book buzz logo
March 2012
International Perspectives on Leading Volunteers
In This Issue
Featured Resource: Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide 3rd Edition
Other Resources
Excerpt: "Virtual or On-line Volunteering"
Quick Links

Energize Online Bookstore 

 

www.energizeinc.com 

 

e-Volunteerism 

 

 Everyone Ready: Volunteer Management Skill-Building Program 

Connect with Energize

Find us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter

Energize Blog
Visit the Energize Blog to get the latest news in the volunteer field.
Legal Issues Webinar
March 27, 1:30-3pm ET
Save $20! Enter discount code Web2012 at checkout.

Everyone Ready
Online Training
NEW! Small to Mid-sized Memberships.

Train everyone, within budget, to work successfully with volunteers!

Learn More



Next Topic:

Methods of Volunteer Program Evaluation

April 16 - May 19

 

Trainer: Steve McCurley, Partner, VMS Systems, USA

Determine your volunteer program's effectiveness, focus on needed improvement, and recognize achievements.


Access this self-instruction guide plus other topics and benefits by signing up for our $99 trial run.

One of the advantages of working in the digital world is the ability to get perspectives from many different countries and cultures with relative ease. Since Energize began offering e-books, we have been able to introduce volunteer management books and resources from many parts of the world. Some details and examples may relate to a specific region, but sound volunteer management advice transcends borders.

resource2 Featured Resource
Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide 3rd Editio
by Joy Noble, Louise Rogers, Andy Fryar
Get the Word OutThis Australian publication was available only in print until now. Truly an "essential guide," the book is filled with solid information for both starting and strengthening a volunteer program in any setting.

 

The third edition has been updated to include:

  • Attitudes to volunteering by Baby Boomers and Generations X and Y;
  • Volunteers who expect to be seen as individuals and who can choose to volunteer where and when they like - or choose not to volunteer;
  • Increased awareness of the issues surrounding risk management in volunteering;
  • Volunteering by corporate employees;
  • And more.
Order and Download the book Now!
(e-book, US $29.00)
resource2 Other Resources

stepbystep A Toolkit for Volunteer Speed Matching 

Think speed dating meets volunteer recruiting! One clever volunteer center outside of London, UK produced this toolkit for the perfect, fun and upbeat recruiting event.

 

BestofAll Best of All: The Quick Reference Guide To Effective Volunteer Involvement 

Canadian volunteerism expert, Linda Graff, collects into a single volume all the latest techniques that produce effective volunteer involvement. Enjoy Linda's tell-it-like-it-is style!

 

CorperateTango Take Your Partner for the Corporate Tango: A Guide to Developing Successful Business and Community Partnerships 

Clear guide to community/corporate collaboration, including how to prepare, choose a suitable partner, assure a successful working relationship, and other practical dos and don'ts (from Australia).

 

e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community
International from its start, this quarterly journal includes contributors from all over the world. The articles dig deep and readers get different perspectives on volunteerism in every single issue. e-Volunteerism subscribers can log in here.

Everyone Ready Volunteer Management Skill-Building Program
Online seminars and self-instruction guides are led by internationally recognized trainers, from the U.S., Australia, and Canada.

New addition to the program!
  • Everyone Ready has just announced a Small to Mid-sized Membership option. Smaller nonprofits and government agencies can now afford to train all team members to work more effectively with volunteers.
Resources Book Excerpt

Virtual or On-line Volunteering


Excerpted from chapter 5, "Current Issues Influencing Volunteering" in Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide 3rd Edition by Joy Nobel, Louise Rogers, Andy Fryar, published by Volunteering SA and NT, Adelaide, Australia.

 

The growth of opportunities for volunteers to be involved in volunteering "remotely" via the internet has been another trend that has increased in prominence.

 

The internet has had a threefold effect on volunteer agencies:

 

First - it has allowed Volunteer Program Managers the opportunity to better network with colleagues around the world - and to stay in contact with current trends.

 

Secondly - many volunteer organisations now use the internet as a tool for recruitment - specially designated web pages such as Volunteering Australia's "GoVolunteer" site or via application forms on volunteer organisations' home pages. Organisations not using the internet as a recruitment tool are at a great disadvantage.

 

Thirdly - many volunteers are exploring ways to get involved in volunteering through the medium of technology. Examples of this may include:

  • developing policies and providing advice
  • creating and maintaining databases for not-for-profit organisations
  • befriending a client via email or chat rooms
  • offering support to a project by way of information exchange
  • researching the available information on a particular topic on behalf of a volunteer agency.

"Virtual" volunteers in your volunteer team no longer need to live in your local suburb or even call into the office in order to do their volunteer work. However, while virtual volunteering offers the opportunity to volunteer on the other side of the world, most virtual volunteering occurs locally.

 

Another implication is that people with disabilities have been able to become involved in a whole range of volunteering activities that were not previously available to them. This particularly true of individuals with speech or mobility disabilities.

 

The internet has also had similar implications for those people living in remote rural communities to get involved in volunteering.

The challenges are:

  • Volunteer Program Managers need to consider how to give adequate support to volunteers they never meet in person
  • how to effectively recruit and screen virtual volunteers
how to monitor the work of virtual volunteers and effectively relay the needs of the organisation.   


Permission is granted for organizations to reprint this excerpt. Reprints must provide full acknowledgment of the source, as cited here:

Excerpted from chapter 5, "Current Issues Influencing Volunteering" in Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide 3rd Edition by Joy Nobel, Louise Rogers, Andy Fryar, published by Volunteering SA and NT, Adelaide, Australia. Found in the Energize, Inc. Online Bookstore athttp://www.energizeinc.com/store/5-210-E-2.

Energize, Inc.
5450 Wissahickon Ave., C-13
Philadelphia, PA 19144
[email protected]
www.energizeinc.com

Energize empowers and inspires leaders of volunteers worldwide. Our specialty is creating and selecting the most relevant, innovative resources in volunteer management. We're advocates for the power of volunteers and for the recognition of the leaders who unleash it.
About Us