Articles by CharityChannel Members
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How to Write Volunteer Success Stories Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, July 05, 2006 (6 years 314 days ago)
The solution to the general discomfort with volunteering with the added skepticism that various scandals have brought on the "do gooder" industry in general is what you might call customer testimonials. In this case you look at your existing volunteers and find individuals willing to share what they have done, how it made them feel, and what actually was accomplished through their work. No one is going to listen to someone talk about helping someone in a meaningful way and telling it with warmth and satisfaction and say "Hey wait a minute, what’s really going on?" Volunteers have far more credibility than you do, that's simply a fact.
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Natural Disasters May Explain Relative Drop in Volunteering in U.S. Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneSaturday, June 24, 2006 (6 years 325 days ago)
Articles referring to a survey indicating a drop in volunteering in the United States may in fact simply demonstrate and increase in financial giving. The survey, conducted by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and reported in Thrivent Magazine (
http://www.thrivent.com/magazine/news.html) compared both financial donations and volunteering in the years 2004 and 2005. The survey provided data on many characteristics of volunteering in the U.S. but it is the ratio between the ease respondents reported of giving money and time that is headlining many articles on the topic.
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Planning for International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day: November 1 Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, June 14, 2006 (6 years 335 days ago)
International Volunteer Manager Appreciation (IVMA) Day will be observed for the seventh year in a row this coming November 1. Established not only to honor the professional whose skill and knowledge go too often undervalued, the day is meant to communicate the importance of effective community involvement through well managed volunteer resources.
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A Solid Plan for Retaining Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 31, 2006 (6 years 349 days ago)
Once you have put together a good core of volunteers, how do you keep them with you? The major incentive for paid workers is that very paycheck. What do you do when the "paycheck" is something less tangible?
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Volunteer Resources Management as a Profession and You as a Professional Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 24, 2006 (6 years 356 days ago)
One side effect of
recent discussion about the importance and nature of a professional association for volunteer resources managers has been a good deal of analysis of what a professional association should be and even whether there is a profession to start with. In this article we will explore the topic and invite you to comment on it in VOLUNTEER-ISSUES.
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Empowering and Recognizing the Catalyst: International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneThursday, May 18, 2006 (6 years 362 days ago)
Nurses have a day. Teachers have a day. Our profession deserves -- and has -- and has a day, too. And that day has evolved to a new level with a new home and a new date.
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History of Volunteering Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 03, 2006 (7 years 12 days ago)
Just how old is the concept of volunteering? While it can be argued that it has always been part of human nature to help each other in need, what we think of today as typical volunteering is a fairly recent phenomenon. Even so, how it has developed and where it is going today is such a broad topic and so international in scope that to do the subject justice would take a large volume. This article seeks to get your intellectual feet wet and perhaps inspire you to look further.
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Drawing on the Widest Pool of Talent and Generosity: Diversity vs. Inclusion Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, April 19, 2006 (7 years 26 days ago)
I remember my mother once telling me about a conversation she had with her family’s gardener when she was a teen in the early 1940s. My mother, who is white, told the man, who was black, that she believed in “tolerance.” He corrected her firmly, saying, “We don’t want to be tolerated. We want to be equal.”
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Supervising Off-Site Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, February 22, 2006 (7 years 82 days ago)
Lessons learned from both successful and not-so-successful supervision of off-site volunteers.
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The Less Tangible Value Volunteers Bring to your Organization Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, January 04, 2006 (7 years 131 days ago)
However you calculate the hourly monetary value of volunteer work, there are other types of value they bring that money simply cannot buy.
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Five Mistakes Volunteer Resources Managers Make Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, December 21, 2005 (7 years 145 days ago)
We polled a number of online discussion groups for volunteer resources managers to identify some of the mistakes your peers see colleagues make. Do you make any of these? Consider putting correcting the error in your New Year's Resolutions for the coming year.
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What Makes a Great Manager of Volunteer Resources? Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, December 14, 2005 (7 years 152 days ago)
Readers of several volunteer resources manager online discussion groups participated in this survey of 10 qualities of a great manager of volunteers.
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Creating a Welcoming Work Environment for Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 23, 2005 (7 years 173 days ago)
Among the many aspects of making a volunteer opportunity something someone would want to come back to is creating a welcoming work environment. Here are just a few tips for achieving a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere.
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Recruiting Volunteers for Hard-to-Fill Positions - Part I: Rethinking the Position Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 09, 2005 (7 years 187 days ago)
When faced with volunteer positions that are consistently hard to fill, analyze what is wrong. Is it the position, your recruitment strategy, or maybe the people you are trying to recruit? We start this two-part series looking at "what's wrong with the position?"
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Helping Volunteers Deal with Empathy Fatigue Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, October 26, 2005 (7 years 201 days ago)
Whether dealing with disaster on a large scale or addressing the daily pain in individual lives, volunteers face damage to their own abilities to cope with the very compassion they are motivated by. The effective manager of volunteer resources can play a role in preventing and helping.
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The Impact of Volunteerism: No Small Thing Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, October 19, 2005 (7 years 208 days ago)
Next time you hear the phrase "just volunteers," think about these interesting facts about volunteerism in the United States and elsewhere.
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How People -- and Others -- Help in Time of Disaster Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneThursday, September 01, 2005 (7 years 256 days ago)
Listening to streaming video from WWL Channel 4 in New Orleans on the station web site presented me personally with a sense of the overwhelming catastrophe Hurricane Katrina has visited on that city and throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. In a time when "homeland security" is the watchword, the vulnerability of cities seems as great or greater. The rescue and relief efforts simply cannot meet the desperate need.
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Saying No by Saying Yes, or how to turn volunteers down in a positive way Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, July 20, 2005 (7 years 299 days ago)
It can be a miserable job to have to turn a volunteer away....
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A New Year "Revolution" for Volunteer Programs Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneThursday, January 06, 2005 (8 years 129 days ago)
Make 2005 the year your volunteer program truly meets the needs of its valued volunteers with these seven lucky New Year resolutions.
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The Case for Hiring a Manager of Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, December 08, 2004 (8 years 158 days ago)
You can go a lot further than a simple dollar amount to show the value of sound volunteer management to your director or board.
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"Give to Get" When Recruiting Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 17, 2004 (8 years 179 days ago)
A simple small business marketing concept recognizes the mutual benefit of volunteering is the cue to how to improve your volunteer recruitment.
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Is your Program Ready to Welcome All Volunteers? A Checklist Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, April 07, 2004 (9 years 38 days ago)
Can you honestly say you are ready to welcome in every qualified applicant for a volunteer project? As a profession we tend to be warm and embracing men and women, desiring to provide people who want to help with the personal development and reward as much as we want to contribute what we can to our organization's vision. Program planning generally supports our efforts to include everyone who is ready, willing and able, and a concept called "Universal Design" is tailor-made to make our own ideals come to pass. Universal Design applies to facilities, programs, communications and other aspects of any worthwhile effort. The idea is that programs like yours can be open and welcoming to any person, regardless of gender, race, age, language, you name it. Making this openness a reality is a large part of what managers of volunteer resources strive for. Perhaps the most daunting however is making sure our programs are welcoming of people with disabilities.
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Entrepreneurial Volunteering Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, August 27, 2003 (9 years 262 days ago)
What happens when a person responding to overwhelming community needs and a desire to help hits a brick wall? In the worse case scenario it's disillusionment and a feeling of powerlessness. But for many enterprising souls the solution is to take matters into their own hands as "entrepreneurial volunteers."
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The End of Retirement as We Know It: New Challenge for Volunteer Programs Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, October 30, 2002 (10 years 198 days ago)
Many volunteer programs are likely to face a challenge in the next decade or so as the formerly ample supply of "recruitable" seniors disappears. The once anticipated influx of 25 million Baby Boomer retirees is, as it turns out, likely to dwindle if the trend to postpone or interrupt retirement develops. The impact on volunteer programs in general will be notable, but the impact on programs focused on senior involvement could, it can be argued, be devastating.
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To Heck with Volunteer Management: Think Like a Small Business Owner! Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, September 25, 2002 (10 years 233 days ago)
Do you know what's wrong with volunteer programs these days? Well, if you ask me, it's that a lot of people think like volunteer resources managers! "What the heck? We ARE volunteer resources managers. Who else are we supposed to think like?"
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Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Tips on Working with Disabled Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, September 18, 2002 (10 years 240 days ago)
Could your recruitment ad easily read, "Wanted: Accomplishment-oriented problem solvers for volunteer positions. Daytime long-term availability preferred. We can offer lots of work, hours and experience."? It could? Then you should be out there recruiting disabled people!
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How Volunteering Heals a Community Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneTuesday, September 10, 2002 (10 years 248 days ago)
On this first anniversary of the disasters in Manhattan, Washington DC and in a field in Pennsylvania, we offer these thoughts on the healing power of citizen involvement in solving the problems of our communities.
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Back to School: Recruiting Stay-at-home Parents Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, September 04, 2002 (10 years 254 days ago)
School is back in session in many parts of the country, creating an opportunity for recruiting volunteers who meet that common requirement of many programs: daytime availability. That potential volunteer is the stay-at-home parent -- and you can get her (or him) to volunteer if you think it through. Here are some tips for attracting and retaining the stay-at-home mom or dad.
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Summer Special: Volunteer Manager Game Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, July 10, 2002 (10 years 310 days ago)
'
Say What?' You can play this game at any staff, volunteer or volunteer manager gathering.
Write two or three very short stories about volunteering or volunteer management. (Sample below.) Leave out key words making sure you have a mix of nouns, adjectives, exclamations, etc. left out.
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Remove This Word From Your VPM Vocabulary Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, June 26, 2002 (10 years 324 days ago)
Take a look at volunteer recruitment ads -- almost every one says, "Volunteers needed." But, you say, they are! And don't people want to be needed?
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Forget The Trinkets Or Parties -- How To Really Recognize Us Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, June 19, 2002 (10 years 331 days ago)
No matter how modest a volunteer might act, it's a fact that we all want to be recognized. We all want to think we are doing a good job and are having a positive effect on the organizations we serve. "Recognition" in this sense means more than being thanked. We likely get thanked a lot. What we really want is to be acknowledged -- acknowledged that we are an important part of the work being done, and that the organization respects us for who we are and what we contribute.
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Finding Legal Information for your Volunteer Program (Part 1) Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 29, 2002 (10 years 352 days ago)
The cliché "knowledge is power" may sounds trite, but it is true. Today, information is more important than ever. Your profession requires command of many things: legal requirements, marketing skills, human relations concepts. Fortunately, you don't need to be an expert in all these fields, but you do need to know how to find information relevant to your job.
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Developing a Good Volunteer Position Description Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 22, 2002 (10 years 359 days ago)
Creating a volunteer position description is not just so much busywork. Nor should you approach designing one by simply filling in the blanks (i.e., Title, Supervised by, Hours, etc.) on a typical employee position description.
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Preventing Volunteer Burnout Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 15, 2002 (11 years 1 days ago)
Volunteers leave for all sorts of reasons. They want to move on to new projects. Their schedules get tighter. They move. They have new responsibilities in another part of their lives.
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Avoiding -- or Surviving -- Burnout Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 08, 2002 (11 years 8 days ago)
According to The Management Center's soon-to-be-published book, TOFU - Time Out for You, "Employee burnout is one of the most insidious problems facing nonprofits today. Hard to recognize and difficult to deal with, burnout creeps up on us unnoticed. When feelings of cynicism, hopelessness and physical and emotional exhaustion are seen as the norm instead of an urgent warning sign, we know we are in deep trouble."
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Another View of Mandatory Community Service Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, May 01, 2002 (11 years 15 days ago)
Despite its controversial nature, mandatory community service -- that is, requiring a certain number of hours of volunteer work in order to graduate from school -- continues to gain popularity. Education Week explains that this add-on to academic and other aspects of typical public education arises from "[c]oncern that today's schoolchildren are not learning the basics about democracy and leadership." But is it the right way to instill these values in our youth?
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Customer Service for Volunteer Programs Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, April 10, 2002 (11 years 36 days ago)
We rarely think of our volunteer programs as serving customers, except perhaps in terms of program clients or the public. But are we not also providing a valuable commodity to community members when we offer them the opportunity to be volunteers as well as, effective citizens and society problem-solvers?
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Budget-conscious Volunteer Recognition Ideas Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, March 27, 2002 (11 years 50 days ago)
National Volunteer Recognition Week is April 21-27. Volunteer recognition need not be an expensive affair if you are creative and willing to do some work. Here are a number of ideas we've gathered over several years.
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Are You Ready for Volunteer Recognition Week? Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, March 20, 2002 (11 years 57 days ago)
National Volunteer Recognition Week will be observed on April 21-27 in the United States and many other parts of the world in 2002. That gives you just about a month to gear up!
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We Have This Food We Have To Sell: Marketing Your Volunteer Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, March 13, 2002 (11 years 64 days ago)
The banner in the window of corner restaurant reads in broad, bright letters, "We Have This Food We Have To Sell!" Your first thoughts are, "Why? What's wrong with it?"
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Screening 'In' Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneTuesday, February 26, 2002 (11 years 79 days ago)
Say the word "screening" and it conjures up images of grilling potential volunteers and looking into their murky past to see if they would be a threat to you or your clients. But while this may be a sad fact of Doing Good these days, it really is only one side of the process. You need to screen volunteers "in" as well as "out."
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Find What You Need for your Volunteer Program on the Internet Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, January 30, 2002 (11 years 106 days ago)
THE BAD NEWS: There is a good reason it is hard to find things on the Internet. The way most people look is via the web. The web was developed originally to share files between a small number of people - a group of physicists to be precise. All they needed was a simple list of files. When the web became a worldwide phenomenon it simply was not conducive to early efforts to organize it. Subsequent successes still could not handle the anarchic nature of the publishing format where virtually anyone can put up a very good, useful and interesting site.
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When Problems With Volunteers Arise Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, January 23, 2002 (11 years 113 days ago)
Into every life some rain must fall -- and in every volunteer effort some problems with a volunteer will come up. You can weather the storm by remembering these six catch-words:
Communicate - Negotiate - Authenticate - Ruminate - Legitimate - Terminate
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How to Hit Pay Dirt by Recruiting Disabled Volunteers, Part 2 Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, January 16, 2002 (11 years 120 days ago)
Can Blind and Partially Sighted People Volunteer?
Of course, blind and partially sighted people can volunteer. The real question to ask here is: May they volunteer?
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How to Hit Pay Dirt by Recruiting Disabled Volunteers, Part 1 Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, January 09, 2002 (11 years 127 days ago)
It's estimated that as many as 70 percent of all Americans with disabilities who can and wish to work are unemployed. If these individuals can work, they can work as volunteers, if they choose. Yet, while the thousands of nonprofit, government-based and other organizations clamor to fill their volunteer needs, people with disabilities continue to find the door to volunteer service locked.
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Four Typical Basic Motivators of Volunteers Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, December 19, 2001 (11 years 148 days ago)
How can you tap into a volunteer's yardstick for measuring success? For most people there must be certain criteria met before they can even recognize that they have succeeded. You need to be able to discover these criteria to recruit, supervise and recognize volunteers effectively. Take a look at these well-known typical motivators.
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Brave New World for Volunteer Programs Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, December 12, 2001 (11 years 155 days ago)
In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush has called on Americans to perform community service as a form of patriotic expression. By volunteering in our schools, churches, or community organizations, we can show our commitment to and love for our country. Major media outlets are airing public service announcements urging us to become involved through volunteering.
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Volunteer Screening: Are You Using your Intuition -- or Bias? Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, December 05, 2001 (11 years 162 days ago)
Volunteer resource managers are fond of and often applauded by trainers for trusting their intuition when screening applicants for suitability for volunteer projects. While many volunteer managers wisely use screening tools such as position descriptions, applications, references and even criminal background screening, they will often divulge a "gut feeling" that someone is "just not right." And they generally turn the applicant down based solely on that very subjective feeling.
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International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day: December 5 Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 28, 2001 (11 years 169 days ago)
As 2001: International Year of Volunteers draws to an end and the closing ceremonies take place this December 5th, it is time to set aside a day to recognize those who play a catalytic role in the success of any volunteer effort: the paid or voluntary staff who organize and oversee it.
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Why Don't They Appreciate our Volunteers? Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 21, 2001 (11 years 176 days ago)
It's a common lament: organization staff sometimes don't seem to appreciate the volunteers you provide for them. They drag their feet. They complain. They turn the volunteer away everyday. Sometimes they go so far as to sabotage everything you've worked to build.
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What's our Volunteer Recruitment Message? Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 14, 2001 (11 years 183 days ago)
A succinct, straightforward recruitment ad will draw more and better volunteers to your program. Let the ad do half your screening for you by anticipating and answering common questions!
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What Every Organization Needs To Know Before Developing a Volunteer Program Contributed by:
Nan HawthorneWednesday, November 07, 2001 (11 years 190 days ago)
Why do organizations seek volunteer help? There is no more important question you can ask before you initiate a volunteer program at your organization. Your answers will demonstrate your awareness of the potential of volunteers and define how well they will fit into and contribute to your success.