Volunteering answers
May 2, 2005
By Cam Tait
When we ask, you always give us answers. A few weeks ago, we asked
for your thoughts on National Volunteer Week, how to promote it, and
how to recruit new volunteers. So, let's see what you had to say.
Lisa works for an inner city agency in Edmonton. Interestingly, her
first position with the organization was as the volunteer coordinator.
Her only experience: being a volunteer. For a relative newcomer, she
has plenty to say about volunteer recruitment and recognition. "We hold
our volunteer appreciation in September because April is just too busy
for us," e-mails Lisa. "[National] Volunteer Week is barely a blip on
my radar screen. We could certainly use more volunteers in the kitchen,
administration, donations, children's programs - you name it."
Lisa says there are ideas and programs her group would like to explore,
"but we don't have the manpower, especially during business hours. That's
when most of our programming is on, and when most people are working
or in school." She knows of many useful tools for volunteer recruitment,
but finds it challenging to keep up with the new volunteers - "a steady
trickle" who share time with her group.
"Like many nonprofit employees, my job includes a lot of things that
aren't in my official job description," she says. "I am also the PR
department and the special events planner. If I had two assistants or
co-workers I think we could successfully take care of the volunteers
we have and start actively raising awareness and recruiting. For now,
I'm just concentrating on keeping my nose above water."
Lori writes from the Oakville Distress Centre, an agency that has been
providing confidential phone counselling for three decades.
"We rely heavily on volunteers," e-mails Lori. "They are our frontline workers and answer all calls that we receive. They are trained by a team of volunteer trainers who have done this work for years. At peak times, we have about 70 active volunteers, in slower periods we have about 50 active volunteers."
Without them there simply would be no program. "As volunteer numbers
decrease, our ability to cover shifts is impacted and our callers go
without the necessary support. We are lucky to have established partnerships
with other distress centres, so we offer support as each centre requires
it. However, that is a band-aid solution and not one we like to rely
on."
And attracting new volunteers is always a challenge. "We also require
a minimum of 12 hours (three shifts) per month from each volunteer,
something that can be difficult to manage," Lori writes. "We are flexible
and understanding with the volunteers, however, the reality is that
without their commitment we can't deliver."
Rosalee is a volunteer for Brownies, Scouts, and figure skating. "I
find that I always meet the nicest people while volunteering. I only
worked at a paying job for a very short while, I just didn't have the
time. I see many of the groups struggling for volunteers."
Meals-on-Wheels is one of Rosalee's favourite organizations. She realizes the job of recruiting volunteers is getting harder. "I try to show by example that I really do get something from volunteering. A few years ago, I had a life-threatening disease and who was there for me? All the people that I volunteer with. Thanks in part to them, I am back in their midst.
"I think we do need to engage people, but we must respect their commitment.
Maybe it can only be a few hours - I'll take what I can get. After they
have tried it out, they may increase their hours. We have to be careful
to give them things to do that they like or are good at so they won't
get discouraged. And we have to thank them."
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®.
