Volunteers Are Not a "Program"

There’s a phrase circulating that crops up periodically in speeches or books:  “volunteers are not a program.”  This concept can be traced back to an early article by Patty Bouse, Resource Development Specialist in the Nebraska Division of Social Services, in the Winter 1978 issue of what was then called Volunteer Administration.  We reprint the article here, noting how little has changed in three decades in the challenge of gaining legitimate agency acceptance for volunteer contributions.