The Journal of volunteer administration最新文献

The Elder Abuse Resource Centre, a program of the Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Age & Opportunity Inc., provides counselling, information/referral, community education and research and data collection services related to family violence issues that affect older adults (60+). Volunteers have been involved in every aspect of the Centre's operations since its inception in 1990 and are key to the Centre's existence. This article will describe the Elder Abuse Resource Centre's Peer Support Volunteer Program, beginning with the rationale for establishing this vital volunteer position. The primary role that training has played in maintaining a quality volunteer program will also be addressed.

Data are reported from a pilot study of the ombudsman reporting system in one southeastern state. The focus of this article is the relationship between types of complaints investigated and resolved by both paid and volunteer long-term care ombudsmen operating under various auspices. Statistically significant differences exist between the resolution of complaints by volunteer and paid ombudsmen. Data are discussed in terms of the implications of these differences for the implementation of a federal mandate to increase citizen participation in long-term care facilities.

One out of every seven people in this country has a disability, 19.1% of our population. Of all people with disabilities 66% are unemployed; 79% of them want to be engaged in meaningful work. It is apparent that there is a huge untapped resource for those seeking volunteers. This article explores barriers to and strategies for incorporating people with physical disabilities into a volunteer pool. It is based on the experience Courage Centers (a rehabilitation facility) has had in working with people with physical disabilities as volunteers and on a presentation made at the Association for Volunteer Administration International Conference in October, 1992.

This article describes the use of the well-tested Future Search approach to achieving a common goal through a peer-managed consensus model. The issues and planning strategies forged through the use of the Future Search process are relevant to both volunteerism in general and senior volunteerism in particular. With rapid changes in societal infrastructures, an unstable economy, and rising numbers of at-risk populations, the volunteer community has been and will continue to be called upon to respond. To provide the most effective volunteer service, organizations can employ consensus-building planning strategies such as the Future Search to reach mutually satisfactory conclusions about necessary directions for volunteerism. A specific example of utilization of the Future Search approach, in reviewing the inclusion of older volunteers in long-term care, is presented.

During his presidential administration, George Bush used the phrase "points of light" to connote and promote voluntary service. His program to honor those with exemplary service with a Daily Point of Light (DPOL) Award attracted great publicity--but no systematic analysis. Accordingly, this article presents the first comprehensive examination of the DPOL recipients, and the possible effects the Award had for strengthening and publicizing their voluntary activities. The analysis is based on a review of the press releases describing each recipient of the Award and a mail survey of this group administered by the authors.

Identification of an individual's motivational need and desired volunteer work enables volunteer administrators to capitalize on the motivation a person brings to the organization as well as to make effective use of the role by being cognizant of the levels of participation behind the differing volunteer assignments. The Motivation by Maslow Questionnaire was used to identify motivational needs of 35 helpline (crisis) volunteers, and three categories of volunteer work were used to classify their levels of participation. Implications for improving volunteer commitment to the formal voluntary organization and recruitment and retention strategies relative to volunteer motivational needs are discussed.

Supposedly, seniors have a good deal of discretionary time at their disposal, but so far, they form a much smaller proportion of the volunteer force than their numbers in the total population might lead us to expect. Yet they undoubtedly have much that they could contribute in terms, for example, of experience and accumulated skills. What might their contribution be, in fact? What do those who do volunteer contribute now? What training, if any, do they require and what do they actually receive? Do organizers underestimate their capacities and the contribution they might be persuaded to make?

A multidisciplinary approach in the support of AIDS volunteers is discussed employing three dimensions: educational, social and psychological. This approach was developed by the Foundation for Interfaith Research and Ministry (FIRM) in Houston, Texas, to combat volunteer burnout and attrition often exhibited by volunteers when serving clients with AIDS and other chronic, debilitating diseases. An examination of the specific goals and tasks required of volunteer managers/coordinators to utilize this approach are outlined. Although these three components of support were implemented for AIDS volunteers, they can easily be modified to suit virtually any type of volunteer environment and are appropriate tools to enhance a variety of volunteer settings. Ideas and suggestions as to how this psychosocial model of support can be adapted for an organization's use are included.