National Volunteer Weeks and 10 possible ways to make it an Every Day event!

National Volunteer Week (NVW) is coming up soon, in May, in Australia. The week is celebrated in many other countries at various times throughout the year.

 I’m an enormous fan of NVW. It furnishes us the opportunity to promote and recognise volunteering. It also gives us the opportunity to recruit more people to volunteering through education.

 In our echo chambers we all agree that these weeks are important. But are these proceedings having a truly imperative influence on volunteerism? Are we gaining what we should be gaining i.e. society buy in into the value of volunteering and thus more participation and support from the people that govern our societies? During volunteer weeks Volunteerism does seem to garnish some attention from Government and media. How do we ensure volunteering is being supported by society and Government all year round?

Here is my top ten wish list!

 1.Volunteer programs are adequately resourced by organizations

 2.Volunteers are treated as equal members of any organisational team

 3.Volunteers have meaningful work

4.Peak bodies for volunteers and resource centre’s are supported by society, corporations and government without losing an independent voice

 5.Peak bodies for volunteers are highly accountable to those in the volunteering sector and are transparent in their actions and governance

 6.Volunteer management is taken seriously and supported and resources are made available to ensure effective and professional volunteer management

 7.Volunteering remains fluid with many flavours and colours and remains unrestricted by dogma

8.The volunteering sector adapts to emerging trends with respect and flexibility.

 9.Open and free dialogue is encouraged bringing disparate views together to encourage the growth of volunteering with no one claiming ownership of ideas and ideals

 10.Volunteering is treated with respect.

 Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? I could write a few paragraphs under each point. How much of this wish list is true in your own experience?