A marketing director is defined by the scope of his or her responsibilities - not a pay rate. Paid or not, you call such a person a marketing director.

An executive director is defined by the scope of his or her responsibilities - not a pay rate. Paid or not, you call such a person an executive director.

A firefighter is defined by the scope of his or her responsibilities and training - not a pay rate. Volunteers can be - and often are - firefighters, despite what the union of professional firefighters wants you to believe.

Often, the term volunteer really is just a pay rate, not a job title. If someone has responsibilities on behalf of an organization, but isn't paid, he or she is a volunteer. Yet a lot of people have a problem with that label as a classification, like these interns who are upset about not being paid. Call them volunteers, and they have a minor freak out. But that's what they are - they are volunteers, because they aren't paid.

The debate should be this: SHOULD interns be volunteers?

What these unpaid interns that are so upset about being labeled volunteers don't seem to get is that I'm actually on their side: I think they should be paid. They should be employees or short-term consultants, no question. Why? Because

• the organizations they work for do not have a mission statement for their involvement of unpaid staff (volunteers),
• the organizations do not have, in writing, why they reserves certain positions and tasks and responsibilities specifically for volunteers rather than employees or paid consultants,
• the organizations say they don't pay volunteers because they "can't afford to" - and as you know, those are fighting words when it comes to saying why you involve volunteers.

May internships be unpaid? Sure! But there must be a stated reason that is not "because we don't have money to pay them." That's just pure exploitation, period.

I worked at a certain very large international NGO that shall remain nameless that was involving unpaid interns in large numbers - and I felt it was incredibly exploitative: nothing was in writing, and people held unpaid internships for months and months for no dicernable reason other than that they were free labor and so desperate for the experience that they made no demands. I didn't have the power to change the intern policy throughout the organization, but I did for my own department. And here's the parameters I established that all staff in our department had to adhere to regarding involving unpaid interns:

• An internship had to have a primary focus on giving the intern a learning experience, not  getting tasks done. Therefore:
  • There had to be a written job description that reflected this primary purpose of the internship.
  • The intern was invited to all agency-wide staff meetings, all staff meetings for just our department, and encouraged to ask to attend staff meetings for other departments, to learn about work across the agency. Staff were encouraged to take interns with them to meetings or events whenever possible, as appropriate.
  • The intern also had one project that was uniquely his or hers, that he or she was responsible for and could put on his or her résumé (for instance, conducting a survey, or evaluating some process and making recommendations for improvement).
  • The intern received job coaching and job search help by other staff members.
• A person chosen for the internship had to be able to say why they wanted to enter into a profession related to our agency's work, and say what they had done up to that point, in terms of education, volunteer work and paid work, to pursue that career choice.
• A person could hold an internship only for up to six months. They absolutely could not hold it beyond six months, no exceptions. An intern could NOT return to our department as an intern again, ever. That reduced the chance of a person being exploited as free labor; it forced rotation in what was supposed to be a role reserved for people learning about our work, not the opportunity for someone to have an unpaid assistant indefinitely.
• Ideally, the intern that was leaving would overlap with the intern that was coming in by one week, so that the departing intern could get experience training someone, documenting his or her responsibilities, etc.
• When the intern left, he or she was interviewed about his or her experience as an intern from the point of view of getting the learning and professional development he or she was looking for, and this was used to continually improve internship involvement and to show if interns were getting what our internship promised: a learning experience.

The primary task we reserved for interns was answering the many, many emails that came in regarding an online program by our agency. We found that interns really were the best people for this task: in contrast to giving this task to employees, interns brought freshness and enthusiasm to responses that really shown through. They quickly saw patterns in questions or comments that a burned out staff person might not see, leading to adjustments to web site information and other communications. Also, in my opinion, because the interns were volunteers, they assumed a much stronger customer-advocate point-of-view regarding the people emailing with questions or comments than employees did; the agency could have a real seige-mentality outlook when dealing with anyone outside the organization, while the interns had a mentality of being advocates for those outside the organization.

As I mentioned, I also came up with tasks specifically for an intern to own. It might be an internal staff survey, a customer/client survey, a research project, an evaluation/analysis project, production of a report or online resource, etc. Every intern walked away something that was his or hers, a project that he or her directed or managed or lead, and that employees and other interns contributed to. That gave interns the management experience so many were desperate for.

The problem with having these internships as unpaid: it meant that anyone who couldn't afford to move to our geographic area and work at least 20 hours a week, unpaid, couldn't be an intern. That excluded a lot of qualified people. It meant all of our interns were from the USA or Europe. It meant qualified people who couldn't afford to volunteer (work unpaid) couldn't be interns. I tried creating online internships specifically for these people, but sadly, we never got qualified candidates to apply for those - though I've wondered if there was just too much skepticism about an online internship being a real internship - perhaps it would be easier now.

One last note: yes, I've been an intern. I had a summer-long internship at a for-profit newspaper between my sophomore and junior year at university, and I was paid - and it met almost all of the parameters I think an internship should have, paid or not, that I've outlined above. I had a year-long internship during senior at my university, at a nonprofit arts center, and I was paid and, again, the role met almost all of the parameters I think an internship should have, paid or not, that I've outlined above. My last internship was a summer-long gig after I graduated, at a nonprofit theater, and I was not paid - but, indeed, the role met almost all of the parameters I think an internship should have, paid or not, that I've outlined above. None of those internships guaranteed me eventual employment, but they all did end up helping me get the experience and networks I needed for eventual full-time employment. All three organizations, including the for-profit company, looked at their intern involvement as a way of giving back, of cultivating young people into specific professions.

The newspaper paid me because it had to; as a for-profit business, it couldn't involve unpaid staff. The nonprofit arts organization paid me because they could; they got a grant from the state to do so. The theater didn't pay me because felt they were offering young people free education and a potential job connection network that aspiring actors, production staff and administration staff couldn't buy if they had wanted to - not kidding! There was also this you-have-to-survive-this-trial-by-fire-to-work-in-theater attitude that those of us who did survive such wore like a badge of honor. I look back on that experience and, as much as I want to say I was exploited... I do feel like I got experience and connections I could never have gotten otherwise, that the organization really did do me a favor.

Also see:

This article in the New York Times about interns.

Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act (USA)
This PDF fact sheet provides general information to help determine whether interns must be paid the minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act in the USA

Social Inequity and the Unpaid Intern

The blog unfairinternships.wordpress.com

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Linda Graff is a volunteer management trainer, with a specialization regarding risk management in engaging volunteers.

Linda is retiring, and Andy Fryer has done an interview with her that talks about her incredible contributions to our knowledge about effective volunteer engagement. It's worth your time to read the interview.

Readers are invited to comment, and my comment says, in part:

I can’t count how many times I have run to my risk management books by Linda to be able to make a point or even win an argument – and I pretty much dismiss any volunteer management expert who doesn’t have one of her books on the shelf or doesn’t seem to know who she is (blasphemy!).

Every nonprofit organization/mission-based organization needs at least one Linda Graff book on the bookshelf - and staff need to consult such regularly. My recommendation is Beyond Police Checks. It's North America-specific, but the advice is applicable to any country.

It's a loss for our sector that Linda is retiring, but I know that she now gets to spend much more time fishing, and that makes me happy.

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I get a lot of emails from people who are not native English speakers, or have not had a lot of education in terms of written English.

That means I can't immediately delete emails that are full of misspellings, ARE WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS, or that don't make for easy reading - all of the criteria that most people use to screen out scammers and spammers. Instead, I have to read such emails carefully and make sure they aren't really from a small NGO in a remote country. And even after reading such emails, I'm not always certain.

Here's an example of the kind of emails I get:

hello
mama jane,
my name is youssuph 18,living in somaliland aka northern somalia .
iam highly interesred in your work n want to be like u in the future,but for now i want u to be our organisation advicer which we have accomoplish the legality of our organisation-we are waiting approval from the ministry
i ,could like to share your 2 decade experience ,
i LOVE your work mama jane.
it is sooooooooooo wonderful
i also could say WELCOME to somaliland .
mwaa jane craven

I'm guessing this person is at least somewhat for real - he got my name mostly right. I have no idea what he really wants - which is often the case when I get these kinds of emails.

But I write back, and see if I can't direct the person to a local organization or online resource that could help them. And very often, it turns out that it's a real person, writing from a real NGO.

I always appreciate it when the person doesn't call me "Sir". I much prefer mama jane.

And the world keeps getting smaller...

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You're work or volunteer at nonprofit or an NGO or a government agency - some sort of mission-based organization. Or you want to.

Therefore, you have things to say, or ask, about the Internet, or computers, or smart phones, or any tech that plugs into those. YES, YOU DO!

There are some terrific threads on TechSoup awaiting your comments and questions, like:

GooglePlus - forcing users to use it?

UNV campaign: #actioncounts

Scheduling Volunteers for Therapeutic Riding Center

Library computer system needed for equipment reservations and checkout

Bohemian broadband & fossmaker culture

small nonprofit seeks affordable, reliable automated reminder call service

How to start a computer distribution program for low-income/needy people

Will Facebook kill your web-based online community?

Writing for the web

Which apps would people like?

what video conferencing tools have you really used.

Or start your own thread! You have things to say, to discuss, to share, to whine about when it comes to how you use the Internet, or computers, or smart phones, or any tech that plugs into those. YES, YOU DO!

You can also:

View the TechSoup community by subject matter/branch

View the TechSoup community by latest post

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This blog was originally posted 16 August 2010.

So many people -- media and corporate people in particular -- like to talk about volunteers in the most flowery language possible: volunteers as selfless and hard-working and nice and sweet and huggable. Gosh golly, don't you love them?!?

I'm not fond of using fuzzy language to talk about volunteers, because I find it degrading and disrespectful. It devalues volunteers and their role in organizations. 

While in Australia leading workshops on volunteer management earlier this year, one of the very hot-topics that volunteer managers wanted to talk about was volunteers as bullies. So many were facing a toxic volunteer at their organizations who used abusive language with other volunteers, paid staff and even clients, disrupted meetings and plans that other volunteers were leading or organizing, and were uncooperative regarding following policies and procedures. These toxic volunteers were capable of bringing meetings, planning, events, and even entire programs to a halt.

The volunteer managers felt powerless to deal with the bullies, because these volunteers had often been at the organization longer than the volunteer managers had, because the volunteers were also financial donors, because the volunteers had been honored in the past regarding their service, or because the staff was afraid of the volunteers and didn't want to provoke them further. Volunteer managers told me that just one volunteer complaint -- including complaints about being reprimanded for not following policy --  would result in senior leadership displeasure with the volunteer manager. One person said that her supervisor, in regards to complaints by a long-time volunteer who did not want to follow policy, "I just don't want to hear it. Make her happy."

One avoidance tactic upper management uses regarding bullies is to require everyone to go into a conflict management workshop. Those workshops can be really great for other issues, but don't solve the problem of a bully. In fact, volunteer managers report to me that bullies either come up with a way to beg off attending such or are brilliant at hijacking such workshops, portraying themselves as victims and using the tactics they learn at the workshop to divert responsibility from themselves regarding bullying behavior. And I have to admit that I've seen it happen myself.

Since those workshops in Australia, I've kept my eye out for good resources regarding bullying in the workplace. One that I found was a blog from the Open University, Office conflict: the impact of workplace bullying. Another terrific resource is How to deal with workplace bullying and how to tackle bullying at work, also from the United Kingdom. My favorite resource, however, regarding petty tyranny in the workplace is the book The No Asshole Rule—Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t, which I've blogged about before. His book is about paid employees, but it most definitely applies to volunteers.

My own advice as well:

• Document, document, document. Have dates, places and details about the actions of a toxic volunteer in writing. Have details in writing on the consequences of the bullying, such as other volunteers not participating in activities if the toxic volunteer will be there, volunteers dropping out of participation altogether, little or no new volunteers participating in certain activities, and complaints from other volunteers, paid staff and clients. Be ready to present these to your supervisor, the head of your human resources department, and even the head of your organization. Don't wait to be asked to present this information, and don't be discouraged if your initial presentation of such doesn't prompt action; it may take several presentations to get the message across that the toxic volunteer must be let go.


• Be consistent in applying the rules to all volunteers, so there is no possibility of a toxic volunteer claiming you are singling her or him out, something she or he will be tempted to claim to other volunteers and to paid staff she or he has a long-term relationship with. This starts to create an atmosphere where the toxic volunteer will start to feel unwelcomed and will indirectly encourage her or him to move on.


• Be willing to lose the bully, as well as her or his allies among your volunteers, and to answer questions from staff or other volunteers who express displeasure at their departure. If you create an environment where the bully cannot engage in toxic behavior without having consequences for that behavior, that volunteer will probably leave your organization, but not without a dramatic exit, like a fiery letter or email or an emotional final meeting, and she or he may successfully encourage other volunteers to leave as well. Say goodbye and wish them well and calmly move on, focusing on your remaining volunteers, reaching out to volunteers who left because of the toxic volunteer, recruiting new volunteers, staying dispassionate and staying positive.


• Never, ever trash talk the bully to other staff or volunteers, even if you consider those staff or volunteers sympathetic to you. Those words could come back to haunt you. Be above reproach in any comments you make about the toxic volunteer, even among allies. It's fine for volunteers to share complaints with you regarding a bullying volunteer, but keep it dispassionate and don't allow them to cross a line where they could be accused of being bullies themselves.


• Be on the lookout for misinterpretations and misrepresentations of your actions, and ready to respond to such immediately, quickly and decisively.


• Don't think that the situation will somehow work itself out. It won't.   

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You probably won't hear any well-known social media guru talking about it, you probably won't hear about it in any social media workshop (except mine, of course), but do you know who is getting the MOST out of social media when it comes to community engagement?

Wrestlers.

Check out 110 Trending Topics in 5 Hours: How WWE Wrestlemania Body-Slammed Social Media:

Behind strong pushes on Twitter and YouTube, WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII laid the smack down on social media last weekend, teaching a digital engagement lesson to the sports entertainment world.

Heck, Wrestlemania taught a digital engagement lesson to the nonprofit world, to ANY world, if those sectors will listen. Also see: How the WWE Is Making WrestleMania More Social Than Ever.

But will you click on those links? Or are you already lifting up your nose at the mere mention of the word wrestling?

Professional wrestling - or, as my people like to call it, rasslin' - is unbelievably popular world wide. I've been stunned at how many wrestling shirts I've seen all over the world, including in Kabul, Afghanistan. In Kabul, there are (or, at least, in 2007, there were) gyms in the city that had the images of wrestlers from Wrestlemania in front of their businesses to draw people in (don't sue, Wrestlemania, just don't). I couldn't understand why USAID wasn't employing stars from Wrestlemania to create public service announcements for Afghans about whatever it is we're trying to get Afghans to do (support women in microenterprises, support girls going to school, grow wheat instead of poppies, drive on the right side of the road, employ proper water sanitation practices, etc.). I'm totally serious, USAID!

But we cringe at the thought of... sniff... wrestlers being involved in anything noble or high-minded or community-focused like that.

I worked with People Magazine once upon a time to do a pilot online mentoring program with kids in Washington, D.C. - and the People folks wanted celebrities to be the online mentors. At a classroom we visited in the basement of a school (where it was easily over 100 degrees on that stifling hot day), there were probably five kids wearing Wrestlemania t-shirts. I talked to the kids while the rest of our visiting party stood across the room, as far away from the students as possible, and when I asked the students what kind of celebrities they admired, they didn't name rap stars - they named wrestlers. I was thinking, hey great, we're getting wrestlers for these kids as online mentors! Later that afternoon, in our followup planning meeting in an air-conditioned room of a then dominant Internet provider in Virginia, a room so cold I needed a sweater, People Magazine staff balked at the idea of wrestlers. They said they were thinking of celebrities such as Martha Stewart and Charleton Heston as possible mentors for these teens. I kid you not - that's the two people they named in that meeting as examples of proper online mentors for inner-city teens.

It's worth noting that the first virtual volunteering by a celebrity I have been able to find has been by...  A RETIRED WRESTLER. Mick Foley is a an online volunteer with RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the largest anti-sexual assault organization in the USA. He talked about his experience as an online volunteer on a November 2010 episode of The Daily Show with John Stewart. In a RAINN web video, Foley says, “I cannot think of a better way to spend a few hours a week than helping someone who needs RAINN’s services.” Learn more about volunteering for RAINN's Online Hotline.

(Yes, I just burned a bridge with People Magazine. So much for my bid to be one of their most beautiful people. Ah, well.)

Let's be clear: I actually don't watch wrestling. Well, now, anyway - when I was 8, I loved watching Bill "Superstar" Dundee on TV. I also loved roller derby in those days. But, indeed, I have moved on. I could not name a modern-day wrestler. I'm not as hip as you might think.

But I haven't become too sophisticated to say, way to go, Wrestlemania. I'll happily learn from Wrestlemania and wrestlers when it comes to virtual volunteering, online mentoring, and online community engagement, I'd love to invite your participation in any community engagement activity I'm a part of, and I'll even use examples of your online activities in my workshops - even while other social media experts and nonprofit management trainers rolls their eyes and cringe.

But I still might call it rasslin'.

Consulting services by Jayne Cravens.

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One of the things I really like about Twitter is that I don't have to follow absolutely everyone whose tweets I might be interested in reading at some point; I can put people and organizations on various lists, by subject matter, geography, whatever, and then check in with those lists as I like. I pick one or two of my lists a day, and then spend a few minutes going through the tweets of that list.

I make my Twitter lists public - anyone can see them. I'm also sharing them below - I thought you might like to see what they are, either to find someone you should be following, to subscribe to any of these lists or maybe to finally get you on Twitter at long last.

Afghanistan
People and organizations that tweet about Afghanistan. I'll always care about Afghanistan...

Aid work & Dev
Organizations working development, aid and humanitarian response in developing/transitional countries.

CSR
Corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship, including pro bono help

Colleagues
My professional and volunteering colleagues (if you aren't on this list, and we've worked together at some point in some way, and you are on Twitter, please let me know!)

español
Info & orgs in Spain & Latin America, or any site I follow that tweets in español, all related to some subject I follow (aid work and development, tech4good/ICT4D, tourism for good, CSR, FOSS, etc.)

FOSS
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) - vendors, distributors, volunteers and advocates.

International NGOs
Major international non-governmental organizations I'm particularly interested in.

Nonprofit associations
City, state & regional nonprofit associations in the USA.

PNW
Portland, Oregon & Pacifc Northwest Tweeters I follow.

Tech4Good ICT4D
Also #nptech, apps for good. Organizations and individuals engaged in activities that use computer, software and Internet technology to help individuals, communities and the environment.

tourism4good
Organizations promoting tourism for good, or tourism for development.

Women & Girls Empowerment
Orgs & tweeters re women & girls empowerment/rights

Vol Research
Research regarding volunteerism and/or community engagement

Volunteerism non-English
Volunteer info & orgs that do not tweet English (but tweet in Spanish, French, Portuguese, or anything I can sorta kinda figure out)

For Volunteers 
If you want to / are a volunteer. If you tweet about your volunteering activities, the things you do as a volunteer, contact me and let me know. If you are an organization focused primarily on volunteers (you have developed a web site or app to help people find volunteering opportunities, for instance), let me know. 

Volunteer recruit/manage
For those that work with volunteers - for managers of volunteers, and for organizations that regularly tweet regarding their volunteers.

Volunteerism
Promoting or researching the concept of volunteers/community help.

If you want to be on any of these lists, please contact me. And if you are interested in the subjects I am, or want to know what I'm up to, I hope you will follow me on Twitter!

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I don't like "closed gardens" like Facebook to create online communities for volunteers, clients or members. Not only for all of the reasons I note here on TechSoup, but also because a lot of people do NOT like mixing their social lives with their volunteering lives.

Take this story today on NPR's Talk of the Nation, that noted a teacher was fired for a photo on her Facebook page that showed her drinking wine while she was on vacation. That's enough to make anyone paranoid about using their Facebook page for their work or volunteering. 

Also, if I am required to join a Facebook group as a part of my volunteering, that means other volunteers and the organization's employees are going to know I'm on Facebook, and want to become my friend - and be hurt if I say no.

More on why I don't like "closed gardens" as online communities for volunteers, clients or members. Weigh in there on your own thoughts! (if you try to comment here on this particular blog, I'm going to NOT publish your comment and ask that you over to TechSoup and reply)

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I'm not the only one constantly harping that we need to stop talking about volunteers in terms of money saved or in terms of "Hey, we've got all this work to do, let's get some volunteers to do it" - and, instead, start talking about the true value of Volunteers.

Here's a fantastic article from 2008 by Jennifer Woodill for the Nonprofit Quarterly that echoes what a small but growing number of managers, researchers and volunteerism advocates have been saying - there are much better reasons to involve volunteers than we don't have to pay them!

And I don't think it's volunteer managers that are the biggest obstacle in changing this mentality - it's donors, particularly from the corporate sector, as well as big organizations like the United Nations Volunteers program and John Hopkins University, which just cannot let go of the idea of volunteers being great primarily becaues they mean not having to pay employees or consultants to do work.

Way to go, Jennifer!

Also see:

Do NOT say "Need to Cut Costs? Involve Volunteers!"

The Value of Volunteers (and how to talk about such)

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Like most people in the USA, I've been captivated by the horrific case of the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. And there have been comments in the news accounts and commentaries that always get my attention: Zimmerman is called a volunteer with his local neighborhood watch group.

But the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), the parent organization of USAonWatch-Neighborhood Watch , the largest neighborhood watch organization in the USA, says George Zimmerman was not a member of any group recognized by the organization. NSA Executive Director Aaron D. Kennard, Sheriff (ret.) said in the press statement. "NSA has no information indicating the community where the incident occurred has ever even registered with the NSA Neighborhood Watch program."

It sounds like Zimmerman was a DIY volunteer. That he was, in fact, a self-proclaimed "captain" of his one-man neighborhood watch group. And that means he was not registered with any organization as a neighborhood watch volunteer, that no one had approved his membership in such, that no one had interviewed him or done a background check on him before he started volunteering, that he had received no training from any official, credible neighborhood watch program, and that no one was supervising him and his work as a "volunteer."

I've always been a big tent person when it comes to volunteering - if a person is helping an organization and not being paid, he or she is a volunteer. That means I throw in people who are doing community service for a grade, or a scholarship, or as part of a court-ordered action. However, I cringe at the idea of George Zimmerman being called a "volunteer."

There's a better word for George Zimmerman: vigilante.

Media - please stop calling him a volunteer.

And on another note:

Nonprofits, NGOs, libraries and other organizations that involve volunteers: do your volunteers know when they are, and when they are NOT, representing your organization? Have you told them? You all tell me you are oh-so-worried about volunteers doing things online that embarass your organization, but what are you going to do when someone wearing that fabulous t-shirt emblazoned with your logo starts going around town representing his or herself as a representative of your organization?

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Nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs):

Do you know what community colleges, public universities and private universities are nearest your agency, geographically? And do any of the degrees or classes they offer relate to the mission of your organization in any way?

For instance,

• If your organization provides counseling, have you investigated to see if the nearest college or university has a graduate degree program in psychology?
• If your organization assists victims of domestic violence, have you investigated to see if the nearest college or university has a degree program in social work?
• If you are focused on the environment in any way, have you investigated if the college or university offers any environment resource management-related courses?
• If you work with people trying to start micro-enterprises, have you investigated to see if the college or university nearest you offers business management classes, or even an MBA?

Here's why your organization needs to be able to answer these questions:

• Your nonprofit or NGO has the real-world environment that college and university faculty and graduate students need for academic research and practical experience.
• Higher ed institutions have the skills and knowledge your organization may need as well as probono consultants or researchers or on-loan staff.
• Faculty at colleges and universities get contacted by the media, and if the story is going to be something related to your organization's mission, they will refer those reporters to you as well.
• Faculty may hear of funding opportunities that might be appropriate for your organization. 
• Faculty may find themselves in a conversation with public officials or business leaders where they could recommend your organization's work.

How can nonprofits and NGOs network with university faculty and get on their radar for potential partnerships?

• Look at course offerings of college and universities, and identify the faculty teaching courses that relate to your organization's work. Build a database of people you want to contact; phone numbers and email addresses for most of these folks will be easy to find online, either on the college or university's web site or through a Google or Bing search.
• Look to see if faculty with which you want to connect has a Twitter feed and, if so, and it's regarding their work, follow such. Same for a Facebook profile or a GooglePlus profile. Get to know more about their work through their updates. If the person posts something that relates to your work, reply to a post.
• Read something by that faculty member in an academic journal (you can get access to this through your local library) or other publication.
• Add appropriate faculty to your press release distribution list.
• Invite the faculty you have identified to your open houses and public events. Send a personalized invitation, noting exactly why you are inviting this person to such. 
• Invite the faculty you have identified to a meeting at your organization set up just for that person, or even to lunch. Let them know about your organization's in-house expertise. If you already have partnership ideas, propose them. If you don't, talk about what the faculty member's courses and research have in common with your organization, and say that you would love to collaborate in some way but you aren't entirely sure how.

It's an ongoing cultivation process. You are building relationships, and that won't come from just an email, a phone call or meeting face-to-face once. Colleges and universities are a HUGE resource right in your backyard - not just as one-day student volunteers, but as potential program and funding partners. Don't wait for them to find you - seek THEM out!

Look what partnerships with universities can lead to:

Western Kentucky University Entrepreneurship students working to revitalize downtown businesses

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An excellent blog: Why Your Company Probably Doesn't Need A Facebook Page

I completely agree. And I think it's true for many nonprofits, NGOs, community agenices and other organizations as well.

Shocked? Don't be. Facebook is a great, appropriate outreach / engagement tool for many organizations - and a complete waste of time for others, as this blog explores.

Consider this: maybe all of your volunteers are on Facebook - but they don't want to mix their Facebook activities with their volunteering. Offline, I don't always feel comfortable talking about what I do as a volunteer at work with colleagues, or when I'm socializing with friends - perhaps I feel the same way online.

Having a booth at the local county fair might be a great way to create awareness about whatever issue your nonprofit is concerned with, or as a way to recruit volunteers - and might be a complete waste of time for others.

Same for putting an ad in the local newspaper.

Same for doing a PSA on a local radio station.

Same for putting a billboard up on a highway.

How do you know which outreach or engagement tool is right for your organization? Through knowing your potential audiences, through observing online activities by other organizations similar to your organization or also serving a similar community, and through asking your current clients, donors and volunteers how they heard about your organization and how they do or don't want to use social media with your organization. Through experimenting. Through trial and error.

That said, if you are on Facebook, and want to use Facebook as a way to learn about effective volunteer / community engagement, about nonprofit / NGO management, about aid and development, or about my work, I would love for you to like my Facebook page. But it's worth noting that a LOT of my friends haven't done this, because they don't like mixing work and fun (and they see their Facebook activities as purely for fun).

And if you are on Twitter, and want to use it for those similar reasons, I would love for you to follow me on Twitter. But, again, a LOT of my friends haven't done this, because they don't like mixing work and fun (and they see their Twitter activities as purely for fun).

Happy weekend!

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I cringe when people say I'm a techie. Because I'm not I'm technically-savvy. I know how to use technology for outreach, absolutely, and I'm proud of that ability, but if I get an error message in using software, I'm stuck. Screen projectors regularly stump me - they plug in well to my Mac, usually, but I can never get them to work on IBM Clone PCs.

It's like saying I'm a motorcycle mechanic because I have ridden more than 12,000 miles on motorcycles. I take those machines many amazing places - but I couldn't even change a tire on one.

I say this because, in trying to upgrade my operating system on my MacBook, I annihilated my hard drive. And while I back up regularly, I apparently did something wrong two years ago, because it turns out that none of my email from the last two years backed up (I changed my email client two years ago).

All my files, documents, presentations, photos, etc. are safe (whew!), but all of my email from 2010, 2011 and the start of 2012, is gone. That includes my email address book.

So if you emailed me recently, or even in the last six months, and are wondering why I haven't emailed you back - that's what's up. Please email again. If this message is for you, then know my email address - I won't post it here, so I can keep it away from bots. Otherwise, try this web page (be sure to remove OINKMOO from the address).

I've tweeted this, I've posted it to my Facebook page, but word isn't reaching everyone - so here it is, blogged.

And let this be a lesson to you aspiring independent consultants out there: you really are on your own when it comes to IT.

What I wish I'd known two years ago: where my email client (Thunderbird) puts my email on my hard drive (yes, I have some email on the cloud, but I need to access email even when I do NOT have Internet access!).

(there was a guy from MercyCorps who lives in the Portland, Oregon area that I have been trying to get together with for many weeks - if you are out there, PLEASE email me! I can't remember your name!)

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Sweeping the Internet this week: a viral video campaign by Invisible Children to make Joseph Kony, a terrorist leader in Uganda, a household name, and thereby get the media and politicans to pay attention. Viewership is through the roof, #KONY2012 is trending on Twitter, and the press is all over it. Even Lord Voldemort is on board:

The video is here; jump to 10:30 on the video if you want to get to the heart of the video, and watch until 27:00, to get a sense of what the campaign is trying to achieve and how it will do so, without having to watch the whole thing - it's 16 or so minutes of your life worth spending, both to learn about an important human rights campaign and to see how to make a campaign go viral. 

This is already a wildly successful activism / digital story-telling campaign - but it's not a campaign that can be easily replicated by *most* nonprofits.

Here's why it is working:

• it's an easy-to-understand cause
• it's a cause that gets an immediate emotional-response by anyone who watches the video
• it's a slickly produced video - very well edited, compelling imagery, excellent script
• it offers both simple and ambitious ways to get involved: at the very least, you can like the Invisible Children Facebook page, share the video with your online social network, and help get the word out further. At the other end of the spectrum, you can organize an event on April 20, per Invisible Children's guidelines for such, garnering press coverage and participation on a local level for an international issue.
• it builds up to a specific day - April 20
• it has a wide range of items for sale for activists to wear and display on April 20, which will help publicize the event and help make participants easy to identify the day of the event, and the sale of those items helps fund the campaign
• there are Invisible Children staff engaging with people on Twitter and Facebook for hours at a time - not just tweeting one link to a press release and hoping it catches on
• it has an easy-to-remember Twitter tag that isn't in use by anyone else: #KONY2012

It's having that specific day of action and a video that creates in-depth awareness about a specific issue that, IMO, makes this go well beyond slacktivism/slackervism.

What did it take for this campaign to be successful:

• money. Yes, I'm sure a lot of things were donated and a lot of expertise was give pro bono, but it still took money to pay for people and their time and knowledge to make this happen.
• wide-ranging, deep relationships with key people (media, corporations, celebrities, politicians, communications strategists). These relationships took many months, even years, to cultivate - more than some tweets and email.
• a very detailed, well-thought-out strategic plan. Somewhere, this plan is in writing, no matter how spontaneous the feeling this campaign is conveying.
• a LOT of people to undertake the necessary outreach activities via traditional and online media. This isn't just sending press releases; this is also engaging with people on Twitter and the phone for hours at a time. It took people to design the web site, to design the materials, to distribute those materials, to talk to the press - and it took those people MANY hours of work to do so, and it's taking even more time to respond to all of the press and critics now focusing on the effort.

But while there is a lot to learn from this campaign for nonprofits and NGOs, this is not the campaign most should aspire to.

• Most nonprofits and NGOs do NOT have the resources to make something like this happen - and never will.
• Your nonprofit is probably engaged in something that's only local, or that is a more complex issue to explain, and that doesn't garner an immediate emotional response.
• Your nonprofit might not be able to survive the incredible attention and scrutiny that a campaign like this would bring.

That doesn't mean your nonprofit is less worthwhile than Invisible Children - it just means that having a video go viral nationally or internationally might not-at-all be what is best for YOUR nonprofit.

As you read about this campaign and see it get so much attention, think about what you really want from donors, volunteers, the press, politicians, clients and the general public regarding your organization.

Think about local celebrities, local policy makers, local leaders (both official ones, like elected officials, and unofficial ones, like prominent business people or local leaders of religious communities) and local activists - what do you want them to say about your organization, and how might you get them to?

Also see this TechSoup resource on Digital Storytelling.

Another lesson to learn from this campaign: don't spam celebrities. I've seen a lot of celebrity Twitter feeds over-run with tweets from people begging for that person to follow or mention this or that nonprofit or cause. George Clooney probably gets 100 of those tweets in just one day! Don't make George Clooney dislike your organization because you keep tweeting him, begging for a mention.

One of the things that has been amusing to see is the stampede of smug aid workers and other smugsters to condemn the campaign - the theme of the pushback falls into four categories:

• this issue is complex and therefore this campaign is inappropriate, or
• this campaign is somehow neo-colonial or
• I don't like this nonprofit organization and you shouldn't either
• this campaign takes money and awareness away from local issues

Here's why a lot of these criticisms are bogus:

Americans are some of the most globally-unaware people on the planet. I moved back to the USA in 2009 and have heard things every day by neighbors, people I volunteer with and people on TV that have reminded me of this every day. And this ignorance about the world leads to some profoundly ridiculous statements and actions by my fellow Americans. Maybe this campaign will help make a few people, particularly young people, aware of the world beyond the borders of the USA. BandAid/LiveAid did that for me once-upon-a-time - don't laugh, but it did. I was a teenager in Kentucky as ignorant as a box of hammers. That record and that concert set me on a path for a lifetime.

Also, in the USA, no human rights movement has ever succeeded without a lot of outside pressure and support - and anyone who thinks apartheid was removed as an official policy in South Africa only because of pressure and evolution from within South Africa isn't paying attention.

Some of the arguments I've heard about why the USA should not be focused on Uganda are the same arguments I've heard from China and Russia about why the world needs to not "interfere" with Syria.

Compassion for one thing breeds compassion for other things. No one - NO ONE - is saying, "Don't be focused on local issues - instead, care about what's happening in Uganda!" As this campaign ends, the people that have gotten caught up in it, particularly young people, are going to have a taste for advocacy and wanting to make a difference. If your local nonprofit is jealous, then start thinking now about how you are going to leverage what's happening. Is there going to be an anti-Kony event at your local schools or in your local community? Then start designing the handbills you are going to give out at anti-Kony-related events to tell those energized young people about your local cause and how and why they can get involved.

By all means, offer legitimate criticisms of this campaign and Invisible Children. But some people are trying to kill this campaign - and I question their motivations in doing so.

Also see:

Use Your Web Site to Show Your Accountability and To Teach Others About the Nonprofit / NGO / Charity Sector

How to Make a Difference Internationally/Globally/in Another Country Without Going Abroad

Ideas for Leadership Volunteering Activities to make a difference locally

Advice for volunteering abroad (volunteering internationally)

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Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. Last year, I blogged about the history of the day, as well as why this day isn't a day to give women flowers or take them to lunch - but, rather, to remember that women are denied access to education, health care, income generation and life choices at a staggering rate compared to men. I have the same thoughts this year.

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Rob Jackson, an independent consultant based in the UK (robjacksonconsulting.com) and Jayne Cravens, an independent consultant in the USA (coyotecommunications.com) -- ME -- have put together an online survey to gather data about what software/systems are being used to track and manage volunteers, and how satisfied various organizations are with the software/systems they are using.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NDSVCNX

The goal is to gather data that might help organizations that involve volunteers to make better-informed decisions when choosing software, and to help software designers to understand the needs of those organizations.

All of the data submitted as a part of this survey will be made public WITH THE EXCEPTION of email addresses and identifying information of respondents; in other words, the identity of respondents will be kept confidential.

If you are responsible for tracking information about volunteers at an organization or program, or you are involved in this task in some way, we welcome your completion of this survey. More than one person from an organization or program may complete this survey. Feel free to forward this message to others.

This survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

The deadline for responses is Friday, March 23.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NDSVCNX

To know when the survey results are available:

Follow Rob on Twitter at @robjconsulting

Follow Jayne on Twitter at @jcravens42

Follow Rob on Facebook

Follow Jayne on Facebook

Subscribe to Rob’s newsletter

Subscribe to Jayne’s Tech4Impact newsletter

Add Jayne to a circle on Google+

Subscribe to Rob’s blog

Subscribe to Jayne’s blog - he RSS feed for this blog is http://coyoteblog.posterous.com/rss.xml

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(update: Just got a tweet from GiveGood2012, which said,

@jcravens42 love the blog. You've made us rethink our marketing gambit. Thank you!!!

Hurrah for them! For all of us! Now, just several thousand other people to go...)

Back in December of 2011, I blogged about Survival Strategies for Nonprofits, also applicable to non-governmental organizations, (NGOs), community based organizations (CBOs), charities, and government agencies focused on the community or the environment, etc., per the current dire economic climate. I wrote that blog in response to so many blogs on similar themes that I found unrealistic - or that said something like this:

Are you a #charity or #socent who needs help to cut costs? Read about our skilled volunteer matchmaking service (a tweet from GiveGood2012)

As my long-time followers know, these kinds of statements drive me crazy, because:

• Volunteers are NOT free. There ARE costs associated with involving volunteers, particularly volunteers in high-responsibility roles. To involve volunteers effectively, YOU NEED MONEY.
• People looking for jobs (and, in case you haven't noticed, there are a LOT of people looking for jobs), as well as unions, read those statements and say, "See, this is where we opposed volunteer involvement - you are doing this to replace paid workers!" It's why the union of professional firefighters in the USA opposes all volunteer firefighting programs. It's why the unionized school employees in Petaluma, California protested volunteer involvement in schools. Why shouldn't they be outraged - you just said volunteers could - and will - take paid jobs away!
• It leads to poor decision-making by boards of directors and governments, like what happened a certain state historical agency when it touted how much money it was saving with volunteers (they got their budget cut and were told to replace more paid staff with volunteers).

If you are thinking of converting any roles at your organization from paid to volunteer, do not think of it nor talk about it as a way to save money, and do not think of it nor talk about it as a temporary solution.

Instead, think of it as a permanent re-alignment of your organization. You are doing this for strategic reasons - choose to reserve certain roles for volunteers because you have decided volunteers are the best people for those roles.

Consider this:

• Does the American Red Cross train mobilize thousands of volunteers to staff most of its services during crisis situations because it "saves money", or because volunteers are actually the best people for those tasks?
• Does the Girl Scouts of the USA have volunteers deliver the vast majority of its programs to girls to save money, or because volunteers are the best people for those roles?
• Do many women's domestic violence shelters reserve the role of victim's advocate for volunteers because it "saves money", or because its clients prefer to work with someone they know is volunteering in that role - they aren't there for the pay, but because of their desire to help?
• Does CASA recruit and train volunteers to help children in the court system to save money, or because volunteers are actually the best people for those roles?

When I was directing the United Nations' Online Volunteering service, administered through UNDP/UNV, the head of UNV at the time, Sharon Capeling-Alakija (whom I miss every day), said something really interesting in a staff meeting that I have never forgotten: she said the reason she was so committed to the OV service was because, without it, "the only way people can be involved in UNV is to become a UNV and going into the field for two years, or by becoming a staff member at headquarters - and most people can't do this. With this, anyone can be involved in our work now." I loved that statement. I've never forgotten it.

If your organization or program decides that its going to increase the number of volunteers it involves, then reserve certain roles exclusively for volunteers - for instance, all consultancies that will support staff, all front desk/phone staff, all bloggers, all conference support staff, all food servers, etc., and make it a permanent change that will last even when the economy gets better.

Not only are volunteers NOT free, this realignment regarding volunteer involvement will cost money - probably more money than you are already spending now to support and involve volunteers: more volunteers will need to be screened, trained more than once, and supervised and supported, and all employees and volunteer staff in leadership roles will need training on how to work with volunteers - and training is rarely free!

Develop a mission statement regarding why your organization involves volunteers. For example:

All tasks at our organization related to advising new entrepreneurs/mentoring young people/delivering meals/repairing bicycles are reserved for volunteers. We feel these roles, which are fundamental to the meeting of our organization's mission, are best done by volunteers - unpaid staff donating their time and talent - rather than paid employees.

Such-and-such organization reserves certain tasks and roles specifically for volunteers, per our commitment to create opportunities for the community to participate in, offer feedback and endorse our work.

As a part of our commitment to both transparency and to creating opportunities for community investment in our organization, such-and-such organization welcomes volunteers in a variety of roles, including activities that directly support our paid employees, leadership positions and client services.

Just as some jobs are best done by paid employees, some tasks and roles at our organization are best done by volunteers. We therefore reserve certain positions for volunteers, including...

Our organization involves volunteers so that we can tap into skills, experiences and talents beyond what our excellent professional staff already bring to our organization and its work.

Every employee at our organization looks for ways to involve volunteers in his or her work. This is part of our commitment to involving the community in all aspects of our work.

Such-and-such organization is committed to helping to cultivate new professionals in the field of name-of-field-redacted. Therefore, we reserve certain tasks and roles for volunteer interns, to provide career-development experiences to emerging professionals.

Lots more advice on writing a mission statement for your organization or program, and examples of such, here.

Also see:

Going all-volunteer in dire economic times: use with caution

The Value of Volunteers (and how to talk about such)

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Here's a conversation I had this week as a member of a certain city's citizen's committee regarding bicyclists and pedestrians:

Me: "I'd like for this link to the state agency name redacted web site to added to this web page on the city's site. I've sent two emails requesting it, but no one has responded."

City representative: "We don't have money in the budget to do that."

Me: "You don't have the money to add a link to a web page?!?"

City Rep: "Actually, it's because the decision makers need to review that change first."

Me: "Okay, who are the 'decision makers'?"

City Rep: "Oh, we don't have a policy yet on how those decisions will be made."

THIS IS WHY I DON'T BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES INVOLVING THE GOVERNMENT.

This is also a perfect illustration of the change of mentality that's needed for effective online communications. Using web pages and social media has nothing to do with budgets or policies - it has to do with mindsets.

Fear-based management - it's a customer service KILLER.

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My last blog, I'm a volunteer & you should just be GRATEFUL I'm here!, talked about the entitlement volunteer, that person who feels he or she shouldn't have to go through an orientation for new volunteers, shouldn't have to be screened at all or his or her credentials confirmed, and shouldn't have his or her volunteer or pro bono work supervised nor held to any standards.

But there's also another volunteer: the frustrated volunteer wannabe. He or she is the person who is happy to go through all the orientation and training required to be a volunteer, and would really love feedback on what he or she is doing as a volunteer - the feedback is more valuable than a pin or a coffee mug thank you. So why is this person frustrated?

• He or she can't find information about volunteering - at least not easily - on an organization's web site
• Organizations this volunteer contacts because of postings on VolunteerMatch or other volunteer-matching site or volunteer centers never get back to him or her, despite the posting that said the organization needed/wanted volunteers
• Organizations this volunteer contacts, by filling out their volunteer applications through their web sites or even going onsite, never get back to him or her
• Organizations have orientations and trainings on a day and time this volunteer could never attend, and the organizations offer no alternatives that would better fit the volunteers' schedule
• The volunteer isn't certain what he or she is supposed to be doing, and receives little direction or support when showing up for a project, an event or for a shift, or workig on a project from home
• A staff person at an organization claiming to need highly-skilled volunteers puts the kabash on involving a volunteer he or she fears, because of the volunteer's skills or experience, or because the volunteer asks questions that makes a staff person uncomfortable about his or her own job performance or skills

And I have a confession to make: since I've been back in the USA, for more than two years, that frustrated volunteer wannabe has been ME.

I have tried to volunteer sooo many times since September 2009, when I moved to Oregon. Key word on tried. Same for my husband, who has also tried to volunteer since coming to the USA. And then there are my friends, who have frequently expressed frustration to me at their attempts to volunteer - for instance, I got this in an email from a friend just last week:

I once tried to volunteer at some big music event that NAMEOFORGDELETED was putting on. I showed up at the assigned spot, and no one was there to tell me what to do, so I left. I volunteered again during their pledge drive, but generally found it unsatisfying. Never went back.

A benefit of my own attempts to volunteer, as well as the experiences that have been shared with me by others, has been the inspiration to write a lot of blog entries and web pages over the last two years, which I hope might help organizations who want to do a better job of involving and supporting volunteers:

• How to get rid of volunteers
• No excuses for not having the word "volunteer" on your home page!
• What is impressive, what is not.
• The volunteer as bully = the toxic volunteer
• A fire station turns away volunteers - and how it could be different
• A missed opportunity with volunteers
• latest moment of volunteer management madness
• When the volunteer coordinator needs an improvement plan
• How to handle online criticism
• Walk the Talk
• Is your organization a buzz kill?
• What you say vs. what you do re: volunteers
• What is "too much" from an online contributor?
• How do I get to you sans car?
• How easy is it to volunteer at your organization?
• What really happens when someone wants to volunteer with you

I doubt any of the organizations I've tried to volunteer with know that these blogs are about, or inspired by, my experiences with them - it would never dawn on those organizations to follow their volunteers on Twitter or Facebook, or subscribe to a blog - even a volunteer who wrote on her volunteer application that she's a trainer and researcher regarding volunteer management - or married to such.

But let me add that, on the rare ocassion when volunteering has worked out for me, it's REALLY worked out - thank you, BPeace!

Trying to volunteer over the last two years has taught me more about volunteer management than any book, any workshop or any conference I've ever attended. I believe it's made me a much better trainer and writer regarding volunteer management and community engagement. It's also shown me, more than ever, why there has never been a greater need for volunteer management consultants. 

Also see: a listing of what I have done as a volunteer (and why I volunteer).

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On a LinkedIn group, someone asked for a resource to help with volunteer evaluations (forms, policies, etc.). A couple of folks, myself included, responded with some references/resources.

And then came these two comments:

(1)
Volunteers generally do not expect to be evaluated, after all, they are doing the organization a favor.

(2)
As someone who has volunteered in over 30 organizations in a large array of positions, some with intense responsibility, if I had to be vetted each time I volunteered, I would never do any of it. In fact, if I had been appraised, they probably would have disqualified me in the first place when in actuality, I did better than some of their paid and "experienced" staff. It is not worth my time to go through that nonsense, I am a volunteer for goodness sakes. Whenever someone imposes requirements, I just walk away. I have sat on advisory boards of non-profit organizations, as well, and have been entrusted with finances, operations, etc., if they had said you will have to go through some job interview hoops, I would have just laughed and also kept my wallet closed to any further contributions.

Volunteer managers have been working to raise the standards of volunteer involvement schemes for a few decades now, often with success. Yet, there are still oh-so-many entitlement volunteers, those folks who think organizations should take ANY volunteer and whatever that volunteer offers, and simply be grateful for what they get. No standards, no quality control, no performance measurements when it comes to volunteers. To demand quality from volunteers is insulting.

For me, as a volunteer management practitioner and someone who is committed to the success of nonprofit organizations and NGOs, I'm only to happy to show those people the door. I don't need nor want their services as a volunteer. My organization -- and those it serves -- deserve better.

Nonprofit organizations are businesses. They aren't there to be nice, they are there because they are necessary. A nonprofit has a mission -- to house stray animals and reduce pet over-population, to present quality, professional theater performances, to educate people about HIV/AIDS, to provide care for victims of domestic violence, to keep a local environment clean, to help family farms survive even the worst economic times, to keep a state park clean and vibrant and accessible, and on and on. For a nonprofit, that mission trumps everything else -- including the egos of entitlement volunteers. Nonprofit organizations have very limited resources to meet their mission, and they cannot waste those resources waiting and hoping entitlement volunteers maybe possibly might spare some time this week to staff the information booth at the local fair or come to the board meeting or counsel clients or attend a training or coach a youth soccer team or lead a childcare class or raise the money they have committed to raise or follow the rules.

Let's say it again: volunteers are not free. An organization has to expend a lot of time and resources to involve volunteers. Organizations have to provide at least one staff member to supervise volunteer work and ensure volunteers don't do any harm. Staff has to develop activities for volunteers to do -- activities that often would be probably be cheaper and done more quickly by staff themselves. The organization has to monitor the volunteers and record their progress to the board and donors. And they must make sure the work volunteers undertake is of the quality and type the organization's clients deserve.

Therefore, organizations want the people who volunteer to be worth all that investment of time and money. They want volunteers to take their commitment seriously, finish what they've started, and continue to support the organization, as volunteers and, maybe, as donors. They don't want volunteers who aren't going to show up, who do substandard work, who won't be on time, who won't follow policies and procedures, and who will reduce the trust and respect clients, donors and partner organizations have for the organization -- those volunteers not only aren't worth the effort, they aren't worth the damage they may do.

When I am in charge of recruiting and screening volunteers, I have raised the bar high for applications - and the higher I have raised the bar for new volunteers, the more strict I've been regarding standards, the more hoops I've required volunteers to jump through with regard to reporting and work quality:

• the less volunteer recruiting I have to do
• the fewer conflicts among and with volunteers I've had to deal with
• the fewer volunteers that drop out mid-assignment
• the fewer volunteers I've had to let go (in fact, I've had to fire a volunteer just once)
• the higher the quality of the volunteers contributions
• the happier volunteers have been (based on their comments and how long they volunteer)
• the less time I spend trying to put together reports showing volunteer effectiveness (because they provide the information automatically; I always have the information on hand, ready when needed)
• the less time I have to spend trying to restore the faith of clients, staff and the general public in the work of the organization, and in volunteers in general, because of volunteer missteps

Nonprofit staff should never be afraid to say no to an offer of volunteer services. They should remember that their organizations and those they serve deserve the very best when it comes to services, including services provided by volunteers. And there are plenty of people out there ready to jump through your hoops and commit to quality volunteer service -- and have their own service evaluated.

A version of this blog appeared 11 August 2010

Also see:

Corporate Volunteer Programs: What Do Nonprofits Want From Them?

In defense of skills over passion

No more warm, fuzzy language to talk about volunteers!

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