Have you been hurt by the staff of nonprofits you’ve volunteered for? Did you tell your friends about it, blame yourself for wasting your time, turn down other volunteer opportunities as a result? This week’s show focuses on volunteer rights, an idea that bubbled up about four years ago in England, is now being thoughtfully addressed in Australia, and is making its way into conversations among volunteer managers in North America. My guest is Rob Jackson, an international speaker, author and consultant about volunteer engagement, leadership and management and he talks about this breach of trust between volunteers and their organizations.
Does the way you treat volunteers align with your values? How do you gauge whether your nonprofit treats volunteers well? Do you have a way for them to air their grievances?
Rob talks about his experience with The Volunteer Rights Inquiry in England and hearing stories from volunteers who were mistreated or at least, deeply hurt, by leaders and staff. I share from my own frustrating experiences as well. He describes the 3R promise, which can guide you in making a commitment to raising the standard of managing volunteers. I’ll run through that promise at the end of the show.
In the meantime, use this show as the basis for a conversation for improving your volunteer program in 2014.
Enjoy the show.