Volunteerism

Volunteerism: 10 Questions to Answer Before You Agree to Anything
By Harriet Hodgson

Volunteerism. You hear the word often on broadcast media and see it in print just as often. Why? It comes down to money. According to the "Rural Volunteer Network," an Ontario, Canada Website, "Volunteers can often make the difference in whether an agency survives."

I've volunteered for decades and gained much from it. But I've noticed that some volunteers "jump" from one organization to another. They get tired of the same old stuff or are looking for new challenges. Then too, not all volunteer experiences are happy ones.

Some years ago I volunteered for an organization that had a noble mission. When I went to meetings, however, I felt uncomfortable, so uncomfortable I came to dread meetings. After some detail work I realzed the organization was a poor steward of the grant funds it received. A few weeks later I resigned.

Many organizations need to improve their volunteer policies, according to a 2004 study from The Urban Institute. Study authors Mark A. Hager, PhD and Jeffrey L. Brudney, PhD think "charities interested in increasing retention of volunteers should invest in recognizing volunteers, providing training and professional development for them, and screening volunteers and matching them to organizational tasks."