Where are the fireworks on International Volunteer Managers Day?
Blogger Sue Hines writes an interesting piece on International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMD) in her latest blog. The link to Sues Blog site is http://management4volunteers.wordpress.com/
However, Sues view that there will be noise all round the world to celebrate the day is one, alas, I cannot share.
The problem, as I see it, with IVMD is that it is being smothered with niceness and tarnished with insignificance.
Years ago I had an issue with a well known speaker on volunteerism who basically stated the day was cringe worthy and had no time for volunteer managers patting themselves on the back. I disagreed vehemently then.
I am not so sure now.
My belief in the day and its purpose has not wavered. I am not too sure that people understand what the day is about. If small pockets of volunteer managers throughout the globe meet for tea and cakes and do nothing more for the sector itself then how is this “education through celebration”
I saw someone writing on the IVMD Facebook page that they were going to get a few Volunteer Managers together to clean up a beach. How is this “education through celebration?”
Where is IVMD being celebrated? Is the Volunteerism world itself sitting up and taking note? Let’s take a quick look at what the sector is saying 6 days before the event.
In my own country Volunteering Australia fails to mention the day in its “Latest News”. There is no story about the day on its website. Click on the Managers of Volunteers page and you find no mention of the day.
Search “International Volunteer Managers day” on its site and you get a link to the days website. Nothing more.
Ok – let’s look at the AAVA website. The professional association for Volunteer Managers in Australasia has no news on this day, which is 6 days away, on their website. It’s a bit harder for our sector to make the above comments on the lack of Interest from Volunteering Australia when our own sector is not getting it right. Stones and glasshouses and all that! There is no news about what is happening anywhere on this site for IVMD!
Same can be said of the Association of Volunteer Management website in the UK. No mention of our “big day” on their site either. A search of IVMD on the site yields a few results and articles from 2009 and 2007.
Closer to my home again there is no mention of IVMD on Volunteering Queensland’s webpage (would be a good story for the Wonderful VOLQLD TV Channel IMHO!)
Nadda on Volunteering New Zealand’s site – not even on the events calendar. Better news from Volunteering WA and Volunteering Tasmania who are highlighting some events associated with the day. Ok I guess tea and cake is better than nothing!
Rather than go on I encourage you to check your own local association or volunteer centre and check out what they are saying or doing about IVMD this year.
Sue Hines writes that “Most events will happen on Friday November 4. At least we avoid the fireworks this time.”
We actually need Fireworks for IVMD! We need more passion and to get more people to take notice.
How?
•Drop an email to your professional body for volunteer management and ask them how they are marking the day?
•Send a blank Celebration card to your national body on volunteering. In it slip a note and write “Please don’t ignore IVMD again next year – from a Volunteer Manager!
•Send a congrats email to those organisations that do support the day
•Alert your local member of parliament/Senator about the day and encourage them to get together with local VMs
•Write a blog here on I volunteer on the merits or otherwise of IVMD. Glad to see that at least one person has already!
For me IVMD should be about raising the profile of our profession thus increasing its value! IVMD should be the vehicle to profile Volunteer Management in a positive light. It should be used to educate organisations and the community about the importance of effective and well resourced Volunteer Management.
It should be the Blue Ribbon day for all professional associations for Volunteer Managers! It should be an important date for Volunteerism!
But is it?
Volunteer Centre Liverpool has arranged IVM events for the past few years, including network/forum events, workshops, pamper/treat sessions, etc. This year we will be putting something on our website/Facebook/Twitter presences and speaking at a volunteering event for people who run parks/open spaces.
No event this year, though, I'm afraid, as we just do not have the money or the time to do it and, with all the work we've been putting into the TLI bid, we have run out of steam to try and secure some sponsorship/in-kind resources to run something.
I will try to work it into my trustee election speech at VE's AGM on 4 November!
DJ I love your call to action and do agree with lots of what you are saying. Here at Warrington VC, we have long supported IVM day and tried lots over the years to spread the word and generate interest and support. For a few years we held a conference for VMs bringing national and international speakers to our local area, but still, I am not really sure that people recognise the importance of having such a day.
More and more, I am reflecting that the profession is still in its infancy, and whilst that's not an excuse for apathy, I believe it offers some explanation as to why it can feel like a struggle for those of us who really 'get it'. And, it means that although we have a long way to go as a profession, it's still exciting to be in at the beginnng, laying the foundation and leading the way.
And how are we marking the day here? We are hosting the fourth in our webinar series for VMs at the EYV11 road show on Nov 3rd, focusing on the Future of Professional Development for Volunteer Management (see my Aiming for Excellence blog post for details). We hope to get people thinking about how they can ensure they are receiving the support and development they need, but mot importantly what they can do to participate and to contribute to that agenda. Raising the profile of IVM day and following some of your suggestions here would be a great start.
My opposition to Hug Your Volunteer Manager day is well-documented on the UKVPMs and OZVPM discussion groups on YahooGroups, so I won't repeat myself here. But I will say that it was one of the reasons I wrote the "Volunteer managers fight club" blog, http://coyoteblog.posterous.com/volunteer-manager-fight-club
DJ, one of the many things I admire about you is that you are willing to revisit your opinions on things. You don't just push others - you push yourself.
Hi DJ, I am already booked to to one of your points - I am going to speak at a EYV11 event being held in Sherbone as part of the Volunteer Leadership conference and workshop on 5th Novemeber, I have been told not to bring any indoor fireworks as local MPs and councillors will be talking at this event before me - if they stay well that will be a plus, also I will be addressing 9 other countries in the EU and they will hear me introduce IVMD and what it is about but most importantly they will come away knowing that volunteer managers are over looked in many cases, how they are are important to the volunteer and the organisation and why they are needed plus we will not be over looked any more in future - the EYV11 VMC will help that to happen!
Getting off my Churchill speech I think not many people know about it as I did not until I became part of EYV11 VMC project! and I work for a volunteer Centre! how embarrassing is that, BUT all those I have asked over the past 3 months have never heard of it either - it needs taking up by more big bodies to give it prominence - casual comment from one of my colleagues when I mentioned it was ' another excuse to run an event with food in?' NO perhaps I want to be thanked by my volunteers, organisation, organisations I help support etc. the list is endless but we recognise volunteers and make a big deal of Volunteers Week but sadly IVMD has a way to go and next year hopefully I will help to give it some prominence and get something done, I just have to get through my first one.