WEB: But we are talking about a volunteer program here...

[er-chan]

Nan, I loved your previous post about the 4 reasons why people join a 
volunteer organization : for praise, for accomplishments, for belonging
to a respected ISP organization, or influence over others.
It was definitely inspirational.




On Thu, 1 Jul 1999, Nan Hawthorne wrote:

> Date: Thu, 1 Jul 1999 08:59:28 -0700
> From: Nan Hawthorne <nanh at scn.org>
> To: Joe Mabel <jmabel at saltmine.com>, 'Rich Littleton' <be718 at scn.org>,
>     Al Boss <alboss at scn.org>
> Cc: scn at scn.org, webmasters at scn.org, scna-board at scn.org
> Subject: WEB: But we are talking about a volunteer program here...
> 
> Joe,
> 
> Just to clarify, I am addressing the issue of conduct by volunteers within a
> volunteer program only.  I too agree that heated debate, disagreement and anger
> can be quite healthy.  But the health of the organization and the whole
> volunteer program takes precedence.  Let me share my philosophy of why
> organizations look to volunteers for help:
> 
> 1.  There is important work to be done.
> 
>      This is the reason the organization exists at all, the mission, the vision,
> the work it does in the community.
> 
> 2.  Volunteers are _part_ of the best way to get that work done.
> 
>      In an all-volunteer setting they are the only way.  But even where there is
> paid staff, volunteers add a level of value to the important work that cannot be
> matched: fresh energy and enthusiasm, skills you couldn't afford to pay for,
> extra sets of hands, insights from the community beyond the organization,
> goodwill taken back out, contacts with funders, legislators, media, in-kind
> donors, and money.
> 



After reading it I felt I learned something--the process of learning--more
than an actual accomplishment but the learning and growing environment can
be a reward.  When one sees a train accident about to happen, even if one
does not succeed in preventing the accident, attempting and trying ones
best to achieve something good is rewarding even if it is not actually
achieved.


Are we really an all-volunteer organization?
Are some people being paid or in the process of being paid?
Is it ethical for a person to be a volunteer all the time seeking
to convert this nonpayer into a paying job not for every volunteer but for
a select few--the rest of the volunteers to be recycled for fresh
volunteers.  Thus a constant supply of new volunteers are needed as
the old volunteers are "killed" (emotionally).  The ones with skills
should train others so that there is no need to pay for what volunteers
could be taught and we can really be an all-volunteer group.  Of course
there should be compensation for local travel expenses for those elected
officials who request it.



> 3.  Good volunteer management, a well-run volunteer program, insures that this
> important work gets done well.
> 
> The point here is that the _work_ is what it's all about.  Too many volunteer
> programs put volunteers before the common goals.  Those programs suffer and are
> ineffective.



 
            I believe this organization (SCN) has a mission 

                         to do good as a group and 

                    also to do good to its volunteers.


                              
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