"Volunteer is a pay rate not a job title."

I stumbled on this great quote from Susan Ellis, of e-Volunteerism (@energizeinc), today after talking to a chapter president in New England. In that conversation she noted so many things she was managing and in that context referred to one that she wouldn't ask her volunteers to do - it wasn't in their job description. She understands that volunteer is the pay rate not a "dumping ground."

To active association volunteers, volunteering is networking.

Ever notice how the first reason an active member gives as why you should join is the networking and then they define it in terms of the latest project they worked on.

The reluctant volunteer just wants to know it's short-term.

My non-volunteering husband just said yes to the March of Dimes. They asked could he  send letters to peopel in his neighborhood. They'd send a kit. That's it. He said yes.

People volunteer to be part of something larger without being larger than life in that project.

Glenn Yonemitsu, chair of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants, a volunteer for the Olympics shares his journey and the excitement of seeing one of his members carrying the torch. 

Non-volunteers see themselves as different from volunteers ... even though it's frequently a misplaced assumption.

Read more at Pathway to Service.

Volunteers rock ... consider that The Ark was built by volunteers, The Titanic by paid staff.

Staff can get in the way!

By not redesigning volunteer roles into ad-hoc positions or not building virtual or web access to volunteering, staff become barriers to volunteering. Yes it's tough to get it going, but ...

Volunteers don't work 9 to 5.

For associations this means we need to honor a 24/7 work habit with good technology, access to resources, appreciation and allowances for staff for go the extra hours to meet volunteers.

Volunteer work is just a line item for volunteers ... not the way they pay their mortgage.

 Cynthia D'Amour zeros in on a truth!

Every volunteer has her/his own reason to stepping up to the plate. If you want to know what it is, ask directly. 

*This truth brought to you by all the Gen X & Gen Ys who want all of us to stop talking about them and start talking to them.