There will be those who want to go back to normal – I am not one of them.

As I write, it is the second day of winter here in Australia. It is morning and I have just returned from a walk. The air was crisp this morning and only a few white wisps wandered across the blue sky. I love winter. Growing up and living in Ireland for 25 years I have never managed to get used to the humidity of Queensland’s long summer. The summers have gotten hotter. When I first came to Australia I did love the storm that would inevitably come in the afternoon after a warm and muggy busy day. I would watch the dark clouds form and sit on my balcony to watch the light show that would follow and then the downpour of rain. That smell of rain when it first hits the shrubs, the earth and the trees is a beautiful one. Sometimes, if it was a really hot day I would run out and embrace its relief. The drop-in temperature would be immediate. We don’t get these storms on a regular afternoon anymore. Something is not normal.

Now we are living in what many are calling “The New Normal”. Working from home. Social distancing. I hear people say they can't wait to get back to normal. I can. In fact, I don’t want to go back to normal. I don’t want the world to go back to normal.

Normal at the office

Politics at work. Hierarchal attitudes. Those who think they have status and power and exert it at work. They tend to spend long hours at work because outside of it that status normally disappears. Meeting lovers. Those who love the noise and bustle. The workplace bully. The plotters and schemers. The gossips. The people who define their lives by their presence in the office. Those who strut the strut, talk the talk but who never walk the walk. For some reason, they are loudest at their keyboards. Those who walk by others in a corridor without a greeting because you are not important to them. Those who are addicted to coffee down the street. These people will be desperate to get back to normal. I won't.

Normal Government

Back to being in a 24-hour election cycle even though there may be years to the next election. Politicians spinning lies and mistruths. Abhorrent behaviour in our houses of parliament. Rorts. Cover-Ups. Gotcha moments. Travel expenses. Awarding themselves pay rises. Brown paper bags. Power. Government assassinations. Leadership spills. Hubris. Leaks to the media. Dog whistling. Creating fear for votes. Protecting our borders. Locking humans on islands – out of sight out of mind. Promises. National debt. Two-party systems. No real action on the existential crisis of our lifetime – Climate Change.

“Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively accept their situation.” – George Carlin

Normal society

Fear of the other. The subjection of the minority. Welfare that barely keeps people alive. Justice for the rich. “The upper class keeps all of the money, pays none of the taxes. The middle class pays all of the taxes, does all of the work. The poor are there just to scare the shit out of the middle class. Keep 'em showin' up at those jobs.” – George again

Us versus them. War on terror. War on drugs. War on each other. ‘The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants, and aliens, the more you control all of the people. That’s the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody’s going to be against and everybody’s going to be for. Nobody knows what it means because it doesn’t mean anything” - Chomsky

Profit before people

Corporates sacrificing the health of the planet and its inhabitants for a bigger bank balance. Turning a blind eye to the consequences of their destructive, exploitative practices. The worst of them are committing atrocities that go beyond the realm of objectionable into criminal, dumping toxic chemicals without regard to public health, and employing child labour.

I don’t want normal back.  I want change. Change for my children. Hope for theirs.

The protesters across the United States do not want to go back to normal. The climate activists around the globe do not want to go back to normal. The poor and the marginalised don’t want normal. Refugees seeking safe shelter around the world do not want normal.  People are waking up. People are mobilising.

The normal world is getting afraid.

“The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall.” Che Guevera

The 5 advantages of working from home during COVID

No walk up interruptions

I can be too polite. At the office, people often walk up to my desk to have a chat. It could be a question about volunteering. It normally is. But there is an expectation that I answer it straight away. During these times, I still get questions. But it is usually via email now. It gives me time to consider the question. And after some contemplation I believe that I am giving a better answer.

Travel Time

I spend two hours on a train travelling to and from work. It never really bothered me in the past. I would read a book or listen to music. But now I am valuing these two hours more than ever. In fact, I feel that I am more productive with these two extra hours spent planning and strategizing!

Volunteer Engagement

With thousands of volunteers scattered across an enormous state it has always been tough to engage with people. Travelling to places help. Meeting people on the ground has always been important for me. But travel can take a lot of your time and also it can be expensive. Now, videoconferencing seems to be the norm and I love it. I have met more volunteers in “lockdown” than I have met in normal times!

Finances

I have more money in my pocket. I am not buying as much coffee. The train costs have gone. Although I used to try to take lunch to work, too often I would forget and get lunch out.

The Hustle and Bustle

I work in a CBD. I also work in an open office space. It is always busy with people coming and going. There is noise. There is much movement. Right now I am not missing that. I am appreciating the silence that surrounds me. I still love my music. I can still work on projects with headphones on listening to the easy listening and classical music that I have always loved. But I am loving the lack of chaos around me.

To conclude, I do acknowledge that I am very fortunate that I can work from home during these times. I wake up each morning truly grateful that I still have a job. But I also believe that I have never been as productive as now. And also, I have fallen into the trap of working 10 or 11 hours of work a day without a decent break! I am trying to address that!

So how has the experience of working from home been for you?

The top ten worst colleagues you may encounter as a Volunteer Manager

1. The one who thinks your job is so easy they can’t believe you get paid.

I was new to a job once when someone from the organisation I had not met yet asked me “Who did you sleep with to get this job?’ Some colleagues will think that you have an easy job. After all anyone could coordinate volunteers.

2.       The colleague who hates your success and the attention your program gets for it.

 They may just be working as hard in their department whether it is marketing or fundraising but not getting the accolades.

2. The suspicious 

3.       The people that are deeply suspicious because you turn up to work every day in a joyful mood because you love your job.

They are usually miserable in their jobs and expect everyone around them to be too.

4.       The Bully

The may be even more empowered thinking that the Volunteer Manager is on one of the bottom rungs of the organisational chart and therefore an easier target.

5.       Those that think volunteers are only nice to have but not necessary

I was once told by one of these people that because they believed in this they believed my job filled the same criteria

6.       The new CEO

Always looking for short cuts to trim the meat. The Volunteer program can look like an easy target for cost cutting.

7.       The firm traditionalist

Will resist any innovation in volunteering. “This is the way we have always done it” Can be a staff member or volunteer.

8.       The Volunteer Demander

This is the colleague who rings you up and asks for 50 volunteers to help them with their prohect in the morning. They think there are ready made volunteer stored in the fridges to be taken out at will

9.       The misguided volunteer defender

They will fight against your decision to release a volunteer. They believe it would be unfair to fire the volunteer who has stolen from the organisation 3 times. They argue volunteers cant be fired

10. The HR specialist or business partner.

   They think they know far more than you when it comes to the field where you have expertise. You to them are the person who “looks after the vollies” only but need their advice on everything from legislation to conflict management and to procedures that are applied to volunteers.

 My next blog will be on the best 10 colleagues you may encounter as a Volunteer Manager

 

 

 

What's Next Indeed!

It’s been some time since I last blogged. Indeed it’s over 7 months since I last posted on my blog site. There have been many reasons for not doing so, one being that I now tend to use other social media platforms on which I opine. My more recent posts concerned activism as volunteering. Pre Corona crises, the biggest crisis was Climate Change. It still is.

The climate change crisis has not gone away. But I never envisioned, like many of you, that this Corona crisis lay ahead of us.

So here we are. In a time like no other in our living memory. Most of us are still staying at home. We are either working, furloughed or no longer in employment.

Everyone has been caught off guard. We are living through a moment of history. Millions of volunteers around the globe have been stood down. And on the other hand, hundreds and thousands are registering their interest in volunteering to help.

The theme for the next International Volunteer Managers Day has just been announced. “What’s Next?”

As a theme for a date meant to promote the profession of Volunteer Management it is a strange one. How do you promote a profession with a tag line such as this? Yes – it reflects how our sector may be thinking (or not). After all what profession is not thinking, amongst other things, on what on earth lies around the corner? The theme has gained approval, judging by what I see on social media comment sections, by those who comment habitually on such platforms (and that number is miniscule – if you are a volunteer leader the stats say you will probably never even read this!).  But I am also of the belief that if the theme so stated “crushed bananas will make us stronger” it would nonetheless garnish support, ‘Likes’ and ‘Hearts’ from the echo chamber that is Volunteer Management. No one seems to contest anything anymore in our sector. Did we ever? Sure, the late Susan J Ellis did. Susan is sorely missed. And then there is Jayne Cravens. A lone wolf? (Jayne will appreciate the reference!) The insolent VM is as rare as hens’ teeth! More’s the pity! Same with the volunteering sector as a whole. Too nice you see.

I am hearing from our sector now a familiar mantra – time to change Volunteer Management – time to take our sector seriously – time to have our sector at the table. William Butler Yeats spoke of polite meaningless words. I wonder.

In Australia there is a leadership vacuum in the volunteer management arena. One could argue the same in the volunteering sector space. Maybe instead of the navel gazing we could shift our focus on what this awful crisis will mean for society in two, five and ten years’ time and the role volunteering will play.

What role will volunteering and volunteer management play when the queues for social security stretch for miles? What role will volunteering play when neoliberal policies concentrate on “paying down the debt” at any cost?  How will volunteer management survive when organisations are slashing budgets and are short-sighted enough to take the knife to their volunteering programs to save a quick buck? And they will.

Where does volunteering sit when governments enact “Shock Tactics”. Shock tactics, according to Naomi Klein, author of ‘The Shock Doctrine, follow a clear pattern: wait for a crisis, declare a moment of what is sometimes called “extraordinary politics”, suspend some or all democratic norms – and then ram the corporate wish list through as quickly as possible.

In Australia right now nearly half of our pre-coronavirus workforce is on a government payment; with 5 million people on the JobKeeper allowance and 1.5 million on JobSeeker. 

Perish the thought of what society will look like when government ceases these payments. Which they will.

This is what’s next. This is the future our sector needs to prepare for. Now.

Volunteer or Activist?

New Ways of Volunteer Recruitment

Today, most organisations, when advertising for volunteer roles will place an advertisement somewhere, if they can, to recruit a suitable volunteer.

They may place that ad on the internet, various websites, and peak organisations for volunteers and sometimes, depending on budget, in a newspaper or via other traditional media. Some will utilise social media but still too few do. Another topic for another day!

I would love for us to reimagine volunteer recruitment. On most NFP websites we have expression of interest forms. But too often, we steer these expressions in a certain way towards a certain role.

I think we may have things back to front. I would love to see Not for Profits engage volunteers and the recruitment of same in a totally different manner alongside their traditional modes.

I recently came across the following inspiring words. These were not written by a person managing or leading volunteers. But have a read.

“What are the gifts you bring to the world?

These times of fear and uncertainty are not a time for hiding your light under a bushel. These times call for letting that light shine.

•  What are you good at?
• What do you love doing?
• What do you wish someone would ask you to do?
• What do you want to get better at doing, and would love the opportunity to practice?”

 Hildy Gottlieb - TEDx Speaker | Systems Change Researcher & Author

 Imagine our organisations having ads like these on our websites? Imagine having ads like these on Social Media?

Our traditional methods of volunteer recruitment have been the same for years. There have been a few modifications in terms of how we engage corporate and so called “skilled volunteers” I have never been a fan of the latter term. All volunteers bring skills!

Nevertheless an ad with Hildy’s words or similar would blow me away if I was looking for a volunteer opportunity out there. Why?

1.   Its honest – it acknowledges that the world can be a dark place.

2.  It talks about the light in everyone – how an ordinary person can do an extraordinary thing.

3.   It encourages action to shine a light.

4.   It wants to know what you can offer. Everyone has something to offer.

5.  It wants to know what you already love doing – how can this be tapped into, if at all.

6.  Most people don’t volunteer because they were never asked. This asks a person what they would like to do. It goes away from an organisation telling you what to do. It’s a different form of volunteering.

7.  It asks what they would like to improve doing. Here is the key. The question about how we can help develop a volunteer but asking in a much better way.

It’s a simple ad that you put on your website. It’s an innovative model of volunteer recruitment.

Tell us what you can do for our organisation and we will be in touch!

And not every idea or skill offered will be fit for purpose. But I bet you that most will.

We have been asking people to volunteer for years but maybe we miss out on a large section of the population because of the way we frame the question.

Here is just another way. Try it!

Ten Top Traits of Volunteer Leadership

There are so many articles out there about the difference between leadership and management. When it comes to coordinating and managing volunteers I have some thoughts. We manage programs. We coordinate activity. We lead people and organisations. Here is what effective leadership means to me in the volunteering sector. I come to these conclusions after 22 years in the sector.
1.      A leader advocates for ethics in volunteering. We don’t stand for replacing paid roles to save money. We do stand with volunteers adding value to an organisation.
2.      A leader inspires volunteers. Through their leadership style they inspire the volunteer to continue volunteering for the cause week in and week out. The leader is an integral part of continuing motivation.
3.      A leader has a volunteers back. They stand up for them if they are being used rather than utilised. They stand for equal recognition of a volunteer as a staff member. They ensure their “unpaid status” does not lead to any type of discrimination as far as value and worth are concerned.

4. A leader is proactive and not just reactive. A good volunteer leader anticipates their organisations needs rather than maintain a status quo

5.  A great volunteer leader challenges their organisation around volunteering solutions. They consistently point out how volunteer engagement is an awesome resource which brings so many benefits to the organisation and therefore merits investment and resource

6.  A Volunteer leader is part of the leadership team of any organisation. They have an equal footing with HR and fundraising management. Because of their expertise in leading people they are sought out for leadership advice across the organisation.

7.      A Volunteer leader has a strategic mindset. They are constantly following worldwide trends in volunteering. They understand the various demographics and motivations of volunteering. They are one step ahead and never rest on their laurels.

8.  An effective volunteer leader networks. They actively work to see what other organisations are doing around the globe. They share their expertise as they take from others.

9. A great volunteer leader demands. They demand that their subject matter expertise is respected. They demand that volunteers have their rightful place on the organisations chart which should be pretty much high up!

10.  The best volunteer leader develops leaders. They stand back and let volunteers lead. They help create programs and give volunteers the credit they deserve. They are best pleased when they see volunteers shine and thrive.

Organisations need to advertise for leaders when they are looking for managers or coordinators of volunteers into the future. A lot of people can manage or coordinate volunteers. But find a leader and your volunteer program will excel!