Reading Time: 4 minutes Mention non-profit organizations and you would most definitely and naturally find the presence of a team of volunteers in them. But how do we make good sense of the role of volunteers in our non-profits and how do we strategically partner them to bring about growth in our organizations? These are the very questions we…
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Reading Time: 5 minutes Refinery29 dubbed it the “Best Resignation Letter Ever Written“; in this, they were referring to the resignation announcement by Nancy Lublin. Nancy was stepping down as CEO after helming DoSomething, a not-for-profit organization that encourages young people to do something about social change and be a part of social activism, after 12 years. What made…
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Reading Time: 2 minutes You may be familiar with the Indiana Jones character portrayed by Harrison Ford. The film franchise would bring us on epic adventures on quests for treasures. In a way, volunteer managers, among the many other non-profit practitioners, are like the Indiana Jones of their organizations. After all, volunteer programmes, when running well, can bring about…
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Reading Time: 3 minutes You know the excitement when “the stars align” and things and circumstances just unexpectedly but miraculously come together in a positive and favourable way? Well, today is one such day for us here in Emmaus, when we see our two passions—volunteer partnerships and burnout prevention—come together, as we find this marvellous article about preventing and…
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Reading Time: 6 minutes What happens when a volunteer presents a performance issue? As Volunteer Partnerships Professionals, we all love it when our volunteers are there for us, respond to our call to action, toe the line and dedicatedly plough along with us, as we advance our organizations’ cause and mission. But what happens when volunteers start presenting performance issues…
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Reading Time: 2 minutes November 5 of every year is International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMD). On this very special day, it is apt that we remember and celebrate the work of volunteer partnerships professionals who work tirelessly to resource non-profits and impact. Celebrating Volunteer Managers & Self Care We at Emmaus celebrate the work of Volunteer Partnerships Professionals. And…
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Reading Time: 3 minutes Read an excellent article by Meridian Swift titled “Top 6 Volunteer Manager Lies We Tell Ourselves“. I could really identify with them and especially with number 2 that says “When I can’t provide a volunteer, I’ve failed” and number 5 which goes “I can’t make others see how important volunteering is”. So in response,…
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Reading Time: 4 minutes Risk management long has its place in the Volunteer Programme Management framework. However, if we were to critically examine the importance we place on the various components of the framework, where would we find risk management in the rank of things? How would risk management rank among all the other components such as volunteer recruitment…
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Reading Time: 10 minutes If there is one skill that I would label as a “core skill” for Volunteer Partnerships Practitioners (or Volunteer Programme Managers), it would be the skill of changing mindsets and shaping cultures. It’s an Insider Job Too You see, despite the potential of the volunteer programme to resource non-profits and multiply resources, most people…
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Reading Time: 12 minutes I have Changed and Who’s to be Responsible? I’m no longer who I used to be. And who or what is to be “responsible” for this change? I would have to say that it is my work as a volunteer programme manager (VPM). In response to an article I came across on http://volunteerplaintalk.com/2016/02/24/10-ways-managing-volunteers-prepare-you-for-life/, it…
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