Article about Volunteer Organisers by Julia Neuberger
posted by Yellow Page
on Thu, 26/07/2007 - 12:32pm
Came across this article 'Opinion: Volunteer organisers need structure and training' written by Julia Neuberger in Third Sector. She calls volunteer managers, volunteer organisers. For some reason she refers to "volunteer contracts": "Though they are volunteers, they have no volunteer contract with you - something you are going to sort out when you have time to sort the important from the urgent".
Here's the text in full:
I was asked the other day which of all jobs I would least like to do. I think I was expected to say something like stacking shelves in Tesco.
But would that be as difficult or potentially as soul destroying as being a volunteer organiser for a large, or not so large, voluntary organisation?
Picture the scenario. You are in your late 20s. You want to improve the lot of, say, people with severe mental illness. You work for a big third sector mental health organisation. You are promoted - yes, you get a bit more money for this - to volunteer organiser. You have 300 volunteers and there is only you. Half of them are service users and therefore somewhat unpredictable in their availability. The other half are a mixed bunch - students, family members of people with severe mental illnesses, a few retired people, a couple of people from a local black church - and you need to organise rotas so that all activities for which volunteers are needed are covered. It is Tuesday. You seem to have 150 volunteers turning up today, but most have told you they cannot cover Friday, which is your busiest day. Though they are volunteers, they have no volunteer contract with you - something you are going to sort out when you have time to sort the important from the urgent. And you have three day centres to cover on Friday and no staff. You put your head in your hands. Which would you rather do? Stack shelves in Tesco, or feel that your work is impossible and that you cannot get a grip on the volunteers, because... well, because they are volunteers? Tesco would be easier and, arguably, when things get rough, more satisfying.
I paint this picture because the more I look at the evidence, the more convinced I am that we need to encourage and support volunteering, at least in part by supporting the volunteer organisers and making that role into part of a third sector career structure. You shouldn't be able to get to be chief executive if you haven't been a volunteer organiser. You should need two stints as a volunteer organiser, with support and training, before you can get to senior management, and so on. The third sector is not as structured as this, and we need to do something to support, train and recognise volunteer organisers, or our whole push to involve more volunteers and to make volunteering the ‘heart' of our society will not work. Over the next year or more, I shall be looking hard at what is happening to those who support, train and organise volunteers across our society.
This is my last weekly column for Third Sector. I have loved the responses from readers, and the occasional angry riposte, and I have learned a huge amount. But my new role as the Government's champion for volunteering will take time and will make this more difficult. I hope the editor will ask me back some time, but meanwhile a large thank you is due to all my readers, and please keep writing to me about volunteering.
- Julia Neuberger is a Liberal Democrat peer, chair of the Commission on the Future of Volunteering and the Government's champion for volunteering
It would be great to hear what you think.
Follow us
AVM's reply to the article
Whilst its great to see some recogntion that the work we do is important, I do feel quite patronised by the general tone of this - don't know what other people think. Anyway, I thought people might be interested to see AVM's reply to Third Sector:
"In response to Baroness Neuberger’s article; there is an organisation that represents ‘those who support, train and organise volunteers across our society’. The Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) is an independent body that aims to support, represent and champion people who manage volunteers in England regardless of field, discipline or sector. It has been set up by and for people who manage volunteers.
It is refreshing to see that Baroness Neuberger recognises the complexity and importance the work of volunteer managers. Volunteering cannot develop without good, dedicated management. Government recognition and promotion of volunteering over the last few years has been a positive step forward. However, there is little point in putting more money into promoting volunteering, and developing new roles, if resources are not also set aside to employ, train, develop, and support people to manage these volunteers effectively.
It would be good to see more CEO’s of volunteer-involving organisations with direct experience of volunteer management. However it is important to note that volunteer management is a career in its own right. Lots of people are specifically choosing volunteer management as a career path, and it is becoming increasingly professionalised. For instance there are now National Occupational Standards for the management of volunteers.
The picture Baroness Neuberger presents of volunteer managers being overworked and under resourced may often be true; however it is important to also note that many volunteer managers are highly skilled and experienced. There are recognised standards of good practice around volunteer management, and the majority of volunteer managers are confidently implementing these in their organisations. It is true that we are often struggle with a lack of resources, support, and status within our organisations. But the picture Baroness Neuberger paints of volunteer managers being enthusiastic amateurs is not necessarily accurate.
One final point; Baroness Neuberger mentions ‘volunteer contracts’ in the article, and as all good volunteer managers know, the tricky ‘C’ word should never, ever be used in relation to volunteers! If volunteers are found to have a 'contract' then they may well legally be seen as employees, and would therefore be entitled to full employment rights, such as the minimum wage.
We thought it might be interesting to get responses from our members to this article, so we have posted it up on our website here. Anyone who wants to join in the discussion is more than welcome."