Volunteering in the Tough Times

A lot of people (me included) are opting to increase our volunteer time for a myriad of reasons.

A  San Francisco Chronicle,  March 23, 2009 article titled “Charities taps skills of jobless professionals” states ” The rising waves of layoffs are creating a whole new pool of well-educated, highly skilled volunteers like Collins who are looking for a way, any way, back into the working world.”

Another point-of-view was expressed by Nancy Lublin in her Fast Company Magazine article “Not a Recessionary Refuge for Job Seekers”.  She pens “I ask, “What kind of thing are you looking to do?” They reply, “Oh, anything in the not-for-profit sector. I just want to make the world a better place.” This is like me by saying, “Oh, anything in the for-profit world would be fine. I just want to make money.”

The debate would be a fun one to have over a cup of coffee and each side has its merits. But I will suggest that other factors could be part of the conversation.

For example, how do volunteers treat their assignment in terms of commitment, communication, timeliness and collaboration?  I have encountered less than stellar work habits among volunteers that have impacted the volunteer based organization and  my role.  Hence, if asked for a job reference I would be less likely to chime that I could do it for them.  One can only help but wonder what role these behaviors played  in their previous position of employment.

The questions are painful ones to address (I needed to deal with my stubborness), but vital in our challenging economy.

What has been your experience? What did you learn about others and/or yourself? How did you deal with it?

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