The importance of having civility as a standard for volunteers (was RE: Revisit number forty two hundred)

[SCNA Volunteer Coordinator]

THANK YOU, Nan, you express very well our need for general civility.
Our volunteer guidelines approved by the Board on 1/13/1999 are a strong
move in that direction, but it will take us awhile yet to get there.
I am firmly resolved to help us move towards civility and mutual respect.
THANKS again.

-Joel.

----------------------------


On Tue, 29 Jun 1999, Nan Hawthorne wrote:

> Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:26:17 -0700
> From: Nan Hawthorne <nanh at scn.org>
> To: Rod Clark <bb615 at scn.org>, scna-board at scn.org
> Cc: Terry Trimingham <ttrim at scn.org>, Barb Weismann <bb140 at scn.org>,
>     Kenneth Crandall <grayfox at foxinternet.net>, em-trng at scn.org,
>     scn at scn.org, webmasters at scn.org, HR Committee <hr at scn.org>,
>     Gianni Truzzi <gtruzzi at scn.org>,
>     Jim Tedford <jim.tedford at premera.com>
> Subject: The importance of having civility as a standard for volunteers (was RE: Revisit number forty two hundred)
> 
> Rod, in your e-mail, you say:
> 
> >   Well, I have been known to flame the troglodytes from time to
> time, and otherwise not play well with others occasionally. But
> I hope on balance it's positive. .....    Not everyone's feelings can be be
> wrapped up neatly or
> expected to be constantly cheerful in such a non-organized
> outfit as this
> 
> Cheerful is not required, but civil always is.  It is ten times easier to "bite
> your tongue" with e-mail conversations than in person --- just hesitate over the
> SEND button.
> 
> Remember my perspective is as a professional trainer, wrriter, consultant and
> practitioner of volunteer program management.  There are guidelines for
> volunteers to circumscribe their behavior and actions for a good reason, both
> because they are representatives of the group as a whole and because the
> experience for each volunteer is vital.  There is nothing in the world more
> discouraging to a volunteer than working hard only to discover that someone is
> criticizing them behind their backs or at very least without the courtesy of
> doing it in a formal, acceptable way.
> 
> If flaming is to be considered an acceptable response by volunteers in SCN, then
> I cannot be involved in the management of the volunteer program and still abide
> by my professional ethics.  If any of you find that statement "haughty", sobeit.
> My conscience is my own territory.  Consider your own work and how important its
> standards are to you.
> 
> I'm sorry, Rod, but this license to flame and the excessive personalization of
> SCN operations and disputes is exactly what I think drags SCN down and makes the
> problems develop.  Everyone seems to be fair game here: then others wonder why
> burnout is rife, why it's hard to get and keep good volunteers, why quality
> suffers, why there is never enough help for projects, etc. etc.  Heck, I
> wouldn't be surprised if the poor communications are as much from fear of the
> response as these other factors I just cited.
> 
> I was brought in from outside this organization expressly to help it out of some
> of its problems.  OK, here's what I would've told you for $3000 if I had not
> waived my fee: start acting like a community-oriented business.  And that goes
> for everyone.
> 
> Nan Hawthorne, co-coordinator
> HR Committee
> 
> 

Joel Ware, IV
SCNA Volunteer Coordinator   xx015 at scn.org


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