This section explores the many facets of volunteer groups and efforts that function with minimal or no paid staff. It was not an easy topic to define or describe, as it encompasses all the diversity and complexities of human relationships and community life. We discontinued this section in 12/03 and integrated articles about All-Volunteer Groups into all our section.
At the Regional IAVE Conference in India early in 2002, Dr. Kiran Bedi, the first and highest ranking woman in the Indian Police Services, shared some of her experiences in helping the poor of Delhi. In this first-person article, Dr. Bedi discusses a very special organization…
One of the most basic and vital types of volunteering is citizen involvement in democratic political processes. All the elements of volunteering and volunteer management are here: recruitment, volunteer leadership, supervision, volunteer motivation, etc. Guest contributor Debbie…
One of the most fascinating things about volunteerism throughout history is that it represents the basic human response to "can you help?" It also reflects the culture, values and state of the times in which it occurs. What kinds of things are people willing to do to meet needs…
Tired of trying to get your group members motivated to help build membership? The General Federation of Women's Clubs knows that you have to make membership campaigns easy, rewarding and fun. We'll profile several of their membership-building strategies such as "Membership Round…
Imagine that some catastrophic event hits your community, and residents are unable to use telephones, the Internet, or other communication tools we take for granted. Did you know that there is a vast global network of volunteers ready to get help to you quickly and efficiently?…
The refrain is heard time and time again in the groups and organizations of modern society. Schools have been crying out for ages about the shortage of math and science teachers. Corporations have been wailing about the lack of skilled workers. Community issues go un-addressed…
Research for the report, Flying Under the Radar: The Significant Work of All-Volunteer Organizations, was conducted in 1999 in the San Francisco service area of CompassPoint by Cristina Chan, M.P.P., and Sonali Rammohan, C.P.A. Leadership for the study was provided by Jan…
Recent events have made the public more aware of the role of volunteers in protecting lives and property during fires and emergencies. Throughout the U.S. and many other countries around the world, communities (particularly small, rural ones) depend on citizens to assume those…
There are many words to describe volunteering and voluntary action, reflecting the many forms of people helping each other survive and prosper over the challenges of their time and place. Whether it is trabalho voluntario in Brazil, benevolat and volontariat in France, gotong…
One of the top ongoing issues of most of the all-volunteer groups in the CompassPoint Nonprofit Services’ study featured in the Winter issue of e-Volunteerism was “reaching new members and keeping them involved.” In the world of volunteer management, that translates to “…
