From Editor-in-Chief Rob Jackson, Issue XX, Volume 3
Dear Readers,
We live in unprecedented times. Who could have known that the world would change so much between our last issue in January and this new one?
Work begins on the content for each issue of e-Volunteerism well in advance of our publication date. As a result, in this latest issue, only Research to Practice focuses on the consequences of COVID-19, with a look at how to optimize online volunteer resource management in times of social distancing. We've also included some important reference materials on the pandemic in From the Archives, and retained until June our last issue's important Training Designs on "Leading Volunteers in a Dangerous Time." Otherwise, you will find little mention of the pandemic and the changed world we now live in throughout this new issue. I hope this gives you some comfort, a reminder of the safe and comfortable world we recently left behind, because it is a world that will return. Normal life will be different but it will return and, when it does, your work as leaders of volunteer engagement will be more important than ever.
During this COVID-19 crisis, volunteering is having a spotlight shone onto it like never before. The contributions people around the world are making by freely giving their time to help others is remarkable, even for those of us who live and breathe volunteerism daily. We are all busy adapting to the new normal right now. But soon, we must cast our eyes to the horizon, to prepare for the future to come and learn the lessons of the months we are going through. This will present us with an enormous opportunity to give volunteer engagement more prominence and more strategic value than ever before – to our organisations, communities, society, and world.
I therefore remain optimistic about the future, not only of our world but of our profession. I hope this issue of e-Volunteerism will reconnect you with what once was normal and help you pause, refresh, and ready yourself for what is to come.
Stay safe and well and thank you for your continued support for this Journal.
Rob Jackson
Editor-In-Chief
April 2020