Help us paint in black and white
April 18, 2005
By Cam Tait
It's that time of year again; there's more sunlight, more mud puddles,
and sales galore at every garden store. Spring: a time of new hope,
rebirth, and new opportunities. It's a time when our nation's farmers
prepare for another summer of endless days working the land and hoping
- always hoping - the weather gods are on their side. So, it's really
a no-brainer that National Volunteer Week is held in the last part of
April. This year's version starts Monday.
Spring...new opportunities and volunteers. Goes together just like butter and toast.
In the past we have recognized people who volunteer. We give out awards, hold lunches and dinners, and share wonderful stories about volunteering. And just before we have that one more cup of tea and that yummy square that looks so lonesome on the plate, we say goodnight and then utter those famous words: "See you next year."
Look at your projects from the last five or six years. Now, count the
same people who have been involved in all of them. I think the numbers
will speak for themselves. People who volunteer in Canada are master
multitaskers. In other words, they sit on four or five different committees.
They do the grunt work, while the next-door-neighbour is watching television
every night. Not to say there's anything wrong with that.
Perhaps, then, National Volunteer Week preaches to the converted. One
must seriously ponder whether this approach is fitting the bill. We
all know, only too well, that a report a few years ago said Canada lost
two million volunteers in the late 1990s. Gone, vanished - never to
be seen again.
Why? Why is this happening? Why are people, at the risk of sounding crass and insensitive, walking away from community needs? Are we too busy? Are we so consumed in making the almighty dollar that we price our time accordingly, and if it isn't a good deal for us, we walk away?
I think we have to change the message. We should still salute volunteers,
but we also have to more clearly outline the need and show the tremendous
exit of volunteers. We can coop ourselves up in hotel rooms, have think-tanks
- heck, maybe strike up a federal task force to examine the issue. But,
no.
A simpler approach would do. Just tell the story. What is the volunteer population in your agency? What are some of the programs or services that are at risk because there are simply not enough people to get the job done?
A very wise man once told me that if you want to teach people, first you have to engage them. I think we have to engage people to volunteer. Maybe we have to use bold tactics to tell the truth. And I want to help.
Your National Volunteer Week task, should you choose to accept it, is to send me a note explaining, in plain and simple terms, how volunteers are holding up your organization? Is your volunteer base growing? Or are there specific programs and services that could fall by the wayside because of lack of volunteers? You can send a few thoughts on the overall status of volunteer recruitment, if you want. But to me, that isn't the point.
Sometimes we need to paint a picture in black and white to inject life into something. I can't think of a better time to do it than spring.
Cam Tait is a sports reporter and columnist for the Edmonton Journal. He covered community investments and volunteers for 19 years. E-mail Cam at cam@charityvillage.com with thoughts, suggestions or ideas.
Opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CharityVillage.com®.
