Let’s Take a Look at the Real World of Volunteering
21
by Penny Kern
Jodi’s post on THE WORST PATIENT really highlighted what some of us have been saying for awhile. The world of VOLUNTEERING and recruiting of volunteers has changed. Not totally because of the baby boomers but changed nevertheless.
In her article, she used herself as an example of a manager of volunteer’s worst nightmare. And, she very well may be but it’s my opinion that she is just a typical potential volunteer of today. We’ve blamed it on the attitudes of the baby boomers and gen Xer’s but truly, age has nothing to do with it, I think.
Today’s volunteers have more on their plates than they can deal with. Pressure is on to excel at the job or lose your job. Be the most perfect parent that ever walked the Earth or be punished forever for turning out a “bad” kid. Then, on top of all that, your house has to be perfect, your marriage or relationships have to be perfect, and you have to be the star of the community through community service. That’s a LOT. More than anyone in all the last generations put together, I think. Brain overload!!!!
Managers of volunteers need to start seeing the real picture and change their way of working or there won’t be enough people in the world to fill the positions out there, don’t you think? The key words in my mind are FLEXIBILITY and PLANNING.
What is the mission of your organization and what jobs need to be done to meet that mission?
How can you make these jobs flexible enough to meet the needs of the volunteers and still get the mission accomplished? Or can you? Do you need to have two different position descriptions for two different types of volunteers? There are still volunteers out there who like the second and fourth Mondays of every month from 3PM - 5PM.
Also, and this is just my humble opinion, I think position descriptions have to allow for the new volunteers. Volunteers like mentors, counselors, recruiters, Girl Scout leaders, etc., who work with stressful situations, should have start and end dates built into their contract when they are given an orientation. When I recruited Girl Scout leaders, their position description specifically stated it was a one-year appointment renewable by both parties. This gave me an out if things suddenly deteriorated and it gave the person a chance to leave and still save face knowing they did a great job while they were able to contribute.
Are we trying to pound volunteers into shapes that look like the volunteers in our grandparents’ time or are we trying to make volunteer opportunities available to ALL who would like to help make our mission successful?
I found this great quote from Peter Drucker - “Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.”
Are you beating your head against a wall trying to do something that shouldn’t be done?
Penny Kern is a retired volunteer manager from Aroostook County.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 am
I think Penny is right. From the perspective of the volunteer, it is eqally important for people to be really honest with themselves about what they really care about, what they are good at, and what is the best use of their time. I remember how shocked I was with myself the first time I declined an opportunity to ‘volunteer’ for something when I realized I didn’t like doing that type of activity and I wasn’t any good at it either. So the motivation to ‘do something’ needs to be tempered by a realistic assessment of what the job requires and what I love and do well.