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October 2013
In This Issue
IVM Day
Featured Title: Volunteer Program Management
More Resources
Excerpt: Do Volunteers Require Management?
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Effective Supervision: A Seminar for Busy Staff Who Partner with Volunteers

Trainer: Betty Stallings 

 

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Understandably, we tend to focus all our attention on the volunteers we lead, but occasionally it's also important to think about ourselves. How the person designated to engage volunteers is seen and treated by an organization speaks worlds about how volunteers are seen and treated. So the greater the understanding of the profession of volunteer resources management by executives and the public, the more effective we - and volunteers - will be.

 

This is a great time to start promoting our profession, as November 5th is International Volunteer Managers Day! And we're starting with a thank-you card to YOU...and for you to send to your colleagues in this creative and meaningful field.

SpecialAnnouncement Appreciation of YOU
International Volunteer Managers Day
(IVM Day) Thank-You Card
 

On November 5th, celebrate IVMDay by downloading or printing the image below and sending it to fellow leaders of volunteers.

 

 
To commemorate IVM Day annually , Energize, Inc. creates an electronic thank-you card ready to send to colleagues in volunteer management. See the banners and posters area of the IVMDay site for last year's edition, as well as other colorful materials and logos free to download and promote IVMDay.

FeatureBookFeatured Book
Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide 3rd Edition  
Joy Noble, Louise Rogers, Andy Fryar

Truly an "essential guide," the book is filled with solid information for both starting and strengthening a volunteer program in any setting.and for proving the value of the position of leader of volunteers.

Read an excerpt from this book below.

This book is available as an e-book (PDF) for immediate download, US$29.00. Order Volunteer Program Management today!
resource2 More Resources
Volunteer ManagementVolunteer Management: Mobilizing All the Resources of the Community, 3rd Edition
The most widely utilized text in the world on the theory and practice of managing a volunteer program.  

This book is available as an e-book (PDF format) for immediate download (US$29.00). Order Volunteer Management.

From the Top DownFrom the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement, 3rd ed
Goes into great detail about the role of the manager of volunteer resources - what the job entails, what qualities are needed to fulfill it, and how it needs to be supported by executives. 

This book is available in print format (US$24.95) or as an e-book (PDF format) for immediate download (US$18.00). Order From the Top Down.

 

e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community 

  • Journal subscribers can log in here to read all the articles below.
  • Non-subscribers can read all the articles and more with affordable 48-hour access to the journal.

"Doing Something about It! Volunteering New Zealand Responds to the Call to Increase Recognition for Managers of Volunteers"  

Claire Teal of Volunteering New Zealand explains how the movement to increase the recognition and support given to Managers of Volunteers got started at a 2009 National Volunteering conference.

Steve McCurley presents an Along the Web about accreditation and credentialing of volunteer program managers. McCurley provides a diverse range of resources - including articles by individuals with personal perspectives on the subject.

Canadian colleague Erin Spink concludes that a proper definition of "volunteer engagement" is not only necessary and practical but a step that will help define the future of the profession.

Subscribe now and get immediate access to all of the above articles, plus everything in the current issue of the journal and its 13-year archive.
ExcerptBook Excerpt

Do Volunteers Require Management?

From Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide, 3rd Edition, by Joy Noble, Louise Rogers, Andy Fryar
 

Over the years there has been much debate over the use of the word "management" in relation to the supervision of volunteers.  

 

Some feared that applying management practices would inhibit the freedom and spontaneity of volunteers, while others argued that you don't manage "people" - rather you manage programs, equipment or other resources. This was one of the reasons the term Volunteer Coordinator was the preferred title for so long. However the word coordinator does not in most cases cover the many duties and skills required to manage volunteer programs. The term Volunteer Program Manager has therefore been adopted in many organisations...to more accurately reflect the role. It is important to note here that it is not the term 'management' that needs to be questioned - but rather the manner of management.

 

Peter Drucker (1990), in speaking about the fact that management may be regarded as a "bad" word in not-for-profit organisations, reminds us that management needs to be seen as a tool, not an end in itself.  

 

Volunteers will walk away from organisations failing to provide them with satisfying experiences. Many are highly educated, well informed and bring with them a great deal of experience to their volunteer position. They expect to be provided with facilities, support, and where appropriate, training to perform the job. They are not looking to be either ignored or over-regulated. They require and expect that their ideas, skills and experience will be utilised, and to be part of the planning and decision-making processes in a well managed and supportive environment:

The days of accepting volunteers into the organisation and operating in either a laissez faire or dictatorial fashion are past. Management expertise is just as vital to ensure the time, skills and commitment of volunteers is maximised, as is the case with paid staff.

Effective management does not mean organising volunteers in a way that limits their initiative. The reverse is true. Effective management involves understanding the concept and issues involved in volunteering and ensuring that the expectations of the volunteer are met and that their personal attributes and skills are matched to organisational requirements in a way that is beneficial to those receiving services, the organisation and the volunteer.

Volunteers are a unique human resource and need to be recognised as such by the organisation. There are not the "sticks and carrots" associated with paid employment such as promotion pay packets, threats of job loss, etc. Volunteers are there because they choose to be. They can leave without giving notice. This unique situation requires skill on the part of the Volunteer Program Manager to ensure the volunteers are satisfied, that their expectations are met and retention levels are high.

 

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

Excerpted from Volunteer Program Management: An Essential Guide, 3rd Edition, by Joy Noble, Louise Rogers, Andy Fryar (Adelaide, Australia: VSA&NT, 2010). Available in the Energize, Inc. Online Bookstore at http://www.energizeinc.com/store/5-210-E-2.
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