Volume VIII, Issue 2, January 2008

Messing It Up: How Not-For-Profits Sabotage Their Volunteer Programs

By Andy Fryar and Martin J. Cowling
In this third e-Volunteerism article in our Sabotage series, the authors turn their focus to those not-for-profit organizations that engage and deploy millions of volunteers globally. They list 10 universal actions that not-for-profits engage in, and argue that these actions make their volunteer... Read more   

Transition Time: Following an Older, More Experienced Volunteer Dog

“Whatever Happened To . . . " is a new feature at e-Volunteerism.  Periodically, we plan to revisit articles from past issues to see what has been happening since we first published the stories. Here we update two articles by revisiting animal contributions from the past. You may have read... Read more   

Deconstructing Engagement: Beyond the Buzzword

By Erin R. Spink
The term ‘engagement’ has gained appeal in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors to explain and understand relationship management with paid and voluntary staff. Yet little to no research has been done that focuses specifically on a volunteer’s engagement and how that might differ from a... Read more   

Transferable Skills: What Makes Us Invaluable?

By Susan J. Ellis and Steve McCurley
Points of View
In a crisis situation, a designated volunteer coordinator can take charge and handle the spontaneous outpouring of volunteers that typically accompanies the situation. This Points of View examines why those skilled in volunteer management can automatically tap into a proven set of abilities when... Read more   

Online Periodicals on Volunteerism

By Steve McCurley
Along the Web
This edition of Along the Web looks at online periodicals that focus on volunteerism – including magazines, newsletters, blogs, mailing lists and more. We organize the periodicals into specific categories, and give a summary of many that we feel are particularly useful and important. Read more   

Creating a Culturally Competent Volunteer Program

By Heather T. Cox
Training Designs
The face of volunteerism is changing globally and our field is being challenged to respond in new and innovative ways. How do we create programs that welcome and affirm the variety of experiences our volunteers bring to the table? How do we meet the needs of our organization and mission in the... Read more   

The Legacy of Volunteering by Children

By Susan J. Ellis
Voices from the Past
For all sorts of legitimate and prejudicial reasons, a lot of organizations debate whether or not they want to welcome volunteers younger than age 14 (or even 16 or 18).  But history provides many examples of how even the youngest of citizens have had an impact by taking up a cause and working... Read more   

Engaging Generation Y

Moderated by Andy Fryar
Keyboard Roundtables
There’s been a lot of discussion about the volunteer habits of Generation Y – that slice of population born between 1981 and 1995.  Why is it that so many volunteer-involving organizations still struggle to attract this group?  In this Keyboard Roundtable, an international panel explores... Read more   

Helping Out: A National Survey of Volunteering and Charitable Giving (2007)

Reviewed by Steven Howlett
Research to Practice
In this Research to Practice, we look at the latest survey of volunteering for England and Wales, with an emphasis on how volunteers view the organisation of volunteering. This survey, called Helping Out, looks once more at some questions from a 1997 survey. Some of the results may surprise you,... Read more