-A +A
Volume I, Issue 3, April 2001
The Profession

Where Do We Belong on the Organizational Chart?


Keyboard Roundtables
Moderated by Deborah Witmer
Participants:
Lacretia Bacon, Mary Hall, Peter Heyworth and Marilyn MacKenzie

When we started this Roundtable, I thought the question was a simple one: Where does Volunteer Services belong?

A reader had sent an e-mail asking, "How is volunteer management different from human resources management?" He was anticipating such a question from his organization. This reader's query mirrored discussions I have had with more than one volunteer manager whose agency was undergoing organizational change -- including a change in the placement of the manager within the organizational structure.

Further, as the profession of volunteer management continues to grow and evolve, volunteer program managers are being asked to take on new roles within their organizations, often related to financial development and other public outreach departments. What do we think about these roles, and how do they affect where Volunteer Services belongs?

Given that we all can cite examples of volunteer program managers placed variously in human resources, fundraising/development, public relations and direct client services -- not to mention reporting directly to top administrators -- this is a truly unresolved issue. As we gathered around our virtual Roundtable, I anticipated that we also would need to answer another fundamental question: What, if anything, does the placement of the volunteer manager within an organization say about its commitment to volunteers and their value to the organization?

I was not, however, prepared for the difficulty in defining -- let alone answering -- these questions.

The full article is only available to subscribers.

Subscribers: Log in at top left or, if you have logged in and cannot access the article, your subscription has probably expired. Renew Now.

Non-subscribers: Subscribe now for full year ($45) or 48-hour access ($10).

Comments

J. Lynn White, CAVS, CDVS, Director Volunteer/Auxiliary Services, Community Mercy Health Partners, Springfield, Ohio

October 20th, 2009, 5:05pm

In the past 23 years as Director of Volunteer/Auxiliary Services, I have had 14 bosses....from the Vice President to the Director of Physical Medicine! At this time I report to our VP Mission Services. I absolutely love being a part of mission services because I believe that volunteering is a mission. Our VP understands the spirit of volunteerism and supports our program in every way.

Gerald (Jerry) Pannozzo, Rivington House Health Care Facilities, New York NY

June 20th, 2001, 5:04pm

This discussion reinforced that we work in a variety of organizations/agencies and where we belong on the Organizational Chart is most likely tailored to the following issues the participants identified:

Mission and history of the organization
What services are provided by the volunteers
rganization's appreciation (support) of the volunteers' services
Size of the organization
Regulatory agencies, grant restrictions, union issues, legal issues, etc.
I appreciated the participants' exchanges with regard to:

Who supervises the volunteers (I liked the "champion" example that was shared.)
Placement of the volunteer department within the organization (This may influence how connected a volunteer feels to the organization.)
The volunteer administrator's credibility and acceptance within the organization (Her/his ability to effectively communicate to the decision makers and ability to speak the language of the decision makers.)

In addition, I'd like to mention that during Joint Commission surveys within nursing homes, the volunteer administrator and recreation therapy administrator meet with the surveyor during the same session. Three years ago, I advocated that I not meet during the recreation therapy session but rather during the HR session--because volunteers serve throughout the facility.

My suggestion was rejected. Ms. Hall proposed we consider reporting to a step above HR. I also endorse that suggestion. I've had the "advantage" and "disadvantage" of reporting to the Administrator. The good news--the Administrator is the top of the heap. However, with regard to some issues I raise, the Administrator directs me to HR because the volunteer policies and procedures are modeled on HR policies and procedures. The bad news--it's sometimes hard to get an appointment with the Administrator. At those times, I'm authorized to approach the Assistant Administrator/Support Services. I also agree with the moderator's final comment. We should examine who has influence/clout within our organization. That position/individual, (hopefully the most effective co-advocate for the volunteer department), might be the most effective champion.

Evelyn Ewing, Lakeview Village, Volunteer Director, Overland Park Kansas, USA

June 1st, 2001, 5:03pm

We started as the Lakeview Village Volunteer Department, but because of our wide-ranging activities beyond traditional volunteering, we felt the need to change our department title to: Lakeview Village Community Services, Resource Development and Outreach Department. We now give a home to a community group called Lakeview Village Senior Friends. In addition, out of our 750 senior adults residents, 400 volunteer themselves. We have one of the largest Intergenerational Volunteer Programs in the Greater Kansas City Area. Approximately 166 students a day come to volunteer in our community. We also write grants for funding of new programs and are working with our local Johnson County Community College as well as one high school and one elementary school to write Service Learning Projects. I am sure there are other volunteer departments out there doing even more than we are and also need to make a name change to reflect this diversity.