For the past two years, I've said on more than one online forum that the most innovative, exciting things I'm learning about volunteer management and other community involvement rarely come from traditional volunteer management workshops and conferences but, rather, conferences focused on entirely different subjects. The NetSquared conference, May 30 and 31, 2006, by TechSoup / CompuMentor bore this statement out -- it was a conference focused on the emerging uses of more collaborative technologies by nonprofit organizations, particularly activist-organizations, but in the end, the lessons I heard again and again were on giving volunteers a bigger voice in what they do at an organization (and, in the end, actually giving them lots more to do, and even more responsibility, which they like very, very much), on engaging in activities that exude transparency and openness in all aspects of decision-making and management, and on being immediately responsive to volunteers' and other supporters' thoughts, suggestions and criticisms -- and how not doing so isn't because of a lack of resources but, rather, misdirected priorities and lack of transparency. Tiny nonprofit organizations with very little staff are doing extraordinary things with volunteers, and making the volunteers feel included and energized, not with pins and t-shirts but through greater and more-meaningful involvement -- and this movement is being fueled by inclusive uses of technology."
Tags:
No comments:
Post a Comment