Do You Spell “Volunteer” with a Capital V?

Wow,Marlene....you have hit the nail right on the head! After a long career in professional volunteer management/engagement, I have been retired for almost six years, doing a great deal of volunteering for organizations I really care about. I have often been struck by the very thing you discuss in your article. I am presently (and very happily) involved in helping to change the culture of volunteerism in one organization, and will be doing training for the staff on how to think differently about volunteer engagement. I would love to provide your article as a resource, since it offers such great insight on how we, as volunteers, often feel in a group of paid staff. This is a subject that bears a lot of thought, and then some positive action, to help paid staff understand what it often feels like to be a volunteer in their own organization, and to view things through the lens of a volunteer who truly wants to be committed, and really feel like "the heart and soul", but who often has an entirely different experience. I look forward to reading others' comments on this important topic.

"Phloem and xylem are complex tissues that perform transportation of food and water in a plant. They are the vascular tissues of the plant and together form vascular bundles. They work together as a unit to bring about effective transportation of food, nutrients, minerals and water." When I read the section regarding the Totem Pole, I immediately thought - well, there's the problem right there. We need to reinvigorate organizations so that the pole can return to a living breathing entity - with the essential contributions of VOLUNTEERS - as complex and diverse as they are. Our organizations can and should be living things, able to adapt, grow, and - to further torture my initial analogy: put some oxygen back in the world. Nerdily yours, Deirdre