A Candid Conversation: Power and Privilege in Volunteer Training and Supervision
In every aspect of volunteer management, Black Leaders of Volunteers have different professional experiences than their White colleagues. They are often a part of the communities we advocate to serve and can feel a fundamental tension between wanting to make a substantial impact in the community and navigating the biases and harm individual volunteers can bring into service spaces. In this Voices conversation between Breauna Dorelus and Victoria Machar, we get an authentic look at how power and privilege can rear its heads, specifically in volunteer training and supervision. This candid and vulnerable interview will shed light on what many people of color experience as they navigate their way through the nonprofit space – confirming the experiences of Black and Brown Leaders of Volunteers while hopefully prompting others to examine how they continue to hold up the power and privilege that harm their fellow managers in the field.
Mary K./Front Porch Communities and Services/CA
Fri, 08/26/2022This is a powerful conversation. Thank you both for sharing your hearts. Your perspective affirms and challenges my work of equipping volunteer managers in my setting. I'm also excited to apply your wisdom as I volunteer at my community food bank. Defining "healthy helping" is the next step I will propose as we continually hone our mission to support our neighbors.
Breauna Dorelus/Connecting the Cause
Fri, 09/09/2022Hey Mary,
Thank you so much for your comment and for listening. I'm grateful that you got a really good practical step out of this around healthy helping. Saying it in the way Victoria did created yet another shift in my heart. Thank you for accepting the challenge and being with us alongside this good work.
Brandi Shawn-Chaparro, Huntington Library, SoCal
Fri, 08/26/2022Thank you ladies so much for your presentation. It was so helpful and validating to hear your perspective. While my experience as a Chicana working in this field may be very different than your own experiences, the challenges you described really resonated with me and gave me some good ideas and language for describing to white co-workers and leadership why overnight we haven't attracted the black and brown faces they want to see, but not hear. There is so much internal work organizations need to do so that they are fit for contact with people of color and many don't understand the damage 'good intentions' can do. Thank you again for sharing your expertise and it is wonderful to see more representation in the field of volunteer management.
Breauna Dorelus/Connecting the Cause
Fri, 09/09/2022Brandi, it's so great to connect with you, another like minded individual that understands the nuances of this work, who also has lived experiences. Yes I've ran into so many who want a cookie cutter checklist to get more of us in the door , but in the words of Dr. MLK, are we integrating them into a burning building... the work must be done at home first. Thank you so much for pointing that out.
Faiza Venzant, CVA
Fri, 09/15/2023So appreciative of this conversation and the honesty with you both shared harmful experiences and weaved that with hope and suggestions for a way forward. Thank you. Our profession and the communities we partner with and work on behalf are in good hands with leaders like you both.