Alan Murray's blog

"Tonight, Opportunity Knocks for..." Volunteer Managers.

What I hear you all cry are you mad! Well bear with me for a minute and hear me out. The country is in the midst of one of the biggest economic downturns in living memory and yet it may just be the opportunity of a lifetime for all of us who manage volunteers and one we need to grab hold of.

Many of our organisations are making cut backs and looking at ways to save money or certainly do more with less. When I hear people talking about doing more with less my eyes light up and I see an opportunity to talk to people about volunteers and the contribution they can make to an organisation. Doing so I don't believe devalues volunteers. I'm not proud, I don't mind if someone wants to engage with volunteers because they feel it is a good thing to do in their bones, or the current economic downturn has simply forced them to rethink how they deliver that project or piece of work. Both are opportunities for the astute volunteer manager to see an opportunity and take it forward.

Let me just stop at this point and make it clear, I am not condoning volunteers replacing paid staff, but I am saying anything that gets people talking to me as a volunteer manager about how volunteers can help them in their work has to be a good thing. I don't know about those of you reading this article but for me half the battle I have as a volunteer manager is getting to talk to people about how volunteers can help and assist them in their role and their value. Doing that face to face sell of just how great volunteers are and what a difference they can make is the conversation I live to have.