Table of Contents

1. Some Provocative Questions to Prompt International Dialogue by Susan Ellis, President, Energize Inc.

2. Succession Planning for the Voluntary Sector by Patrick Johnston, President and C.E.O., The Canadian Centre for Philanthropy

3. Why Write Policies For Volunteer Services? by Linda Graff

As leaders of volunteers, we must be articulate about what we do and why we do it. Those of us who have been in the field of volunteerism for longer than twenty years have witnessed enormous changes-most for the good, but not all. One important fact is that we can now say with some assurance that there IS a field! Training opportunities, international conferences, hundreds of books, journals for volunteer managers in every English-speaking country and some others, cyberspace resources-all are now here for newcomers and long-timers alike. But we still face serious challenges. We still tilt at some big windmills.

It seems to be a global fact that, while volunteers are recognized for their many contributions, they remain undervalued in the context of institutions and professions. Volunteers are "free help" assumed by politicians and organizations but rarely the focus of attention.

This simplistic attitude about volunteering results in many misconceptions. One is that somehow volunteers are a substitute for adequate funding. It is up to us to affirm that tackling social problems requires both volunteers and money. Another misconception is that advocates of the "voluntary sector" or of "NGOs" automatically speak for volunteer issues. Not true. Many NGOs resist the involvement of volunteers in the delivery of services, while volunteers are also highly active in government -administered programs.

The goal we all share is to place volunteers and volunteerism on the agenda-so that volunteers and those who coordinate them can be supported and valued in ways that count. As more and more countries face economic crises, attention turns to volunteers as a "second choice" way of providing services. It is up to us to emphasize the first choice reasons why volunteering is so important:

For organizations, volunteers bring:

• credibility

• advocacy

• a sense of community ownership

• the "luxury of focus"

• equality of participation

• service that matters to the recipient

Keep in mind that it is only one model for volunteers to "assist" in an organization. Volunteers can be partners, team members, and innovators. And a vast arena is the all-volunteer association in which there are no or only a small core of paid staff.

For individual volunteers, volunteering provides:

• the chance to stand up for one's beliefs

• freedom of choice

• the opportunity to contribute

• a chance to be well-rounded, balancing job, family, and community

• a form of "self-help" rather than "charity"

For society, volunteers are vital because they:

• recognize needs before any institution or business does

• can take up unpopular causes and make them popular

• can cross political and national boundaries as private citizens

Massive change seems to be happening around the globe in almost every aspect of social and economic life. Without presumptively offering predictions or solutions, here are some of the questions that are in my mind as I come to the IAVE World Volunteer Conference. I offer them here in the hope that we can grapple with these issues collectively:

• How do we agree among ourselves and then teach others a common vocabulary for what volunteering is and does?

• What do we see as the continuum of community service approaches-ranging from the unremunerated volunteer to the stipended worker, from the person volunteering by choice to the person mandated into service, etc.? Is there such a thing as a "pure" volunteer-and does it matter?

• How can we identify and use the commonalities between the two major components of the volunteer world: the agency-related volunteer program and the all-volunteer association?

• How can volunteers go beyond political and national boundaries to find mutual solutions for mutual problems facing us all, such as AIDS, pollution, or caring for the aging population?

• How do we find a legitimate balance between "professionalizing" the "management" of volunteers while still maintaining the unique "amateur" (for the love of something) quality of volunteering?

• How do we deal with internal prejudices that pit those who volunteer full time against those who are paid to coordinate volunteer programs?

• How will volunteering stand up to the animosity of trade unions? We actually can have the shared goal of 100% employment and 100% volunteering, but conflicts inevitably arise, especially when funds are tight.

• Where are the lines between encouraging self-esteem and community ownership through volunteering and unwilling participation of people who need public assistance?

• What is the position of full-time, stipended volunteer service vs. less intensive and unremunerated volunteering? Why do we call it a "living allowance" when we give it to a volunteer or intern, but almost the same amount of money given to poverty-line workers is considered a "living wage"?

• What role will volunteering play in dealing with aging? As seniors begin to be seen as three sub-groups (the young elderly, the middle elderly, and the oldest elderly), how will volunteering react? How can we take the leadership in deploying the talents of senior volunteers as well as in providing services to older people through volunteers?

• What are the best ways to channel the volunteer energies of teenagers and youth into "world citizenship"?

• Can volunteering again be a vehicle for elevating women, rather than be rejected by women as undervalued labor? Historically, in the United States, volunteering gave women a voice they could get no other way. Might this still be a field in which women can rise to the top? But at the same time, how do we equalize the gender roles?

• What role can volunteering play in addressing the needs and gifts of families, especially as what we define as "family" undergoes radical change?

• How can we strengthen national and local Volunteer Centers/Bureaus to do the job we need them to do?

• How will the awesome power of the Internet enable international exchange in our field? What are the ways we can design opportunities for "virtual volunteering"?

• Is "corporate volunteering" real or is it a case of "The Emperor has no clothes"? How can we harness the volunteer talents of multi-national corporation employees?

• What role can citizen volunteers play in breaking down international mistrust and intercultural prejudices of centuries of tradition?

• As immigration and racial diversity increase throughout the world, can volunteers help break down discrimination barriers, too?

• How can societies that relied primarily on the state for services re-discover the value of participatory democracy and the role of citizen involvement in service delivery? This includes volunteers in government services, too.

• As the world grows smaller, how will the approaches of European and American volunteering be received by Africa and Asia-and what will we learn in return about how those continents deal with social problems?

In our daily work, leaders of volunteers are often isolated. Alone we can do little, together we can do so much more. We need one another and networks such as IAVE, Volonteurope, or the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA). When we come together in conferences such as this one, we must share HOW we do things as well as "what" it is we do.

Finally, we also have to be concerned with political action as well as with direct service. Volunteers rarely have the chance to speak for themselves. As leaders of volunteers we must be clear on what volunteers need in order to be most effective and then advocate for that in an articulate way-to place volunteering on the agenda!

Susan J. Ellis is president of Energize, Inc., an international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. Based in Philadelphia (USA), the 21-year old firm has helped a wide diversity of clients across North America and Europe to start or expand volunteer efforts. Call for a copy of the free "Volunteer Energy Resource Catalog": In North America, call toll-free: 1-800-395-9800. Outside N.A.: 011-215-438-8342 or fax 011-215-438-0434. Or, browse the catalog and much more volunteer management information on the Energize Website: http://www.energizeinc.com

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The term "succession planning" is one that is used most frequently in the corporate sector. It usually refers to a systematic and intentional effort by individuals in leadership positions-especially CEOs-to find and groom their successors.

Succession planning is a concept that those of us engaged in the voluntary sector might want to borrow from the private sector, however, and adapt to meet our own needs.

Certainly, within each individual voluntary organization, every senior volunteer and staff member has an obligation to consider what they can and should do to ensure a smooth transition for their successors. We may be well advised to take the notion of succession planning and apply it more broadly, however. What efforts can and should be implemented by the voluntary sector today to ensure that voluntary organizations have access to a pool of dedicated volunteers 10 or 15 or 25 years in the future?

Any discussion about volunteers of the future immediately leads to a consideration of the young people of today.

Some people-usually adults-are quite pessimistic about Canada's youth. They believe that today's youth have not been instilled with a basic set of core values that entail a commitment to others. As a result, it is assumed that Canada's youth will not have the same inclination to volunteer as did their parents and grandparents. Some fairly recent research suggests, however, that such pessimism may not be warranted.

In June of 1997, a report was released entitled Building Bridges: New Perspectives on the Nexus Generation. It presented the findings of a study of Canadians between the ages of 18 - 35 that was undertaken jointly by the Royal Bank, Angus Reid and d~code, a strategy development firm that advises the public, private and voluntary sector on how to connect with young Canadians.

The survey found a group of young Canadians who are much more positive and upbeat about their future prospects than is commonly believed. When asked a specific question about volunteering, 64% of the survey respondents said that it was very or extremely likely that they would volunteer in their community at some point in their lives.

The positive predisposition of Canadian youth towards community service and volunteering reflects the experience of our American cousins.

A 1996 study undertaken by the Washington, D.C. based organization, Independent Sector, found that the total number of teenage Americans volunteering increased by 7% between 1992 -1996 jumping from 12.4 million to 13.3 million young people between the ages of 12 - 17. In addition, there was a 17% increase during that period in the total number of hours young people volunteered.

The results of the U.S. study are important not only in the short term but because of their implications for the future. The study cited above, as well as others undertaken by Independent Sector, indicate quite clearly that volunteering is an activity best cultivated in the early teen years. People who begin their volunteer experiences at that age are more likely to continue volunteering later in life. And, people who volunteer are more likely to become donors.

There is every reason to believe that the U.S. findings would be replicated in Canada and, if true, that it is very good news. Canadian youth do have a sense of commitment to community and are open to the possibility of volunteer experiences. This would seem to suggest that the supply of volunteers should be plentiful for organizations 15 or 25 years into the future. This is not a sure thing, however. There may exist within Canada's voluntary sector significant barriers to the positive and constructive engagement of youth as volunteers.

As part of the development of a brief discussion paper commissioned by the Canadian Centre of Philanthropy in 1997, a number of young people were interviewed and asked about their experiences with volunteering. In addition, nonprofit organizations were interviewed about their experiences with youth volunteers.

Although this was neither a comprehensive nor a scientific survey, several themes emerged that suggest that voluntary organizations have some real challenges-both individually and collectively-if we want to take advantage of young Canadians who are motivated to "make a difference." The major, recurring themes are highlighted below:

• Lack of awareness-many young people, including those who were eager to volunteer, were usually unaware of volunteer opportunities. Nor did they have much of an idea about where they should go to find out about opportunities

• Mis-match of tasks and interests -when they did find volunteer work, a surprising number of young people reported that they often felt "exploited"-they were assigned mundane tasks that staff or adult volunteers felt were "beneath them." This was true even in the case of highly educated and skilled young people. Nor were volunteer assignments provided that allowed them to use or develop their skills.

• Rigid organizational structures -both young people and organizational representatives reported frustration with the inflexibility of the existing internal structures used to recruit and engage volunteers. They were seen to be "adult oriented" and not easily accommodating of the varying time schedules and high turn-over rates that may be inherent characteristics of youth volunteering. And, traditional incentive programmes were, by and large, considered to be of little relevance to young people

• Limited information exchange -while young people reported difficulties knowing how to access potential volunteer opportunities, nonprofit organizations expressed frustration at the lack of information exchange amongst and between organizations attempting to better engage young Canadians. There was a desire for an exchange of best practices, means of evaluation and simple advice about the most effective ways to involve young volunteers constructively.

The barriers described above are significant and worrisome. Even if a young person is predisposed to volunteer, a negative experience will reduce the possibility that they will continue to volunteer. Fortunately, there is evidence that a number of organizations have not only recognized the existence of some of these barriers, but have taken concrete steps to address them.

At a workshop held in conjunction with the 1997 Canadian Forum on Volunteerism in Winnipeg, participants had a chance to share examples of good ideas and "best practices" regarding youth volunteering. Some of the key suggestions are summarized below:

• On-going Training - the importance of on-going training was emphasized consistently as key to the retention of youth volunteers. The 4-H clubs were mentioned, in particular, as an example of an organization that does an effective job of training young volunteers with a specific focus on leadership development.

• Creative outreach - a representative of a local volunteer centre reported that they had set up satellite offices on the campus of the local college and university. The proportion of their volunteer base represented by young people increased substantially, as a result.

• Positive Peer Pressure - a number of people indicated that it was young people themselves who were the best ambassadors for recruiting other youth. Some organizations had established dedicated positions of "youth volunteer coordinators" which were filled by young people. And, an organization in Thunder Bay described a leadership initiative that provided young people with a one year "internship" on the Boards of voluntary organizations. Measures like these were seen as helpful to break down the barriers between adults and youth and to help non-profit organizations become "youth-friendly."

• Cross-referrals - the need for some mechanism for cross-referral was also identified as important. In the case of a mis-match between a particular organization and an individual young person, it was felt to be crucial that the organization could easily identify and refer the young person to another organization which might have a more appropriate volunteer opportunity.

• Teacher Training - the importance of working closely with teachers and teacher organizations was also seen to be important especially when the focus was on older children and teens. Teachers have an important role to play to motivate young people and to ensure that their volunteer expectations are realistic. The importance of teachers may become even more crucial in the future as more and more provinces are requiring community service as a condition of high school graduation.

It may be inherent that every generation despairs about the generation that follows. That view appears to be simplistic and a disservice to young Canadians. It may also be detrimental to the future health and vitality of Canada's voluntary organizations.

Young Canadians today appear to have a sense of responsibility and commitment to something broader than themselves, their family and their friends. In general, they are very open to the possibilities of volunteering. They aren't the same as the generation ahead of them, however, and the ways they will exercise their responsibilities will be different. Nor are they adults. Voluntary organizations that employ the same approaches to youth as they do to adult volunteers will probably fail to capture the interest and attention of young people today. They have lots of volunteer options, however, and will go elsewhere.

Barriers do exist with Canada's voluntary sector that suggest we are not taking full advantage of the ideals and energy of young Canadians. Fortunately, a number of organizations across the country recognize this and are starting to address this challenge. We are making progress but more individuals and organizations in the voluntary sector need to devote more attention to the most appropriate forms of success planning- voluntary sector style.

There has been a convergence of several key trends in the voluntary sector that is beginning to necessitate policy development. Among these trends are the changing nature of volunteering; the increasing degree of risk associated with volunteering; the deficit of organizational and administrative support for volunteer programs; and the increasingly litigational nature of our culture. The critical point here is that changes to volunteerism as it is actually practiced, changes that are rocketing through not-for-profit agencies, and wider social changes are combining to make policy development in volunteer departments mandatory.

As the work we assign to volunteers becomes more responsible and complex, the greater the risks associated with its completion. If volunteers are rolling bandages, for example, dangers are minimal and the need for policies to guide bandage rolling is virtually non-existent. But as we now ask volunteers to work directly with clients/consumers/patients, to deliver the services of our organizations, often right along side paid staff, policies become indispensable.

Rapid change and growth, combined with chronic under-funding to volunteer services, have produced a gap between the real complexity of volunteer involvement and the ability of organizations to understand and manage the valuable resource they have mobilized.

In contrast to the stereotype of volunteering held by the general public, and even by some agency managers (paid and unpaid), volunteering has developed into important work that deserves profound and immediate administrative attention. Unfortunately, administrators in many voluntary organizations do not understand that their attention is needed.

Many large scale and complex volunteer departments operate in a policy void, and, ironically, remain virtually invisible to the very people who will be held accountable when something goes wrong.

That someone will be held accountable for errors, omissions, accidents, injuries or loss grows more certain every day. In this increasingly litigational culture-the "suit society," according to William Conrad and William Glenn,¹ where people "sue anybody for anything," voluntary organizations, and the good people who are ultimately responsible for the work undertaken in the name of the organization (themselves, volunteers), simply cannot afford to ignore such exposure to liability.

In the courts, in the press, in the public mind, boards are being held accountable for mistakes, accidents, and negligence on the part of volunteers acting on behalf of organizations. "Not knowing" simply is not a good enough excuse-legally or morally.

The matter of policy development for volunteer services has become urgent. The formula is quite simple: the greater the degree of responsibility of volunteer work itself, the greater the need for rules to govern and regulate its accomplishment; the greater the need for guidelines to ensure safety; the greater the need for policies.

Policy and Risk Management

Policies supply rules. They establish boundaries beyond which volunteers should not wander. They specify what is and what is not expected, what is and what is not safe.

While there is nothing that any agency can do to guarantee that accidents will not happen, policies can reduce an organization's exposure to liability in the event that a lawsuit is launched. For example, there is no better proof that an agency has acted prudently and responsibly in attempting to reduce the likelihood of injury or loss than a full set of current, comprehensive policies and procedures, clearly in place, and consistently communicated to all relevant parties.

Policy development brings many benefits to not-for-profit organizations, including continuity, improved communications, clarity in accountability and generally improved management practices. So, risk management is far from the only reason to write policies, but it is without doubt the most compelling reason for policy development in most volunteer programs.