Need a poster or brochure designed?

Virtual Volunteers available

Idealist is a project of ‘Action Without Borders’, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1995 and based in the U.S.  They’ve recently collaborated with the Art Directors Club to provide design and other creative help online.  If you’d like to benefit you need to register at Idealist, then select Pro-bono Design Project from the list of posting options.   Ruth G.

Volunteers turned off

Do you want good keen volunteers to work in your organisation?  Do you give them the courtesy of a friendly interview after they’ve approached you?  It’s hard for volunteers if they’re not shown this respect, and are left to fend for themselves in an unknown situation.  We have been disappointed to have potential volunteers report to us that their reception by a member organisation has been less than positive.  Please help us to make volunteering a great experience for everyone.               Ruth G.

Towards Volunteering for the Future

The following are excerpts from a presentation given by Margaret Bell, past President of the International Association for Volunteer Effort, at 12th National Conference on Volunteering, Australia, September 2008. Reprinted with permission.

“The volunteer movement is at a crossroad. It can choose to maintain the status quo thus becoming an echo of its former self by promoting and encouraging little more than a benevolent model of volunteering which was urgently needed in the 19th and 20th centuries, or, it can accept the enormous challenges of the modern world by supporting new models of volunteering to a develop strong inclusive civil society. To do this there will be need to be the introduction of a radical transformation in education programmes for volunteer leaders and volunteers.” “For volunteers now we can emphasise “volunteering for social inclusion and change” as volunteers by the very nature of their work are in a unique place in society to insist on animosity free zones in which to carry out their tasks. “The volunteer movement is ideally placed to tackle today’s big questions and to pledge itself more than ever before to fight against bigotry, racism, violence, and hatred, all of which come out of exclusion. And to commit instead to the notion of social inclusion to fight the ills of poverty, ignorance, greed, waste, conflict and fear.” “Multi-identity volunteering is a vital act of engagement, demanding, sometimes uncertain, unrelenting and not always understood. “It is not for the faint hearted and is recognized by the following characteristics: • That whatever the task the first role of the volunteer is to build social inclusion where they work. To practise it personally and to demand it in the workplace. • Belief that volunteering in this pro-active way can make a difference. • A willingness to walk beside and not in front of or behind the other • Shows a desire to experience the situation of the other without imposing judgment • A willingness to tread a path never traversed before • An expectation that there is deep learning for both the volunteer and the other in this model • An understanding that the survival of the planet will have a lot to do with our capacity to identify with the life experience of others and to feel comfortable in doing so • The knowledge that after sharing this experience I will return home by a different path “Examples of multi-identity volunteering: These are likely to be found in organisations working for a sustainable future, a clean environment, poverty eradication, human rights, low cost housing, in creative community development, striving for different and better education, and in areas such as theatre, regional and local arts, and sports. It can be found too amidst those who are working for the elimination of all kinds of prejudice against women, children, aged people, indigenous communities, refugees, gays and lesbians and other disadvantaged or minority groups.”

The full text of Margaret Bell’s ‘Spirit of Volunteering Address’ can be found at www.volunteeringaustralia.org under Conference Papers & Presentations.

Social Networking – learn from our mistakes

Two days before I attended an “E-engage your community” Conference in Wellington, Facebook disabled the profile I’d set up for Volunteering Canterbury (VolCan).  When I originally started that profile I’d noted that Facebook said it must be for an individual, not a group or entity, but I blithely ignored that, not knowing any other way to set up a Facebook presence for VolCan.  I also created a Group and a Page, and recruited Friends (at least 150).  Suddenly it was all gone!  I was slightly consoled by the fact that at least one colleague who’d taken similar action was similarly disabled, and I suspect there may be more to come.

At the Conference I learned that what I could have done instead was to set the Page up through my personal account.  I try hard to keep the boundaries between personal and work life clear, but it seems to me that Web 2.0 makes this very difficult.  So, I’ve now created (through my personal profile) a Facebook Page for Volunteering Canterbury, and I’ve started again to persuade people to become fans of the Page.  I’ll keep hoping to recruit a suitable volunteer to maintain VolCan’s Facebook presence for us.  If you are “on” Facebook please become a fan of our Page.  The more widely we can spread the word the more we will all benefit from increased awareness of volunteering in Canterbury. 

I also learned about the possibilities of Ning , and have dipped my toe in that water.  This is a site where you can create your own social network, and I think might prove useful for a voluntary organisation to use to communicate with its members.

Then there’s Zoho , whose open source customer relations management system may be just what we want for VolCan’s individual membership list, currently administered through an antiquated Access database.

We also heard about the potential of Skype for online chatting and teleconferencing. 

We would love to see a similar conference held in Christchurch, and have started some work towards this.   Ruth G.

Where do we get our support?

Sources of support identified by a meeting of the Volunteer Co-ordinators’ Network were: Colleagues, Supervision, Volunteers, Committee or Board, Internet and other resources, Family, Training workshops, Regular holidays, Lifestyle choices, Coaches, Video and phone conferences, Mentors, Networks, and Buddies

Support from family and friends is often emotional and/or practical.

Support that can help us grow and develop in our role may come from external supervision, from mentors, and from our networks.   In Christchurch some of us meet informally each month over early morning coffee to share peer support.  Anyone who supports volunteers within an organisation or group is welcome to join us.                          Ruth G.

Mileage rates for Volunteers

Some organisations have indicated that they are waiting for the Government to increase the standard non-taxable rate of 62 cents per kilometre up to 3,000 km per year.    The Inland Revenue Department advises that we can either use this rate or the rate “published by a reputable independent New Zealand source representing a reasonable estimate (e.g. NZ Automobile Association Inc. mileage rates)”. 

The 2008 AA rate for a vehicle 1500cc-2000cc is 63cents per kilometre, and for a vehicle 2000cc-3500cc it’s 79.6 cents per kilometre.  If you reimburse at these rates no tax will be incurred by the volunteer.    Ruth G.

Interacting with one day Volunteers

One day volunteers can bring lots of benefits.  This was the outcome of a recent discussion at the Volunteer Co-ordinators’ Network. 

Some examples of one day volunteering mentioned were teams doing large maintenance projects (often through our Employee Volunteering Programme) and pretend patients needed for civil defence exercises.

There may be problems such as unmet expectations, resistance by those receiving services, and the need for closer supervision if there is no opportunity to check references.  In an emergency situation spontaneous volunteers may be more of a hindrance than a help.

Thorough preparation beforehand is vital.  Some processes which can help to ensure a good experience for the Volunteers and for those being assisted are:

Beforehand:
 Encourage Volunteers’ emotional investment – excite them!
 Check and match skills to tasks
 Clearly define the tasks to be done
 Brief appropriately, including identification of hazards

On the day:
 Welcome them warmly
 Make refreshments available
 Be available in case of problems
 Offer some form of recognition
 Thank them                                                 Ruth G.

Are Volunteers being used?

We were disappointed to note that a recent Government Report on Support for Volunteering referred to ‘organisations that use volunteers.’  Nobody likes to feel ‘used’ and we encourage all our readers to carefully consider how the words we use can affect perceptions.  ‘Involve’ or ‘engage’ much more accurately describe the contributions volunteers make.      Ruth G.

Giving and Volunteering

 

Hugh Lawrence, Acting Director of the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector spoke about this project at Volunteering Canterbury’s 2008 AGM.  Some of the project’s aims are to:
• Simplify the means to donating money or time
• Recognise the multiple avenues into giving and volunteering
• Provide guidance on facilitating business-nonprofit relationships
Government can help by:
• Supporting research to better understand the territory
• Overcoming policy barriers
• Supporting the Volunteer Centre Network
• Providing more online resources
More government funding may be needed, but better co-ordination between government agencies will help.
There is fresh data available on giving and volunteering.

Four main themes have been agreed.  They are:
• Giving of money
• Giving in-kind
• Giving of time
• Acts of kindness
Some of the next steps include promoting giving and volunteering through multiple media, but as with all cross-sector projects this will take time.                         Ruth G.

How your role description can attract a volunteer.

A basic role description is comprised of several elements, expressed clearly:

 Role title
 Hours
 Tasks
 Location
 Skills needed
 Reimbursement of expenses
 Information about the organisation
 Who to report to

The role title should grab people’s attention immediately.  Try all the advertisers’ tricks of language: humour, alliteration, glamour and status.  Be positive and realistic.  Try these on for size: Website Wizard, Debt Buster, Personal Stylist, Money Stretcher, Facebook Fan, Digital Display Artist, Obstacle Course Overseer.

If you want a Co-ordinator, try advertising for a Branch Manager or a Regional Facilitator. A club volunteer could become a Social Assistant or a Hospitality Assistant.  An Administrative Assistant could become a P.A., or a Project Assistant or even an Administration Angel.

Flexible role possibilities will extend the appeal of your organisation.  You might like to consider offering flexibility of time, so that volunteers can choose their own hours. 

Other possibilities are shared roles where one or two people may complete the task, either by working together or working individually.  Short-term roles (episodic volunteering) are what many people are looking for.  If they enjoy their first ‘assignment’ they may well sign up for another.
Give details that will allow volunteers to relate to the organisation, and to feel that they can contribute something worthwhile. Many people will want to pay back help they have been given in the past.

Others will regard volunteering as a great way to meet new people. They will appreciate the social opportunities created by the organisation.

Offer flexibility and freedom to volunteers, and make volunteering a good experience.  Give the volunteers support and ensure that they benefit too.  There should be rewards and recognition built into the experience.  If you offer training, work experience and references these will help volunteers who are seeking paid employment.

Organisations must make it clear that they value volunteers and have processes in place to support them.