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Charity Burnout? How to Cope with the Impact of Mother Nature in 2005

Submitted 12 December 2005, Hillary Roberts, Project Linus NJ, Inc., President, Keyport/NJ USA

Do you have any ideas for disaster response organizations who need to sustain the level of volunteer involvement into the next couple of years to continue the rebuilding process?

Last time I checked my cable service included 150 channels...perhaps ONE brave media outlet could lend an hour or two of programming time to disaster relief personnel who need to keep the volunteering public informed and plugged in to the long term recovery efforts. I'm not referring to the sensational news, I'm talking protocols, local contacts, where to register for training, donation requests, positive outcome coverage. If disaster relief organizations keep the general public under-informed they are missing out on rebuilding opportunities. Build a communication guidepost!

Submitted on 6 December 2005 by Erin, Women In Community Service, Volunteer Coordinator, Boston, MA USA
I am new to this position and this website is a gold mine! First, thank you for creating a space where people in this world can come together. The world is in a general state of dismay (coming from a recovering pessimist), but the volunteers I meet daily have a way of cheering me up and restoring my faith in people.

There are so many motivated people out there - perhaps some of them were inspired to volunteer due to these large-scale tragedies. Maybe they had an invaluable experience helping with the tsunami, earthquake, hurricanes, etc. This is definitely the time to say "thank you" and invite them to continue volunteering right here at home. For example, "did you enjoy handing food out to victims of Katrina, helping them in some way ? Amazing! Please come check out the food bank in downtown Boston. You can do that once a week - helping out your own community." Etcetera. Good luck in 2006, fellow volunteer managers. Keep up the good work!

Submitted on 4 December 2005 by Regina Pistilli, Tuckerton Seaport, Admin Asst/Volunteer Coordinator, Tuckerton, New Jersey USA
What a great perspective. You have turned a negative into a wonderful positive opportunity for volunteer recruiters and not-for-profits. The concept of CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERISM rather than utilizing the "poor me" method is phenomenal. Positive energy receives positive results. I will utilize your suggestions in recruitment efforts here at Tuckerton Seaport. Thank you so much for your inspiration and enlightenment.

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