From Ranks of Jobless, a Flood of Volunteers
It's an interesting article, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
Basically, it's telling us something that we already know: recently we're seeing a significant increase in the number of people seeking volunteer opportunities.
Some were inspired by President Obama, some can no longer afford to donate money and have chosen to donate time, others have lost their jobs and want to gain new skills (or hone existing skills) while they give something back to the community.
So that's great news, right? On the surface, yes, it is (hey, I'm always in favor of more people volunteering).
But at the same time, many nonprofits have lost at least some of their funding while being asked to address the increased community issues that go hand-in-hand with an economic downturn. This means that they have less funding available to pay Volunteer Managers, or that some Volunteer Managers are being asked to take on other positions within nonprofits. Some part-time Volunteer Managers are being given fewer hours, and some were volunteers to start with.
At a time when more people than ever are interested in volunteering, the nonprofits that need them the most aren't in a position to manage them effectively. More and more volunteers are being turned away by overwhelmed nonprofits focused exclusively on meeting their core mission, and who can blame them? It's a common response to stress - shut down all superfluous actions in order to focus on that which is most important.
Believe me when I say that managing volunteers can be hard (yet rewarding) work - the best Volunteer Managers are able to offer experiences that benefit both the volunteer and the agency. It takes planning, and understanding what the volunteer wants to gain from the experience. It takes trust that, in putting the time and effort into making an opportunity happen, the volunteer will show up. It takes time to manage and supervise volunteers, and to be available when they have a question or need a hand.
Don't get me wrong - local agencies greatly value the insights, enthusiasm, and dedication of their volunteers. I am just trying to explain that quality volunteer opportunities typically don't happen by themselves.
Some questions for you to consider:
- How can we help our local nonprofit and governmental agencies during these challenging times?
- How can we keep them from feeling overwhelmed?
- How can we offer them volunteer support without inadvertently creating even more work for them?
Thanks, as always, for all that you do to make a difference in Howard County!
Register with the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County today to find volunteer opportunities related to your skills and interests!
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4 comments:
Great (and timely) post!
I've wrestled with this on more than one occasion and in more than one organization.
In addition to the volunteers that the Times article focused on (adults), this also applies to internship programs.
With either group, it's really incumbent upon an organization to carve out a little bit of time to plan ahead and see if they can find a way to take advantage of folks who want to volunteer their time. Not all organizations can use volunteers to lighten their load or to expand their services, but a lot can - IF they put a bit of thought into it (and figure out if there are any HR issues that would present a problem).
To me, the first step is all about identifying a steady stream of projects or responsibilities that aren't so mission critical that paid staff HAVE to be hands-on with them. Then it's about finding the "volunteer manager" to design a way of dealing with volunteers, channeling requests and vetting candidates. After that, it's about contingency planning in case your volunteer isn't able to meet expectations :(
If you're ever interested in talking about this more offline, let me know! It's a topic that's near and dear to my heart :)
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comment.
I like the way the you presented the idea of agencies thinking ahead to create potential projects that are not immediate or required to meet their mission, but rather ready to be implemented when approached by either a volunteer or group of volunteers.
I would be delighted to continue this conversation offline - I can be reached at 410.715.3176. Thanks again! -Mickey
I was just looking for volunteer opportunities and came across your blog. Interestingly it so matches my situation and also my thoughts about volunteering and situations faced by NGO's.
I have always wanted to do something useful for the local community, as I think, if each person takes care of their local community, it will automatically do global good.
My thoughts on how we can make this better is as follows:
First volunteer work should be treated the same way as regular business work. This will bring discipline, energy and efficient functioning. I think a lot of people want to volunteer for free. So there is no issue of being paid except may be to take care of operating expenses. I suppose donation money will help here. The organization must have a set of core volunteers who work permanently. They will do all the planning and organization and take care of all management. The temporary volunteers are much like contractors who work in companies. The permanent volunteers can delegate the actual task to the temporary volunteers. This way you have the permanent volunteers taking care of management and temporary volunteers doing the final task, which is what needs more people.
All the Best !
Lakshmi
Lakshmi, thanks so much for the thoughtful comments.
I think you have some great ideas regarding professionalizing aspects of volunteer management. From your examples, it sounds like you'd like to see ongoing volunteers providing some leadership (in terms of management and oversight) and project-based or one-time volunteers providing skills-based types of services (much like consultants).
I do think that there are local agencies that could use assistance or support in both areas. The challenge is they may not realize it (yet) or they may feel overwhelmed at the very idea of thinking about it. How could we approach local agencies with these ideas in a way that wouldn't make them feel overwhelmed? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I hope that you are able to find some great opportunities locally either at www.volunteerhoward.org or feel free to call me directly at 410.715.3176 (or e-mail mickey@volunteerhoward.org). Thanks again! - Mickey
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