The Essays of Sam Person
Utilizing Volunteers
Historically, volunteerism had always been a significant part of life in our
society, and volunteers do much to enable not-for-profit organizations to
accomplish their mission.
Yet, there is a contradiction, if you will, which has disturbed me for quite
some time - a contradiction which motivates me to write this brief
commentary.
Volunteering, for those who have the time and inclination, since not all
well-intended people have either or both, is a way of "giving back" for the
opportunities that one has had in going through life. In my case, I have
volunteered (at the board level) in a variety of settings.
Exposure and experience have led me to an understanding of how these
organizations function and an awareness of how they can best be organized.
If this is to suggest that I believe that are shortcomings in how volunteers
are utilized, that is a fair conclusion; indeed, there are two "pet peeves"
that I have.
First, it is my view that, generally speaking, volunteer organizations do
not know how to properly utilize volunteers. The reasons, I believe, stem
from the fears that professional staff members have that volunteers,
particularly at the board level, will tend to micromanage. Clearly, this is
a limiting factor, and certainly occurs. However, it should not become a
general rule, and professional staff members should not per se turn off
those who seek to be helpful, and have no agendas of their own.
It may well be that professional staff members actually fear newcomers for
their knowledge and ability, and are therefore reluctant to utilize them. By
the same token, those volunteers who have been involved with an organization
for any length of time become protective of their "turf" and are also apt to
turn new talent away.
The second pet peeve, as it were, which stems from the first peeve, is the
fact that very often organizations turn volunteers away simply because they
do not take the trouble to integrate them within the organization. This
makes no sense. One example comes to mind that is singularly indicative of
this shortcoming.
My wife has had experience as a volunteer working in a hospital's pediatric
traumatic brain injury unit, certainly a difficult environment generally,
and particularly so for volunteers. Her duties involved reading and playing
with the youngsters, and over a period of years, she had become remarkably
skilled in this task.
Following my retirement, we decided to spend seven months of the year in the
south, and the other five months in the north, but geographically situated
in an area which made it impractical for her to continue her volunteer work
at the hospital.
Learning that there was an institution working with pediatric traumatic
brain damage in the general area of where we spend summers, my wife
presented herself and her credentials at the facility to volunteer her
services. Seemingly, the volunteer coordinator with whom she met should have
been rather pleased to have an offer of services from such an experienced
volunteer. This was not the case.
The volunteer coordinator informed my wife that since she could only be
available five months of the year, her services were not needed!
Is there an answer to my peeves? I think it is simple enough, and really is
a matter of common sense. Organizations need to learn to accept people at
face value, worry less about individual agendas and/or protecting "turf,"
and focus on the mission. Volunteers should be welcomed, encouraged, and
utilized. Those already associated with the organization should see "new
blood" as an extension of their own efforts, and not as a threat.
I fear, however, that this will change just about the same time that we
change human nature.
