NEW ARTICLES THIS MONTH

Volume XIV, Issue 4 of e-Volunteerism,our international, subscription-based journal for informing and challenging leaders of volunteers, launched in mid-July and will run through mid-October.

Free Access this Month:

From the Archives

Designing a Strategy for Persuasion  (III, 2 - January 2003)
Individuals leading volunteer programs must not only be excellent technicians but also be able to proactively influence individuals and systems to work effectively with volunteers. In this Training Design, Betty Stallings takes you step-by-step through the process of developing your own persuasion strategy.

From the Current Issue

 The Challenges in Educating Senior Managers

 In their Points of View feature article, Rob Jackson and Susan J. Ellis ponder the continuing question of why it is so hard to teach executives to value the contributions of volunteers and suggest some ways to improve the situation.

Subscriber Access Only:

(Subscribe for a full year or 48-hour access) 

New Postings Since the Last Update

A New Approach to Retain Volunteers: A Reflective Activity  While researchers have used field experiments to understand the giving of money, there have been few studies on the giving of time. Laurie Mook reviews Sign Me Up! A Model and Field Experiment on Volunteering, that contributes to filling this gap.

Still to Come in this Issue
Over the next weeks, readers will gain access to: reflections from Australian volunteerism pioneer, Louise Rogers; a Training Design on "The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter"; and a history of the Junior League and how it has reflected changes in the lives of women. As always, all past articles remain accessible (and open to reader comments) in the online Archives.

 

You can subscribe to e-Volunteerism for a full year or for 48-hour access. Note that subscribers have full access to the Archives of all thirteen previous volume years.

Corporate social responsibility intersects with volunteering when a for-profit company encourages its employees to volunteer in the community, whether on company time or on the employees' personal time - and whether in a pro bono capacity sharing the skills with which they earn a living or pursuing outside interests. And business people are fantastic resources. But sometimes, as former head of General Electric's employee volunteer program, David Warshaw, says, "Businesses are from Mars; Nonprofits are from Venus."

There are indeed many things that are different in world view and operating practices between businesses and both nonprofits and government agencies. Being aware of these differences can help you to orient volunteers from the business sector more effectively and, in turn, help them to maneuver in their new volunteer environment. Also, it's vital to consider what attitudes might be held by the company as an entity, separate from those of individual company employees.

Decision-Making Process

In for-profits: Within a pre-set budget, the authority to make decisions is decentralized and often rapid.

In nonprofits/gov't: Often, plans made on the frontline must be submitted for board approval or legislative review. Rare to have fast action.

Method of Project Funding

In for-profits: Once a decision is made, cash is allocated and available to carry it out.

 In nonprofits/gov't: Unless already in the budget, a new project may need special fundraising or grant-writing, which can take a lot of time (and may not get approved).

Non-cash Resources

In for-profits: Companies may draw on assets that it pays for:

• Employees as volunteers
• Employees for in-kind services (printing, designing, etc.)
• Meeting space
• Equipment, including transport 

In nonprofits/gov't: Nonprofits have fewer cash-based assets, but offer other benefits:

• Employees and volunteers
• Community contacts and sphere of influence
• Location (possibly)

Possible Concerns

In for-profits:

• Remaining profitable is the business' primary focus rather than the nonprofit cause/mission
• Businesses may question the capacity of the nonprofit to contribute to the project 
• Businesses may worry about loss of control
• What is the amount of cash ultimately needed?
• Could unexpected business climate changes arise affecting the ability to continue with the volunteer project?

In nonprofits/gov't:

• The cause/mission is the agency's primary focus, but not for the business
• Will the business commitment last through a slow process?
• Nonprofits may worry about loss of control
• Will there be equity of labor, or will the company assume it pays the bill and the nonprofit does the work?

 Image Issues

In for-profits:

• Who might dislike the company's involvement with the specific cause or agency?
• Will the company gain a "halo effect" for good works or be suspected for self-serving motives?

In nonprofits/gov't:

• Who might dislike the corporate involvement?
• Might some see the agency as "selling out"?

You can see that it's a mistake to assume that someone from the "other side" approaches projects in the same way. Learn and appreciate the differences while you find your commonalities. Your agency, the business, and the volunteers in the middle will all benefit.

This Quick Tip comes from
Susan J. Ellis, President of Energize, Inc.