Trends and Issues

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Long-time, Dependable Journal of Extension Free to All

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 18:36

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We are generally primed to get excited by things that are new. But it's important to remember that traditional materials can remain useful, even vibrant. One great example is the Journal of Extension (JOE), the official refereed journal of the U.S. Cooperative Extension System (which includes 4-H, Master Gardeners, nutrition advisors and other volunteer-centered programs). As of June 1994, JOE has been published exclusively on the World Wide Web at www.joe.org. And the full contents are accessible to any site visitor at no charge.

The Best Conversations in Volunteer Leadership Move from i-Volunteer to the New “ivo”

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 19:32

For some time now I have been impressed at the level and quality of the blogs and discussions across the pond in the UK via the social action platform, i-Volunteer.org,uk.   A range of volunteer management practitioners use this forum to post thoughtful commentary, often on provocative themes, and – amazingly – other members respond in kind!  Bravo to our British colleagues! 

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

Getting Thoughtful on Thursdays (on Twitter) about Volunteer Management

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Wed, 03/14/2012 - 20:09

Colleague Sue Jones from Volunteer Centre Warrington, England, is our guest blogger today – and invites you to learn about and be a part of a weekly volunteer management “Tweet chat” that happens every Thursday.

Every week, we host a ‘Tweet chat’ discussion focusing on volunteer management issues, which we call ‘Thoughtful Thursday’. We use the Social Action Network i-volunteer to blog about our selected topic or focus and then encourage participants to comment, share ideas and discuss the issues raised via Twitter.

U.S. Nonprofits, Please Speak Up: Have You Shared in the Pro Bono Billions?

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 14:59

At the end of February, there was a spurt of articles renewing attention to an initiative started a few years ago, “A Billion + Change.” The campaign was launched by the Corporation for National and Community Service and is now housed and managed by the Points of Light Institute. The gist of the current news is how much time has been given and continues to be pledged, as well as how much money the corporate volunteers have “saved” nonprofits. But try as we might, we can’t seem to find interviews or other accounts from the nonprofits actually benefiting from the pledges.

It’s Déjà vu! The Corporation for National and Community Service Budget Request is Off Track Again

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 20:56

In June 2011, Paula Beugen wrote a guest Hot Topic for Energize titled, “Is the Corporation for National and Community Service on the Right Track for Volunteerism?”  She cogently cautioned that CNCS’ proposed budget was not supportive to the vast majority of volunteer-involving organizations in this country, particularly by the programs they slashed or reduced. We are once again on the brink of eliminating what some of us feel are the most important elements of the 2009 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (Serve America Act).

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.

April 24, 2011: International News From the Field

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 00:00

24 April: Last chance to advocate for FY11 volunteering and service-learning!  Let the White House and Congress know your disappointment that most anything that is not stipended service has been slashed from the Corporation for National and Community Service budget.
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Enormous thanks to Paula J. Beugen, Minnesota colleague who has long served as our field’s legislative watchdog, for the following summary of what is happening on the Hill. A federal government shutdown was averted on April 8, 2011 when a seventh short-term continuing resolution was passed by Congress. Subsequently, a FY11 spending plan was passed in time for the April 15 continuing resolution end-date. FY11 ends September 30, 2011.

According to an April 12, 2011 article by Suzanne Perry, in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, "In addition to specific funding cuts, all non-defense programs would be trimmed across the board by 0.2 percent." Later in the article Perry wrote, "The budget for the

January 9, 2011: International News From the Field

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Sun, 01/09/2011 - 19:47

9 January: In an impressive show of government communication, the British Cabinet Office has released what is called the “Giving Green Paper” through a Web page that also offers seven accompanying essays solicited to add to the discussion. Go to http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/giving-green-paper to download all the items and see for yourself the way they are presented. It is introduced as:

The Giving Green Paper sets out the Government’s initial ideas for building a stronger culture of giving time and money to start a national debate on our society’s attitude to giving. This is not a conventional green paper. We want it to embody a collective approach to building culture change so it is written from a variety of perspectives. In addition to our own proposals and announcements, we have highlighted many ideas from outside of government.

Interview – “87 Ways to Make Your Website More Volunteer Friendly”

Submitted by Lindsay Liprando
on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 00:00

Stevenson Inc. has released a new manual to help organizations increase the visibility of volunteerism on their Web sites, and otherwise use the Web to recruit, recognize, and communicate with volunteers. I recently spoke with Scott Stevenson about the book, titled 87 Ways to Make Your Website More Volunteer Friendly

Energize, Inc. (EI): What gave you the idea for writing this book?

Scott Stevenson (SS): We know the need for volunteer service is on the rise, particularly in light of the nation’s economy; while people may be more hard-pressed to make charitable donations, they may be more inclined to give of their time. And because volunteering is on the rise, website communication offers a highly cost-effective way of communicating and interacting with both volunteers and would-be volunteers. Nonprofit organizations and associations are increasingly devoting more website space to volunteer issues.

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