Volunteer management

The purpose of this paper is to articulate a set of ethical standards for international volunteer tourism. The standards are focused on promoting fair trade learning principles in the management and operation of volunteer programmes. Because of the unique social mission, research, and evaluation capacities of higher education, we propose first applying these principles specifically to international volunteer programmes operating at the university-community nexus. These standards have emerged through a collaborative, in-person and online process during the last two years with input by numerous concerned global citizens, international education practitioners and researchers, nongovernmental organization representatives, and community members. The document shared below represents current ‘best practice’ for maximizing the benefits and minimizing the negative impacts of volunteer tourism programmes for both host communities and volunteers.

Basińska, A., Łuczak, M. J. (2012). Rola wolontariuszy w opiece hospicyjnej na przykładzie poznańskiego hospicjum Palium. W: B. Kromolicka (red.), Z pomocą człowiekowi. Wsparcie i opieka w sytuacji nieuleczalnej choroby (ss. 157-174). Toruń: AKAPIT, ISBN 978-83-89163-95-0.

The aim of this text is defining the current role of volunteers involved in palliative-hospice care. Posing the question of what the motivations behind volunteers' involvement are one must realise that this issue is complex. Both the motivations of doctors, nurses and other paid medical care employees which are connected with institutions and systems, and the motivations of volunteers have to be analysed. It is assumed that the readiness of volunteers and the possibility to employ them are employed by more factors than the economic ones, which stem from the fact that voluntary service can be less expensive than employment of paid workers. For the medical staff a volunteer can be an important source of information about a patient's state, his or her physical condition and also about positive and negative effects of implemented therapeutic procedures. Patients are not always willing to share this kind of information with doctors or nurses. Other crucial factors to consider are the attitude towards work of the volunteers who work at a hospice compared to the attitude of paid workers and the possibility of volunteers taking up given tasks, for example, connected with nursing outside of paid staff's work hours or when a family needs help with taking care of their family member for organization reasons. It is also assumed that people decide to become volunteers mainly due to their characteristic capacities, value systems, personal motivations; like their own experiences. The loss of a loved one can be a motivating factor. The article is a prologue to more extensive research about the role of medical volunteers in the process of taking care of a patient and his or her family. The research is going to be conducted in 2011 and 2012 in hospice establishments in Wielkopolska, including at-home hospices. An important aim of the research is also answering the question of whether in the situation of general decline of interest in voluntary service in Poland the hospice voluntary service also undergoes a crisis. And if so, then how this situation can be changed. What is more, we want to find the factors that influence the ways and possibilities of using volunteers in caring, nursing and medical procedures conducted in relation to palliative care, including terminal care.

To meet the growing social service needs of our societies, the social services and other Volunteer organizations need to understand the needs and motives of their volunteers to keep them retained. Although volunteer motivation scales are available and tested, different organizations have to amend and add volunteering motives to best fit their organization and environment. Furthermore, not much guidance is available to volunteer organizations to understand or measure motivation of their volunteers raising a need for  a unified model that can be a guideline for managers. This study discusses different approaches to volunteering motivation and links them into four areas using an ABCE model: Affiliation (A), beliefs (B), career development (C) and egoistic (E). Questionnaire was distributed to 496 volunteers from a variety of NGOs including 239 (48.2%) from an international Faith Based Organization (FBO). Findings show that although differences exist in volunteering motivation  the actual best fit was an  ABCE model. Future research is needed on testing the scale with different cultures and different organizations. A deeper knowledge of volunteer motivations will enable organizations to prosper and utilize the continuous experience of the volunteers and their engagement, thereby ensuring  enhanced quality social service delivery.

“Perchè la sharing economy è la a nuova frontiera da esplorare per il volontariato” è il titolo del nuovo numero di Vdossier. Un tema delicato e quanto mai attuale che coinvolge anche il Terzo settore.
La questione di che cosa si intenda esattamente per sharing economy è tuttora aperta e fonte di dibattito nel mondo, considerato che il fenomeno è relativamente recente e in forte espansione. Non a caso si sono sviluppate una varietà di definizioni parallele: da “peer economy” a “economia collaborativa”, da “economia on-demand” a “gig economy” a “consumo collaborativo”. Termini a volte usati in modo intercambiabile, ma che, secondo gli esperti, indicherebbero in realtà settori diversi fra loro. E sui quali non mancano critiche e timori: infatti non essendoci ancora leggi e regolamenti che li disciplinino, tanto in Europa quanto in Italia, c’è chi li accusa di concorrenza sleale, chi di violare norme fiscali e previdenziali, chi di creare un precariato a vita e dilagante soprattutto per i giovani. Se lo scenario futuro dipinto da Rifkin e Sundararajan sta entrando sempre più rapidamente nel nostro presente, anche il Terzo settore è chiamato ad affrontare questa sfida. Con una missione: riportare il sociale all’interno della sharing economy senza farsi coinvolgere in quella spirale dell’economia dei lavoretti che non produce valore sociale, ma disuguaglianze. Di fronte a uno scenario come questo, il non profit è chiamato a farsi parte attiva nel riportare al centro delle nuove forme economiche la realizzazione di obiettivi di interesse generale, a partire dall’esigenza che la capacità delle persone di autorganizzazione e di creazione di legami sociali non divenga oggetto di appropriazione. Questo recupero di centralità delle relazioni va infatti imperniato sulla fiducia fra persone, il carburante che alimenta il motore dell’economia della condivisione, come afferma Rachel Botsman, nota esperta di sharing.

Prezentul proiect are ca scop realizarea unui instrument sociologic pentru a evalua efectele și impactul voluntariatului la nivelul voluntarilor înrolați în programul Timișoara 2023 - Capitală Europeană a Culturii. Raportul explică mai întâi pe scurt contextul in care este realizat instrumentul (chestionarul), aducând argumente din literatura din domeniu. Apoi prezentăm principiul de ansamblu al activităților implementate și modul de construire a produsului final. Discutăm apoi concluziile legate de pilotarea chestionarului. Acesta este descris în ansamblu, prin modul de selectare a scalelor folosite și rațiunile ce stau la baza alegerii acestora. Un capitol final sintetizează pașii de urmat în activitățile următoare, iar anexele pun în evidență literatura utilizată și structura instrumentului în forma sa pilotată.