News in the Volunteer Field

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This Month's Hot Topic 

February 2011

Volunteering Is Inherently Political

by Susan J. Ellis
The United States is at the start of a contentious presidential election year in which candidates with widely differing views each attract thousands of volunteers. We see election volunteering as a political act but any type of volunteering is inherently "political." What does this mean for your organization?
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We All Need a Laugh

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 19:24

As serious as our work is, it is also frequently very funny.  So why is it so hard to find witty stories, cartoons, and other forms of humor focused on life in nonprofits, government, and volunteer management? 

Energize has been finding links to humor and sharing funny stories from our site visitors for years and we can always count on board development expert Carol Weisman to make us laugh with her great newsletter, but we all now have a really wonderful, regular humor resource!

February Hot Topic: Volunteering Is Inherently Political

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 22:03

The United States is at the start of a contentious presidential election year in which candidates with widely differing views each attract thousands of volunteers. We see election volunteering as a political act but any type of volunteering is inherently “political.” What does this mean for your organization?

Why We All Need to Take a Ride on VolunteerSpot's #TinyCars Campaign

Submitted by Cara Thenot
on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 21:22

On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, VolunteerSpot launched a “Tiny Cars” campaign to fight for support of H.R. 387: Charitable Driving Tax Relief Act of 2011.  Passage would mean an increase of the measly $.14 per mile tax deduction rate for charitable driving unchanged by the U.S. Congress since 1997. That’s compared to the 50 cents per mile deduction for business use of a personal vehicle in 2011.  And the new bill would also no longer count such reimbursement to volunteers as gross income.

Nonprofit Spark Radio Interview Makes Great Advocacy Tool for Volunteer Resource Managers

Submitted by Cara Thenot
on Tue, 01/24/2012 - 16:43

Thanks to Nonprofit Spark, an online radio show for new or emerging non-profits, volunteer resource managers have a new tool for garnering attention to the importance of volunteer involvement in their organizations. The January 23rd show, “The Case for Strategic Volunteerism in Your Non-profit,” makes a compelling case for being as strategic about involving volunteers as nonprofits are about other management issues such as fundraising.

Volunteering by Migrants: One Step toward Social Inclusion

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 21:55

Increased migration – by choice or by force – throughout Europe has created economic and social concerns in many countries.  Last year, through the impetus of the European Year of Volunteering, Portuguese academic Henrique Pinto invited a range of scholars and practitioners to write articles about the connection of volunteering and migration for a special theme issue of Migrações Journal, “Migrantes e Voluntariado.”  It was published in December 2011 with half the chapters in Portuguese and half in English.

Volunteers Prove the Printed Book is Not Dead. It’s Free.

Submitted by Tristan Dahn
on Mon, 01/16/2012 - 20:28

Situated on a small side street off of a busy commercial lane is an unassuming warehouse.  Inside, however, one finds a bustling scene.  Community members, such as libraries, publishers, authors, and individuals, drop off donations of unwanted books, while volunteers sort them and shelve them.   Everyone is welcome to come during open hours to take as many as they’d like, for free.

Do 4 UK Charities Have Volunteer Work Worthy of a Duchess? Do You?

Submitted by Cara Thenot
on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 20:24

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, announced four charities for which she will serve as honorary patron, as the BBC reporrted on January 04, 2012.  Coming up second fiddle in this story was her decision to volunteer in person for her local Scout Association.

So many questions arise here from a volunteer management perspective: Why must Kate’s volunteering role be presented as an afterthought to her patronage? Won’t she garner the same spotlight/media attention for the Scout Association? Does anyone else view her volunteering choice as the role that’s perhaps closer to her heart?

Are You Putting Volunteers in Harm’s Way?

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 21:58

The U.S. Peace Corps announced in late December that they would be suspending volunteer efforts in Honduras and other countries because of increased security concerns.  It’s not uncommon to hear reports from organizations such as the Peace Corps that they must place the safety of their volunteers above program service goals.  

January Hot Topic: What Would the Perfect Volunteer-Involving Organization Look Like?

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Sun, 01/01/2012 - 00:00

What would your organization look like if it practiced everything we preach about creative, welcoming, and effective volunteer management? If we cannot picture the results of our efforts – and like/want the future we envision – we won’t be motivated to do the work necessary. Start the new year by looking ahead with aspirations and resolutions.  This hot topic is available at: http://www.energizeinc.com/hot/2012/12jan.php

The “Spark Plug Theory” of Volunteer Recruitment

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Thu, 12/29/2011 - 16:08

It’s always fun to apply theories from one field to a completely different one.  In an online Bloomberg Businessweek article, "The Spark Plug Theory of Marketing,"  author Steve McKee notes that many business ads fail because “companies cram too much into them trying to make their case, or expect that they can open and close the sale in one fell swoop. The best advertising is like a spark plug that leaves a small gap for the audience to fill in for themselves . . .

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