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Voluntourism and Services to Children: Important Questions Raised

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Thu, 05/03/2012 - 19:25

Voluntourism, also known as volunteer vacationing, gives people the opportunity to travel for leisure and pleasure and volunteer in the countries they visit. Ideally, the vacationer gives meaningful service in return for getting the chance to meet local people in a personal way. A great place to learn more about all of this is VolunTourism.org, which has consistently advocated for the highest quality of service while genuinely doing good.

Join 90,000+ Volunteers in Name-Indexing the New Online 1940 U.S. Census

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 19:45

The 1940 U.S. Census is going online as of April 2—a historical first! But there is no index by name, making it hard to find family members. But soon there will be – thanks to volunteers. On a collaborative and volunteer basis. Archives.com, FamilySearch and findmypast.com have teamed up to sponsor The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project to encourage as many people as possible to help create the index and improve accessibility for all

Center for Music National Service plans

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 00:00

As the school year begins, the Center for Music National Service (MNS, www.musicnationalservice.org) has announced its plans for 2011-2012. MNS is a nonprofit organization that supports music as a strategy for public good. Through direct programs and public education, MNS "uses music as an intervention to address a number of critical social challenges. Music can inspire a child to succeed in school and life, soothe the sick and assist in the recovery of hospitalized patients, and strengthen communities of all kinds by bringing people together." MNS runs three signature initiatives:

  • MusicianCorps trains and places musicians to serve full-time as teachers and mentors in low-performing public schools, youth centers and other high-need community settings, using music to reengage youth in their academic and civic lives, and provide them critical skills for success in the 21st century.
  • Music Service Days bring musicians, non-musicians, students and parents, as well as corporate and

Book Review: “The Volunteer Book”

Submitted by Lindsay Liprando
on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 00:00

The Volunteer Book: A Guide for Churches and Nonprofits is a practical how-to guide, written especially for churches and Christian faith-based organizations.  It’s a good place to start for groups that are just beginning to imagine how volunteers could help fulfill their missions. Featuring chapters on preparing for, finding, training, and recognizing volunteers, it touches on all the essentials of a healthy volunteer program, with emphasis on a church setting. It does an especially good job of discussing and countering the most common concerns that staff express about working with volunteers (it will take too much time, the volunteers might take my job, etc.). It would serve as a great companion to a general, comprehensive overview of volunteer leadership best practices (such as Best of All or Volunteer Management: An Essential Guide), or a useful gift to a pastor or faith-based staff people who are new to working with volunteers and want to build their skills. You can purchase The

Ask-an-Author – Volunteers, Risk Management and the Swine Flu

Submitted by Lindsay Liprando
on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 00:00

As promised, here is the first in a series of questions submitted by our readers and answered by volunteerism and risk management expert Linda Graff. Thanks to everyone who submitted a question; come back soon for the next installment of Linda’s good advice.

The Question:
With the anticipated increase in problems with swine flu expected over the winter, most hospitals in Scotland are considering how they can involve more volunteers to free up medical staff and to allow people to help others in a time of potential crisis. With the experience of SARS in Canada, what would you advise to help manage the risk for front line and other volunteers?

Linda’s Answer:
This is a really interesting question that probably has wide applicability as so many communities and organizations brace for the potentially disruptive effects of the H1N1 virus world wide.

There are two aspects of this question I’ll pick up on.

The first has to do with the division of labour between paid and unpaid staff.

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