Nations International Years go round and come around, and thus lose their currency. Maybe our supportive publics have tired of the endless promotion and fundraising - though they have not yet dropped off volunteering.

A more likely reason for our ennui, I think, is that people in the government and business sectors do not 'get' volunteering. They can make a lot of noises when it comes to IYV+10 or to Volunteer Awareness Week, but the noise I hear is the sound of platitudes that are mere sops to the people who volunteer, and to the efforts of their organisations. Managers of volunteers, of course, do not get a look-in, not a jot of acknowledgement.

There’s a bit of a song-and-dance re IYV+10 in New Zealand, to be held later this month. A seminar will focus on event management (guess what event has prompted this topic!), the use of social media in engaging volunteers in an emergency (no need to guess!), and the business of social lending.

Both event and emergency volunteering got a thorough work-out at the recent Volunteering NZ conference. Nor is the idea of ‘social lending’ something new as those familiar with the Grameen Bank will know.

My grief is that there is so much more to volunteering, to management of volunteers, to organisations, and to the community and voluntary sector than is ever going to be heard in this forthcoming seminar.

We do event management every week of the year; we do fund-raising in all sorts of creative ways without calling it ‘social lending’; and if nobody has yet noticed, the rallying of volunteers during emergencies happens regularly without resort to the designation of ‘national disaster’.

When Volunteering Australia sets its bar for exhibiting at the forthcoming conference it is excluding all the creative enterprise initiated on the smell of an oily rag that could be such a stimulus for others. When Volunteering Australia sets its sights on attracting deep-pocket sponsorship it has lost the plot on the nature of the community and voluntary sector, that part of our social structure that forms the vital third leg of the stool, the balance with government and the private sectors.

When we, as volunteers and managers in the community and voluntary sector, allow others to invade and take over our territory then we have surrendered our cause. What we stand for will not be easily recovered.”

Sue Hine
Blogger and Volunteer Management Advocate
New Zealand

Valentines and Volunteers

2011-06-04T11:49:00.000+10:00

Came across an interesting article with an interesting perspective on the website for the Association of Volunteer management (AVM ) in the UK. Written by N Shaw (sorry..not sure what the N is for ) it got me thinking about Volunteers week and other occasions that are utilised to thank volunteers.

The link is in the title of this blog. AVM has got some good articles and blogs on Volunteer Management and volunteerism and is well worth a look.

A bit rich for Volunteer Managers

2011-06-03T23:23:00.002+10:00

The next National conference on volunteering organised by Volunteering Australia - VA - takes place this year. Yep – we had one last year too but because it's IYV plus 10 it’s deemed a significant year to hold another. I am sure some research goes in to these years but I can tell you as a Volunteer Manager on the ground that IYVplus 10 isnt meaning much to some.
If you want to have a display at the next VA conference it will set you back a few bucks. According to my sources space is a privilege of sponsorship and not available on its own. Sponsorship packages range from $15,000 to $50,000.

Is this therefore a barrier to:

•Small businesses who are engaged in volunteerism or volunteer management consultancy

•Representative Organisations such as the Australasian Association for Volunteer Administrations

•State centre’s for volunteering

•Any community organisations with an interest to promoting itself.

Sure I understand and applaud the attempt at engaging big business to sponsor such things. And sure I get the work towards involving government and extracting a dollar from them as well but
Is this pricing a significant sector out of our National Conference in Australia? Doesn't this lose sight of the seemingly "smaller" players who actually have a large impact on the narrative in volunteerism and volunteer management.

At the next conference our sector should be able to see a diverse range of people and organisations who have an interest in volunteerism.

Big Hairy Audacious Goals in Volunteer Management

2011-05-26T22:05:00.000+10:00

BHAGs stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals, an idea conceptualized in the book, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of a business’ existence.

BHAGs are meant to shift how we do things, the way we are perceived in our field and possibly even the field itself. Collins and Porras describe BHAGs as nearly impossible to achieve without consistently working outside of a comfort zone and displaying commitment, confidence and even a bit of arrogance.

BHAGs are bigger, bolder and more powerful than regular long- and short-term goals..

I first heard of BHAGS when I did a leadership course and they have entered my stream of consciousness ever since. I am a believer in BHAGs and have incorporated such thinking into my future planning. From the vantage point of the now of course.

I have 2 points to make here in relation to Volunteer Management.

Here’s the first:

What would be you BHAG in Volunteer Management? And we could break that down to two areas – the sector and your leadership role.

For me my sector BHAG would be “a recognised profession that has a low turnover and is seen as a vital component of Society.” People would ask “is that really Big, hairy and audacious”? Unfortunately it is in our sector I believe.

Here’s the second:

What would be you BHAG in your Volunteer Management or Coordination Role? Is it to have the best Volunteer program that leads locally, nationally or globally? Or is it to achieve recognition of your role locally.

Is it big, hairy and audacious?

In The Magic of Thinking Big, David Schwartz said:

“In these modern times, belief is doing much bigger things than moving mountains. The most important element – in fact, the essential element – in our space explorations today is the belief that space can be mastered. Without firm, unwavering belief that man can travel space, our scientists would not have the courage, interest, and enthusiasm to proceed. Belief that cancer can be cured will ultimately produce cures for cancer.”

We so need BHAGs in Volunteer Management. There is not enough dialogue on what those Big Hairy Audacious Goals should be. And if there is – there is too little follow up.

We also need to discover our true belief. Belief that Volunteer Management will someday be a recognised profession that many aspire to.

“A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines.”
—Collins and Porras, 1996

Please share your BHAG?

Tweet Volunteer Tweet Management Tweet Tweet Tweet

2011-05-22T20:21:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I joined Twitter. I am not sure why...or indeed why now. I’ll be honest with you. I was once one of those people who said “I am never joining Facebook” not to mind anything else.

I’ve been a bit behind the times in regards to Social Media and Internet technology. I only started blogging 14 months ago. At first I was very hesitant to blog. I wasn’t sure how you did stuff. But I am so glad I did. It’s introduced me to so many new people across the globe. I thought my blog would be my little way of sharing some personal opinions on volunteerism and volunteer management. My aim has, from the get go, to find a vehicle to express my views. if you told me that I would have a few thousand page views after 14 months I would have been astonished. The reality of close to 31,000 as I write this is simply staggering.

I’ve been on Twitter less than 24 hours and I am already discovering new people in the volunteerism world and existing folk who are sharing views news and much more.

I don’t know what’s next for Twitter and I? But I would encourage all fromour sector to utilise Social media more. To follow what is happening. To stand up and have a say. To shape our future.

We simply need to keep up if we are to have a true say. Please feel welcome to follow me on Twitter. And if this encourages you to join for the first time – I look forward to meeting you there.

Now…what else can I discover???

@thedjcronin

On taking a risk

2011-05-20T07:18:00.000+10:00

“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act.” – Andre Malaux

The volunteer recognition day is a huge day in my calendar year. It’s a ceremony and lunch that honors the contribution of volunteers. It’s an event packed with VIPs namely the Volunteers, Members of parliament, CEOs, invited dignitaries and so on and so forth.

“You have to risk going too far to discover just how far you can really go.” – TS Elliot

Each year I MC the event. As well as planning the program I love this aspect.

Each year I try and do something different. One year we had opera singers volunteering their time. Another year a wonderful school band. This year I was looking to do something a little different. The thought struck me that it would be good to invite one of the volunteers to MC the event. The volunteer I chose was 18, bright and cheery and had told us of her interest in Theatre where she had performed. It seemed a natural choice. The face of the future in many ways.

When I asked her she was extremely excited. And what she then asked me came as a surprise. “Can I sing?” she said beaming. She informed me she was getting singing lessons but had never sung on her own before in front of an audience.

Here was the risk.

But I told her go for it. In fact I told her that I had a feeling that her contribution would make it the best recognition event ever. No pressure! Me? – I simply pictured the best event ever subscribing to the mantra that “thoughts become things so think the good ones”.

“The two important things I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be, and that the most difficult part of any endeavour is taking the first step, making the first decision” – Robyn Davidson

And what happened? People are talking about the best Volunteer Recognition event ever!

That’s one example of risk taking that we can take. Whilst we never take risk with safety matters, hence our marriage to risk management, I wonder if we don’t take enough risks in our own personal and professional development, in our advocacy for volunteers and in speaking out on volunteer management.

Many years ago I first took a major risk by walking into a CEOs office stating that I felt that that the organisation could do a lot more to recognize volunteers and resource volunteer management.

But what exactly was the risk there. There were many. The risk of rejection. The risk of being reprimanded for not going through so called official channels. The risk that people would not get the fact that successful volunteer programs need effective volunteer coordination and management.

But the risk paid off.

“You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on.” – Paul Bradbury

How about the risk to try a new way of doing things? Or an innovative program. What holds us back from trying something new?
Do we play volunteer management safely? What about the risk of speaking up on behalf of your profession. The risk of challenging a status quo or a long held belief on volunteerism.

What about the risk of putting a viewpoint of yours down on paper and publically expressing yourself?

How about the risk of advocating for volunteers and not just coordinating them?

Or do we prefer it all to be safe, secure in doing it the way we always have done things and sailing on a calm water never rocking the boat?

Horses for courses of course.

‘Go out on a limb – that’s where the fruit is” – Jimmy Carter

Volunteer Week, Volunteer Management and Mr Belser

2011-05-15T21:21:00.001+10:00

I haven’t blogged for awhile. This time I will utilise the most common Volunteer Management excuse – I have just been too busy.

This week has been National Volunteer Week in Australia (NVW ) . And for me personally it’s probably been the best in a long time. So now that it’s over I can pen a few words about my experience and impressions of the week. Personal musings as it were and I hope you can share yours too.

I need not preface this blog by saying Volunteers Week is all about the volunteers…and not volunteer management. Because both are interlinked.
Although peak bodies for volunteering do much to promote these weeks, which are celebrated at different times throughout the globe by the way, I belive that the volunteer management sector have a huge role in ensuring that these weeks are successful. Now what makes a NVW successful you may ask? Recognition of volunteers? An understanding of volunteerism? More recruitment? Just thank you? All of the above?

Sue Hine in her latest blog writes a salient piece on the marketing of volunteering and it is well worth a read. Check it out through the link on this site.

On the ground and at the coal face Volunteer managers and coordinators should be ensuring that volunteers feel valued. And during this week we put in a lot of effort through recognition, promotional and thanksgiving events. All of which must be planned for and organised. Because it is at an organisational level that volunteers should feel valued. We can sing and dance about volunteering all week until the cows come home, and get plaudits from Prime ministers and Presidents but unless this is occurring at a local level then the message and purpose gets lost for volunteers.
Another reason why peak bodies for volunteering should engage more with the volunteer management sector no? It’s just common sense to me. Some are getting it though.

I attended the One Big GLOBAL Thank You run by Volunteering Queensland on Tuesday. It was such a great event where volunteers through modern technology were able to share their inspiring stories via the web. So we had volunteers from flood affected areas in Queensland connected to volunteers from the earthquake affected Christchurch in New Zealand get together online and talk.

It was very emotional and groundbreaking stuff

Another item that really pleased me was the fact that Jelenko Dragisic, CEO of Volunteering Queensland in his inspiring speech mentioned volunteer Management and the need to support VM in the future through educational pathways such as their Cert 4 in volunteer coordination.

Finally a CEO who was linking volunteering and volunteer management. Yes the week was all about the volunteers. But the acknowledgment that volunteer managers and coordinators make a significant difference in our sectors was refreshing.

Volunteering Queensland is doing some amazing things – you only need to search out their website.Is there a possibility of them being a global leader on how volunteering peak bodies should interact with the volunteer management sector?

On a personal level it was an emotional week for volunteers I believe in Queensland. I heard people speak of the enormous contribution of volunteers during the floods. Such as the guy who owns Drift restaurant in Brisbane. Readers around the globe may recall an image from the Queensland floods of a riverside restaurant being swept away and floating down the river. This week the owner spoke of the hundreds of volunteers who turned up to help the next day. He was touched. We all were. and by the thousands who got up one morning and headed out in our community to assist.

This week I was fortunate enough to hear Fral Streit from Volunteering Queensland talk about her memories of that week. Where thousands of volunteers self mobilized. During her talk she was moved. Everyone listening to her were too.

There was an emotive touch to proceedings to volunteer recognition events in Queensland this year I believe. And in many other places too.
And although I wasn’t personally affected by natural disaster I felt that emotion.

It was probably reflected in my own address to volunteers this year. I spoke about time and the here and now. I spoke about how we often get distracted and worried about a future that is yet to come and a past that will never return. I spoke about the gifts that we miss in the here and now. The present. And how we sometimes forget to acknowledge what happens now. The gifts that people give. The gift of time. In essence the extraordinary act of volunteering. And then I spoke of Mr. Belser. The author of this piece is unknown. It resonated with me and I hope it resonates with some of you too. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday."

Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important... Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time.

The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture... Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.

"Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet... thanks for your time!"

A Thank you speech to volunteers without mention of the words “thank you!”

2011-05-07T21:06:00.000+10:00

Giving time is a precious thing. What you do matters. There is nothing that you do that is meaningless. Words like “you are so lovely” may be true in some cases but your contribution is far more than this. Words such as “what you do is so nice” while on some level ringing true does today not truly capture the essence of what volunteering is all about.

Applying to you are words such as skilled, dynamic, innovative, diverse, inspiring, contributing, making a difference, important, leading and part of the team.

Add appreciated, valued and respected. And knowing the difference between any lip service during National Volunteer week and true appreciation demonstrated in a myriad of ways throughout the year.

Knowing why you are here. Understanding your motivation. Embracing whatever motivation brings you here from altruism to seeking experience or seeking to gain something for yourself.

Matching your skills and personality to meaningful tasks. Inviting and welcoming your feedback and suggestions. And listening.

And telling your story.

And being proud of your efforts.

Because volunteering is a great story, a powerful movement as well as an invigorating energy for our globe and you are part of that.

How do you become a Volunteer Manager?

2011-05-05T21:59:00.000+10:00

Since discovering it just over 12 months ago I have to say I love blogging. For me it’s a bit of a hobby. I get to write, express a view, have some fun along the way and if I am giving encouragement to anyone then that’s a bonus.

What I find very interesting is that I am able to track a number of things such as from what counties people are visiting, what pages they read most and how they got here. I am particularly interested in how they found me through a Google search. For example I know that a lot of people find me by googling “Thank you speeches for volunteers” and others from googling “Volunteer Management jokes” Please resist your own attempt at humour there!

Other examples are Google searches for “DJ Cronin” “Volunteer Management” and “leadership” etc.

Today I found one that prompted this particular post. Someone had found my blog after googling “How do you become a Volunteer Manager”

It stopped me in my tracks really and caused a bit of introspection.

Because really, It’s quite a good question and one that I hadn’t really thought of before. For so much of my writing and advocacy work in this sector is aimed at people already in the field.

I am confident many of us are asked “How do you become a volunteer?” I know I have. Truth be known though I’ve never been asked “How do you become a Volunteer Manager?”

If you are asked this question tomorrow how would you respond?

I contemplated this question as I took the train ride home tonight. In my own state of Queensland here in Australia Volunteering Queensland offers a Certificate IV in Volunteer Program Co-ordination.

So I guess part of my answer would be to advise someone to take this educational pathway into Volunteer Management. Would that answer suffice?

This brings up many questions:
•Would you point to an educational pathway into Volunteer Management?
•Does such a pathway exist where you live?
•Are such qualifications necessary in order to become a Volunteer Manager?
•Can anyone become a Volunteer Manager?

As with other some other blogs I write I sometimes feel that a book could be written on these matters!

Stay with me as I try my own googling experiment. What happens if I Google “How to become a Volunteer Manager” I got 10 Results! And guess what?? All of these results come from the same website! Out of interest – when I googled “How to become an HR Manager” I got 9,300 results! Hello? “How to become a volunteer coordinator” got me 7 results by the way.
And what type of results did I get when I googled “How to become a Volunteer Manager/Coordinator”?

Interesting. To say the least.

Employment Crossing, a website in the US, which appears to be a job site, gives over a full page under the title “Volunteer Manager Jobs – How to Become a Volunteer Manager”

http://www.publicinterestcrossing.com/article/640067/Volunteer-Manager-Jobs--How-to-Become-a-Volunteer-Manager/

Here’s an excerpt:

“The volunteer manager jobs are full of challenges. This is because it requires interfacing with different kinds of people doing pro bono work in a non-profit organization. Volunteerism is a noble act and although all of us are called to do voluntary work at one point in our life or two, only few among us are blessed to be given the chance to actually become a volunteer. Volunteer manager careers are also varied depending largely on the organization but in general, volunteer managers are the ones responsible in the recruitment, training, recognition, and support of volunteers in an organization.”

I see.

I could argue a few things here but might save it for another blog or wait to see some of your own comments.

They go on….”Some organizations may prefer to hire volunteer managers that have an undergraduate or graduate degree in non-profit management or someone with extensive experience in marketing or maybe someone who has exceptional communication and people skills.”

I get some of that but not all. And finally

“Qualifications needed for volunteer manager jobs include experience volunteering, managing a volunteer database, team leading personality, and knows how to choose volunteers. Being involved in the program will result to volunteers respecting your volunteer work and urge them to work harder.”

Huh?

So this is the only information available on the World Wide Web for someone who Googles “How to become a Volunteer Manager” Don’t even bother searching the “How to become a volunteer coordinator?” You’ll get nowhere.

Because of the title of my post and my several references to “How to become a Volunteer Manager” I expect that many more people who Google that question will get to this blog. Simply because there is hardly anything else there.

Is this a good reflection on our field, on us?

In our echo chambers, as we debate this and that about our profession and this and that about volunteer definitions etc, do we forget that there might be people looking into our goldfish bowl as we swim around with our issues, who think “I wonder what’s going on in there?”

The lady or gentleman who googled “how do I become a Volunteer Manager’?” would be no wiser after that search. There’s something a little sad about that. What does that say about us? And what can we do to rectify that situation?

And what would you say to anyone who asks you “how do you become a Volunteer Manager?”

Does it pay to manage volunteers?

2011-04-30T20:13:00.001+10:00

I had an email from someone a few weeks ago saying that they felt they were not being paid enough. To help their cause they wanted to benchmark the industry on pay rates.

My thoughts are that this in fact could be counterproductive.

The fact is that no one knows what people leading volunteer teams should be paid.

We’ve had many debates over the years on this and related items for example “should a person managing 100 volunteers be paid differently to someone managing 15” that’s just one. However I’ve also noticed that we are most uncomfortable talking about such matters.

Let me straight out, from the start, inform you that I am talking about Paid Volunteer Managers. I have to say this because there are “volunteer” volunteer managers out there. I run into them at talks I give on Volunteer management.

I have to always emphasize that just because they are unpaid doesn’t mean they have the skills to do the job. People miss my point.
However we are unique as a sector that such people exist. We won’t hear too much about Volunteer HR managers for example. I won’t see too much of volunteer marketing or finance managers within organisations. And yes I do know that people provide services pro bono.

But over the last few years I have noticed a discomfort with pay and volunteerism. I think it even affects thought within the volunteerism industry.

This is a little elephant in the room and I will come back to it later.
“I am not in it for the money”

This is something I hear from quite a few in our sector. And that’s all well and good for those who perhaps have no desire for advancement of a professional sector.

This is where our huge conundrum lies – striking a balance between advocating for better and fairer remuneration in an area that engages people who do not get paid.

And therein lays our biggest failure of thought in my opinion when it comes to volunteerism and introduces our elephant: If we equate volunteering to saving money or economic value then we take from volunteering itself.

Please read Jayne Cravens blog on these matters.

Volunteering is NOT ABOUT MONEY! Volunteering is not UNPAID WORK! Volunteering is many dynamic things but not these.

I’ve had to say to audiences I’ve spoken to - “is it wrong to have a volunteer management role that helps pay my mortgage?” Good grief – we would not hear this in other sectors!

If a volunteer Manager states that they do what they do to be financially secure is this so bad?

Some of the best consultants on volunteering and volunteer management and not for profit governance I believe are ignored by certain high profile sections in volunteering because they try to make a living out of what they do.

As though that’s a sin.

Again, there is little discussion by volunteer management associations on this topic. I again and again wonder what exactly their brief is. I mean, is this not a bread and butter issue? Some will say that it is not. Some will think I am barking up the wrong tree again and say “what are you on about DJ?”

But there are those reading this blog who know exactly what I am talking about.

How terrible is it to find yourself with a huge responsibility for managing volunteers within your organisations and not to be fairly compensated for the huge role you undertake.

You know who you are. Take heart. There are a few of us trying to do something about this.

Because we believe you do an amazing job.

You need to believe it yourself too! And be fairly paid for what you do!

An inspiring and validating sound in Volunteer Management

2011-04-25T20:44:00.000+10:00

In my most recent blog post “The sound of silence in Volunteer Management” I bemoaned the fact that our sector is so reticent to engage social media and develop a voice – a voice that should and must be included in the volunteerism narrative.

The quality of responses merits a blog post of its own.
I believe Jayne Cravens has the best blog on volunteerism and related matters in the globe. Jayne emailed me this response:

"Volunteer managers will say so much in a workshop, but online, the silence is deafening.

I think a lot of the silence comes from a culture volunteer managers have created for themselves, a culture that requires us to be nice, to be team players, to be safe, to be non-confrontational and to never, ever rock the boat. I've met volunteer managers who are so terrified of saying the "wrong" thing in writing that they won't write emails to volunteers, let alone respond to a blog post!

I'd love to blame others for this culture. I'd love to say its senior managements fault. Or donor pressure. Those groups have played a role, but the reality is that volunteer managers have done it to themselves. They self-censor. They hold back. They say, internally, or to me in the bar at a volunteer management conference hotel, "I don't want to sound stupid. I don't want to get into trouble. I don't want to make a public misstep. If one person disagrees with me, I'll be crushed."

I take heart in this: in the early days of OzVPM and UKVPMS, debates were rare. Rob and Andy were practically begging for people to post something, ANYTHING. Now, conversations and debates *do* happen. As more volunteer managers are connected to these groups (I still think they are woefully under-publicized), more will be connected to blogs - and I hope the evolution will continue and volunteer managers will DARE TO COMMENT.”

Dave had some great responses to my blog:

“So, DJ, perhaps the lack of response to the high profile volunteering gurus such as Martin Susan, Jayne and yourself is not really the sound of silence. If you listen closely, you'll hear the echoes in the sounds of volunteering and volunteer support takes place at a local level.”

In another post he went on to say “Every time I talk to or read something by a volunteer manager, I learn or re-learn something. This is as true for my conversation with a volunteer in a village-based organisation here in South Derbyshire as it is when I read a blog by someone who have become nationally and internationally known through their willingness to share their experience and ideas about volunteering.

I hope that I never stop learning, and I promise never to stop expressing my views.”

Now that is inspiring!

Wendy joined the conversation and had this to say “I also took a great leap of faith to start participating in online forums, hot topics and start commenting on blogs. In fact my first venture in commenting on a post on I-Volunteer was inspired not by a volunteer management guru per se, but by a person who I related to, a “newbie” to blog posting. I was inspired by her openness and honesty and willingness to give it a go. I just had to respond to congratulate her on her post and for her frankness. This was the start for me. I had taken the first big step.”

You sure did Wendy and now people reading this can be inspired by you.

Well done!

Another respondent, Carey, had a powerful message for us all:

“Truth is a powerful thing that can often liberate silence- as you have so affectively done with your post here. You have many comments because being validated can do wonders to empowering people to speak their truth. I believe that volunteer administrators are not too busy to speak up, they are in reality fearful of what will happen if they speak up. Just look at the comments on my first article. One person used a fake email and name. The other is out of her old position, like me, and now has liberty to be honest.

People yearn to feel free, and have the catharsis to speak up- but do not always have that privilege.

SO THANK YOU for writing this and empowering people to comment. Thank you for helping to validate this profession and the experience of our community"

Thank you Carey for expressing this so beautifully. Your words are powerful and will resonate with many !

Martin J Cowling practiced what he preaches and responded whilst also pointing to his own informative blog:

“So, I read the blog post which was excellent and I am posting as reply....now I have a blog...I am convicted to practice what I preach...one sentence is enough (I am going to have multiple sentences!)

While I am here, let me point to my blog post on the Volunteering Queensland submission re the flood volunteers in Queensland. See The Cowling Report: Friday Facts- No Follow through. The Post has been up for a week and already is the second most read blog post @The Cowling Report! (and only has your comment DJ!)
http://cowlingreport.blogspot.com/2011/04/friday-facts-no-follow-through.html”

I received another email with an inspirational message from a Volunteer Coordinator today which links in beautifully with this post:

“In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a Roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if Anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's' wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by And simply walked around it.. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did Anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of Vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.”

When we find our voice we find we have a lot to say. Because we are the difference makers. We are at the forefront of a movement that changes lives.

We need to get rid of our fear of validation.

Because……

You are great.

Now if you haven’t done so already click on the heading of this post. The short movie “Validation” is only 16 minutes long. But it will be the best 16 minutes of your day today!

The sound of silence in Volunteer Management

2011-04-19T22:16:00.002+10:00

***“And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence”

Martin J Cowling in his blog “The Cowling Report” asks “How do I get comments on my blog posts? I know people are reading them but I would love some comments here!” The irony here is there is no response to this blog so far. At the end of my post at least there will be one.

Sue Hine writes a great blog and is linked here.

A snippet from her blog:

“The worst indictment I have ever seen is the case of the Manager of Volunteers who ‘owns’ the volunteers. They are never ‘my’ volunteers, as I wrote in this blog months ago. Management of Volunteers is about running a service or programme for your organisation. What you do with volunteers in all the training and support and communication and relationship stuff is Leadership (another story, another time).
If you don’t get this, then you get the kind of stand-off between staff and volunteers that can lead to a (metaphoric) pistols-at-dawn shoot-out.”

I commented on this blog. But there has been nothing else.

Andy Fryar is the Founder and Director of OzVPM - a resource, consultancy and training company specializing in volunteerism - particularly as it relates to the Australasian region.

Andy is a past President of Volunteering Australia (2002 - 2004). He is also a past Board member of Volunteering South Australia (1996 - 2003), serving as Chairperson for a total of 5 years. In 1998, he was responsible for convening the working party that evolved into AAVA - the Australasian Association for Volunteer Administrators – the Australasian region’s first and only professional association for volunteer managers.

I mention the above because his is a voice that matters.

In His current Hot Topic on his site Andy writes

“In short - break your inertia and voice your opinion. If we as a volunteer management community are not speaking up on behalf of our sector as these new initiatives start to be discussed and implemented, you can certainly guarantee no-one else will speak up on our behalf ...and at the end of the day, when we all begin to cry foul, the government will simply say 'we consulted and no-one said a thing!'

So let's hear from you

•What trends have you noticed that we should be addressing?
•Do you have tips about how to get active?
•Any ideas how we encourage each other to become more active?
•What role should our peak bodies play in all of this?
•What are YOU going to do? “

There has been absolutely no response to this article as I write.

The OZVPM Newsgroup site states

“OzVPM is a moderated forum where you can ask questions, share resources and get into some healthy debate so that we might progress volunteerism in Australia, New Zealand and right throughout the broader Australasian region together!

A recent posting reported:

“QUEENSLAND'S peak volunteer organisation says the vast majority of people who registered to help clean up following the floods and cyclone Yasi backed off at the last minute.

Volunteering Queensland's submission to the Queensland Floods Commission of
Inquiry also found that 30 per cent of callers were people in distress who
needed to "chat" and weren't in a state to volunteer.

After a huge spontaneous surge in people coming forward to volunteer following the disasters, most opted out when it came to getting their hands dirty, the submission showed.”

There was very little comment from the Volunteer management community on this. Why is that? Shouldn’t we have something to contribute?

As much as I am a huge fan of The Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management I have to say I am eternally disappointed by the invitation-only Retreat graduate online community “not just 50-not just 3”

Sorry folks

How about “Not just working – not just talking”

Apart from talking about the next retreat or a few weeks of excitement after a retreat this narrative becomes non existent and its facilitation needs to be really reviewed and examined. So there’s a challenge for the Retreat in NZ!

Let’s move on to e – volunteerism. Are the editors happy with the amount of responses to their articles even though they have revamped their site?

I regularly read this fine journal. I am disappointed by so little comment on it.

13 years ago…yes…13…Susan J Ellis wrote “My reputation for nagging people to WRITE about what they do is probably unparalleled. But too many of us are so busy "doing" that we won't make time for reflection, new learning, and sharing with others. True professionals keep themselves informed. And career ladders are built by gaining recognition through published articles.”

Have we moved on since then?

A whole article could be written on why our sector is so quiet on matters pertaining to their profession.

We’ve heard it all before

•Too busy
•Not my role or job
•Not interested in the politics
•Not sure what you’re talking about in the first place
•Were not a sector anyway
•It’s about volunteers not us
•Too busy
•Too busy
•Too busy

Jayne Cravens writes a fantastic blog.Check out the link. Many read. Few respond.

And you know what? I get the lurkers. Those who read articles and don’t respond and are volunteer coordinators or managers. Many just want to look after the world that they inhabit – their organisational needs. They may not believe that the bigger picture of sector development merits their contribution. And they get alot from those who do post.

But of all the non respondents the most who disappoint me are some of the major stakeholders in volunteerism:

•the organisations that engage volunteers

•the professional associations of volunteer managaement

•the peak bodies for volunteering

•Government

It beggars belief that there is not more of a coherent narrative between these parties on Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.

It is a constant source of disappointment to me that people, involved in these arenas are refusing or not willing to be invloved in the forums, Hot Topics or discussions that some are trying to foster for the development of our various sectors.

Board members from every association of volunteer management globally should be seen…and heard.

Peak bodies for volunteering must have members of their organisations involved in Volunteer Management forums so that they can respond to ongoing discussion.

The fact that they are not or are not seen to be is simply poor performance in this day and age.

More people must have more input and views on the whole volunteerism sector

Petty politics must be put aside. No one owns volunteering.

Volunteering demands and deserves better.

And for that to happen the relative silence needs to end.

***
"Fools said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence"

***Source More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/simon+and+garfunkel/#share

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY BLOG! CLICK HERE! THANKS!

2011-04-17T09:35:00.001+10:00

I was delighted that this blog was nominated for the Best Australian Blogs 2011 Competition.

There is also a People's Choice Award and this is

where I am seeking your vote.

By clicking on the header of this post you will be taken straight to the voting page. Just scroll down to DJ Cronin :-)

Thanks for taking the time to vote and please spread the news!

Essential Event for Volunteer Management

2011-04-15T21:56:00.001+10:00

I often talk about a significant event that happened in my life.

It was an event that changed my perspective on my career. It was the Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management.

The first one was held in Canberra Australia in 2005. At the time I was at a career threshold. I was actually on the verge of changing jobs and leaving volunteer management.

Then came the Retreat. It blew me away. For the first time I met people who were serious about our profession. In fact it was the first time I heard the word profession mentioned. It was the first time I heard of a professional association. It was my first encounter with people who were engaging in critical thinking on Volunteer Management. It was the first time I encountered advanced thinking in our field. To be blunt – it was the first time I began to understand that we were in fact a legitimate field.

The event changed my perspective. In fact the event changed my life. How many life changing events have you attended? Had I not attended this retreat in 2005 I very much doubt that I would have a blog such as this. Had I not attended this retreat in 2005 I very much doubt that I would have made volunteer management not only my career but my vocation. Had I not attended this retreat in 2005 I very much doubt that I would have made the amazing connections and networks that I have.

I have been to every Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management since and every time I have grown. I have been a guest faculty member twice. Such is the vision of the organizers to place people and emerging leaders in the field in the spotlight.

This year, sadly for me, I can’t make it. For various reasons. It will be the first time I miss it.

But what I would like to do, even at this late stage, is to encourage anyone who has the capacity to attend but who hasn’t decided to do so.
I know that there are some spots left. This amazes me.

If you are in New Zealand this is an opportunity to be inspired and challenged. If you lead volunteers in any way please let me encourage you to invest in this. Volunteer management has come on in leaps and bounds in NZ. Embrace this opportunity to go a step further.

If you are in Oz or the Australasian region or happen to be there in May and are involved in the management leadership and coordination of volunteers this is a must attend event. By not attending you are missing out on a great opportunity for advancing your thinking on what I believe to be one of the most inspiring and dynamic professions in the world.

Susan J Ellis. Andy Fryar. Martin J Cowling. All in the one place over a few days! Plus the emerging voices in leadership of volunteers in New Zealand - Claire Teal and Sue Kobar.

What are you waiting for?

The link to the VPM Retreat is here by clicking on the heading of this blog.

It changed my life and career.

It can do the same for you!

Carey asks "Do you feel lucky, Volunteer Managers?"

2011-04-14T22:31:00.000+10:00

I just stumbled across a great and honest blog written on Volunteermatch

In this article the writer Carey Fritz has written about the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of her experiences in volunteer management.

Her article in my opinion is brave, forthright and insightful. Its content and the content of the responses are indicative of the issues that the volunteer management sector face globally.

We need more perceptive writing like this. We need more people to share the Good the bad and the ugly of their experiences.

This is of course required reading for anyone interested in the volunteerism sector whether that be volunteering peak bodies or professional associations for volunteer managers.

How are Volunteer Managers coping on the ground? Really coping. Its very brave for someone like Carey to share her story because so few of us do it.

When I present on Validating Volunteer Management I happily share my story of emerging from the bad and ugly of being undervalued and or under resourced to the place of being respected as a professional with expertise in volunteerism within organisations.

I believe it all begins with validating yourself and your chosen career.
I plan to write more on this topic in the near future but for now I would like you to check out Carey’s blog. All you have to do is click on the heading of this blog and you are there! It would be great if you could leave a comment too!

Getting a look in..in Europe!

2011-04-14T22:17:00.000+10:00

Here’s some news from Europe which is celebrating European Year of Volunteering at the moment

“European Year of Volunteering partners sharing £580,000 announced
12 Apr 2011

Volunteering England will lead the charge in the UK's efforts for the European Year of Volunteering after receiving £78,000 from a £580,000 pot provided by the Office for Civil Society (OCS) and the European Commission (EC) to help encourage volunteering.

The umbrella body will oversee activities undertaken by five organisations that will lead the key themes for the UK's participation.
Four of these five organisations, which will each receive £37,000, have also been announced by the Cabinet Office:

•Volunteering charity v and youth charity Catch22 will partner to lead the children and young people theme;
•Age UK will lead activity for health and social care;
•Groundwork West Midlands will lead on the environment; and
•Arts and Business will lead on culture and the arts.

The organisation leading on sports will be announced shortly, a spokesman for the OCS advised, as will the three further partner organisations which will each receive £67,000 to deliver employer supported volunteering, volunteer management and volunteering access for underrepresented groups. “

Source: wttp://www.civilsociety.co.uk

It’s encouraging to see Volunteer Management in the mix!

What’s holding us back? Discuss

2011-04-09T23:04:00.000+10:00

Do the words volunteer, volunteering and volunteerism hinder and hold us back as a sector?

Now that’s a bit of a controversial statement isn’t it?
I recently gave a presentation at a conference. I got some strange looks. I do this. Normally at speaking engagements I give a personal opinion type of talk. This surprises people. I’m not into the “how to recruit and retain volunteers” talk. Though I can do so and have done so.

Misperceptions

Volunteering is free therefore there is less value placed on it

It’s noble

It’s lovely

Like volunteer management?

Do we have an embedded subliminal fear that our jobs are not “real” because we manage a movement that is unpaid – and thus devalued? Would a psychological analysis reveal some real fears on job security, career authenticity and a predisposition to not rock the boat at any cost?
Do we keep our heads down so we aren’t really noticed and thus keep our positions? Do we therefore have problem putting up boundaries. Do too many of us take on too much, with too little resources? We try to do it all, and then wonder why we aren't provided with the resources, pay, etc.
We won't be until we demand it by saying "No", I cannot do this without additional resources.

Our jobs create and add enormous value to our societies. Let us stop being afraid to acknowledge that. Let us cease being fearful of validating ourselves and our profession.

Let us change our language

“It’s the volunteers that do all the work not us”

“ it’s the volunteers who deserve the recognition and not us”

“I get paid – that’s enough for me”

“I am not in it for the money”

There have been critics of International Volunteer Manager’s day. Apparently it makes people cringe. There have been critics of the AAVA Volunteer manager of excellence.

Apparently we are afraid to strive for excellence.

I believe that AAVA may even be changing the name of this award.

We need a dialogue happening now. We need a movement. What we are today as a sector is a result of our own past actions. Whatever we wish to be as a sector in the future depends on our present actions. We need to decide how we act now. We are responsible for and whatever we wish ourselves to be.

Volunteer Management Blog Nominated for award

2011-04-06T21:36:00.000+10:00

Today I received a lovely surprise by email:

“Congratulations on being nominated for the Best Australian Blogs 2011 Competition, brought to you by the Sydney Writers' Centre. Offering over $7,500 worth of prizes and showcasing the Australian blogosphere, the Best Australian Blogs 2011 competition has 4 distinct categories and is also running a People's Choice award that you can opt into.”

This came from Rose Powell Communications Coordinator at the Best Australian Blogs 2011 Competition - A Sydney Writers' Centre Initiative

This came totally out of the blue and I’d like to thank the person who nominated me! I often talk about validating our colleagues in the Volunteer Management sector and here is the perfect example of how we can do such things.

I have opted into the people’s choice award as well as I feel this can be an opportunity to promote the Volunteer Management sector. I will be letting you know how you can support me with this via this blog and Facebook and other social media.

Valerie Khoo founded the Sydney Writers’ Centre in 2005, with a vision for it to be the kind of buzzing, dynamic and results-focused organisation she wish had existed when she was finding her feet as a writer. It is now Australia’s leading centre for writing training.

http://www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au/

Watch this space!

Volunteer Management: Are we a profession or not?

2011-04-05T22:48:00.000+10:00

Some of us have the audacity to call ourselves a profession. After all in some countries we have so called professional bodies for Volunteer management.

In a research paper from 2009 Debbie Haski-Leventhal states
“Management of volunteers is an occupation, that is, it is a job (usually a paid one) that is undertaken in an organisational context, usually in nonprofit organisations. In order for it to become a discrete
profession a few conditions have to exist.

Brint (1994) explained that a professionalization process usually occurs in five stages:

1. A group of people start to work in a required occupation, usually in full time paid work;
2. The group develops a union or an umbrella organisation for purposes of professional
socialisation, education and learning;
3. The group begins to look for ways to formally train its members;
The professionalisation process of volunteer management in Australia

4. The state/government may give some guidelines on who can work in the profession,
sometimes through licensing; and

5. An ethical code is developed to protect service recipients as well as the professional
status.

Brint asserted that professions are based on related tasks, which have high demand in the work
market, and that in order to perform these tasks one has to be trained (usually in an higher education institute) so that access to the profession is not open to all. However, Brint explained that besides well-
known professions such as medicine, accounting and law which have all the above criteria, there are some more minor professions which have only some. Morris (1995) argues that a profession brings together skills and knowledge, high standards and ethical behaviour. It has to be based on a concrete body of knowledge, have professional standards and ethical guidelines."

The research paper is well worth a read and should be in fact required reading by board members and members of any professional bodies for Volunteer management. It can be found at this link

http://unsw.academia.edu/DebbieHaskiLeventhal/Papers/184232/The_Professionalisation_Process_of_Volunteer_Management_In_Australia

Haski-Leventhal Concludes in her paper:

“In the last two decades a new profession is emerging: management of volunteers. The body of knowledge which acts as the professional basis is being developed, and it now includes theoretical and practical aspects. The professional challenges are being acknowledged and coped with, through
the body of knowledge, training and networking. There are several professional associations worldwide; ethical codes are being written; and the opportunities to learn, train, and professionalise are greater than ever.

However, it is still an occupation that does not require any formal training or licensing, and almost anyone can become a volunteer manager. Although there are more and more people who see their profession as “volunteer managers” the mobility is still high. The developed body of knowledge,professional standards and ethical codes, are not well-known to all those who perform the task, and not every organisation encourages its volunteer managers to train and develop the necessary knowledge and skills. As there is no degree or postgraduate level training, but only TAFE level qualifications (or less), it is a para-profession.”

An interesting piece that elicited no response from our so called sector. We have only ourselves to blame when we cannot rise to the challenge of responding to such papers.

Do we all agree to the papers findings?

According to wikipedia “A profession arises when any trade or occupation transforms itself through "the development of formal qualifications based upon education, apprenticeship, and examinations, the emergence of regulatory bodies with powers to admit and discipline members, and some degree of monopoly rights."

In the same wikipedia entry:

Characteristics of a profession

The list of characteristics that follows is extensive, but does not claim to include every characteristic that has ever been attributed to professions, nor do all of these features apply to every profession:

1.Skill based on theoretical knowledge: Professionals are assumed to have extensive theoretical knowledge (e.g. architecture, medicine, law, scripture) and to possess skills based on that knowledge that they are able to apply in practice.

2.Professional association: Professions usually have professional bodies organized by their members, which are intended to enhance the status of their members and have carefully controlled entrance requirements.

3.Extensive period of education: The most prestigious professions usually require at least three years[at university. Undertaking doctoral research can add a further 4–5 years to this period of education (for example, architecture generally requires 5 years of study, 2 years work experience and a further year of work related study before one can apply to become a chartered member. Architects generally become chartered in their late 20s early 30s and earn between 22 - 24k before tax in the United Kingdom).

4.Testing of competence: Before being admitted to membership of a professional body, there is a requirement to pass prescribed examinations that are based on mainly theoretical knowledge.

5.Institutional training: In addition to examinations, there is usually a requirement for a long period of institutionalized training where aspiring professionals acquire specified practical experience in some sort of trainee role before being recognized as a full member of a professional body. Continuous upgrading of skills through professional development is also mandatory these days.

6.Licensed practitioners: Professions seek to establish a register or membership so that only those individuals so licensed are recognized as bona fide.

7.Work autonomy: Professionals tend to retain control over their work, even when they are employed outside the profession in commercial or public organizations. They have also gained control over their own theoretical knowledge.

8.Code of professional conduct or ethics: Professional bodies usually have codes of conduct or ethics for their members and disciplinary procedures for those who infringe the rules.

9.Self-regulation: Professional bodies tend to insist that they should be self-regulating and independent from government. Professions tend to be policed and regulated by senior, respected practitioners and the most highly qualified members of the profession,

10.Public service and altruism: The earning of fees for services rendered can be defended because they are provided in the public interest, e.g. the work of doctors contributes to public health."

I ask you which attributes apply to the profession of Volunteer Management?
Let’s have a look at what Associations for Volunteer Management say in a few Countries

In Australia and New Zealand AAVAs Vision is as follows
“Volunteer Management as a profession whose vital role in society is valued and respected.”

While their Mission states

AAVA achieves its Vision by;
•Providing pathways for professional development,
•Creating opportunities for peer support,
•Advocating for the Volunteer Management profession,
•Developing strategic relationships with government, community and corporate sectors.

In the United states we have a few professional associations for our field.

The Association for Healthcare Volunteer Resource Professionals (AHVRP)
“A professional membership group of the American Hospital Association is the premier professional membership society for healthcare volunteer services, retail operations and related support services disciplines. AHVRP provides education, recognition for personal and professional achievements, national networking as well as affiliation and collaboration with the American Hospital Association on public policy and advocacy issues related to healthcare volunteer services and retail operations. AHVRP is the professional association of choice providing leadership to volunteers to ensure a safe health care community where all our members reach their full potential.”

Also In the Unites states “AL!VE (Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement) serves to enhance and sustain the spirit of volunteerism in America by fostering collaboration and networking, promoting professional development, and providing advocacy for leaders in community engagement."

In England we have the AVM :

The Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) is an independent body that aims to support, represent and champion people who manage volunteers in England regardless of field, discipline or sector. It has been set up by and for people who manage volunteers.

The AVM aims to:
•facilitate and support effective peer-to-peer networking of those involved in volunteer management locally, regionally and nationally
•campaign and speak out on issues that are key to people who manage volunteers
•develop information and good practice resources on volunteer management
If you manage, co-ordinate or administer volunteers or volunteer programmes, directly or indirectly, then this is the Association for you."

All well and good and from my viewing space they seem to be the one of the best associations for VM in the globe. However nowhere is their mention of a profession on their site until you come to this:

“Internationally, the need for developing volunteer managers has been recognised with professional associations for volunteer managers in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore and USA. There is also an International Volunteers Managers' Appreciation Day held on the 1st November each year. However there was no professional association for volunteer managers in England until the Association of Volunteer Managers was set up”

In Ireland we have PAVMI

Professional Association of Volunteer Managers Membership
The Professional Association of Volunteer Managers Ireland (PAVMI) is the network of managers, both voluntary and paid, who spend the majority of their time coordinating the work of volunteers.

Who is it for?

Anyone who manages or supports volunteers in a paid or unpaid capacity. Our members include full-time, part-time, paid and voluntary managers who work with anywhere from a handful to hundreds of volunteers in their work.

The aims of PAVMI are to:
•Provide mutual support
•Share knowledge and experience about good practice in volunteer management
•Provide a voice for the volunteer coordinator in Ireland
•Advocate for the development of accredited training courses and standardisation of career structures in volunteer management
•Develop national recognition for the work of professionals in the field of volunteer management.
•Promote best practice in volunteer management
•Develop infrastructure that will facilitate in opening lines of communication and sharing of information"

These are but a few examples but “professional” is a word being utilised regularly. I’ll actually leave you to look up the definition for para profession.

Are we a sector where almost anyone can become a volunteer manager?

I’ve had an interesting experience in the last few weeks. On one hand I am hearing people who are asking me about benchmarking wages in volunteer management. People who are saying they are worth more than they are paid etc and how do they advocate for themselves - Please pay attention to this “professional” bodies for volunteer management

On the other hand I’ve met coordinators and managers who tell me they are not in it for the money and that the recognition of volunteers is above all else.

If we are to aspire to be a profession what views do we need to be taking?

If we aspire to be a profession what do we need to be doing in regards to national qualifications and accreditation?

If we aspire to be a profession who needs to be benchmarking wages?

And the most challenging question of all – have we reached the tipping point where we care enough about the aforementioned questions

I say if we don’t reach that tipping point soon we will never be able to truly claim that we are a profession.

We won’t get anywhere unless we have a dialogue on these matters. Who is debating these topics? Let’s start with your “professional” association. Are they? Show me the dialogue debate and discussion.

It’s good news week....every week

2011-04-03T00:36:00.000+10:00

Today I met a guy who volunteers one day a week at a school tuck shop.He inspired me.

A few days ago I gave a talk to over 70 volunteer managers and coordinators in Adelaide. I left the venue having met some really inspiring people.

I spent a day at the Lyell McEwin hospital and was amazed at their inspiring volunteer services staff and volunteers. I spent an hour on my own wandering around having a look at their volunteers in action. I had a wonderful conversation with a volunteer at their café. They were friendly, generous with their time and…I say it again…inspiring.

I suggest if you work in this field visiting a place where there are volunteers and from a distance observing the work of volunteers. Hospitals can be a good place to do this. Watch the friendly faces meet and greet, direct, ease concerns, and add the human touch.

It’s a humbling experience especially if you remove your hat of Volunteer manager. Because at the end of the day, beyond the processes, beyond the PDs, systems and paperwork here are the people. Volunteering.

Today thousands upon thousands of people volunteered their time in your country. Tomorrow thousands more will do the same.

But you won’t read about this in your local paper.

The world lately seems to be getting a battering. Natural disasters seem more prevalent. There are uprisings and wars. Many national economies are basically stuffed. And we see this daily in our news bulletins and in our papers.

Even our politics, in my opinion, seem to be getting a little nasty. Harsher word are being employed. We can do better.

There are even those who are talking of end days and 2012 in apocalyptic ways.

And despite the gloom and doom our media portrays, people will wake up in the morning and volunteer some time.

Volunteer counselors will listen to people. Volunteer firefighters will put out fires. Volunteers in hospitals will bring comfort to patients. Volunteer lifeguards will save lives. Volunteers will raise funds for medical research. Volunteers will work to save our environment. Volunteers will work in schools and clubs and better the lives of our children. And much much more.

Why?

It’s human nature.

Volunteering may be taken for granted by some. It may be misunderstood by others. And it is generally not reported on by mainstream media.

Could it be that good news in no news?

No matter, volunteering will happen tomorrow and beyond. Volunteering is one of the most inspiring stories of human kind and I am lucky to count myself as a participant in volunteerism.

"Life isn't as serious as the mind makes it out to be."
— Eckhart Tolle

Will Volunter Management embrace "No Recognition Day?"

2011-03-31T22:10:00.000+10:00

Here’s an article from Volunteerism Gazette that I thought you would find fascinating

Will Volunter Management embrace "No Recognition Day?"

By Don J Volau

The United Nations has just declared April 1st “No Recognition for Profession Day”
A spokesperson for the UN, Noah Valu explained the day

“Since the early days of the United Nations system, the UN has established a set of Days and Weeks to help focus the world on the issues in which the UN has an interest and commitment. The UN has called on Member States and other organizations to mark these days in ways which reflect their priorities.

However “No Recognition Day” aims to serve the causes that have been left behind.

“So for example I think that this day will bring comfort to many groups around the world such as community workers, carers and Volunteer managers."

When urged to explain further by your befuddled correspondent Noah Valu explained

‘There is an inequality in this world. While we acknowledge that the doctors in the world save lives and the researchers create conditions to improve lives and the business people create jobs and the smart just darn helps us all…we have forgotten the people who really matter… the volunteers who change our world each day..The carers who care…the social workers and counselors and community workers who maintain and build the fabric of society.
The world is topsy turvey now but it will change. The leaders of people in social justice and volunteering will one day be the professions that many will aspire to and compete for.
“No Recognition Day” though sounding negative will garner attention for our cause and will be successful one day and thus disappear.”

Don J Volau
April 1st

20,000 thank yous !

2011-03-20T21:05:00.000+10:00

I just thought I'd do a quick post to mark the occasion of this blog getting more that 20,000 page hits today. This blog celebrates its first birthday in a couple of days. To reach this milestone now before that is amazing. Thanks for reading!

SEX and Volunteer Management

2011-03-20T20:50:00.000+10:00

Martin J Cowling continues to traverse the world bringing the message of advanced volunteer management to the Masses. I find it fascinating to see what his sessions bring up in various quarters. Martin recently presented at the 20th Annual Texas Volunteer management Conference. Martin hosted a one day "Advanced Workshop" before the conference itself and as his blog (the link is on this site) states these were the issues that emerged:

•how hungry people were for knowledge, training and tips
•the low status of volunteer management and managers in the sector
•the aging volunteer force
•rules and regulations regarding volunteering
•the new technologies and medias
•how few men are in the sector

All very interesting but I have to highlight some issues here and they are these:

“The low status of volunteer management and managers in the sector” and “how few men are in the sector”

Now, before I continue let me draw your attention to something Sue Hines, who blogs on volunteer management, said in a recent blog of hers (the link is on this site also)

“Women’s status, and their rights. Hmmm…. We’ve been a long time on this one. And we’ve been pushing for recognition and status for Management of Volunteers since around the time of the 1970s global wave of feminism. And when I go to meetings and conferences I can see one of the reasons why: the majority of people employed in this occupation are women. Which is no bad thing. Women’s multi-tasking skills, relationship-building, eye for detail as well as the big picture are great assets in managing volunteers.”

I could argue with you Sue here on how men can have these attributes as well but I don’t plan to start a gender war on Volunteer Management.

Rather I am interested in exploring the links between “The low status of volunteer management and managers in the sector” and “how few men are in the sector”

Is there a link here?

Lets have a look at what Reportageonline said in 2010

http://www.reportageonline.com/2010/04/why-women-earn-less-than-

“Anne Kennelly, Women’s Officer for the Public Service Association, says: “It wasn’t until the late sixties that women received equal pay for equal work. There were a lot of jobs that were considered women’s jobs or men’s jobs, and it was legal for women to be paid less than men doing the same work. [Many] jobs are still considered to be women’s jobs and the skills aren’t as highly valued… that tends to be the caring professions.
“If you’re going to blame anything, it’s the structure of how our workforce has risen over the years. There are structural inequities that need to be fixed.”

Tamara Plakalo, social trends analyst and former CEO of online think tank Open Forum, says: “Does it surprise you that most women work in ‘soft’, supporting roles, and are paid less than those who go out to hunt and are soldiers of the perpetual profit-chasing war?”

“Why? Because their view of the world is not supportive of perpetual wars, and the world (and the corporation) is a reflection of a system built around male evolutionary impulses.”

She says these impulses have structured the entire way our workplace functions, and occupational and industrial segregation are key factors of the pay gap between men and women. NATSEM’s report shows that men tend to work in environments that are 61 per cent male, while women’s work environments are 44 per cent male. The grouping of the genders in certain professions and industries is having the effect of dividing skills and labour along gender lines, further entrenching the pay gap.

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that occupations associated with women or with stereotypically “female” skills and qualities (most often the caring, teaching, and communications fields) are seen to be less important and deserving of lower pay and respect than traditionally “masculine” roles. As more women enter a profession, there is a tendency to value and remunerate them less for their work.

Women’s choices are often held up as examples for why they are not earning as much as men. Female biology and fertility has been used to keep women in almost a separate working class from men. The reasons for this are hundredfold, according to the report: the undervaluation of women’s skills; women typically work fewer paid hours per week and fewer weeks per year than men; their employment is likely to be discontinuous, which is linked to shorter job tenure and therefore lower pay. The deterioration of human capital while women are out of the workforce can result in lower wages or promotions.”

Dare I suggest that Volunteer Management can take a lead in challenging this imbalance? Can we as a sector transcend these gender roles? It’s a big call and something we have not really looked at or investigated within the volunteerism sector.

Can we be a sector that unifies the sexes in demonstrating support for the importance of our roles?

Volunteer management is undervalued. And as a male Volunteer Manager I simply find the following to be disgraceful – “It has been repeatedly demonstrated that occupations associated with women or with stereotypically “female” skills and qualities (most often the caring, teaching, and communications fields) are seen to be less important and deserving of lower pay and respect than traditionally “masculine” roles.”

As a sector we need to go beyond the stereotypes. Yes, we need more men in Volunteer Management just as non profit and corporate boards need more women in leadership roles.

True, it is not unequal opportunity that is keeping men from volunteer management roles. But perhaps the perception that there is no career path, no security and no financial incentive.

Why can’t those exist and why can’t they be realistic targets and goals for both sexes.

Sure...my musings here might get a backlash from traditionalist or ultra feminist viewpoints. So be it.

Just remember though I am talking about volunteer management and we need to explore why guys are just not into it.

Adopt the view of “why would we need you in the first place” and we get nowhere.

Adopt the view of “we are worth more”

It’s a conversation that we need to have. It’s a conversation that our associations for volunteer management need to engage in. Where is the leadership on these challenging issues internationally?

Elephants are beautiful creatures. Let’s not ignore them when they appear in our rooms.

A belief , a theory and an action in Volunteer Management

2011-03-16T23:06:00.003+10:00

THE BELIEF

Robert Oxton Bolton once said that “A belief is not merely an idea that the mind possesses. It is an idea that possesses the mind.” You know how when some quotes just bounce off you without effect and some deeply resonate within your very being? The latter are rare occurrences but seem to be becoming more active in my life. Bolton’s quote truly resonates with me.

Here are my beliefs:

Volunteerism is an inspirational and powerful global movement

Leaders of volunteers have powerful and inspirational roles in society

As a sector we do not sell this message or worse – we do not believe it to be true.

THE THEORY

My belief has led me to develop a theory and it is this:

The level of support and recognition given to volunteer management is directly proportional to the level of support and recognition given to volunteers.

This can apply on many levels – Organisations, Community, Government and can even be applied to the volunteerism sector itself. To be sure, having to include the latter is indicative of where volunteer management sits as well as the current relationship between key players within volunteerism – clearly we should all be singing from the same page but we are not!

I believe that this theory has the power to challenge. I have seen volunteering itself receive so much lip service over the years in so many quarters.

“Volunteers are so important to us”

“We would not survive without volunteers”

“Where would we be without you”

And we hear these sentiments every now and then especially at times like a national week of volunteering or in the aftermath of an event that involved spontaneous volunteering on a grand scale or as part of a government initiative to increase volunteering dramatically.

My theory simply says – if you are serious about volunteering – you are serious about volunteer management and serious about supporting both. Because they are extensively linked.

THE ACTION

"Leadership is not magnetic personality--that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not 'making friends and influencing people'--that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations." So said Peter F Drucker.

As an individual Volunteer manager this is what I do in relation to the sector I work within:

• Challenge the status quo
• Engage in critical thinking
• Challenge inertia and complacency
• Encourage debate and dialogue
• Encourage the emergence of leadership

I describe all of the above to demonstrate what I do as an individual. What I do as a volunteer manager is immensely rewarding. I love my job.
I believe I have had my successes.I hope to have more!

But I also believe that our sector is in dire need of a thought process that says “how do we go from success to significance”? I did a recent blog on the amazing speaker John Wood who spoke on such matters.

I am hoping that people who are successful in their roles of volunteer manager can step forward and be leaders in our sector.

Because we need leadership.

Your beliefs and theory’s are what we need at this time.

We need your actions.

Don’t be afraid to step up.

Stories of Hope

2011-03-12T22:54:00.000+10:00

When world news is populated with grimness one must seek stories of hope. Volunteerism is one such story…people reaching out, lending a hand, an ear, a shoulder to cry on in crisis. Wherever there are tears…there are volunteers.

School Volunteering: Stop me before I volunteer again! ! !

2011-03-12T22:11:00.000+10:00

Being passionate about volunteerism in general as well as volunteer management I am constantly looking for interesting views and analysis on the movement or sector or field or whatever we like to call it. School volunteering is now a little more interesting to me as my own life path enters into the school realm!

So you can imagine why an article that begins with the words "Stop me before I volunteer again..." So reads a magnet on my fridge that sits exactly at my eye level.” Grabs my attention"!

School volunteering.

Now there’s a loaded topic for many future blogs. I would love to hear of your experiences in school volunteering. I feel there is not enough written on the topic? Or if I am missing some research or literature on the topic please alert me.

It also leads me to ask – when you volunteer …are you looking at the situation with your volunteer management hat on???

Do we have increased expectations when we volunteer ourselves????

By the way...the article I mention is linked through the heading of this blog. Well worth a read and the responses are too.

Time to call a spade a spade in Volunteer Management

2011-03-09T21:18:00.002+10:00

Because volunteering is nice and lovely and “free” Volunteer Management has issues in gaining a foothold on professions that are taken seriously.
We are not getting anywhere because of our current thinking in volunteer management. Here are the 5 main reasons and behaviors that I believe keep us down.

1.Flat Earthers.

Old flat earth ways of thinking – not ready to embrace change. I’m talking here in terms of definitions of volunteering and how we manage volunteer programs.

2.Low expectations

“I work in a not for profit – therefore I half expect poor. Poor resources poor pay poor future etc.” Most volunteering operates in a not for profit sector. Note how I say “most” . NFP should not equate with NPE – Not Paying Enough. Savy NFPs pay top dollar for expertise whether it be CEOs, Fundraising directors, Marketing specialists etc. Savy NFPs incorporate savvy corporate thought and models to drive their business to improve their own bottom line which is providing a better service for their clientele. I ask you this. Why should the people who rely of service expect anything less?

3.Comfort of the old ways.

The same old protects itself. If there is a radical shift in thinking then there should be change. Change in how we see ourselves. Change in who we look to and follow as leaders. Change in how we do our jobs. Change in how we talk. Change in how we articulate our needs and desires. Change in our belief systems and definitions. Change in the type of training we desire and need. Change in how that is delivered. I believe there are too many too comfortable in our sector to embrace change. After all if we have existed doing what we do quite comfortably for the last 20 years why should we change? We can not underestimate the threat change poses to some.

4.Is it real Management?

“If I wasn’t managing this – then I simply would not be managing anything else”. Let’s face some reality. If Volunteer Managers decided to get out of their roles and do something else..How much management opportunities would lie open for us in different fields? I would like to think many but in reality would we be employed?.Do organisations place an importance factor on the role that matches other senior management roles?? Its easy to say "They should" But do they? Are we producing the people that sit right up there with other management and leadership roles?

5.The tall poppy Syndrome.

Do we get suspicions when we see others get successful? Successful in terms of their ability to establish themselves as a voice in the field, securing for themselves fairly paid and resourced volunteer programs and not being afraid to talk out to a wider audience then our own little echo chambers. I’ve seen too many good people exit our sector. Success, of course, need not be about having a voice in the field. There are sucessful volunteer managers in organisations doing great stuff. I see too many people who could say a lot and contribute a lot but who think it’s not worth the hassle of being labeled this or that.Which is a shame. We must embrace success. We must hear the leadership and managament tales of those who are sucessful.

The other problem is that we are still such a small sector. Its too easy to have a monopoly on leadership. It’s a little harder to take a look at our current leadership and challenge the status quo. But……

I am happy to continue questioning

Everything

I believe we can be a lot more

And I will continue making noise until we are.

One day soon in Volunteer Management

2011-03-05T23:06:00.000+10:00

One day Volunteer Management will be a sought after role.

One day most organisations will have a full time Volunteer manager. One day all corporates will have volunteer managers facilitating employee volunteering programs not just as part of their social responsibility but because it will be the norm to do so.

One day the leaders in volunteerism will be mostly drawn from volunteer management profession because they are the people at the coal face.

One day the management of volunteers will not be given to people who have another role in that organisation – one day it will be realised that “looking after the vollies” is not a simple process.

One day Government will realise that they cannot talk about increasing volunteering without funding greater volunteer management resources.

One day Government will consult with the volunteer management sector when we become relevant.

One day we will make ourselves so.

One day there will be an educational pathway into volunteer management.

One day Volunteer management will be a career option for people and will have a stand at career expos.

One day peak bodies for volunteering will strengthen their mission and value by developing crucial and close links with volunteer managers.

One day there will be a national conference on volunteer management and an international one too.

One day corporates will see the value in supporting scholarships and awards in Volunteer Management.

One day a leadership narrative will emerge in our profession. One day people will engage in dialogue in our future en masse and not the same “old few”

One day, those who hold us back will let go for various reasons.

One day we will gather the courage and conviction to grow. change and emerge as the amazing profession of difference makers.

One day we will be the leaders and an example to other professions in leadership and management.

We already do so.

We already make that difference.

We already lead and inspire.

One day we will realise and recognise this.

A show to check out - and get back to me on

2011-03-03T22:07:00.000+10:00

I received an email from ABC America today and although this show is currently aimed at an American audience I am happy to share info here as according to my stats most readers hail from the US.

I do not endorse this show however as I have never seen it and have asked for copies to be emailed to me. More comment then…but in the meantime…check it out for yourself on US TV

“My name is Christina Megerian, from ABC Entertainment Marketing. I’m writing to share with you, your friends and colleagues exciting news about a new uplifting series airing on ABC called Secret Millionaire.

Premiering Sunday, March 6th at 8|7c on ABC, Secret Millionaire will chronicle highly-successful millionaires who are given the opportunity to put aside their relative luxury to experience the day-to-day struggles of people who are comparatively underprivileged. Along the way of their journey, the millionaires learn it is not about just giving money, but also giving their energy, their attention, and their time – generous qualities that the underprivileged they meet in each episode already have in abundance. The message of the show is a valuable life lesson we can never revisit enough, and one that is just as relevant to each of us, no matter how much or how little money we have.

We at ABC are incredibly proud of this compelling new series, and hope that as the editor of a blog that is closely aligned with its powerful message, you’ll want to share it with your readers as well.

Christina Megerian

ABC Entertainment Marketing
2300 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91506
Christina.Megerian@disney.com
818-460-7253

“Bold Goals attract Bold People”

2011-03-02T15:46:00.000+10:00

“Bold Goals attract Bold People”

I was honoured to be invited by Volunteering Queensland (VQ) to attend a presentation yesterday by John Wood , best-selling author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World and Founder and Executive Chair of Room to Read, the fastest growing non-profit in history.

At age 35, John Wood left an international executive career track at Microsoft out of deep concern that nearly one billion people lack basic literacy and that over 200 million children in the developing world are not enrolled at school.

Room to Read has sponsored the opening of 1129 schools and established 10 000 multi-lingual libraries across the developing world. The event was organised by Volunteering Qld's Business Roundtable and Macquarie.

Opening the event VQs CEO Jelenko Dragisic spoke of the Business Roundtable as an opportunity for NFPs and Corporates to interact and work more efficiently together. I was very interested to hear of this roundtable. Here is a summary from VQs website:

“By bringing together a group of influential corporate and business players, we create an organic nucleus of thinkers and collaborators interested in creating innovative pathways to community involvement.
The Business Roundtable facilitates the emergence of corporate leaders who are willing and able to enter into partnerships based on passion and shared values. Corporate patrons can use their networks, influence and expertise to benefit community organisations – a valuable voluntary role.”

I found John Wood to be an inspirational speaker with an extraordinary story to tell. With the help of many volunteers around the globe his organization has had a huge impact on the lives of Millions.

His story of leadership also inspired me – “Our world is in need of leadership – our leadership!”

I learnt that Room to Read has opened 1, 442 schools

John asked “How do you go from success to significance?”

I learnt that Room to Read has opened 11,000 libraries.

John stated that “Bold goals attract bold people”

I learnt that because of this organisation, its leaders, volunteers and staff that 5 million kids now have access to libraries and schools!

There are good news stories in the world. We don’t hear enough about them.

We work in a sector where inspiring stories happen every day. We need to hear more of them and we need to ensure we are attracting more dynamic and inspiring leaders.

Room to read is linked by clicking on the title of this article.

AAVA Response to Blog "Five emails and Volunteer Management Action"

2011-03-01T23:11:00.000+10:00

Greetings DJ, on behalf of the AAVA board I would like to thank you for your email and for the pertinent questions that you raised.

The Board held its annual planning meeting this last weekend and the questions you raised informed an important part of our discussion.

The AAVA board acknowledges that the last 12 months have brought considerable challenges which have impacted on our capacity to meet the expectations of our members. We, as both board members and members of AAVA ourselves, have struggled with our understanding of the role that AAVA should fulfill and which you have articulated in your questions, especially around the role of advocacy.

To address this, the board worked with an external facilitator at our planning meeting revisiting and reconfirming the purpose of AAVA as an “organization to enhance and develop the role of individuals working in the field of volunteer management”. We then established an action plan for the coming year which will ensure that:

·we provide a quality service to our members

·the organization has robust and clear governance processes

·we communicate effectively with members

·we utilize conferences, forums and other similar events to promote the organization and the role and place of managers of volunteers

We have recognised that to be able to provide a quality service to our members, we need to first strengthen our internal processes and lay a strong foundation from which we can grow and develop. We have attached a condensed version of our action plan for your information, which may also be of interest to readers of your blog

As you are aware the AAVA Board is made up of volunteers and we would welcome yourself and other interested people to join us so that we can increase our capacity and expand the range of services that we provide to our members and the contribution we are able to make to the Volunteer Management sector

Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with us,

Leticia Vargas

President

AAVA

Back blogging

2011-03-01T23:03:00.000+10:00

Hello there.

I’ve had some nice time off. Went nowhere. Just had some “switch off” time. Those of you in busy Volunteer management and coordination roles know where I am coming from. A lot of exciting things have been happening in the volunteer Management world in the last few weeks and I plan on blogging on some upcoming events and stories.

This blog will celebrate its first birthday on March 22. Then I will talk about how amazed I am at what has happened in the last year.

But I would, in the meantime like to mention some amazing facts about the month of February just gone.

February 2011 recorded the most visits to this site ever. In total this blog had 1,834 individual visitors for the month!

Hope your year is inspiring and dynamic already!

Having a Kit Kat

2011-02-14T10:43:00.000+10:00

Dear reader of this blog

This blogger wont be blogging for the next couple of weeks. Will be back then with more views and news!

Ciao for now :-)

IAVE recognizes the importance of effective volunteer management

2011-02-13T19:33:00.000+10:00

I've had some great responses to a recent blog I posted titled "Five emails and Volunteer Management".

Today I recieved this email

“Thanks for your complement on the 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference
at Singapore.

Indeed, IAVE recognizes the importance of effective volunteer
management and always had a tract for it in our conferences although
the name might not the same as you put it.

As I consider myself as a volunteer manager or administrator, I have
promoted the importance as much as possible. I also embraced the offer
to put a banner on IVMD in the IAVE website.

The 13th IAVE Asia-Pacific regional conference to be held at Changwon
Korea will also have it on the program. I wish many Australian
Volunteer Management Advocators participate in the conference and
renew the importance of it."

Kang-Hyun Lee, Ph.D.
World President of IAVE

Volunteer Coordinator and Parenthood

2011-02-09T22:26:00.000+10:00

I got a little shock last night watching TV. And before you get alarmed no – it was nothing to do with an electrical fault! My little shock was to do with the content of a TV Program I accidently stumbled across. The show is called parenthood. Apparently I was watching season 2 episode 7. But I had never come across this show before. According to wikipedia Parenthood is an American dramedy television series based on the 1989 film of the same title.

My first shock was that one of the main characters in this is a Volunteer Coordinator on the show! I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone from this sector in any TV drama. Ever! So suddenly my half attempt at lazy channel surfing came to a halt as I sat up to see how this volunteer coordinator would be portrayed.

Thanks to the internet and tvrage.com here is a rundown of this chaps appearances in the show and what happened in thsi episode

Camille and Haddie show up for volunteer work, working in a soup kitchen. Camille introduces Haddie to the volunteer coordinator for community services, Alex. She greets him warmly, but he rather brusquely
tells her to bring her papers next time, and he'll sign for her hours.

Yikes – not the best start here Alex!

Haddie takes out the garbage at the soup kitchen. The bag breaks as she is trying to hoist it into the dumpster, and she is completely revolted by what all falls out down. When she's cleaning up, Alex tells her that poverty is not contagious. She fills him in on what happened with the garbage bags. He tells her to try double-bagging next time. She's starting to pick up on his rude attitude towards her.

Mmmmmmm

…..She thanks him, and tells them about Alex, and how he's treating her like some idiot teenybopper with a bleeding heart and even if she is? It's rude. Adam tells her to call him on it, but Kristina tells her to punch him in the groin. Make it count.

Oh dear!

Haddie finally calls Alex on his attitude. They go back and forth a bit about the turnover, and how people just use this place because it looks good on their college apps; but they're never there more than a week, maybe two. She tries to give him grief about him not exactly being selfless either; this is a career path for him as well, yes? He chose to
work there because his family used to get their food there. This place saved his life. She's embarrassed, and goes to fix the mixer. There's still a bit of tension and animosity there, but they seem to have a little better impression of each other.

Well thank goodness for that.

So there you go. An …er…interesting portrayal of a Volunteer Coordinator. I suspect there is an underlying tension here.

Anyway, I think it’s a first. Having a volunteer coordinator character on a major TV show. Let me know if I am incorrect on that. And it’s about time certain TV Hospital Dramas introduced a Volunteer manager. I am available of course. George Clooney won’t know what hit him.

In the meantime I’ll keep my eye on Parenthood.

For Aussie readers Parenthood is on Seven on Tuesday evenings. Check local guide for time.

Blog post on poster poses questions and possibilities

2011-02-08T21:33:00.000+10:00

Martin J Cowling has posted an interesting comment on his blog. Just click on the title of this blog. Share your opinion.What does it mean? Interesting to see if Volunteering Australia responds.

The blog also gave me an idea. And its for International Volunteer Managers Day. What if there was a worlwide competition to design a poster that celebrates and promotes effective Volunteer Managaement.

What would that poster look like?

Five emails and Volunteer Management Action

2011-02-07T22:49:00.002+10:00

I am going to conduct my own private Volunteer Management advocacy email campaign for the week. Lets see how powerful internet advocacy can be
Tonight I will send 5 emails and keep you updated on how I am going

1.To Pro Bono Australia
Here’s what they do according to their site

What we do...

"We publish news and information, both online and in print, about the community sector. We have a news media service, with our journalists providing extensive coverage focusing on issues which impact the community sector.

We also publish the Australian Directory of Not for Profit Organisations, a Guide to Giving which has assisted charities with fundraising and gathering support for over 20 years. On our website, Not for Profit organisations can advertise for employees or skilled volunteers, as well as find events and specialist community sector suppliers.
We encourage discussion on issues, and keep people informed through our regular email bulletins."

And here’s the email I sent them…

"Greetings. It was pointed out to me today that "Volunteer Management" was not a category in your Jobs section on this site. As Volunteer Management is an important and professional sector in our society I believe it deserves a category here on its own. It would also assist those looking for job opportunities within our sector. I look forward to hearing back from you re this feedback.
Kind regards”

2.To the European Year of the Volunteer Alliance website

What they do: EYV 2011 Alliance Website, the main portal for volunteer-involving organisations and volunteers throughout Europe to share and inform on issues relating to EYV 2011.

This website complements the EYV 2011 webpage on the Europa Portal managed by the European Commission www.europa.eu/volunteering.

And here’s the email I sent them…

“Greetings and congratulations on this momentous year for volunteering in Europe.

Some will say “It’s not about Volunteer Management it’s about volunteering”. If so, they miss my point and it is this:

Wherever volunteering is discussed Volunteer management needs to be on the agenda. It exists. Its important and in many organisations it’s the difference between an effective volunteer program and one that is disorganized and unappealing.

I am hopeful that there will be a focus on our profession during this year. Can you advise what that might be? I look forward to your response so that I may share on my blog.”

Good luck with the years events.

Many thanks"

3.To the professional body for Volunteer Managers in Australia – AAVA

Email addressed to the board of AAVA through their website:

"As an AAVA member I would like to express the following concerns and pose the following questions. I am sharing these questions on my blog site and look forward to your response so that I may share with readers.
•I am concerned that AAVA is not responding to the issues of the day in volunteer management
•As a member of AAVA I worry that members will leave as we receive very little correspondence
•What is AAVA doing to promote our sector and assist volunteer managers and coordinators ?
•Why isn’t AAVA participating in online Volunteer management forums, volunteer management journals or providing information on professional development
•Why is AAVA not engaged in the narrative of Volunteer Management?
•Will AAVA respond the latest Hot Topic by Susan J Ellis on Energize?

4.To IBM

Service Jam Whitepaper released this week

On 10-12, 2010 over 15,000 individuals from 119 countries registered to
participate in what was called "Service Jam", which brought together a global mix of perspectives to discuss, debate and discover the possibilities of new solutions to long-standing societal challenges.

Leaders from many sectors united to drive conversations on not only what is
happening today, but also how we might improve service tomorrow. IBM, in
collaboration with key partners, has published a white paper to summarize key findings and highlight creative ideas generated by Service Jam .

On Volunteer Management it stated:

"IBM will create and package solutions that leverage the company’s project management methodologies to help nonprofits prepare to receive volunteers, and corporations to offer them. The solution will be offered by IBMers around the world.

Like the Service Jam itself, each of these efforts will be conducted in the spirit of open collaboration. And each will be designed to deliver on the promise of the Jam; to provide better service to the people who need it."

Heres the communication I sent to IBM via Stanley S. Litow President, IBM International Foundation

“Dear Stanley. I encouraged many volunteer managers globally to participate in this service jam. I am hoping that your findings and solutions on Volunteer management will be a consultative process. Volunteer Management is already an established profession. Can you inform me how you will build relationships with, support and consult the Volunteer Management profession globally before offering solutions by IBMers around the world? My readers on my blog would love to hear from you on that matter. “

5.And my final email of the week goes to Kang-Hyun Lee, President IAVE

“Congratulations on the recent success of the IAVE conference in Singapore. As an advocate for effective volunteer management I am wondering what your thoughts would be on the possibility of having a one day international conference on volunteer management tagged to the IAVE conference in the future. Effective volunteering programs and effective Volunteer Management must be linked. The emerging profession of volunteer management should also be acknowledged globally. I am sharing this query with my blog and would love to hear an opinion that I can share with readers interested in our field."

Well. Let’s see what happens.

Action and words.

Watch this space

Week that was in Volunteer Management

2011-02-06T20:13:00.004+10:00

I’m looking at doing a Sunday blog that casts an eye on matters of volunteer management during the week. The week that was, as it were, in volunteer management. Of course this will be a view from my eyes only, what I see or hear during the week. And indeed there may be those quiet weeks where there is no chatter and events.

Words and action

This week I stumbled across another blogger who posed the question” What if Words speak louder than Action?”

“I tend to live with the notion that the pen is mightier than the sword. Why else would military dictatorships control speech? They know that ideas can be infectious and lead people to take action.

In that regard, you could say that talk and actions are actually partners - two sides of the same coin. First people arrive at a consensus and then they take action based upon their communicated objectives.”

Thanks Crashcromwell. Well put.

Positive action

Claire Teal one of the project co-leaders of the Managers of Volunteers project in New Zealand is joining Volunteering New Zealand as a community intern for six months which will help to drive the project forward. The vision of this group is "Managers/Leaders of Volunteers are valued, well-resourced, and have professional development opportunities and career paths".

Their objectives are:
•To have a comprehensive catalogue of existing research
•To increase relevant research
•To have a qualification pathway for Managers of Volunteers
•To have a published database of relevant professional development opportunities
•To encourage professional association membership
•To have regular, positive coverage in relevant media
•To increase the number and range of supporters of their vision
•To have sustainable funding for this Project
The groups plan is that over the next 6 months of the Internship, they will make sure more people all across New Zealand hear about both the Project and the vital role of Managers and Leaders of Volunteers in their communities.

Bravo!

I think this is such a positive development. A query I have though is whether or not some of this work overlaps the key duties of a professional association. Now the Australasian Association of Volunteer Administrators is the “Professional association” for Volunteer managers is Australia and New Zealand. Is the “Managers of Volunteers project in New Zealand” meeting something that is unmet? Furthermore I would only be encouraging professional association membership if such a body were strong and demonstrating such strength through some of the objectives that this group has embraced. I once wrongly thought that high numbers alone would mean stronger associations. Will it be counterproductive encouraging people to join something just to have them to then say “is that it” and leave? And before you jump down my throat because I am not accentuating the positive please note I say such things as cautionary tales. We all desire strong Professional Associations and development and progress.

Hot Topic

Speaking of such matters, Susan J Ellis’ Hot Topic on Energize for the month of January is a timely one. Titled ‘Real Professions have Strong associations” Susan proposes that “one of the major weaknesses of our field is the sorry state of too many of our professional associations, whether national, regional, or local.”

Some interesting replies have already been posted including one from yours truly. “Associations of volunteer management should respond. Effective associations should already be aware that this article is out there. Because effective associations are keeping their eye on the ball in regards to any issues that are being discussed about volunteer management and Volunteering for that matter. Right now there should be emails flying amongst board members of professional associations. “We need to articulate a responses to this Hot topic people” and there is much more. Please check out the Topic for yourself and respond.

Strong association

Out of Susan’s Hot Topic comes some good news. Before this article appeared I was not aware of the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration. Now here in my view is an association that can act as an example to other associations around the globe. Great website, great professional development and fantastic professional looking profile. Google them.

I only found out about them because their President responded to the Energize Hot Topic. Jay Haapala informed us that 800 members responded to their annual survey and that “advocacy for the field of volunteerism” was the most important reason they choose to be a member of MAVA. He went on to say “Deeper questions about what “advocacy” means to them reveal that they’re looking for the field of volunteer management to become more professionalized as well as assistance advocating for their programs within their organizations.”

RETREAT IN NEW ZEALAND

And speaking of Susan J Ellis I see that she is appearing in New Zealand in May for the national conference on volunteering and the Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management. This week details of the New Zealand Retreat were released.

The annual retreat was held for the first time in Canberra during March 2005 with attendees from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. This was followed by Retreats in Brisbane (2006), Hobart (2007), Gold Coast (2009) and Adelaide (2010). The concept of the Retreat is to:
•Support the emerging profession of volunteer manager
•Encourage and strengthen volunteer managers at an "advanced" stage in their professional development
•Aid volunteer managers to stay in the profession
•Provide an advanced level training opportunity
•Help volunteer managers to consider whom they can foster development of their profession

I’ve attended every Retreat to date and honestly I don’t believe I would be where I was today professionally without it.

According to its brochure for this year “The 2011 Retreat will be run back-to-back with the Volunteering New Zealand national volunteering conference, which has a theme of “Raising the Bar”. At the 2011 Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management, we plan to pick up where the conference finishes - and really explore what raising the bar means for advanced level practitioners.”

Service Jam Whitepaper released this week

On 10-12, 2010 over 15,000 individuals from 119 countries registered to
participate in what was called "Service Jam", which brought together a global mix of perspectives to discuss, debate and discover the possibilities of new solutions to long-standing societal challenges.

Leaders from many sectors united to drive conversations on not only what is
happening today, but also how we might improve service tomorrow. IBM, in
collaboration with key partners, has published a white paper to summarize key findings and highlight creative ideas generated by Service Jam .

You can find the white paper here

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/minijam/intro.html

I was delighted to see two colleagues who are great advocates of professional development in our sector from Brisbane with their quotes included in the Whitepaper. Well done. I plan to do a larger blog in the near future on my views on the white paper.

My favorite quotes of the week

“I had the right to remain silent... but I didn't have the ability.” - Ron White

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends– Martin Luther King

Tick...tick...tick..tick...tick box in poll.Time running out!

2011-02-04T14:13:00.002+10:00

To date 85% of respondents to my poll agree that there definitely should be a one day International Conference on Volunteer Management tagged to the IAVE conference. 15% say maybe and we should discuss it some more within the sector.

But we need to make our voice more influential and we can only do this is larger numbers.

This particular poll opened 5 days ago and 20 people have voted. That represents 5.9% of the total number of individual visitors to this site in that time.

So while visiting this site please have a say by voting in the poll on the right hand column or submitting a comment.

“I had the right to remain silent... but I didn't have the ability.”
Ron White

First Class Volunteer Managers? Final comment on IAVE 2011

2011-01-28T21:31:00.000+10:00

So the IAVE conference is over for another year. Well done Singapore and Singapore’s National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre for holding the event. Kudos too to UBS for being a major sponsor. I am confident that there was some great dialogue re volunteering.

The event had a mixture of conference sessions, forums, and workshops. On the agenda were issues addressed by the UN Millennium Development Goals of poverty eradication, literacy, health, environmental sustainability, and other issues including, engaging the baby boomer generation, youth, religious bodies, leadership development, cross-cultural sensitivities, research into volunteer capital, risk management, episodic volunteering, large-scale events, humanitarian relief, and corporate volunteering.

I wasn’t able to attend this conference but I kept my eye on it as best I could through social media. As is my want I was keen to see what dialogue if any emerged on Volunteer Management. Ive only picked up bits and pieces. But I’ve seen that in previous years the IAVE website has published details of workshops and keynotes so I’ll be keeping watch on what was said re Volunteer Management.

I do think they could have done better in communicating to those who didn’t make the conference via social media. Was there a Facebook page for the event? If so I missed it. Was there twitter updates? The National Conference in Australia did a great job for their most recent conference in keeping people updated on what was happening at the conference via Facebook and Twitter and through online news media organisations such as Pro Bono Australia. So if you werent there you felt part of the conference via social media.

I hope that the organizers for the Dublin event take note and decide to give more instant updates to the global audience who are interested but who can’t be there.

But back to the conference in Singapore. I, and other professionals in Volunteer Management would have been delighted to see that one strand of the conference concentrated on our profession. As the website stated

Track 5: Strategic Issues in Volunteer Management

Working with volunteers requires proper skills and professional training. With trained volunteer programme managers, we can see a greater impact through organised volunteering programmers. This forum will discuss strategic issues related to volunteer management and retention.

Forum:

oChallenges in Volunteer Management
oGlobalization: Making it work

Workshops:
oMotivation, Retention and Service Satisfaction
oPolicy to Playground: Emerging Challenges of Volunteer Managers
oVolunteer Performance and Measuring Performance to meet expectations
oStrategic volunteer management: discover the steps in engaging today’s talent
oUnderstanding the role of life events in decisions to volunteer & The Psychology of Volunteering
oProfessionalizing the career of a First Class Volunteer Manager

Great stuff. And praise be where praise is due. I have often bemoaned the fact that Volunteer Management can be ignored when conferences on volunteering are held.

But now we need to examine what was presented in this Track 5 and what was said. So stay tuned as I try to source that important information. I am particularly interested in “Professionalizing the career of a First Class Volunteer Manager” AND “Policy to Playground: Emerging Challenges of Volunteer Managers"

So watch this space.

I am really interested to hear from the handful of Australians who attended this conference. Please share folks your experiences and insights and learning.

As a footnote I must add a comment that I received from another Volunteer Manager when I was talking excitedly about the fact that Volunteer Management was being talked about at this conference.

“Fair enough” they said ‘but I am a bit sick of all the talk – what exactly are the actions to advance and improve the profession?”. Brought me back down to earth a bit .

We want action not talk right?

But unless we are involved in the dialogue at a higher level then we have little hope of meaningful action I say.

First class Volunteer managers eh? Gosh – I can’t wait to read about that……………..

Keeping an eye out for Volunteer management at the IAVE Conference (2)

2011-01-27T13:26:00.000+10:00

Channelnewsasia.com reports

Mrs Tan Chee Koon, who is the Volunteer Chair of the 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference Organising Committee, said: "It is no longer enough to look narrowly at volunteer management issues from recruitment to retention.

"We need to focus on leadership issues, strategic partnerships and emerging trends that impact volunteerism, amongst others. Volunteers are a national asset, and they should be cherished, nourished and recognised for their contributions in changing society, and therefore changing the world."

Keeping an eye out for Volunteer Management at the IAVE Conference (1)

2011-01-27T13:19:00.000+10:00

Mr Goh Chok Tong is a Senior Minister in Singapore. Mr Goh spoke at the opening plenary of the 21st International Association for Volunteer Effort World Volunteer Conference held at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore in front of an audience of about 1,000 people.

On volunteers in general, Mr Goh said that "continuously recruiting but not retaining volunteers is not a sustainable strategy".

He went on to say "Unfortunately, volunteer management is often neglected, and is considered secondary to serving clients. This is short-term thinking."

"We have to manage volunteers better so that they come back," Mr Goh said.

Well said Mr Goh! Long term thinking must incorporate effective and resourced volunteer management.