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2008 Weekly Volunteer Management News4 May: In line with last week’s news feature (see below), Energize’s Susan Ellis has been invited to guest on an hour-long, live Web talk show to discuss what “voluntourism” is and how the principles of volunteer management apply to this new type of service. David Clemmons of VolunTourism.org hosts the weekly show called “The VolunTourist.” He and Susan will also discuss the three different types of voluntourists. The one-hour show airs on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, and starts at 10 a.m. EASTERN Time – scheduled to be available to people in many international time zones. Listen in. Recordings of this and all past shows are also accessible on the site. 27 Apr: The evolving interest in combining vacation time with volunteering (often called voluntourism) has moved to the big time, as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel company launches “Give Back Getaways” (http://corporate.ritzcarlton.com/en/About/GiveBackGetaways.htm) worldwide. The Web page already gives a calendar listing over 90 different projects, in which the upscale hotel chain will offer:
Registered guests at the properties can sign-up for a half-day of volunteering and pay a fee to cover transportation and lunch. Any funds remaining after these costs are covered are donated to the host organization. The Community Footprints program has been operating since 1983, involving the staff of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels in employee-selected, service projects that collaborate with local organizations to direct resources where the most impact will be made. In 2007 alone, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company donated over $7.4 million in products and services to charitable organizations, and their staff, whom they refer to as “our Ladies and Gentlemen,” contributed over 40,000 hours of volunteer work. 20 Apr: Blue Avocado, a new bite-sized magazine by and for people who work and volunteer in community nonprofits, has just launched as a free electronic resource (http://www.blueavocado.org/). It will publish on the 1st and 15th of every month—and is delivered via e-mail newsletter, Web site, and RSS feed. For those who previously subscribed to Board Café edited by Jan Masaoka, that has become a column in the expanded Blue Avocado format – with Jan at the helm of the new enterprise. Blue Avocado's aim is “to engage and support the people of community nonprofits, the ones who do the heavy lifting in building social justice and strong communities, and who create and drive the ideas that change our world for the better.” The first editorial also proposes that reading the piece should “feel like a 10-20 minute vacation: rather than careful abstract prose you feel you ought to read, we hope Blue Avocado will be enjoyable, ultra-practical, [and] authentic….” Planned content includes:
13 Apr: The Consortium of Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Voluntary and Community Organisations (The Consortium) operates as a national body to develop and support LGBT groups, organizations and projects across the UK. In response to requests from their network, they have just launched a Web area with a range of free downloadable resources titled: Volunteering on a Shoestring (not another toolkit!) at http://www.lgbtconsortium.org.uk/c1/activities/involved/resources_lgbt.php. While The Consortium describes the resources found there as “for small LGBT organisations who don’t have the time or money to involve volunteers according to ‘best practice’,” they are inaccurate twice! First, the material is hugely applicable to any type of grassroots, predominantly-volunteer setting and, second, it very much recommends quality volunteer management practices.
6 Apr: The NonProfit Times (www.nptimes.com) has launched a new online portal which gives nonprofits and other researchers free access to corporate donation data for fundraising research. The portal is powered by the Internet search company NOZA, Inc., provider of the world’s largest database of charitable gifts. The research portal gives access to over 4,300 searchable records of corporate donations valued at $1 million or more to U.S. charities – the largest such list ever compiled. The only free service of its kind, users can search, view and save information about the corporate donor, recipient organization, size of gift, and year of donation. Nonprofits can research current donors and create customized prospect lists to assist in solicitation planning. For those seeking funding for volunteer programs and projects, there are search categories such as “Philanthropy/Voluntarism” and “Membership Organizations.” Access is available immediately at www.nptgrantsearch.com or from NPT’s home page. The new Corporate Philanthropy Portal will be updated monthly. 30 Mar: Every March, Sport Nova Scotia – the provincial body that coordinates sport and recreation activities – runs an advocacy campaign called “Sport Makes A Difference,” aimed at educating decision-makers in business and politics, health care workers, social service providers, educators, parents and youth about the benefits of amateur sport to the economy, health, community and youth. For 2008, the theme has been sport volunteers:
In an online article on NovaNews.com, a columnist writes:
As March draws to a close, bravo to all the sport volunteers of Nova Scotia – and around the world! 23 Mar: The extensive Web search services and tools company, Google, Inc., already supports philanthropic programs through its Google.org site, but has now opened a new “portal” specifically to explain how to apply various Google features and software to charitable work: http://www.google.com/nonprofits/index.html. The Google™ “suite” of applications includes an e-mail program, mapping software, blog software, tools to analyze Internet traffic, a grants search engine, and more. These are free for nonprofit groups, and the new portal offers tips on how to use the applications for philanthropy, video tutorials to explain how each tool works, and links to outside groups that have incorporated a Google application into their daily work. In a Chronicle of Philanthropy article describing the new site, Bob Boorstin, Google’s Director of Policy Communications, said:
Make the work of these Google employee volunteers worthwhile by spending some time exploring these incredible free resources, available to all. 16 Mar: As reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, on March 12th the U.S. House of Representatives rejected by one vote a bill to reauthorize and expand the national-service programs operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service (which runs AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America). The Generations Invigorating Volunteering and Education (GIVE) Act, H.R. 5563 would have authorized AmeriCorps to expand from 75,000 participants to 100,000 over five years. The Chronicle explained:
David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service issued the following press release in reaction to the House vote:
9 Mar: The Anambra government in Nigeria has set up an Environment Volunteer Corps, also called the Green Club, to tackle environmental problems in the state. At a news conference reported in The Tide News Online, one official said the Green Club was mainly for youths “because they are the future beneficiaries of the environment.” Participants, drawn from various organizations as well as ENVOCORPS at the local government level, are expected to retrain youths and children from 41 secondary schools in the state. This action comes in tandem with the Center for Development Support Initiatives’ (CEDSI - Nigeria) recent launch of its ECO GREEN Initiative on Climate Change. Learn more at http://www.cedsinigeria.org/ecogreen.html. 2 Mar: Making maximum use of the attention focused on the 2008 presidential campaign, the national organization, Keep America Beautiful (www.kab.org), is embarking on a campaign of its own as part of the “Great American Cleanup,” which takes place annually from March 1 through May 31. Unlike the presidential candidates, the organization is making a rather unusual campaign promise: to "fight dirty" and focus on improving communities nationwide. PNN Online gives more details about the Great American Cleanup:
The 2008 Great American Cleanup kickoff celebration will begin at 9 a.m.(PST) on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, in the Roundhouse of the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. 24 Feb: The results of the third annual survey of 1,000 adults commissioned by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reveals some expected and unexpected data. As before, Americans report that it is easier to give money than to give time. But consider this from Thrivent’s press release:
What are the implications of this for the assumptions so often made about seniors and service? For more details on the study, see the Chronicle of Philanthropy article. 17 Feb: A passionate volunteer, Robert Egger, using his own money and energy, has started something he calls the “V3 Campaign” (http://www.v3campaign.org/) in an effort to organize the American nonprofit community into political action to hold elected officials accountable for doing something to support the needs of the sector. In his words from the site:
In describing the nonprofit sector, all the materials mention volunteers as a significant factor. The Web site provides a simple, one-page questionnaire that anyone can give to any candidate to elicit a response. There are other suggested actions to take as well. One interesting page on the site shows the photos of all the current Presidential contenders with the challenge to them to respond to the questions so their answers can be posted and compared. As of today, only Mike Huckabee has responded (judge his level of knowledge on the subject for yourself). This is a simplistic, basic campaign, but it does break new ground and has the potential to open fresh dialogue on a subject long ignored. Take a look. 10 Feb: ABC National Radio is preparing to air a second series of shows on volunteering this March for its Australian audience. But listeners can be anywhere in the world thanks to the Internet and the archive of 2007 broadcasts are still available for online listening at: www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/features/vitaactiva
Bravo to Melanie and ABC National Radio! Maybe the idea will catch on in other countries? 3 Feb: The European Volunteer Centre (Centre européen du volontariat, CEV) is a network of currently 60 mainly national and regional volunteer centers and volunteer development agencies across Europe, that together work to support and promote voluntary activity. CEV channels the collective priorities and concerns of its member organizations to the institutions of the European Union. It also acts as a central forum for the exchange of policy, practice and information on volunteering. The new Web site, www.cev.be, contains a wealth of information about volunteering in Europe, including the "Facts & Figures" reports compiled by the CEV since 2003 aiming to provide comprehensive statistical data and information about volunteering and volunteers in the different European countries. Also check out the well-articulated section on “Why Volunteering Matters!” You can sign up for the monthly CEV e-newsletter and read past issues in the online archives. 27 Jan: The Australian-based consulting firm, People First – Total Solutions (www.pfts.com.au), is conducting research into the state of volunteer management globally. The results will be used to:
Over 500 people have already responded to the survey and you should, too. The cut off is March 1st. The link for the survey is The survey is completely anonymous.It will take between 20 and 30 minutes. If you have any questions or comments, please email pfts@pfts.com.au. People First -Total Solutions is an international company, headed by Martin J Cowling, whose mission is to assist not-for-profits to succeed in mobilizing their people through training, consultancy and coaching services. PFTS will happily provide you with the results and will also be providing feedback in a written and seminar form. 20 Jan: 2008 marks 40 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. So this year, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (A Day On, Not A Day Off) is running a special “40 Days of Nonviolence: Building the Beloved Community” to commemorate the milestone. Taking the concept even further, Youth Service America and the Corporation for National and Community Service are encouraging semester-long service-learning projects. The “Semester of Service” will take place in classrooms as part of the academic curriculum; in schools as part of the extra-curricular activities of student councils, honor societies, student clubs, and sports teams; in congregations of faith; and in youth development groups in neighborhoods across the United States. During these 12 weeks, young people from elementary schools to graduate research universities will identify a problem or unmet need that affects their community, the nation, or the world. They will prepare a plan, take action to implement their solution, reflect deeply on their progress and next steps, and celebrate their success. Youth Service America has prepared a number of resources to assist anyone interested in participating in the Semester of Service, including:
“Creature Discomforts” provides free online animated public education clips for television and radio, including ones with sign interpreting for the deaf. The campaign highlights the disadvantage and discrimination that disabled people experience every day, largely as a result of the ignorance of the wider population. The Aardman Animations team has created new characters for Leonard Cheshire Disability’s campaign including a bull terrier in a wheelchair, a stick insect with a walking stick and a tortoise on crutches. The animations are based on the genuine voices of disabled people describing in their own words the negative attitudes and barriers they experience, which separate them from society. In November of 2007, the characters began appearing in the UK in ads at bus stops, in newspapers, in magazines, as well as online. As of this month, the animations will be aired on ITV. To learn more about the campaign – and to send free electronic postcards with the characters -- visit www.CreatureDiscomforts.org. 6 Jan: As Americans age, older adults' volunteer activities become increasingly important. The nonpartisan Urban Institute, which “publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration,” has just released a new report entitled Volunteer Transitions among Older Americans. The report can be downloaded for free. This study uses longitudinal data from a nationally representative survey to examine entries into and exits from volunteer activities by adults age 55 to 65. The findings reveal considerable persistence among volunteers. Nearly 7 of 8 older adults who volunteered in 1996 volunteered again by 2004, and nearly 4 in 10 volunteered consistently over the eight-year period. The findings indicate that, to maximize volunteer engagement later in life, it’s best to recruit older adults as early as possible, ideally before they retire. Older adults are more likely to stop volunteering than to start, according to the study. The duration and intensity of volunteer activity, as well as marriage to a volunteer, are strong predictors of continued volunteering. And the time spent away from volunteer activities, as well as marriage to a non-volunteer, decreases the odds of volunteer starts. 30 Dec: The American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services of the American Hospital Association—known as ASDVS for more than 20 years – is changing its long and non-specific name to re-brand itself as AHVRP, the Association for Healthcare Volunteer Resource Professionals. Their logo highlights the letter V in red. They’ve also adopted the tagline “leading America’s healthcare volunteers.” The new name takes effect as of January 2008. Check out their Web site at www.todaysvolunteer.org. 23 Dec: In its Do More area, GlobalGiving provides a variety of ways for people to spread the word, including a list of volunteer activities in support of the site itself. If nothing else, visit the site to see how an organization can use Web technology to inform, excite, and elicit action. Giving a gift card like this may end up the best excuse for procrastinating about real-world shopping! 16 Dec: On Monday, December 10th the word volunteer received some unusual attention when an armed parishioner confronted a man who charged into her New Life Church in Colorado Springs church Sunday firing a weapon, shooting him and ending a killing spree that threatened the entire congregation. Every mass media outlet covered the story; see CNN for a summary. The case was special for a number of reasons: the hero was a woman; she was licensed to carry a gun and used her own weapon; and she was acting as a “volunteer security guard.” Well! In the past few days there has been reaction from all quarters, including several media folks calling Energize to inquire “is it common for volunteers to be asked to guard something with a gun?” The answer is no (which would seem to go double for a religious setting). Of course, there are many unanswered questions about this case, including whether it was usual for armed guards to be on site, whether she acted as a private individual or at the behest of the church, and more. An interesting and informative thread of posts can be found at “Of Arms and the Law,” raising a number of related issues. By the way, the acronym CCW stands for “concealed carry weapon” permit. However, it’s worthwhile to point out that volunteers do “work security” at hundreds of major events, including every protest march and demonstration. In those cases, however, their role is to keep order and work with law enforcement, not replace it. Planned Parenthood clinics and other controversial settings often recruit volunteer “escorts” who face real danger in walking clients through protesting crowds in order to enable them to get the service they need. But guns are generally not part of the position description! 9 Dec: Volunteer and Service Inquiry Southern Africa (VOSESA, http://vosesa.org.za) has been working to bring serious and knowledgeable discussion of volunteering and service-learning to Africans. It produces two free online publications, Service Enquiry ad VOESA Focus. The articles in the December 2007 issue of VOESA Focus are on a range of provocative topics that raise important issues for any country:
2 Dec: For nearly 100 years, US Postal Service employees have sorted through the hundreds of thousands of letters children address this time of year to “Santa at the North Pole” and passed many on to volunteers, charitable groups and corporations that want to help. Volunteers could call an 800 number to receive information on a deserving child or go online to answer the Santa letters. This year, for the first time, those volunteers will have to present photo identification and sign a waiver releasing the Postal Service from liability for "all causes of action, claims, liens, rights or interests of any kind or type whatsoever." This, despite the fact that there have been no lawsuits or accusations of impropriety. In a timeline accompanying this story in USA Today, the historical highlights appear as:
Sue Brennan, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service, says the change was made "to protect the children and to protect the integrity of the program and the Postal Service... We were giving out information about these kids to people we didn't know." Of course this is a sign of the times, but John Andrews, a former president of the Colorado Senate who specializes in tort reform at the Claremont Institute, a conservative public policy think tank in California had the best quote: "You would think the North Pole is one place on Earth that is safe from the trial lawyers and the litigation experts." 25 Nov: In 2004, editors Andy Fryar, Rob Jackson and Fraser Dyer published the first edition of Turn Your Organisation Into a Volunteer Magnet – a free collection of 18 essays written for and by volunteer management practitioners on three continents. Not resting on their laurels, the same three editors have produced a totally new 2nd edition, also available for free download. The new edition has 40 international contributors of short, but pithy essays, totalling 204 pages! Get both books for your collection: 2nd edition (2007) The editors’ statement of philosophy about the Volunteer Magnet book is important to know. They feel it is:
18 Nov: In the United States, one of the traditions of the Thanksgiving holiday is a parade, most often sponsored by a local department store. Whether you see this as a ploy to launch the Christmas shopping season, a way to get the kids out of the house while the turkey cooks, or something to fill the airwaves until the football begins, several parades are over 80 years old and are nationally famous. And every one of them relies on volunteers to bring off the event. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, shown on national television and immortalized in movies, involves over 4,000 volunteers, many of them Macy’s employees. See their timeline at http://www.macys.com/campaign/parade/history.jsp. Interestingly, the accident with one of the giant balloons back in 1997 caused some buzz about poor training of volunteers. See one blog at http://emailforpics.com/2005/11/23/thanksgiving-day-parade-chaos/. Hudson's Department Store in Detroit began the parade in that city (now known as 81st America’s Thanksgiving Parade®) but it now is run by The Parade Company, which “keeps the show running with thousands of volunteers. Many Detroit businesses are sponsors of the parade and the Distinguished Clown Corps is made up of many well-known Detroiters who contribute $1,000 to march as clowns in the parade” (source: http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=173&category=life). If you’re wondering what you could do as a volunteer apart from paying for the privilege, see the list of opportunities at http://www.theparade.org/volunteers/default.aspx?id=22. There’s also a list of volunteer opportunities for the McDonald's® Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago, Illinois at http://www.chicagofestivals.org/2007VolunteerPositions.htm. Here in Philadelphia, they are still seeking handlers for the large helium balloons, so if you’re free, go to http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=features&id=3522587 and join in! 11 Nov: Each year, the organization Echoing Green (www.echoinggreen.org) awards 20 two-year fellowships to entrepreneurs creating new social change organizations. Fellows receive up to $90,000 in seed funding and technical support to turn their innovative ideas into sustainable organizations. The application process is open to citizens of all nationalities, working in any country. To accelerate social change, Echoing Green invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions. These social entrepreneurs and their organizations work to solve deeply-rooted social, environmental, economic, and political inequities to ensure equal access and to help all individuals reach their potential. To date, Echoing Green has invested $25 million in seed funding to nearly 450 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations. Encourage volunteers you know to apply! Get all details at http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellowship. 4 Nov: If this is the first time you’ve heard about the Web site Second Life (www.secondlife.com), we promise it won’t be the last. As they describe themselves: “Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.” It’s free and individuals interact online using virtual personas called “avatars.” There have been recent mentions of the phenomenon of nonprofits using this virtual reality site for real-world fundraising and volunteer recruiting in a range of publications, including The NonProfit Times and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. An extremely interesting article in Canadian Fundraiser this week, “Not Only the Big Guys Can Teleport into the Big Time,” describes the successful experience of Bridges for Women, a small Canadian nonprofit organization, in opening a presence in Second Life’s Nonprofit Commons area. One of the opportunities explained in the article is the weekly nonprofit meetings held in Second Life by Tech Soup, the gurus of nonprofit technology trends:
Keep your eyes open for lots more buzz about this phenomenon. 28 Oct: The Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (www.cvacert.org) has announced the next cycle for individuals seeking to earn their CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration) credential. This unique, international, performance-based program recognizes practitioners with at least 3 years of experience in the field of volunteer resources management. It was originally developed by the former Association for Volunteer Administration.
To get started, visit the CCVA Web site at www.cvacert.org and print a copy of the 2008 Candidate Handbook and registration form. Specific questions can be directed to Katie Campbell, CCVA Executive Director, at 804-794-8689 or ccva@comcast.net. 21 Oct: When the Peace Corps (www.peacecorps.gov) was founded in 1961, it attracted the best and the brightest volunteers. Then it began to struggle with drops in applications throughout the ‘70s and ’80s and only a modest rise in the '90s. But since 2000, more than 51,000 young people have answered the call – putting the first decade of the 21st century on track for having the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers since the '60s. According to a news release this month, the Peace Corps attributes the increase over the past seven years to a new tide of volunteering among young Americans. “Rigorous college application processes and stricter admissions standards are emphasizing volunteer experience. Post-collegiate opportunities, like the Peace Corps, are an extension of that,” said Kim Ramsden, a Peace Corps spokeswoman, “especially when graduates are thinking about their future careers.”
This year, the Peace Corps was named one of BusinessWeek magazine’s “Best Places to Launch a Career” – jumping from No. 38 to No.23 in the annual ranking of the top U.S. employers for young professionals entering the workforce (http://www.businessweek.com/ “As businesses become more global and jobs become more competitive, the Peace Corps provides language training and leadership skills that will give these graduates a unique edge,” said Ramsden. With 7,749 volunteers today, the Peace Corps expects its numbers to continue to rise. Peace Corps, of course, is for Americans. There are similar international volunteering opportunities for citizens of other countries as well as programs coordinated by United Nations Volunteers (UNV). For a list of such programs, see: http://www.unv.org/en/partners/cooperating-agencies.html 14 Oct: EDS is a leading global technology services company delivering business solutions to its clients; it founded the information technology outsourcing industry 45 years ago. Each October since 1993, thousands of EDS employees in 24 countries and 36 U.S. states dedicate their time and talents to contribute to their communities through the company's annual Global Volunteer Day program (http://www.eds.com/about/community/volunteer/). This year's theme is "Think outside the cube. Volunteer." To date the program has benefited 4,500 charitable causes by donating more than 600,000 volunteer hours in 32 countries.
EDS teams have chosen to support a variety of volunteer projects this year:
7 Oct: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences bestows its Public and Community Service Emmy® Awards to honor television professionals for programming that advances the common good (http://www.emmyonline.org/public/). The Community Service Emmy® is presented to a local television station or cable company for a campaign that provides an example of outstanding service to its community. In addition, two awards for Outstanding Public Service Announcement are also presented each year. New this year is an award for public service announcements in a sponsored commercial. Winners for the Community and Public service awards are chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges composed of community leaders, clergy, educators, business people and artists. Also to be presented at the ceremony on November 9 is the new Humanitarian Award. It will be given to WITNESS (www.witness.org), a human rights organization co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel, for its use of video and online technologies to document and expose human-rights violations around the world. WITNESS, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., has provided hundreds of human rights activists in 70 countries with the technical and strategic training and support they need to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice and change. 30 Sep: The GoldStar Exemplar Programme (www.goldstar.org.uk/) is a national initiative designed to encourage and enable voluntary organizations and projects throughout England to realize the potential of volunteers from socially excluded or disadvantaged groups. This includes people with no formal qualifications, people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups, and people with disabilities or long-term illness – “anyone in danger of social exclusion” who “represent a rich and largely untapped volunteer resource in all our towns, cities and local communities.” GoldStar is run by the Cabinet Office which is central to English government (www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about_the_cabinet_office/). The Web site is rich with model program examples, templates and sample forms, and many details about how to engage socially-excluded groups in volunteering. Last week, GoldStar announced a new “Vetting and Barring Scheme” (VBS) to increase protection of children and vulnerable adults by improving methods for screening potential volunteers and employees. It is a registration system, stopping people who the Scheme decides are unsuitable from volunteering (or trying to volunteer) with children and vulnerable adults. It will be implemented in fall 2008. A 5-page document detailing the plan can be downloaded at www.goldstar.org.uk/Vettingandbarring_000.htm.
Clearly this is an extremely formal procedure with far-reaching ramifications. It should be interesting to watch both reaction to the released document andthe effect of the implementation. 23 Sep: Special note from Susan: Some of you may know that I am presently traveling and conducting training in the Pacific. While in Brisbane, Australia, I learned of an interesting corporate "cause-related marketing" idea specifically to support volunteering here. A coffee shop company with stores throughout Australia, called bb's cafe, has printed thousands of 10% discount cards for organizations to give to volunteers. The cards say:
Of course this will increase sales for the chain, but it's still an interesting idea. It was developed with Volunteering Queensland, which describes the project at http://www.volunteeringqueensland.org.au/services/bbs_community_futures.shtml. It is one aspect of much broader "Community Futures" project. 16 Sep: Helping Out: A National Survey of Volunteering and Charitable Giving is a new household survey of 2,700 adults (aged 16 and over, and including 549 people from ethnic minority groups) in England which asks for details of people's views and experiences of participation in voluntary activity and charitable giving. The survey, produced by the Cabinet Office of the Third Sector, explores how and why people engage in formal volunteering, and what they think of their experiences; and how and why they give money to charity. It also looks at what stops people from giving to charity or volunteering. It builds on the Institute for Volunteering Research's National Survey of Volunteering, and provides insights into changes over the last ten years. The survey can be accessed at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/research_statistics/helping_out.asp. It provides a wealth of data that will enable the Office of the Third Sector, practitioners and funders to target and manage programs in support of volunteering and giving, and to help overcome the barriers people face in taking part, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Among the key findings:
9 Sep: In order to raise awareness and spread the practice of service-learning in the United States, the Corporation for National and Community Service is experimenting with a week-long campaign called the “National Learn & Serve Challenge.” By 2010, the Corporation wants to reach the goals of 5 million college students serving and 50% of America’s K-12 schools incorporating service-learning into their curricula. To that end, the National Learn & Serve Challenge is sponsored by the National Service-Learning Partnership and is being supported by a coalition of service-learning and youth service organizations. Through a concentrated week of special events and activities, supporters hope to spotlight service-learning successes around the country in order to build awareness of students’ contributions to their communities; spread effective service-learning practices; and inspire other schools and communities to launch their own programs and projects. More information and project ideas are at www.learnandservechallenge.org. The campaign’s theme is “Be a Solution” and there are tee-shirts and other products available for young people with the slogan “I Am a Solution.” 2 Sep: The International Herald Tribune reported on August 17th that a 2,000-year-old Etruscan tomb was found in Cadenvole, a remote corner of Tuscany. (www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/17/europe/tuscany.php) Anything found underground in Italy belongs to the state and the dig required a permit. An archeological student and a small group of volunteers from the amateur archeological association, Odysseus, made the discovery after both paying for and doing the work involved. Volunteering is vital to preserving Italy’s past.
The article concludes:
26 Aug: A new research study by VolunteerMatch released last month takes a closer look at boomers and civic engagement to find that nearly two-thirds of older, non-volunteering boomers are interested in getting involved, yet many aren't sure where to find the right opportunity. Great Expectations: Boomers and the Future of Volunteering seeks to provide useful insights for nonprofits interested in expanding their capacity to attract and engage this talented population (click on the link to download a PDF or order a printed copy). Great Expectations explores both the nonprofit and the volunteer perspective, but focuses on identifying the evolving motivations, attitudes, skills and expectations of volunteers as they mature. The study also underscores the growing use of the Internet among older Americans and illustrates its usefulness as a tool for connecting volunteers with local nonprofit organizations. To help put the report’s findings into action, VolunteerMatch is collaborating with the federal Corporation for National and Community Service to launch a new, cutting-edge volunteer search engine aimed at attracting more Baby Boomers and 55+ volunteers. Combining the Corporation’s experience in recruiting older adults with VolunteerMatch’s expertise in online recruitment, the new 55+ channel at www.getinvolved.gov will help connect more Boomers with American nonprofits that need their skills and expertise. 19 Aug: Action Without Borders/Idealist.org is excited to announce the launch of the Volunteer Management Resource Center - www.idealist.org/vmrc - a free, comprehensive online source for new tools and existing resources to support volunteer management professionals in nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations. In the Volunteer Management Resource Center, funded by a Volunteer IMPACT Fund grant from The UPS Foundation and the National Human Services Assembly, you can locate geographic or service-specific networks and professional development opportunities as well as access best practices and resources on topics like:
There is also a space dedicated to informing job seekers about the profession, including why it matters and how professionals can advocate for the field.
The section titled “Volunteer Managers + Human Resource Managers = Common Ground” (http://www.idealist.org/en/vmrc/commonground/index.html) is designed to foster collaboration between human resources and volunteer management professionals by sharing information and best practices and promoting opportunities for partnership. Also see Idealist’s Nonprofit Human Resources Center for more about that profession. The Volunteer Management Resource Center is intended to be a dynamic tool for volunteer management professionals, so if you have feedback, suggestions, or resources to add, contact Erin Barnhart Manager, Volunteer Management Program Action Without Borders / Idealist.org, 503-227-0803 x109, erinb@idealist.org. www.idealist.org/vmrc. If your organization is not registered with Idealist.org, visit www.idealist.org and join almost 70,000 organizations in reaching over 400,000 people daily. Registration is free and easy. As a registered organization you will be able to post jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities; list events; start or find local groups of nonprofit professionals; sign up for nonprofit career fairs in your community; add representatives from your organization to the speakers database and more. 12 Aug: The countdown is on! International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day (IVMA Day) is being celebrated for the ninth time on November 1st and so now is the time to start planning the ways that YOU are going to celebrate the day! Why not:
Not only does the day offer a terrific opportunity to celebrate the difference VPMs make, it is also an ideal opportunity to educate others about exactly what it is that we all do. And don’t forget, once you have arranged an event be sure to register it on the IVMA Day Web site at www.ivmaday.org. You can get lots of other good ideas on this site, too. 5 Aug: The planning committee of the first conference sponsored by the new Association for Volunteer Resources Management (AVRM), to be held in Dallas, Texas on October 3 to 5, has just announced the workshops that will be offered on the program. The conference theme is “Building Bridges to Our Future.” 29 Jul: For many site visitors, this news item will seem esoteric, but it has potential to impact American volunteerism in a number of ways. Simply put, the Internal Revenue Service is revising their Form 990 for the first time in decades. This is the form that all nonprofit organizations are required to file annually in order to make their financial transactions transparent to the public as well as the government. Because of the importance of the 990, many people are attempting to influence the content of the revised form and the IRS has opened public review for 90 days. One of the most organized attempts to solicit and craft solid review has been launched as a “wiki” by NCCS (National Center for Charitable Statistics) at http://www.nccs2.org/wiki/, titled “Form 990 Review: Let's Reason Together to Create the Best Possible Form.” Here any interested person can engage in debate about the proposed changes to the form. In its publicity about the wiki, NCCS says:
For the most part, accountants and academics will drive this discussion, but what’s important to us here is how volunteer involvement is or isn’t reported. Today there is no requirement for an organization to report volunteer involvement. In the present 990, there is an optional line in Part III in which an organization “may” include donated services. Right now it is hard to find any place on the revised form that even gives this paltry option! So we need to get involved and give input! If you can bear reading arcane details, this could be a very important debate and our field should be represented. The instructions for the wiki are quite good, so give it a try. Again, go to http://www.nccs2.org/wiki/. 22 Jul: In accepting the 2007 Spirit of Service Corporate Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service at the closing luncheon of the National Volunteering and Service Conference in Philadelphia on July 18th, Jeffery B. Swartz, president and CEO of Timberland, shared his own concept of corporate citizenship: “It is the business of business to create social change. Business has a role in building the beloved community. We can earn a profit and make a difference—all in a long day at the office.” Timberland is very engaged in the community and has a complete – and impressive –Web site describing both the extensive volunteer efforts of its employees and ways that customers can get involved, too: http://www.timberland.com/timberlandserve/timberlandserve_index.jsp. Stressing that “At Timberland, our mission is to equip people to make their difference in the world,” the company provides how-to information for days of service and also offers cash grants through its Community Investment program (details of which are posted on the Web site as well). Next to the links to these PDFs, Timberland says: Use them. Share them. Make it better. The other 2007 corporate award winners are described in a Points of Light press release at http://www.pointsoflight.org/about/mediacenter/ 15 Jul: Experts at the National Weather Service are projecting a 75 percent chance that the Atlantic Hurricane Season will be above-normal this year, showing the ongoing active hurricane era remains strong. And, while there are always many “spontaneous volunteers” providing important preparation, recovery and clean-up services in times of natural disasters, groups such as the Points of Light and the American Red Cross also note that
HelpinDisaster.org (www.HelpinDisaster.org) is part of an online, community-based volunteer network designed by and built for Volunteer Centers by the Points of Light Foundation. As well as registering themselves in advance of an emergency, volunteers can find other useful information on the site, including what not to do at the height of the crisis. 8 July: Civic Ventures has just announced the names of 15 people over the age of 60 selected as finalists for their $100,000 Purpose Prize. The award is for “entrepreneurial Boomers” who lead projects to solve a pressing social problem. The range of issues addressed by the finalists is impressive: humane treatment of farm animals, better care for foster children, saving energy for low-income home owners, and many others. And one of the finalists is 91! The Civic Ventures Web site, ironically, seems to be down at the moment, but information about them and the Purpose Prize can ordinarily be found at www.civicventures.com and www.purposeprize.org. In the meantime, you can read about the Prize winners at the “Enterprising Ideas” blog on the PBS site, where you can also learn much more about the concept of “encore careers.” Maybe next year you can nominate a great 60+ volunteer from your organization! 1 July: Two new developments were announced last week affecting the volunteer community in the United States. First, after three months of negotiations, the respective boards of Hands On Network (www.handsonnetwork.org) and the Points of Light Foundation (www.pointsoflight.org) have met and voted unanimously to enter into the final stages of the merger process. In a communiqué issued jointly by Michelle Nunn (HON) and Terry Williams (POLF), the decision was announced but no further details given:
It is widely expected that more information about this merger will be given during the upcoming National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Philadelphia in two weeks. Second, on June 8-10, members of the Steering Committee for the Congress of Volunteer Administrator Associations (COVAA, www.covaa.org) convened in Las Vegas for a retreat to assess progress to date and plan the next steps. Excellent progress was made and the group now has a stronger timeline and clear action steps for the creation of a national association to support leaders in volunteer management. They have issued a full report of the retreat and promise to continue posting information to the COVAA Web site. The Steering Committee has also announced a Town Hall Meeting for Volunteer Administrator Associations, to be held as a pre-conference event at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. The Meeting will be on Sunday, July 15, 2007 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm (it is not necessary to register for the conference to add this free meeting). Members of local, state, and regional volunteer administrator associations are encouraged to participate in this important dialogue regarding the current and future needs of the profession. As stakeholders in the profession, attendees will participate in the dialogue, as well as receive a report on the outcomes of the Congress, progress of the Steering Committee, and next steps. 24 June: Andy Fryar of OzVPM (www.ozvpm.com) is reminding everyone that the deadline for submissions for the new edition of Turn Your Organisation into a Volunteer Magnet ebook is just a week away: the 30th of June. [You can still download the original edition for free at http://www.energizeinc.com/art/documents/VolunteerMagnet1.2.pdf.] 10 June: One judge started a movement in 1977 in Seattle with an innovative idea: training community volunteers to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court. So successful was this program that soon judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, the US Congress encouraged the expansion of CASA programs with passage of the Victims of Child Abuse Act. Last month, National CASA became the first national organization to be certified by the Standards for Excellence Institute (www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org/) to receive the Standards for Excellence Certification™ Seal. The seal recognizes nonprofit organizations that operate with the highest standards of accountability and ethics. Learn much more about CASA at www.nationalcasa.org. In addition to its important work with children, CASA has long been respected in the volunteer world for its generous sharing of volunteer management information online. Posted for its own network, the resources are available at no cost to any site visitor. Check it out at: www.casanet.org/program-management/volunteer-manage/index.htm. 3 June:
“Declining volunteerism and civic engagement threaten Canada’s communities at their core.” With this dire proclamation, Who Cares? – www.CanadaWhoCares.ca – was launched this week to spotlight the urgent need for action in communities across Canada, and to protect these most precious of Canadian values. With implications, of course, for the rest of the world. The announcement states:
The Graff-Reed conversations have been released on CD and as a free download to make their vital message available without cost to all Canadians – and the rest of us. To download a free copy and get much more information, go to: www.CanadaWhoCares.ca. 27 May: Investing in Volunteers (IiV, http://iiv.investinginvolunteers.org.uk/) is the UK Quality Standard for all organizations which involve volunteers in their work. The Standard enables organizations to comprehensively review their volunteer management, and also publicly demonstrates their commitment to volunteering. IiV has just launched its new Toolkit. This interactive e-learning development tool has specifically been created for Volunteer Managers or anyone interested in implementing IiV in their volunteer-involving organization. The Toolkit, found at http://iiv.investinginvolunteers.org.uk/ After registering (FREE) users are required to work their way through a number of modules including “What is quality?” and “What is self assessment?” This is done at the learner’s own pace, at work or home and completed work may be accessed at any time. The online resources also include links to relevant websites, downloadable handouts and publications and e-mail-generated content. Colleagues outside the UK may want to browse the entire IiV site to learn more about this unique concept of a Quality Standard and how it is being applied. 20 May: Recognizing that increasing global fuel prices are having a big impact on volunteers who use vehicles to do their work, BP New Zealand decided to do something to help.
13 May: More than thirty years ago L’Oreal Paris coined the phrase “Because I’m Worth It” to celebrate a woman’s worth and build her self-esteem. In 1997 as an extension of this sentiment, the company partnered with The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) to raise money and awareness in the fight against ovarian cancer. As a progression of this affirmation, L’Oreal established “Women of Worth” – a grassroots awards program that recognizes, celebrates and supports American women who actively serve others by volunteering in their communities (www.womenofworth.com). Nominate an American woman over age 18 "whose volunteer work is making a beautiful difference." L'Oréal Paris will donate $2,500 in each honoree's name to a charitable organization of her choice, and a $2,500 donation in her name to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. 6 May: Congratulations to our colleagues in England! John Ramsey, National Volunteer Development Manager for Age Concern England and chair of the planning team has circulated this notice: “I’m very pleased to announce that the Association of Volunteers Managers has been formally incorporated as a company limited by guarantee.” John and his team have spent 18 months connecting with volunteer program managers across England, consulting with other associations around the world, and doing the work of organizing the new AVM. AVM will officially launch at an event on June 4th. See the invitation on the new Web site, which is also where you can follow the progress of this fledgling association: www.volunteermanagers.org.uk/. Best wishes and good luck AVM! 29 Apr: On April 16, 2007, in a ceremony in Washington, DC, four U.S. citizens were immortalized as the newest honorees of The Extra Mile national monument (http://www.extramile.us/). In an essay on the Points of Light Web site, “Never too Late: Volunteers Immortalized in The Extra Mile,” John Johansen compares The Extra Mile to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Both utilize a sidewalk-level tribute to recognize their honorees.
As an example, while the world immediately recognizes Donald Trump (a new Hollywood Walk of Fame addition), how many people know Ida Wells Barnett, who “…jeopardized her own life to save the lives of thousands? More than anyone, Barnett is credited with ending the lynching practice in this country.” In addition to Barnett, the new Extra Mile honorees are Jane Addams, Susan B. Anthony, and Dorothea Dix. In contrast, those honored with Trump are Wink Martindale, Vanessa Williams, and Halle Berry! 22 Apr: The BBC reports something that demonstrates what we often fictionally muse about: What would happen if volunteers went on strike? The April 19th article, headed “Coastguard volunteers on 'strike',” begins this way:
Read the whole article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6570395.stm. 15 Apr: Spark the Wave (www.sparkthewave.org) is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth through educational programs to be great volunteers and community leaders. Each year it runs “Wave Week,” a Service Leadership Camp for 7th to 11th graders. This year Wave Week is July 15-20 and the program will be located at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Campers live in the college dormitories and camp fees include all food and lodging.
During Wave Week, teens learn skills in leadership, communication, group dynamics, project planning, and much more – and have fun, too. The curriculum runs on two tracks, one for 7th-9th graders and the other for those in 10th and 11th grades. Wave Week counselors are all alumni of past Wave Weeks and are themselves young adults. For more information, contact Tom Coyne (Wave Week Director) at 215-262-1459 or at tom@sparkthewave.org. To get more details, see what other young people say about Wave Week, and download the application form, click here. 8 Apr: Global Youth Service Day (GYSD, www.gysd.net) is an annual global event organized by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, together with numerous international organizations and national coordinating committees. This year the dates are April 20-22. It celebrates, recognizes, and mobilizes the year-round contributions of young people to build their communities and their world through voluntary service, and the contributions made by the community (public, private, and nonprofit sectors) for empowering young people, especially through mentoring. More than 200 organizations from more than 83 countries have registered so far for this year's Global Youth Service Day celebrations. Some examples are:
All schools, faith-based groups, and youth-related organizations are encouraged to plan and highlight youth-led community service projects on Global Youth Service Day. Organizations may want to highlight existing projects to the media and surrounding community, or may choose to organize special projects and events that involve the broader community on GYSD. The GYSD Web site provides extensive information and resources to help organizers and individuals, including the ability to search by country for an event in which to participate. 1 Apr: Mercy Corps (www.mercycorps.org), the global humanitarian agency, and NetAid (www.netaid.org), a nonprofit that works nationally to empower young people to fight global poverty, have officially merged organizations in a new effort to radically change the way that Americans – especially young Americans – learn about and respond to the challenges of global poverty. The merger represents a new model for relief and development organizations committed to aligning U.S. public engagement on global poverty with the vast and immediate needs in the poorest regions of the world. Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive officer of Mercy Corps, explained:
NetAid's programs will collectively become an initiative of Mercy Corps. In spring 2008, Mercy Corps will open the doors of its new hunger and poverty action center in New York's Battery Park City. The center is an unprecedented initiative to build public awareness about how assets and access to opportunity can transform the lives of families living amid poverty, disaster and conflict around the world. The new center, anticipating nearly 100,000 visitors annually, will anchor Mercy Corps' and NetAid's combined education and outreach efforts. 25 Mar: Long time in the planning stages, Volunteer England (VE) has launched a new service to provide training to volunteer program managers. Called “Excellence in Volunteer Management” or EVM (http://www.volunteering.org.uk/managingvolunteers/EVM/), it offering features e-learning opportunities, FAQs, a “Good Practice Bank,” publications and information sheets – many of which are accessible online from anywhere. The site explains this all as “bite-sized learning opportunities” all of which are tied to becoming accredited under the UK’s “Qualification in Volunteer Management.” For colleagues in England, EVM includes small group Learning Loops and the chance to hire vetted trainers to conduct on-site workshops. EVM is still evolving and the e-learning programs are not yet available. But site visitors can already search the Good Practice Bank (http://www.volunteering.org.uk/managingvolunteers/goodpracticebank), read Volunteering Magazine online, or try the e-learning “Tasters.” 18 Mar: he UK-based charity Christian Aid is looking for volunteers to join the longest ever protest march in UK history, focused on climate justice. Beginning in Northern Ireland on the 14 July 2007, it will pass through Scotland, England and Wales and arrive in London via Bournemouth and the Labour Party conference eleven weeks later. 11 Mar: An article in the Chicago Tribune was picked up on the wire services and reprinted in The Seattle Times on March 8, entitled “Volunteer vacations go mainstream in new Web site.” It announces the launch of a new travel site by CheapTickets.com and the United Way of America to “make it easier for spring break revelers to do volunteer work when they vacation this year.” Travel industry analysts are seeing this as the first major initiative by a leading online travel agency to tap the growing trend of "voluntourism" (see the February Hot Topic on this subject). The article mentions several types of volunteer vacations and then notes: “But to participate in these ventures, people generally have to sign up months in advance and handle travel arrangements themselves.”
See the launch at: http://www.cheaptickets.com/App/PerformMDLPDealsContent?deal_id=volunteer Interestingly, the Chicago Tribune reporter drew attention to a flaw in the system:
To which CheapTickets.com responded: “The current site is version 1.0, just going from beta testing to implementing. We would certainly be open to other partners down the road." 4 Mar: A press release distributed ten days ago by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network is headed “Target to Sponsor 2007 National Volunteer Week.” The first sentence reads: “The nation’s premier volunteer recognition event has received a major supporter — Target. The retailer will be the exclusive sponsor of National Volunteer Week….” The entire release can be read at www.pointsoflight.org/about/mediacenter/releases/2007/02-22.cfm. Target itself has been more low-key about announcing the relationship. At
Currently there is no further explanation of what “exclusive sponsorship” means. The documents available for download on the Points of Light site to assist organizations in planning and publicizing National Volunteer Week (www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nvw/tools.cfm) do not yet contain any mention of the arrangement with Target. This news is unexpected and raises some potentially disturbing questions, but we have to see what ultimately develops. Stay tuned for what this might mean at ground level! 25 Feb: Youth Service America (YSA, www.ysa.org) is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people, ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. One of its ongoing services is to announce details of a wide range of grant programs, many for small amounts of seed money given to young people for direct support of local service projects. (Most of these awards are for US projects only, but not all.) If you work with youth, bookmark www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm#nowavailable and check regularly for what’s new. For example, right now the site is publicizing the second round of the Red, White & Green Climate Change Grant (redwhiteandgreen.org), sponsored by Youth Service America and the Civil Society Institute. This opportunity offers $500 to young people in the United States between the ages of 15-25 and to organizations that engage youth ages 15-25. 18 Feb: Now this is really news! Volunteer Center members of the Points of Light Foundation (www.pointsoflight.org) and local Hands On/City Cares affiliates of Hands On Network (www.handsonnetwork.org) all received official notification this week of some high-level negotiations. Michelle Nunn, CEO of Hands On Network explained it this way:
The e-mail notice from Steve Miller, Chair of the Points of Light Board of Directors further shared this news:
So stay tuned! 11 Feb: Valentine’s Day is February 14th and, amid all the commercial hype for flowers and chocolate, the Case Foundation is promoting an article by Elaine Gast that exhorts the reader to: “Forget the wining and dining. Do something that matters.” In the article (read it all at www.casefoundation.org/spotlight/valentines), she proposes 14 ways to be charitable:
The Case Foundation is not the only one thinking hearts and philanthropy. VolunteerMatch issued a press release that is being shown on the home page of several sites in the US and around the world, including Social Funds: www.socialfunds.com/news/release.cgi/7452.html. The introduction below is followed by a different 14 ways to volunteer in specific programs across the US:
A few other examples:
4 Feb: The Leader's Studio (www.leadersstudio.com) believes that leadership skills are the key differentiator among those who succeed in their job, career, and life. These leadership skills have the greatest impact when developed before someone reaches the senior suite in his or her career. They have assembled a team of internationally recognized leadership experts and created an online community to bring leadership information and training to those with “a strong desire to stand above the pack — to make a difference on and off the job.” While the Leader’s Studio primarily serves corporate employees, they are interested in engaging people from the nonprofit world as well. Beginning this month, Leader’s Studio will be hosting a weekly webinar focused on helping emerging leaders develop the skills they’ll need as leaders. They are selling subscriptions to corporations but are also offering a limited number of seats from the webinars to nonprofit organizations at no charge. To this end, they have posted a registration area where interested nonprofit managers can sign up for alerts when webinar space is available: www.leadersstudio.com/nonprofit.php. You can also read about the upcoming topics there and submit comments and your training interests. 28 Jan: The Commission on the Future of Volunteering (www.volcomm.org.uk/) has been established by the England Volunteering Development Council to develop a long-term vision for volunteering in England as a legacy of the Year of the Volunteer 2005. In November the Commission issued this call:
The Web site already shares a variety of background documents and will list dates and locations of hearings to be held across England in the next few months. 21 Jan: Generocity Magazine (www.generocitymag.com) |
13 Jan: Leonard Cheshire Disability (
An Energize staff member gave each of us a gift certificate last week to GlobalGiving—