Recently I’ve been thinking about how I describe the Volunteer work I do to others. I mainly use the word ‘unpaid’ instead of the word ‘volunteer’. My reasoning is that the minute I describe the work I do as Voluntary people seem to view it less favourably than my paid work.
I would be interested to know your thoughts on the following:
- I s Volunteering undervalued?
- If the Voluntary sector put greater emphasis on the more skilled work their Volunteers did would this help?
- Do we need to make the image of Volunteer work more professional? What would this mean? Pros and Cons? Would this increase the value society places on Voluntary work?
- Do we need to view and hear more stories about the work Volunteers do e.g. in newspapers, on the web, in magazines? Would this change perceptions of ideas about what Volunteers do and how the Volunteers themselves perceive their work?
- If Voluntary work was held in higher esteem by society what would this mean for the sector? Would Volunteers be easier to attract?
- Is there a particular stigma or perception about board/committee work? Is this partly why these positions are difficult to fill?
I look forward to some great discussion on this topic.
Cindy
4 July 2009 at 4:11 pm |
I’m inclined to think many people simply don’t understand what voluntary work is. The commonly accepted definition is that it’s work that is done “unpaid, of your own free will, for the common good.” I often ask people whether they do voluntary work. They say no, yet when I probe I find that they “help out” with lots of things, they just don’t know that they are volunteering.
I don’t think there’s a stigma about Board/Committee work. Many people these days don’t want to make a long term commitment, even for one year. Others are wary of the perceived responsibility which may not be as heavy as they think. People who are interested in volunteering could talk to their local Volunteer Centre to find out more.
16 July 2009 at 10:38 am |
Thanks for your reply Ruth.
I agree with your comment about people not understanding what voluntary work is. One of my relatives helps out people in a very low key, informal way. He was shocked when I described this work as voluntary work. Interestingly he thinks formal volunteer work is a waste of time so I am not sure how happy he was to have his helping work described as voluntary!
I also think there is a lot of truth to your comment about people not wanting long-term volunteer positions. Would it help to advertise for Committee Members to serve one year only? That way they would know it was only a one year commitment. Another way could be to get people onto committees/boards for specific time-limited projects.
Positives could be that once they start they might decide they want to continue. It could also mean getting a regular supply of people coming in with new skills.
A negative could be that people don’t stay long enough to become experienced.
I think its worth looking at how we advertise these positions as many groups cannot get the number of Committee/Board members they need and are breaking their rules/constitution by doing so.
17 July 2009 at 12:57 pm |
Thanks for your thought provoking article – I’m quite astounded to hear some people think of ‘voluntary’ work as as second to paid work and that it is often undervalued. Another phrase for voluntary work is ’social service’ which sounds more positive to me, perhaps as it doesn’t contain the word ‘work’ and suggests the spirit of service to others!
Whichever way I think your idea of promoting skilled volunteering is very important – and a giant leap towards expanding horizons of thought and perception. Stories of volunteers whom are donating a few hours of their time in a skilled capacity on top of their other life responsibilities are a great way to paint the picture of volunteering as an invaluable contribution to our society.
23 July 2009 at 9:57 am |
Thanks for your comment. I like the term “Social Service”. Recently though I saw a survey about youth volunteering in Australia where young people minimised the helping aspect of Volunteering. It was seen as uncool to talk about helping others. They preferred to focus on the fact they were volunteering to learn new skills or boost up their Resume.
I am interested to know whether you have heard any other terms for Volunteering?
Hope things are well with Volunteer Wellington. I will be flying up to your fair city tommorow. I volunteer for Living Streets (an organisation promoting walking and more vibrant streets that people want to walk in). This weekend they are having a training weekend and AGM in Wellington. Many members will also be attending the first NZ Walking Awards. I look forward to spending a bit of personal time looking around Wellington as well. If I had more time I would have come to visit Volunteer Wellington but it was not to be.
All the best. Cindy.
6 August 2009 at 1:49 pm |
Hope your trip to Wellington went well, if you come next time hopefully you will be able to stop by our office here!