Staff/Volunteer Relations

Falling on Deaf Ears? The Psychology of Giving Advice

Those who manage, lead, or work alongside volunteers often give advice to their teams, and may be surprised and perhaps frustrated when it's not acted upon. This can happen both in situations where volunteers have a lot of independence and authority to act on their own, but also when we try to encourage less experienced volunteers to make their own decisions.

In turn, volunteers may offer us helpful advice. Do we always receive it well? In this feature article, author Kirsty McDowell explores why understanding the ‘psychology of giving and receiving advice’ can help volunteer managers improve volunteer leadership practices and encourage people to act on their advice. 

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Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Volunteer-involving Organizations: Western Australia Tackles a Not-Always-Obvious but Persistent Problem

Due to the nature of volunteering, this sector of society is not often associated with conflict. However, like the wider community, conflict within volunteer-involving organisations can be a persistent problem. Although most volunteers enjoy positive and fulfilling experiences and are generally satisfied with the volunteering process, research undertaken by Volunteering WA shows that around 10 per cent of volunteers have been involved in a conflict with an organisation where they have volunteered.

This feature article by Denise Bertilone, the Research & Project Officer at Volunteering WA, describes how conflict develops and focuses on conflict and conflict resolution within volunteer-involving organisations in Western Australia. It examines some of the sources and results, and features personalized accounts of volunteers’ experiences with conflict and its aftermath. It seeks to stimulate discussion on whether or not an independent redress mechanism is a necessity for the volunteering sector, and whether or not volunteer organizations should implement grievance policies and procedures.       

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Integrity - The Guidepost to Volunteer Relationships

"There is an essential integrity in a relationship with a volunteer that I find worth examining."

Sarah Elliston proceeds to analyze the fundamental differences between relationships with employees and relationships with volunteers:

"As I examine integrity as this simplicity and deliberation in buildings and people, I recognize that some of my relationships haven't matched the characteristics. The ones where I have felt the most integrity is with volunteers. But with some employers and colleagues, I have been met with distrust and fear when I have been honest and acted from my value system. Why? I believe the major reason for the difference is the assumptions we make with volunteers and those we make with paid staff."

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Family Feud: Relatives, Co-Workers and Friends as Volunteers

We often think of well-functioning volunteer programs as happy little families, systems in which people get along so well that they resemble the idyllic picture of family relationships portrayed in U.S. television shows from the 1950s. And while this is often true, occasionally we run into situations where the family more resembles the Ozzy Osbournes.

The notion of families volunteering together is one that has a lot of intrinsic appeal and a lot of value. In this Points of View, however, we look at things from a slightly different perspective: the potential conflicts that arise when individuals with close outside relationships – spouses, siblings, relatives, close friends, co-workers, fellow church members – are volunteering “inside” the same organization but those “outside” relationships, either positive or negative, begin to affect volunteering behavior.

We examine what happens when volunteer programs actually involve those with family-like relationships in volunteering together, analyze what is likely to happen in these scenarios (and why), and offer some tips for what to do if you encounter problems or to prevent them in the first place.

 

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What Volunteers Do to Each Other Is Not Always Pretty

As we’ve often noted, the most frequently-requested topic for a workshop that any volunteer management trainer receives has always been, and continues to be, employee/volunteer relationships. The tension between paid and unpaid staff surfaces in all types of organizations and settings, and program leaders want to find ways to develop effective teamwork.

Less often discussed, but just as prevalent, is conflict in volunteer-to-volunteer relationships. This can express itself in various ways, from long-time volunteers being less than welcoming to newcomers; to generational, ethnic or cultural groups that don’t mix with others; to “true believers” versus those who are “just helping.” The truth is that volunteers do not automatically work well together or even like each other. It’s up to us to foster good relationships among volunteers just as we seek to assure teamwork between volunteers and paid staff.

In this “Points of View,” Susan and Steve discuss the consequences of volunteer-to-volunteer tension, why you neglect such relationships at your peril, and how to assess if you are helping or hindering volunteer unity.

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Learning to Dance: Keeping the Partnership of President and Staff in Rhythm

Larger all-volunteer organizations frequently have one or more paid staff to support the work of the association's officers, at least at the regional or national level. The relationship between the association's president or chairperson and the top employee is critical to furthering the work to be done. But just as these leaders have grown accustomed to each other's styles, talents, and quirks, everything changes and a newly-elected board takes office.

How do organizations handle the transition period when the baton is being passed from one president to the next? From practical tips to poetic musing, this article tries to help.

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