Charity Viewpoint 2016

"Effective volunteering costs money ... we need to recognise that managers of volunteers are essential
to ensuring that volunteers work effectively".

The above quote was from an interesting article I read in the latest Charity Report 2016. After 21 years here at Volunteering Auckland it is discouraging to read that many volunteer-involving organisations and funders still do not truly value volunteering. In this continuing time of funding restraints, the first budget line item cuts are often to the volunteer programmes of organisations - volunteers and volunteering being perceived as 'free'?

Investing resources, both time and financially, into volunteer programmes, and the person/s responsible for them, can only be good for the delivery of an organisation's mission and consequently good for our communities. So, as the article asks, "how do we change attitudes so that charities (and funders) stop valuing volunteers only as long as they are seen to be free (or close to free), and instead see investing in volunteers and volunteering as money well spent?"

Check out the full article here