"An
Open Letter to President Obama"
from
the Nation's Leading Experts in Volunteerism
Energize,
Inc. has posted "An Open Letter to President Obama," identifying issues needing
the new executive's attention if his "new era of responsibility" is to become
reality. Energize is
internationally-recognized as a premier source of information and training on
the effective engagement of volunteers.
Its Web site, www.energizeinc.com,
is the largest free site in the world created specifically for leaders of volunteer efforts.
The
Open Letter serves as the site's February 2009 "Hot Topic," a monthly online
feature written by the company's president, Susan J. Ellis. [Text
of the letter is
publicly posted at http://www.energizeinc.com/hot/2009/09feb.html; you can also download a PDF version.] It applauds the President's call to service,
but raises a number of vital issues that have historically been ignored. For example:
- It takes both volunteers and money to address many societal problems.
- People are willing to volunteer but too often agencies are unwilling to accept the talents and input of community members -- so we need to build organizational capacity to do so effectively.
- "National service," which funds the living expenses of people who are giving full-time service, is only a small percentage of the real work done by millions of Americans throughout the year, with no remuneration. We should focus more on the wide scope of volunteering that needs far less funding.
- The President needs to appoint a new director to the Corporation for National and Community Service who understands the full scope of volunteerism and can also represent the American volunteer community to the rest of the world.
- It is time to lift the long-standing ban against volunteer involvement in federal government offices.
- The President should emphasize volunteer
efforts that address the root causes of problems rather than just the symptoms -- something he knows from his background in community organizing.
Ellis
has been an advocate for best practices to assure volunteer success for over 30
years and is the author of more than a dozen books, including By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers. She has presented seminars in every
state and 23 countries.
Visitors to the Energize site are encouraged to post their
response to Ellis' letter and add to the feedback offered to President
Obama. A printed version of the letter,
along with a copy of By the People,
has been sent directly to the White House. ###
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