V olunteers can and should be an important part of every nonprofit organization.
This is not only to save money though it can do that but because
it is a right of people to have an active share in those institutions which
are supported by their tax or philanthropic dollars. The volunteer portion
of our society is undergoing some dramatic changes today which offer new
challenges and many new opportunities to all organizations which are alert
to what is happening. I don't know a great deal about the detailed operations
of libraries (although I worked in one at one time) , but the basic principles
of volunteer participation and management, I am sure, apply to libraries
as they do to hospitals, school systems, and social welfare agencies.
To understand these changes, we must look at what is happening to
people today which has an effect on volunteering.published or submitted for publicatio

Wedel, Cynthia

English

V olunteers can and should be an important part of every nonprofit organization.
This is not only to save money though it can do that but because
it is a right of people to have an active share in those institutions which
are supported by their tax or philanthropic dollars. The volunteer portion
of our society is undergoing some dramatic changes today which offer new
challenges and many new opportunities to all organizations which are alert
to what is happening. I don't know a great deal about the detailed operations
of libraries (although I worked in one at one time) , but the basic principles
of volunteer participation and management, I am sure, apply to libraries
as they do to hospitals, school systems, and social welfare agencies.
To understand these changes, we must look at what is happening to
people today which has an effect on volunteering.Submitted by Sarah Shreeves (sshreeve@uiuc.edu) on 2007-04-10T16:59:42Z
No. of bitstreams: 1
Wedel_Management.pdf: 499960 bytes, checksum: 27fa25e5148c2290530a74a4e91632a1 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2007-04-10T16:59:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
Wedel_Management.pdf: 499960 bytes, checksum: 27fa25e5148c2290530a74a4e91632a1 (MD5)
  Previous issue date: 1980published or submitted for publicatio

Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository

CYNTHIA WEDELThe Management of VolunteersV olunteers can and should be an important part of every nonprofit organi-zation. This is not only to save money though it can do that but be-cause it is a right of people to have an active share in those institutions whichare supported by their tax or philanthropic dollars. The volunteer portionof our society is undergoing some dramatic changes today which offer newchallenges and many new opportunities to all organizations which are alertto what is happening. I don't know a great deal about the detailed operationsof libraries (although I worked in one at one time) , but the basic principlesof volunteer participation and management, I am sure, apply to librariesas they do to hospitals, school systems, and social welfare agencies.To understand these changes, we must look at what is happening topeople today which has an effect on volunteering. First of all, people noware far better educated than earlier generations and very much betterinformed. Indeed, the mass media bring most of us an overload of informa-tion with an unfortunate emphasis on the tragic or sensational. However,one good result is that most people are aware as earlier generationscould not be of needs and opportunities which exist in their community,the nation, and the world, and the normal human reaction to a need is, "Iwish I could do something to help."Second, people today have far more discretionary time than people ofearlier days. (I have learned never to call this "leisure" time. Americansseem to have enough remnants of the old work ethic to be very defensiveabout leisure.) But compared with even a half-century ago, when the normalworkweek was six days of ten to twelve hours (eighteen hours for farmersand housewives), all of us today have far more time to use as we maychoose.Third, an amazing number of people spend their working hours atroutine, unfulfilling jobs. Studies have shown that the number of people whofind their daily work very satisfying is shockingly small. Almost everyonehas interests and potential talents which he or she has little or no oppor-tunity to develop.All of this means that every town and city has many, many people whoare concerned about the community, have time available, and have a great9192 Organizing the Library's Supportdeal of untapped potential. Unfortunately, many of us are so hung up onold notions about volunteers and volunteer work that we are unaware ofthese facts. To most people, the word volunteer conjures up the mentalimage of a middle-aged, middle-class housewife, with no specific skills, butwith a warm heart and quite a bit of free time. We think of her working as avolunteer a day or two each week in a hospital or welfare agency.But, as we all realize, the middle-aged, middle-class housewife is anendangered species. Today's housewife is probably going to work or backto school, or is in demand by every agency in town. This is why so manypeople today are talking and writing about the decline in volunteering.There is no such decline. On the contrary, there is an explosion of volunteer-ing which is unprecedented since the day of the early colonists, when every-one had to volunteer to provide housing, education, health care, and aid tothose in trouble.Much of the growth in voluntary activity is seen in the many "cause"groups which spring up to fight the freeway, secure better housing, or meetsome other local problem. Volunteer bureaus and voluntary action centersin most towns and cities receive many calls from people who want to volun-teer and sometimes there are not enough jobs available. While there isstill a good solid volunteer corps of traditional housewives, their ranks arebeing expanded by working men and women eager to give time and skill ifit can be done after work or on weekends. Young people today are anexcellent source of volunteers: they are aware of needs, eager to help, andoften find volunteer work a way to gain experience and try out careerpossibilities.Probably the richest source of new volunteer power, however, is therapidly growing group of retirees. People today retire earlier, are healthier,and live longer than those in the past. For many, the greatest problem isboredom and feeling unwanted and unneeded. We are also discovering manycompetent volunteers among the physically disabled. There are plenty ofvolunteers. If we begin to accept and believe this, and undertake the re-cruitment of volunteers with a positive rather than negative approach, wewill succeed.There are a number of things we need to know, however, before we canlaunch a volunteer program or expand the one we have. First of all, we needto recognize that there are three basic types of volunteers, all of which canbe very useful. There are the "policy-making" volunteers, those who aremembers of boards or committees. They need to be carefully chosen andhelped to do a constructive and satisfying job. People today, for the mostpart, resent being used as "rubber stamps." They will be active and helpfulif they are given a real chance to do so. This means that they should be told,Management of Volunteers 93when asked to serve, that they will be expected to work. The board shouldhave working committees, and every member should be involved in one.The board chairman may need help in learning to use committees well.When decisions must be made, the chairman and staff executive should besure that everyone has the necessary information and that, as far as possible,several alternatives are offered for their discussion and decision. It is equallyannoying to a board to be offered one course of action and told to vote "yes"or"no," as to be faced with a difficult problem with no possible solutionssuggested.A second and very important type of volunteer is the "manage-ment" volunteer. If eight volunteers are needed to do a particular task,look first for a capable person to act as chairperson, "captain," or managerof that particular work force, and then, with his or her help, round up theothers. Spend enough time with the chairperson to make sure that he orshe thoroughly understands what is to be done. Then assign that person thetask of training, scheduling, and supervising the others.Many overworked staff people, in any kind of agency, tend to resistthe idea of using volunteers because they imagine being faced with eight orten eager people asking, "What do you want me to do?" The idea of findingspecific jobs for them, showing them how to do the jobs, answering theirquestions, listening to their complaints, and finally checking on their workis so overwhelming that the staff person usually decides to wait until later.Here the administrative volunteer is the solution. He or she needs to becarefully selected and must be a responsible and reasonably well organizedperson. You may have a friend who fits this category, or you may knowsomeone who has recently retired, or there may be a good candidate on someof your boards or committees. Most communities have housewives or retiredpeople who have been librarians or have had library training. You might setup a small committee of volunteers on your board who would help find theright person.There are a surprising number of potential volunteers who want towork with people rather than with things like books or file cards. Enlist-ing, training, helping, and supervising a group of volunteers would appealto such a person. Voluntary groups in your community, such as a volunteerbureau, voluntary action center, the Red Cross, the Junior League, churchgroups, or service clubs, would help you locate such a person, or perhapstwo people. In a couple of hours you could explain your needs, introducethem to the library and its program and, you hope, get their commitmentto help.Such a chairman of volunteers would be responsible for recruiting,training, assigning, assisting, and evaluating the work of volunteers. As a staff94 Organizing the Library's Supportperson, you would be in the background to answer questions, but the day-to-day work can be done by volunteers. You should be able to get the helpyou need, with a minimum of additional work on your part.The third echelon of volunteers is the "service volunteer," the onewho does the actual job. You may need help with cataloging and shelvingbooks, or at the reception or check-out desk. You may want someone to beresponsible for periodicals or a reading room. You might want a volunteerto conduct story-hours for children or a program of reading to the blind. Ifyou get a group of volunteers involved, they will themselves come up withnew and imaginative ideas for services which the library might offer.To make volunteer work attractive and satisfying to people today, thereare several things which need to be done. First, the board and other staffmust really want volunteers. They must understand that volunteers can helpexpand services, make the library better known and more appreciated inthe community, and help win greater support.Second, with the help of at least one experienced volunteer, you needto decide what you want done, and then design the various tasks to be doneby part-time workers because most volunteers can only provide part-timehelp. This means job descriptions simple and nontechnical, but specificand clear (again, a large voluntary organization like the Red Cross wouldbe happy to share samples of volunteer job descriptions) . There is nothingwhich gives a potential volunteer a better feeling for a place than therealization that staff know what they want, and can express it clearly inwriting. Remember that most volunteers today have had business experienceand are accustomed to things like job descriptions.It is a good idea to enter into a simple "contract" with the volunteerwhereby he or she agrees to give a specific amount of time and to do thespecified job. You, in turn, agree to provide the needed training and super-vision, and inform the volunteer about where to go for help. It is wise ifyou or the volunteer chairman, after a certain period of time a month orthree months sit down with the volunteer and assess how things areworking out. This gives you a normal, nonthreatening chance to suggestneeded improvements in the volunteer's performance, and gives the volun-teer the opportunity to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction, to make sug-gestions, or to ask for an additional or different assignment.For most volunteers, an interesting job providing needed help isenough reward. But some planned recognition can be meaningful, notonly to the volunteer, but as a device for recruiting more volunteers. Mostvolunteers say that the best recognition is a sincere "thank you" from staff, ora spontaneous "I don't know what we would do without you." But, perhapsonce a year, some formal recognition is excellent public relations. It mightManagement of Volunteers 95be a luncheon, tea, or dinner with certificates of appreciation to the volun-teers. Or it might be an "open house" at the library, with special exhibitsand a brief recognition ceremony.A full-blown volunteer program doesn't appear overnight. It is farbetter to move slowly, taking on just one or two volunteers at a time. Butover a period of two or three years the benefits can be great. More andbetter service can be provided. Public relations can be greatly improved.Indeed, it is often possible to find a volunteer with public relations skilland experience who can plan and carry out a program of ongoing in-formation and interpretation of the work and the services which the libraryoffers. As citizens of the community become personally involved in the li-brary, they begin to realize that it really is theirs. And all of us will workto support, strengthen, and expand that which really belongs to us.

The management of volunteers

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