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

[Rod Clark]

Gianni wrote:
> > ... you showed us what it takes to have an effective registration
> > program. It was clear that it took a regular, concentrated effort
> > by a reliable person.....

Loraine wrote:
> And there is * ONE * among the 10,000 or so users of the system?
... 
> I do think this maligns the many excellent volunteers -- and many
> more potential volunteers -- who are frustrated by the way the
> organization is run. And that is the responsibility of the board.

Lorraine, 

   The usual mode of operation, in the absence of the kind of
active, time-consuming management and coordination from above
that Rich is talking about, has been to expect a volunteer who
is doing something like you were doing to also supply any
necessary management for the task. This means, for example,
maintaining various lateral lines of communication that are
needed to figure out what to do when something messy and out of
the ordinary happens, and then fixing whatever it is.

   This is why you succeeded, and considered doing so nothing
out of the ordinary. But it actually was far enough out of the
ordinary, compared to what many volunteers want - if given their
druthers many people would prefer to have relatively well
defined, bite-sized and enjoyably problem-free tasks to do, and
not have to deal with the variety of oddball headaches that have
to be managed by someone. They do not enjoy being the someone
who is dumped on by all these people and things.

   This can be improved, but not without some additional and
more consistent communications and management in general. This
will take a lot of ongoing time and effort to keep up, and is
something that people don't look forward doing because it is,
plainly, not only real work but difficult work.

   Taking some of the ad hoc "distributed management" of stuff
(or if you like, the "democratic working environment") out of
the hands of regular volunteers and bumping quite a few
decisions, and the responsibility for much of the needed
communication, up a level would promote consistency but also
mean much more time and effort from the volunteer coordinators
who would be taking over more of that work from the regular
volunteers.

   It would reduce the confusion, but if we're not careful it
might also reduce reduce the chances of some of the spontaneous
good things happening that "ordinary" volunteers do now.

   The recent ExComm reorganization is a small step in that
direction, and it might be working a little better than before. 

Rod Clark

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