Image of Volunteering

As social media expands throughout the world, it has spawned a unique sub-category of virtual volunteering dubbed “clicktivism” – letting people who are online or on a Smartphone make an impact on their causes in a short amount of time with very little effort. The name comes from what these volunteers do: reposting, retweeting, and other one-click activities such as buying an item on a charity Web site. While some consider clicktivists as second-rate to traditional volunteers (and even use the term “slacktivists” to describe them), many others appreciate the value-added services this micro-volunteering provides. And if the recent worldwide example of the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” shows, clicktivism can go viral!

In this edition of Along the Web, author Erick Lear explores clicktivism in an effort to remind everyone that regardless of how or where a volunteer donates time, all types of volunteers should be appreciated.  

Founded in 1901, the Junior League rapidly became the most influential women’s organization in the United States. Today there are also chapters in Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Its mission statement puts volunteering and women front and center:

The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Local Junior Leagues made many significant contributions to their communities, but also developed an elitist public image of wealth, social standing, and exclusion. The list of famous women who were members of the League is very long. When the feminist movement affected every women’s organization, the Junior League found itself challenged to retain its position while changing with the times.

This Voices from the Past story explores the history of the Junior League and how it evolved in the face of modern life, still keeping its mission rooted in the power of volunteers.

It’s not very likely that the barrista serving your morning latte, the receptionist checking you into your vacation hotel, or the bank manager deciding whether to approve your home renovation loan are thinking about volunteering as they go about their daily work. But their corporate employers back at headquarters might be doing just that – especially if they are one of the major global conglomerates whose products or services are prominent in shopping malls and main streets all around the world. Many of these global mega-companies coordinate volunteering by their staff as one practical way to help the communities where they do business.

Corporate employee volunteering is, of course, nothing new to organisations involving volunteers. But in this Along the Web, we penetrate the glossy Web sites of various global corporations to see what they reveal about their volunteer or service programmes. Even if the information is often hidden away and sometimes not very easy to access through page links, such Web pages can be a useful first source of information to organisations considering recruiting new volunteers from major employers worldwide. As we explore, we see how some corporations measure their programme’s social and environmental impacts; how others link volunteering to their Corporate Social Responsibility or Global Impact policies and to business goals; and how some connect their financial donations, ‘in kind’ giving, and volunteering activities. We also consider whether improving clarity and transparency would make some corporations’ Web sites more useful to recruiters seeking workplace volunteers. 

Do we take ourselves too seriously? Volunteering plays a critical role in so many organizations, in so many countries across the world. And these days, being in the volunteer management business isn't easy. It’s no surprise that many of us are stressed. What we need, says John Suart, the editor of the world’s only comedy site for non-profit organizations, is to laugh more. In this feature article for e-Volunteerism, Suart explains why it’s important to try and combat stress and pessimism by injecting more humor into our work and our lives. 

Is an attitude shift in order as we consider the value and individuality of Volunteers?

While intentionally spelling Volunteer with a capital “V,” Marlene Beitz poses this question and raises many others in Voices, asking readers to think about the conscious and subconscious ways we regard the Volunteers who are often called the “heart and soul” of our organizations.

From her personal viewpoint as a Volunteer as well as a Coordinator of Volunteers, Beitz opens a window into Volunteer experiences and ponders the sometimes surprising (and disappointing) effects of common Volunteer management approaches. But in a positive shift, Beitz explains that organizatons can more fully meet objectives if they break down ingrained expectations of Volunteers as a group, and build up a renewed sense of engagement and partnership with Volunteers as valued individuals.

e-Volunteerism Needs Your Words 

What words come to mind when you think of “volunteers” and “volunteering”? Service? Critical Resource? Irreplaceable? Incredible Individuals? Devoted? Under appreciated? Social entrepreneurship? Invincible? Vital?

In this Voices, we ask you, our readers, to contribute a list of any and all words that come to mind when you think of volunteers and volunteering. Then we’ll take every single word you’ve submitted below and create a “word cloud” from the text that you’ve provided.

After more than a decade in the classroom, Sarah Jane Rehnborg has taught volunteer management on the graduate level to students from public affairs, business management, social work, communications, fine arts and other areas of specialization. Along the way, Rehnborg discovered some interesting resources and methods to convey some of the key concepts in volunteer management — teaching tools that are equally applicable to students and any audience that needs to be educated about our field.

In Part 1 of this article presented in our last issue, Rehnborg explored a technique for developing role-play scenarios and the use of current events in the classroom.   Now, in Part 2, Rehnborg discusses ways to explore critical thinking skills, the value of guest speakers and the complexity of internship experiences. Just as she did in Part 1, Rehnborg shares useful resources that will help inform your own knowledge of the field, while helping you develop presentations that capture critical volunteer management issues for paid colleagues and volunteers as they learn the ropes of working with the community. 

Sarah Jane Rehnborg has more than a decade in the classroom – teaching volunteer management on the graduate level to students from public affairs, business management, social work, communications, fine arts and other areas of specialization. Along the way, Rehnborg found some interesting resources and methods to convey some of the key concepts in volunteer management. Since her students are frequently new to studying volunteer issues, these teaching tools are equally applicable to any audience that needs to be educated about our field.

In Part 1 of this article presented here, Rehnborg explores a teachnique for developing role-play scenarios and the use of current events in the classroom. In Part 2, presented in the next issue of e-Volunteerism, Rehnborg features ways to explore critical thinking skills, the value of guest speakers and the complexity of internship experiences. In both, Rehnborg shares useful resources that will inform your own knowledge of the field, while helping you develop presentations that capture critical volunteer managemnt issues for paid colleagues and volunteers as they learn the ropes of working with the community.

We hear over and over again how volunteers are indispensable to many organizations. While we have previously covered articles on different methods used to estimate a value for volunteer contributions, a new study out of New Zealand looks at how volunteer value is communicated, both internally and externally. In this issue, reviewer Laurie Mook examines how a team of researchers conducted a qualitative study of local and national medium-sized health charities, and provides some thought-provoking insights into the barriers and drivers to communicating volunteer value for these organizations. An interesting aspect of the study, Mook explains, is that the researchers interviewed the executive director, fundraising manager and manager of volunteers from each organization, providing for a more holistic look at how volunteer value is communicated. Mook also provides her insights into the practical implications of the study, encouraging readers to reflect on the implications of making volunteer contributions visible while also considering the impact of keeping them invisible.