-A +A
Volume III, Issue 1, October 2002

The Long, Hard Road to Respect


Points of View
By Steve McCurley and Susan J. Ellis

At some point in any meeting of volunteer managers there emerges a recurring theme:“They” don’t respect us! It is raised in tones ranging from angry shouts to bemoaned cries, and is often followed by a litany of examples of neglect, misunderstanding and abuse. To whom the “they” refers varies. Sometimes it’s staff or administration, occasionally the general public, even, from time to time, mothers who are puzzled about strange career choices.

The reality is that volunteer managers haven’t always done a good job of earning respect. In previous “Points of View” we’ve talked about ways to gain respect within our own organizations; this current discussion will focus on societal initiatives. The suggestions in this article are probably outside the reach of any single volunteer program manager, but are well within the capacity of a united profession to achieve.

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

Maria Mancera, Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Volunteers Administrator, Zapopan, Guadalajara, Jalisco México

December 13th, 2002, 3:35pm

I consider that my first challenge is to convince my boss (the director of the museum) that it is worth to invest time in babying volunteers and that volunteer work is really important.

Kathryn Gitto, RSVP of Broome County, Director, Binghamton, New York USA

October 16th, 2002, 3:29pm

Many U.S. government agencies at the local level are being strongly encouraged to develop plans to utilize volunteers in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. These agencies have been very receptive to sitting at the same table as skilled volunteer administrators who can assist them in accomplishing their goals. There is a great deal of respect for professionals who can fill this need in U.S. communities. This represents an opportunity, a challenge, and potentially important work for volunteer administrators to gain respect for their profession and for the value of volunteers.

Lisa Coble, Newport Hospital, Manager of Volunteer Services Newport RI USA

October 16th, 2002, 3:28pm

In response to your comments on getting young people involved at the earliest age possible, I believe this can be best accomplished by informal volunteering experiences. Such as helping a neighbor, trash pick-up, raking leaves for an elderly person or organizing a food drive. When we were kids we organized back yard carnivals to raise money for "Jerry's Kids", and collected pennies on Halloween for Unicef.

If parents become involved with helping their children learn to be "givers", they are the best supervisors for the activity. In RI, Alan Shawn Feinstein has created a wonderful program aimed at encouraging elementary school children to volunteer in their own neighborhoods. He provides area elementary schools with a curriculum for service learning, reflection journals, and incentives. I think it is a great model for other states to copy.

Young people ages 14-18 are definitely old enough to make significant contributions in most non-profits. I believe that teens are an underutilized resource. They have such a wealth of computer and key board skills to share. Most have the ability to create sophisticated graphic materials and power point presentations. They also do a good job with data entry projects. Most hospitals run very effective summer teen programs, and are willing to share their tips on managing this population.