Engage Library
The rise of social media is contributing to the return to prominence of what is called ‘the gift economy.’ As social networks and online communities grow, values such as sharing, openness and collaboration are increasingly governing our relationships and the connections between…
October 2009
In the scenic Olympic Peninsula town of Port Angeles, Washington, businesses were struggling to survive the national economic meltdown. The six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure from May 1 to June 15, 2009, temporarily slowing the economy-driving flow of tourists from the Greater…
October 2009
This issue of Along the Web continues our practice of providing you with links to a variety of the more interesting studies and reports available via the Internet. In this issue we’ll look at everything from international youth service programs to volunteering in cathedrals to…
October 2009
Despite all the theory and research about Generation Y — those individuals typically born between 1977 and 1997 — there still appears to be a considerable amount of confusion as to how volunteer managers can effectively engage this generation. Could this confusion stem from not…
April 2010
The Volunteer Probation Officer Law of 1950 formalized Japan’s unique and long-standing reliance on volunteers to assist professional probation officers and aid offenders of all ages with rehabilitation and to work on crime prevention. Today, just under 50,000 people from nearly…
April 2010
This Training Design by Rick Lynch presents basic points about how to design an effective training session for volunteers. Co-author of the best-selling book, Volunteer Management, Lynch describes three distinct training arenas or “domains” – training to increase volunteer…
April 2010
In this Research to Practice, Steven Howlett reviews a recent research report that delves into how middle-aged and older Americans spend their time when they’re not at work. Published in January 2010 by AARP in Washington, D.C., this report collects information from a…
April 2010
“What kinds of work should volunteers do?” Volunteer program managers tend to run into this discussion in a number of different ways, often centering on the issue of whether volunteers can do some positions/work or whether only paid staff can do the work. And the usual context…
April 2010
If you watched the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, you no doubt recall the “blue jackets” – the 25,000 passionate, talented and dedicated members of the Olympic volunteer team who worked at every event and venue leading up to, during and following the Games. In this e-…
April 2010
One of the hardest things a volunteer manager may ever face is how to deal with an aging volunteer whose performance has begun to fall short of the organization’s expectations. In this special two-part series, e-Volunteerism tackles this important but often over-looked issue…
April 2010
In this issue’s Along the Web, Steve McCurley presents another collection of Miscellaneous Good Stuff. In this regular e-Volunteerism column, McCurley covers a wide range of topics, ranging from trends in Internet usage and volunteering by seniors to issues related to student…
April 2010
Two years ago I came from Poland to Taiwan to undertake a master’s degree program in International Human Resource Development.
July 2010
Most people know about credit unions but consider them simply as alternate banking systems. In fact, credit unions are volunteer-run cooperative credit agencies that combine idealism and practicality. In this Voices from the Past, we learn about this rarely discussed corner of…
January 2010
After 10 years of e-Volunteerism, convening editors Andy Fryar and Rob Jackson look back at the Keyboard Roundtable concept. They review why this electronic roundtable discussion of experts, tapping away on their computer keyboards, came into being, and revisit some of the…
January 2010
Is the worst of the recession over? Many nonprofits are still feeling a dual pinch - more clients to serve and less money to do it with. But despite the downturn, many organisations seem to report steady volunteer numbers. Anecdotal evidence from the UK even suggests that…
January 2010
Most of our readers manage volunteer programs in social, community, arts or environmental services – which leads us to easily overlook the fact that some of the largest and most complex volunteer efforts lie entirely outside these areas. In this Along the Web, we look at one of…
January 2010
PDF Version with Handouts
Single days of service through organized, large-scale events are growing in popularity around the globe. Although such episodic volunteering is a major trend in volunteering, too often we evaluate these events on the specific outcomes of that one day of…
January 2010
For the last decade, we’ve watched professional associations of volunteer program managers – on local, state/provincial, national and even international levels - launch, thrive, wither, revive or stagnate in dozens of countries. Our conclusion? There is still no consistency of…
January 2010
When screen writer and public relations consultant Jennifer Dornbush volunteered to be a guinea pig for a friend working towards her Myers-Briggs® certification, she had no idea how much taking a personality assessment would change the way she viewed volunteerism. As a long-time…
January 2010
Volunteer manager D.J. Cronin has a passion for volunteerism and the sector of volunteer management. He believes that volunteerism is an agent for real and tangible change around the globe and a key to harnessing volunteer effort. And he believes that in today’s busy and…
January 2010