I have always been interested in learning organic structures and origins of life on the planet. Analysis of molecular structures of organic tissues is a real journey to the world of biochemistry. Probably, understanding the handful of discoveries related to the field made me chose this subject as my major. Since studying at high school, I have been overwhelmed with examining chemical elements, as well as related reactions and processes occurring in living organisms. Though the subject could be difficult for understanding, it covers vast amounts of knowledge about our world in general.
Body
In order to develop my background knowledge on biochemistry, I took an active part in various volunteer activities. In particular, I was the volunteer at ophthalmology center to work with patients and learn more about physiology and biochemistry of the eye and its parts. Understanding the connection between chemical processes and functions of the eye has broadened my knowledge about the subject and has increased my interest in learning biochemistry.
What is more important is that the work at ophthalmology center provided me with deeper comprehension of various organic process occur at molecular level. It was also a great opportunity for me to learn more about the connection between physical and chemical processes. I have also realized that studying biochemistry can also be beneficial for professional fulfillment and development in a variety of fields.
Certainly, I had to overcome a number of difficulties to work as a volunteer because of the great responsibilities that I took while working with people and at laboratories. I needed to read piles of scientific journals and peer reviews to get a better idea of recent trends in biochemistry. Because the subject engages an interdisciplinary perspective, I should have a good command of biology and chemistry. I am sure that your college can provide me with all necessary knowledge to reach my objectives and promote my professional career. As a respectable educational establishment, your educational staff involves experts in the field and, therefore, I would be honored to become a student of your college.
My primary goal is to obtain degree and further my exploration as a specialist in biochemistry. Because my goal is to contribute to the modern science and introduce inventions that would change the outlook on the discipline, I believe that your institution is exactly what I need to fulfill my purposes.
I believe my aspiration for discovery and progress are exactly the features that can help me explore the subject and promote my professional growth. I am a quick learner and I am fully aware of my future objectives. In particular, I am willing to connect my live with the profession that would bring in benefits to our society and improve the overall welfare of our planet. Helping people, therefore, is a priority for me and, therefore, I believe studying biochemistry can suit best this purpose.
Conclusion
While working as a volunteer, I have gained sufficient research and critical skills, which are among the most important ones for widening my experience and knowledge in the chosen major. In addition, I have sufficient technical skills, as well as knowledge of recent technological advances that are helpful for processing data and conducting chemical experiments. All these skills can make a good contribution to the development of science. Therefore, I believe that college can only ignite my enthusiasm to research in the field.
To volunteer is to wilfully carry out an activity that does not earn one any money and that is beneficial to others. Volunteer management is the process of choosing and incorporating volunteers into an organization and ensuring that they perform.
It is a rigorous process that involves proper planning, recruitment, training, overseeing, motivating, appraising and even firing of volunteers. Volunteer management helps to control the resources of an organization. It safeguards the interests of the volunteers and fortifies the integrity of the organization (McCurley and Lynch, 1996).
Volunteer Victoria is a non-profit volunteer organization whose objectives include enlightening people on the importance of volunteering and therefore encouraging them to volunteer. It also provides training, consultation and support to organizations that work with volunteers, on matters like recruitment, management, motivation and working with volunteers.
The organization also works with organizations, schools, government and community leaders to identify community needs and inform volunteers about them. It also provides volunteer opportunities to people interested in serving their community.
Volunteers need to be trained before starting their duties in order to execute them effectively. They need to know about the procedures and polices of that organization, how to use various equipment and what action to take when faced with different situations. Once recruited, they should be evaluated regularly to pin point any further training needs of the volunteers.
Volunteer Victoria holds training workshops for its member agencies on volunteer management. Training is done by both the members of staff and contracted trainers. Training is offered on a variety of topics including how to manage funds, communication skills, networking, and succession planning, among others.
The organization also offers training courses and seminars for the volunteers. Volunteer Victoria staff members offer training to just recruit volunteers to equip them with the necessary skills that are required to perform the assigned tasks. They also work hand in hand with the volunteers and offer continuous training to them as they go about their daily duties.
They also conduct ongoing training and development in areas that need complex skills to ensure that those tasks are executed perfectly. The organization also invites professional speakers on contract who offer specialized training in various fields. Therefore at Volunteer Victoria, training is both done internally and is also out sourced (Blom, 2011).
According to Hager and Brudney (2004), Volunteers can be motivated through giving them encouraging feedback for instance by thanking them for their work. Rewarding them for exceptionally done tasks or for going the extra mile also helps. Training the volunteers also makes them feel that what they are doing is important.
In addition, taking time to interact and comment on the progress of their work boosts the morale of the volunteers. Offering free refreshments and snacks to them can also go a long way in encouraging the volunteers.
The organization should also provide activities that enable the volunteers to enjoy themselves and relieve the pressures of their tasks, for example games. The members of staff of that organization also should be cooperative and have good working relations with them for optimum performance (McKee, 2011).
According to Zappala (2000, Australians are some of the best sportsmen in the world, and it is no wonder that most people feel inclined to volunteer towards that field. Australians are highly skilled in many sports like surfing, rugby, cricket, golf, soccer, rowing, sailing, cycling, martial arts, bowling, volley ball, basketball, swimming, spear fishing and skiing, among others. Sports in Australia are heavily reliant on volunteers.
Many Australians volunteer in sports and other recreational activities like refereeing, coaching, administration, fundraising, sales, information management and recruitment. They volunteer for various reasons, among them the urge to assist others, and for personal fulfilment. Australian institutions have also perfected strategies of attracting many sports volunteers.
Volunteers need to be motivated and attracted by a certain aspect in order to work for a particular organization. Some of the ways they to attract them include giving them tasks that don’t take long and that can be done at flexible times due to people’s busy schedules. Another strategy is to be innovative in recruiting the volunteers in order to entice them.
An organization can also recruit retired professionals and allow them to choose tasks that interest them, for instance retired coaches, referees and players. The organizations also understand the importance of retaining the volunteers, and therefore they apply strategies like offering rewards, encouraging them and providing a conducive and stress free environment in order for them to be productive.
They can also increase the dwindling number of young volunteers by enlightening them on the importance of volunteering and offering them exciting tasks to do.
Volunteering is an activity done out of free will and once people commit themselves to it, they should perform the tasks with enthusiasm as though they were being paid for it. Volunteers should also be held in high regard as they have dedicated their precious time and energy to serve the community.
The Institute for Information Management has been committed to achieving its vision of becoming the leading provider of information to various companies within Australia. However, its system is falling apart because of its inability to address some of the strategic issues affecting various industries.
Not only is it losing the companies that were formerly its members, but also the volunteers who now consider it ineffective in addressing their career development needs. In order to address this problem, the institute will need to apply the concept of knowledge management system.
Introduction
Knowledge management system has become very important for organisations in an environment where information is an important tool in achieving success. Both profitable and non-profitable organisations experience some form of challenges that force them to improve their service delivery in order to remain efficient in their operations.
To achieve the desired success, they need to have a proper knowledge management system that will allow all the departments to share relevant information within the shortest period possible. Lambe (2011, p. 185) defines knowledge management system as “A system that helps the organisations in creation, capture, processing, storage, and dissemination of information.”
The system enables organisations to improve their efficiency in processing relevant information and transmitting it to the relevant departments and individuals so that it may define their decisions as a way of improving their efficiency.
Wilson (2002, p. 86) says, “The idea of a knowledge management system is to enable employees to have ready access to the organisation’s documented base of facts, sources of information, and solutions.” This way, they will always make informed choices based on the information in the system. It also eliminates bureaucracy that exists in some organisations that limits information sharing.
The Institute for Information Management has remained committed to its aim of becoming the leading source of information management for companies in Australia. However, it has been faced with numerous challenges which make this vision to be elusive.
This research seeks to find ways though which this institute can use the knowledge management system to promote engagement and collaboration among its members in order to improve its service delivery and attract more volunteers.
The Case Study
The Institute for Information Management has worked tirelessly to gain relevance as one of the leading organisations that brings together users of information management systems and the providers of the enabling technologies in a forum where they can share relevant information in this field.
It has massively contributed to the effective development of information management system in this country by disseminating information management industry trends, opportunities, and accomplishments. However, this organisation is currently facing a problem in an industry that it expected to achieve success.
The number of volunteers to the organisation is drastically dropping, and so is the number of those who are regularly using its services. It means that something is wrong with this organisation in terms of the approach it takes in managing its processes.
It must have failed to appeal to the volunteers, and this explains why their number at this organisation has been declining over the years.
This has largely been blamed on its fundamental model of membership. This organisation needs a model that will enable it to engage its members with the view of promoting collaboration when addressing various tasks. It is necessary to find the best ways of applying knowledge management system in order to address this problem.
Knowledge System behind Micro-Volunteering at the Institute for Information Management
According to Serenko and Bontis (2013, p. 310), over 6 million Australians always volunteer to work in different sectors as a way of making a difference in this country. Some people offer to volunteer as a way of meeting new people or trying something new, while others do it as way of improving their careers. Irrespective of the reasons why people volunteer to work in various organisations, the fact is that they always want something new.
They want a working environment that would add a difference to their life. This is what is lacking at this institute, making its membership to decline. The Institute for Information Management must realise that its members need a system that will make them aware of the changing industry trends, and other relevant issues that may make them be informed about their respective industries.
The first step that it should take in addressing its current process is to develop a model that will improve its efficiency in collecting data about the changing trends in the relevant industries it has chosen. This will enable it to become a superior platform through which users of information management systems and the providers of the assistive technologies can interact and achieve their respective goals.
According to Dalkir (2011, p. 59), this can be done by developing a knowledge management model that will be beneficial to all the stakeholders. The knowledge management cycle below is one of the most appropriate models that this firm should consider using.
Knowledge Management Cycle
Source: (Walsham 2001, p. 610).
The model will be able to capture, organise and make accessible all the relevant information about various fields for the benefit of the stakeholders. It will also enable the stakeholders use the information to learn through creation and sharing of the relevant data on various fields.
This institute must realise that most of the volunteers’ aim is to improve their capacity to understand the changing trends in various fields so that they can make a positive difference in their companies at a later date. They must feel that this institution is offering them the opportunity to be well informed.
Interventions designed to improve the situation
It is clear that the Institute for Information Management needs to find ways of improving its system, especially its capacity to capture the changing trends in various fields in order to attract volunteers and other stakeholders. The users of information need an organisation that has the right information about different industries in which they operate.
They also need to know about various knowledge management products, their superiority over the other existing systems, and the most reliable vendors. The vendors are interested in institutions that can sell them to the information users and give the right knowledge about the products they offer.
The volunteers need to be assured that for the time they will be with the organisation, they will always have the first hand information about the changing trends in the market in their respective industries.
This means that the management at this institution needs to have a top notch system that can enable it to collect, synthesises, and disseminate information to its members within the shortest period possible. The following knowledge management pyramid shows the steps that should be followed.
Source: (AlSondos & Othman 2012, p. 275).
As shown in the pyramid, the system should allow for an efficient collection and organisation of the data. The collected data should be summarised and then analysed to give the clear information about a specific issue. The information will then be synthesised into useful information. All the members should then be provided with the knowledge in order to define their decision making process (Resnick 2004, p. 84).
It is important at this stage to state that the knowledge should not only be used by the management to improve its operations. The users of the information, which may be companies, also need to be provided with the knowledge prepared in the same manner about the trends in their respective industries.
It would be important to design a model that this institute needs to use in order to address the problem that is currently affecting its operations.
Suitable Knowledge Management Models to Apply in the Case
It would be important for the Institute for Information Management to find an appropriate model that it can use to address its current problems. The volunteers need to be assured that this institute will help them in advancing their careers.
Other stakeholders also need to ensure that their interests will be protected when they are members of this institute. This institute needs to have a cyclic approach to managing information. The following diagram shows a model that this institution should use to ensure that it always provides up to date knowledge to its members.
Popper’s 3 World Model
Source: (Buckman 2004, p. 39).
Popper’s 3 World Model is one of the best knowledge management models that organisations are currently using in order to ensure that they meet their expectations. When using this model, the institute needs to know the specific needs of its stakeholders in order to ensure that the results yielded is what they expect.
According to Dawson (2000, p. 96), world 1 is defined by the physical environment which includes the objects and events that have a direct impact on an organisation. When addressing this physical environment, the institute needs to ensure that it has the right employees that will earn it a good reputation within the country. It may need to contract some of the best professionals in various fields to be part of its team.
To the volunteers, they desire to work alongside these talented professionals in order to advance their careers. To the information users, they would want to associate themselves with this institute when they realise that they have a team of experts that may help them in their fields.
They will believe that through these experts, they will not only get to know about the industry trends but also the most reliable vendors of the relevant assistive technologies. This will put this firm on its path towards growth.
In world 2, there are cognitive processes that involve creativity, intelligence, and other mental skills that can enable a firm do something differently. As an institute of knowledge management, this organisation will have to be creative enough to be of relevance to the stakeholders. It should be the driving force to the emerging trends in various industries.
The professionals and volunteers should come together to create new approaches of addressing various issues in various industries in a way that would address some of their current problems. Every company would want to associate with an enterprising institution that can help them overcome some of their challenges. This is what the institute should offer to its clients in order to retain them.
According to AlSondos and Othman (2012, p. 291) “Third world involves the semantic world of information comprising data, statements and articulated knowledge.” It also involves the knowledge earned through experience. At this institution, it would be appropriate to find ways through which these organisation members can share their experiences as a way of finding a common solution to a common problem.
As Wilson (2002, p.75) says, sometimes it may be necessary for rivals to come together in order to score against a common enemy. The institute should provide the best platform through which competitive firms can come together and share tacit knowledge about various issues in the industry.
Intellectual capital that needs to be managed
It would be vital for this institute to understand the intellectual capital that the stakeholders trust it with. This organisation should ensure that it protects the trust it has with its clients. Some of the information users may come to it for the purpose of consultancy. When this happens, they may reveal some of their classified information.
This information should remain confidential as an intellectual capital of that particular organisation. The institute will also need to identify some of the existing knowledge assets that may form part of the new system that is being developed.
This may include the past information that still remains relevant in the current context. The candidate techniques for intervention at this institute include the process of identifying its strategic partners, information processing strategies, and the strategy it is using to maintain creativity in its operations.
Proposed Knowledge Management System
In order for the institute to achieve its vision in this industry, it will need a knowledge management system that will enable it to understand the environmental forces and act upon them within the shortest time possible. Using knowledge management system will enable this firm to identify the enablers, drivers, and elements of change.
Knowledge Ecosystem
Source: (AlSondos & Othman 2012, p. 272)
This system will require the management to conduct a regular research about the changing environmental patterns in various areas of management. To achieve this, a team of experts in the fields like marketing, production, and finance among other fields may be needed.
Also necessary will be the technological infrastructure such as computer system and databases to enhance the process of data collection, processing and sharing of the knowledge. The institute may also need to readjust its policy, procedures, and attitudes towards the volunteers to stop their number from dropping. An increase in its membership will be the clear information that its intervention has produced some benefits.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The Institute for Information Management’s vision of becoming the definitive Australian industry source of information may forever remain a dream if the current problems are not addressed.
It has been losing its clients and volunteers who feel that they are not getting what they expected from the organisation. In order to reverse its current negative trend, this institute needs to embrace knowledge management system and some of the models it has to offer. The following recommendations should be observed.
The Institute for Information Management should introduce knowledge management system models into its operations.
The first step to address the declining membership will be to hire the renowned professionals in various fields to attract the volunteers, information users, and system vendors.
The management should embrace a cyclic approach to obtaining, processing, and disseminating information to ensure that it remains updated in its operations.
The institute should remain innovative, especially when addressing the problem brought about by the emerging trends.
List of References
AlSondos, I & Othman, F 2012, Requirement for Knowledge Management System, Journal of Communication and Computer, vol. 6. no. 11, pp. 263-275.
Buckman, R 2004, Building a knowledge-driven organisation, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Dalkir, K 2011, Knowledge management in theory and practice, MIT Press, Cambridge.
Dawson, R 2000. Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships: The Future of Professional Services, Cengage, New York.
Lambe, P 2011, The unacknowledged parentage of knowledge management, Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 15. no. 2, pp. 175-197.
Resnick, M 2004, Management requirements for knowledge management systems in the virtual organisation, International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 21-93.
Serenko, A & Bontis, N 2013, Ranking of knowledge management and intellectual capital, Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 17. no. 2, pp. 307-326.
Walsham, G 2001, Knowledge Management: The Benefits and Limitations of Computer Systems, European Management Journal, vol. 19. no. 6, pp. 599-608.
Wilson, T 2002, The nonsense of ‘knowledge management, Information Research, vol. 8. no. 1, pp. 65-98.
Corporate volunteer programs are what bring a group of employee volunteers together, often to look into a particular project on an ongoing time basis or a periodic one-time basis. These projects do not just provide an invaluable service to business, but also afford a great opportunity for employees to spend quality time together outside the workplace. These programs are more often than not company-sponsored programs which help to encourage employees to volunteer to do some work for their communities while others allowing employees to access company premises and resources for their volunteer activities (Thacker, 1994).
Corporate volunteer programs are valuable to the entire community. A volunteer program can result in greater employee morale thus the volunteer is able to take on a challenging and complex assignment and follow it to fruition since they follow their own desires and opportunity (Dewe & Cooper, 2007). It can also result in an increased job satisfaction on the employees because their energies are maximized to give the desired effect. It still develops shared icon in the society and greater relations amid all the beneficiaries because a Company’s commitment to volunteerism is demonstrated when they allow their employees to engage in community voluntary services thus creating harmony and attracting more customers within the community (Larry, 1996).
The service will make employees learn new skills because when they engage in an in-depth insight in a community they will meet new challenges and problems which they will be forced to tackle thus creating a chance to develop new skills and also expand their networks since they will be meeting new people thus having a variety of people they will be talking to apart from their fellow workmate thus will encounter stimulating individual development within the work setup. community benefits are fashioned when a majority of the people can share their time for the interest of the community thereby attracting them further and also the Company’s ability to target resources to specific community needs is enhanced since they will be aware of their needs and wants (Clegg & Sparrow, 2007).
The employees will show expertise in their work therefore will be able to bring the special knowledge of the community back into the company thus will be helpful in strategizing or drawing a future plan of that business or the company. When employees go out there for this project, they will develop a strong sense of ownership of the company or the corporation’s community involvement program, therefore, creating a clearly defined policy on utilization of company time and resources needed because the projects have higher visibility and need to reflect an appropriate image of the company.
In conclusion, this study looked at the alleged benefits associated with corporate volunteer programs and employees viewed volunteerism as an effective means of developing or enhancing several types of related job skills (Eystad &Melissa, 1997). This was particularly true for first-time employees and employees participating in a formal volunteer program. The discussion also demonstrates that organizational commitment is normally higher for volunteers from companies with a corporate volunteer program than for non-volunteers with organizations without a corporate volunteer program. Finally, job satisfaction is related to volunteerism among all the employees including old and new employees.
Since these services are community-based and mostly field-oriented, the employees would feel that their strengths are properly utilized for their services are in the direct face with reality. It also breaks the monotony of working within the corporation’s premises. Help to shape attitudes, towards work, in relation to the community. The active participation in several communities’ projects enlightens on the aspect of socio-cultural diversity and how to appreciate it.
Bibliography
Clegg, C Sparrow, P.R. (2007) Predicting future proficiency supplies: a three-phase tactic, Personnel Review, 36 (1): 65-90.
Dewe, P. and Cooper, C.L. (2007) managing Research and Measurement of Work Related Stress. global Review of Organizational Psychology, 22: 141-192
Eystad, Melissa, ed (1997). measuring the difference volunteers make: a guide to outcome evaluation for volunteer program managers. St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota department of human services. 40p.
May, Larry. (1996) The Responsive Self: Professional Ethics Social Theory. University of Chicago.
Thacker, J (1994) Managerial cultures: How to recognize and appreciate them Enlightening and Child Psychology, 11(3), 11-21.
Corporate volunteer programs are simply packages designed by companies as a way of giving back to society. Corporate volunteerism is the situation whereby an employee agrees to donate his time to participate in community work as a way of the company’s fulfillment of its corporate responsibility to society. Companies require their employees to participate in these programs as a way of inculcating into them a sense of duty that is beyond just their personal interests. These programs do not just benefit the various institutions that volunteers assist but the very volunteers’ stands to gain in numerous ways.
These programs may either be coordinated by the involved companies or may engage the services of professional volunteer coordination firms. Volunteer services are aimed at assisting institutions that improve the general welfare of society and which are usually understaffed due to lack of adequate resources. These form the bulk of non-profit organizations whose main objective is improving the lives of those who need the assistance of a varied kind (Melissa 40).
Workers participate in these programs for various reasons while companies organize them to meet various objectives. Firstly companies organize volunteer events to boost their public relations and show society that they appreciate the loyalty that they show them by purchasing their merchandise or services. It stands to reason then that the management will take a keen interest in the employees who take part in these events that boost the interests of this company. Therefore they will tend to reward these efforts with promotions and pay rises and it is therefore in the interest of employees to participate in volunteer programs.
Volunteer programs afford a great opportunity for employees to spend quality time together outside the workplace. Employees who may be competing for attention shed down this rivalry and put together their skills and strength to assist in community affairs. They, therefore, dress in informal clothes if the volunteer work entails fieldwork and are therefore able to relax and unwind the tensions of past days of serious and tiresome work (Cooper 164). They are therefore able to strengthen their relations to each other and these foster greater co-operation in the work place leading to greater productivity and therefore leading to wage adjustments upwards.
This is because such activities are morale boosters and usually cause the employees to perform complex tasks and may lead to innovations increasing profits and improving the company’s position in the market. Furthermore, it breaks the monotony of a fixed job routine that usually causes people to hate their jobs and quit.
Non-profit organizations offer volunteering opportunities on their boards and management. These golden opportunities offer volunteers a chance to learn leadership through participation boosting their capabilities and confidence. This further strengthens their credentials allowing them to seek better jobs or hasten their promotions. They are able therefore to make informed decisions when they find themselves in leadership positions since their volunteer positions have already taught them to make critical decisions without fear or favor. Employees, therefore, are attracted to these volunteer opportunities since they act as an important ladder towards achieving their dreams.
Volunteer work provides an individual who would one day want to get into an entrepreneur with an opportunity to have a feel of what it means to be an indifferent business. The individual through different assignments in situations where he may be required to direct a team evaluates his feelings towards those postings and may use this experience in deciding which type of business he is best suited to start and run. The individual, therefore, makes an informed decision based on the level of skill and passion of that particular field. Furthermore, the individual may bond with individuals with similar desires giving them a chance to form a partnership. Volunteer work is, therefore, an important training ground for entrepreneurship, and skills acquired in these projects increase a person’s chance of success in business.
People many times go through society and are usually afflicted by the suffering that is usually around them and is aggrieved by the sense of helplessness that they feel in their inability to help these people (Jayne 128). Volunteer work, therefore, provides an avenue for these employees to try and contribute to the general welfare of society by contributing their skills for free. This, therefore, increases hey wellbeing and by extension makes them more productive since they improve their self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. They know in their minds that whatever small service they have rendered has contributed to making this world a better place.
Human beings are endowed with various passions that usually go unexploited due to their need to lead comfortable and sustainable lives. Volunteer work affords them the opportunity to indulge in expressing these passions as a way of increasing their general happiness and spiritual fulfillment. These may range from a need to protect the environment from pollution to taking care of needy children. These satisfactions improve their job performance and may lead to better pay or even a promotion.
Work cited
Cooper, C.L. Managing Research and Measurement of Work Related Stress. Global Review of Organizational Psychology, 2007. 22: 141-192.
Cravens, Jayne The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: How to Apply the Principles of Real-World Volunteer Management to Online Service. Palo Alto, California, Impact Online Inc. 2000. 128p.
Eystad, Melissa, ed Measuring the difference volunteers make: a guide to outcome evaluation for volunteer program managers. St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota department of human services. 1997. 40p.
Corporate volunteer programs are programs organized by a group of individuals working together in the organizational-supported setting to entirely meet the communities’ socio-economical and cultural needs. It’s initiated with an organization with profits being of lesser concern. With the major aim of helping society, the organizations engage their employees in community-based activities that lead to both the corporations’ and communities’ benefit (Jayne,2000). The society on its side involves little or even no resources for the realization of the aims and objectives of these programs. A number of advantages come benefits exist to the employees being used to these programs hence leading to the attraction of the scheme to the employee in action and those that would wish to participate.
It brings relation or interconnects one’s personal interests with communities specific needs and therefore making an individual be in touch with the society and the society’s way of life. This also makes one receive a unique community-based experience that is worthwhile and heavily rewarding (Bradbeer, 1999). These experiences are essential for both the employees’ current and future ambitions. It gives strength and enlarges one’s stewardship and management abilities and skills for they practically lead the activities on the ground. Enlightens one on the aspect of without a profit mind and learn more about non-profit making organizations. It also expands one’s knowledge about the community. Helps an individual to relate with people outside the formal settings or organizational premises and therefore develop their interpersonal relations outside the job (Donald, 1991).
Develop other personal skills and talents that are in accordance with their areas of best suitability which are supportive and essential to the development of their profession and advancement in terms of work ethics. The employee finds him/herself in a better position to understand and come in to direct contact with the problems affecting the community their causes or source and therefore can comfortably outline some of the possible solutions that ones put in place can bring a positive change in the society and make the society a better place to live. Can also suggest possible preventive measures which when also put in practice can properly counter some of the causes of this problem.
Expands one’s Capacity to face communal challenges as well as assignments that prove to be complicated and drive them to greater heights of success. On the other hand, it also adds strength to the corporation’s commitment. And the use of one’s potentialities and human resource energy is maximized. The spirit of volunteerism is developed and clearly demonstrated (MacDonald, 1996).
The individuals who like working around their friends and within the community’s environment have the opportunity to do so through the corporation’s volunteer programs. Those individuals who would like to join organizations as first-timers are able to do so since this program gives a contact between the society which is full of qualified unemployed individuals that can be recruited and the corporations.
The employees would feel or possess a sense of ownership and feel like they are truly in control of whatever thing is happening on the ground. An employee can measure and put his or her abilities to test. Their efforts, services, and actions are recognized, felt, and greatly appreciated by the people they attend to. This recognition plays a major role in increasing one’s determination and boosts a great deal of one’s morale (Swayne, 2001). This motivation is quite essential and attractive to each and every employee. In this connection, there are several incentives involved which include gifts many other remunerations that are not in monetary form. By focusing on the community by the volunteer programs it is evident that there is usually the success of any project will depend entirely on the participation of the members.
Bibliography
Bradbeer, J. (1999) The Interdisciplinarity Barriers: disciplinary discourses and learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 23 (3), 381-396.
Cravens, Jayne (2000). The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: How to Apply the Principles of Real-World Volunteer Management to Online Service. Palo Alto, California, Impact Online Inc.. 128p.
Donald, S (1991) inventive union requires Innovative Managers.” Public Administration Review. 41:5, 507-513.
MacDonald, R. (1996) Focusing on community participation: Voluntary working in a fragmenting economy. Journal of Social Policy 25 (1), 19-38.
Swayne E. (2001). Leadership and Management, Public Health: Cases and Context, by Sage Publications.
Volunteer Foundation is a non-profit organization aimed at providing human services, programs and opportunities for individuals and community involvement to the rural US and the Inner-city neighborhoods. These services are outreach programs dealing with today’s most pressing social needs. A rich American who goes by the name Ken Alex donated £50 Million for the foundation. Currently, the foundation has recruited the Chief executive, most of accounting and general staff and two Volunteers in place awaiting the Business Corporation.
The foundation will build a home for the elderly people in the society and provide care for them. Also, the foundation will build a home for orphans and provide for their needs. In addition, the foundation will build a home for the disabled people (Ability beyond Disability) and provide for their needs. Lastly, the foundation will build a home for the homeless and provide for their needs amongst many other humanitarian works.
It was agreed in the meeting held to decide the way forward, that the foundation adopts the democratic style of management. In this style, top management allows other employees including the subordinate staff where relevant to take part in decision making. The foundation will need to allocate £1Million as shown in the attached table for stationeries and other things. These stationeries include computers and software that were distributed to various foundation departments including finance, human resource, regulatory affairs etc. Integration of ICT is needed to enhance the efficiency and reliability of the foundation management. The best statistical analysis software also needs to be installed in the foundation computers to facilitate accuracy and good decision making for the success of the foundations endeavors including Stata, SPSS, Ms-Office package, Adobe package, Microsoft Navision etc.
The Foundation’s Wide Area Network also needs to be developed to facilitate sharing of data and information from different end. Good communication will cut down transport costs that might arise as a result of visiting various projects for data and information.
The foundation will need to use both the in-house managers and external managers for efficient utilization of the foundation funds. Apart from the in-house programs and services such as the orphanage, elderly home etc that will need in-house managers, most of the foundation activities include outreach programs that requires a lot of traveling and tours. If the foundation assigns the in-house managers to oversee the outreach programs, it will mean that gaps will be left in the respective manager’s office. This will lead to loop holes that might lead to the foundation failing to succeed in its endeavors to facilitate communal development. Other external managers include the bank, investment schemes and the real estate, this is so because they are trusted to use the funds on behave of the foundation to generate interest.
Decisions having been made, the form was filled in the limelight with the earlier named top authority during the meeting. The board decided that Ken Alex will be the statutory agent for Volunteer Foundation Ltd as gratitude and by the fact that he owns an established company in Ohio (“Jon Husted Ohio Secretary of State”, (n.d).). The corporate effective date was set to be July 30, 2012.
Reference
Jon Husted Ohio Secretary of State. (n.d.). Home. Web.
Non-profit organization prosperity depends on the number of loyal donors and volunteers it has. According to this article, the authors argue that the relationship between loyalty and success is wide. They have established that donors and volunteers can be loyal but not offering donations or contributions. The process of measuring donors and volunteers loyalty and their value to the organization is more difficult and if not carried out can lead to ineffective service delivery.
This may force the organization to deplete it resources thus being dissolved. The authors of the article recommends that managers should approach this issue using a method known as Customer Lifetime Value instead of using traditional metrics system to measure the value of donors and volunteers. If this method is adopted by a non-profit organization it will them regularly when making decisions to establish the donors and volunteers and prospects to retain and acquire, the donors and volunteers. This is when the organization is unable to reach out to and the amount of resources to be spent on each donor and volunteer section (Kumar and Rajan, 2009, Pp.27-28).
Customer Lifetime Value if adopted will help to measure the donors and volunteer’s value to the firm and will treat each donor and volunteer depending on his or her contribution. In addition, this method takes into account the changes in organization’s lifecycle, changes in donors and volunteers lifecycle and accountability of 80%of donations. Because of this, managers who use this method will be able to measure the value of their donors and volunteers and effectively avoid making unnecessary losses to the origination (Kumar et al, 2009, Pp.29-32).
Examples of donors and volunteers
There are various examples of volunteers and donors who can be grouped as true friends, butterflies, barnacles and strangers. In the case of true friends of non –profit organization can be described as life members who can subscribe a certain amount periodically for the survival of the organization. Those volunteers and donors who can be described as butterflies are those members who subscribe certain amount periodically but they will cease to be members when an organization makes a mistake. This type of volunteers and donors provide funds based on certain conditions and once the conditions are not met they withdraw their support (Kumar et al, 2009, Pp.29).
Barnacles are those members who are life members by virtue of initial promotion of the organization. They are the people who originated with the idea of starting the organization and may not have money to contribute to organization. This is because they may be old or may not have money and may be willing to provide services to organization. Strangers are those donors and volunteers who come to the organization when called upon by friends and they do not have any attachment with the organization but contributions once they come (Kumar et al, 2009, Pp.29-30).
Types of Donors and Volunteers
All these types of donors are valuable to the organization as they provide resources that are needed to attain its objectives. True friends can be used to finance those activities that are long-term while butterflies can be used to finance activities which are not recurrent. Butterflies can be used when an activity has been identified that requires specific amount once thus funds from this group is utilized. Barnacle can be used to provide services such as being members of committees where there is no remuneration. Strangers can provide funds which will be used to finance impromptu projects that require financing.
Shift Donors and Volunteers from One Category to Another
In order to help volunteers and donors move from one category to another, various strategies should be adopted. The most important thing to do is to make sure that all donors and volunteers are contacted once or twice as form of recognition. Strangers should be invited to the organization’s annual general meeting where they are congratulated for their donations. When there is a project to be carried out they should be contacted as away of recognizing them.
Conclusion
For any non-profit organization to have the right donors and volunteers the organization must learn to obtain, retain and grow donors and volunteers list. To retain and grow volunteers and donors their true contributions must be evaluated and they should be contacted always for them to feel as part of the community.
Reference list
Kumar, V. and Rajan B. (2009). Nurturing the right Customers. Strategic finance. 26-33.
Management of any organization is a complex issue as it requires considering numerous factors impacting results and performance. These include payment, motivation, goal setting, and opportunities for further growth. For this reason, there is a critical need for an effective strategy that might help to address all these issues and align the stable work of an organization. However, it is impossible to use the same approach in all cases. For instance, working with volunteers might require specific measures to manage them, align their cooperation and attain desired outcomes. The peculiarities of this process can be analyzed by using the case Food forward: How volunteer teams move surplus produce from tree to table.
Volunteer Value Proposition
First of all, speaking about using volunteers, it is critical to discuss the key elements of their value proposition. It implies the benefits and rewards individuals acquire for their skills (Griffin et al., 2019). For volunteers, training becomes the first key element. In this case, Food Forward gives much attention to training (Silver, 2021). The organization helps to understand the peculiarities of the process, educates them, and cultivates necessary skills. It attracts new workers and ensures they are ready to cooperate. Another element is recognition, as it helps a volunteer to feel their importance. The scenario shows that assisting people motivates others and makes them feel engaged in processes necessary for society. Finally, volunteers perform work that matches their skills, which is another essential element of the value proposition (Pynes, 2013). Combining these aspects, it is possible to attain better outcomes and ensure the organization achieves its major goals.
At the same time, there are fundamental differences between managing volunteers and paid staff. The first cohort cannot be controlled by payment or financial aspects (Swift, 2019). The primary motivation comes from recognizing the project’s necessity and enjoying the process. Volunteers’ “personal mission” plays a more important role than financial rewards (Silver, 2021, p. 3). Thus, it introduces a particular difficulty as there is a need for control, which can be difficult when the primary tool, payment, is less significant (Swift, 2019). It means that highly diverse groups consisting of people from a variety of backgrounds should be organized to achieve existing goals (Silver, 2021). As a result, there is a need for a flexible management model, helping to consider these changes and address them.
It is also critical to mention the fact that working with volunteers might imply specific compromises to ensure the necessary result. As stated previously, volunteers are individuals with diverse backgrounds who might not have the required knowledge (Swift, 2019). As a result, it is critical to ensure some responsibilities are transited from volunteers to staff (Silver, 2021). For instance, after the successful launch and fast development, Food Forward considered the necessity to hire employees with professional skills to manage the organization (Silver, 2021). It shows that managing volunteer organizations requires combining different approaches to organizing the work of teams to guarantee the high speed of professionalization and create the basis for future rise (Pynes, J. (2013). Volunteers who previously performed tasks assigned to hired specialists should be motivated by other aspects to ensure the incentive remains attractive for them.
At the same time, the necessity to pay the newly hired specialists might be considered a source of conflict. Usually, volunteers acquire other rewards and do not require payments for their services. In such a way, the involvement of fully paid employees might change the balance within the company and require reconsidering the approach to working with employees and encouraging them (Pynes, 2013). Thus, in the offered case, volunteers remain highly motivated and might cooperate with the organization for many years, which is untypical for volunteering (Silver, 2021). It is attained by offering rewards other than payment. This compromise is achieved by providing opportunities for training, education, and interaction with others (Silver, 2021). As a result, all newcomers acquire a chance to find additional motivation and avoid thinking about being paid. In such a way, it is vital to ensure no conflicts between hired specialists and volunteers working for an organization.
A Case Perspective of Organizational Development in the Context of Volunteer Management
The major goal of any company is constant development and continuous improvement. Speaking about firms using volunteers, the given processes acquire additional peculiarities because of the necessity to redefine their mission and meet all major stakeholders’ demands (Pynes, 2013). For instance, Food Forward managed to grow from a small local incentive into a big project impacting the lives of numerous people (Silver, 2021). The organization had to buy transport to support its activities, use software to plan and manage tasks, and align the work of numerous individuals. It requires using professional workers and hiring additional employees. As a result, the mission and services should be revised to meet the new organizational goals. However, it might promote the emergence of several critical challenges, such as reduced workers’ motivation, and lack of understanding among partners and clients. Resolving these challenges might require additional effort and a specific managerial strategy.
First of all, the first group of actors, such as founders, should be considered. Food Froward resolves this problem by cultivating a new culture and explaining its importance for future success. Fruit Geek Culture is one of the methods to promote organizational development (Silver, 2021). The fact is that many current employees started as volunteers, meaning they realized the importance of their activity and its inspirational nature (Silver, 2021). As a result, they can be potent change actors explaining the necessity of alteration and refining of the mission. The founders’ interests, who are motivated to help the community, will be aligned with the motivation of volunteers, which should be emphasized during the change process (Swift, 2019). It will help to attain better outcomes and guarantee that no conflicts or critical problems will emerge. It will also contribute to the individuals’ engagement and their readiness to continue cooperating with the organization.
The reconsideration of the current mission should also be explained to clients and partners working with the organization. Thus, Food Forward says that its major donors see themselves as part of the volunteer story (Silver, 2021). It means that the work with partners and clients is given much attention and rests on the idea of social responsibility, the necessity to help others, and community commitment (Silver, 2021). The new mission should consider these factors as they are vital for these groups’ interests. In such a way, the major challenge of reconsidering the mission statement can be resolved by explaining the importance of the would-be change and the possibility of boosting effectiveness due to the planned reconsideration (Swift, 2019). It can help to avoid misunderstandings because of the radical change and motivate partners to continue working with the organization.
Thus, organizational development regarding volunteer management acquires several specific peculiarities. As against companies using paid employees, a single person cannot initiate the change (Swift, 2019). It requires additional explanation and discussion with the main actors involved in the work of organizations and their stable functioning. The Food Forward’s example shows that by cultivating the appropriate culture and communicating with its partners and super volunteers, the group manages to prove the necessity of growing and geographical expansion (Silver, 2021). The unique culture supported the transformation and motivated individuals to move forward and accept the new schemes to work with communities (Silver, 2021). The key challenges, such as decreased motivation levels, misunderstanding, and conflicts between major stakeholders, can be addressed by emphasizing the positive effects of the planned restructuring and its critical importance for the future of the whole incentive.
Conclusion
Altogether, the analyzed case shows that using volunteers to support the development of a particular organization or incentive might be beneficial. The highly motivated individuals might help to perform the current tasks and create the basis for future growth. The absence of the necessity to pay salaries is one of the advantages of this model. However, it might also introduce additional challenges for the organization as managing volunteers acquire specific strategies. Finding a balance between motivation and reward is vital to guarantee individuals remain engaged and contribute to future growth.
Furthermore, changing the company’s mission and vision might be difficult as the previous methods should be replaced with new ones. It means it is critical to focus on values and the factors attractive to volunteers. It would help to preserve their loyalty levels and continue working with them.
References
Griffin, R., Phillips, J., & Gully, S. (2019). Organizational behavior: Managing people and organizations (13th ed). Cengage Learning.
Pynes, J. (2013). Human resources management for public and nonprofit organizations: A strategic approach (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS) experienced a temporary management catastrophe in 1997, when the executive director passed on. It was not clear who would be the immediate successor. Managerial styles were a major blow to AVS. A good example was the tenure of office by Mr Frederick Lee Jr. His style of leadership was centralized and remained unchanged throughout the seven years he was in office (Wong and Chan, 2007, p.2).
A panel of management committee members was required to make most of the major decisions, but the CEO made all resolutions independently. The committee was thus just a formal body, whose roles were honorary as opposed to administrative. The executive director was thus the epicentre for the years he was in office.
His demise was a sudden call for change on the management’s structure as well as managerial style at AVS. Nobody was ready to take over because the previous regime had no procedures of delegating duties. The board of directors had to take over management, assign directorship and find ways of organizing administration.
Change of Donors’ Support
As a non-governmental organization, AVS was dependent on the government’s social welfare department as their main sponsor. The department was a major benefactor with over 80% of AVS funds. The department however shifted goals in year 2000 to become a home affairs bureau.
Considering that, the department was the main donor, AVS’s Commitment thus changed from social services to align with the bureau’s role of nurturing development of the civil society. This translated to change of management strategies to cater for bureau responsibilities.
According to Wong and Chan (2007, p.9), the organization had to change its operation strategies. The government was considering community development, achieved through empowering the society as opposed to the reactive model of delivering social services to the needy. The government was ready to work side-by-side with the organization; therefore, AVS had to change its operation strategies to fit the new needs of the bureau.
“International Year of Volunteers”
The NGO also faced new challenges due the strategic review of 2001, which saw the organization engage new vision of establishing competence and partnership to promote sustainable development through volunteerism campaigns (Wong and Chan, 2007, p.9). Change of organization strategies was eminent during the campaigns in order to improve service quality for volunteers internationally.
The organization required a plan to come up with a public study over perception and reception of the volunteering services. The organization also needed to ensure that new services were in line with the overall objectives, mission and vision of the government (sponsors).
This meant that AVS had to change the overall values at the managerial level to measure up with the new requirements and objectives of the government bureau. Although the operational level would remain practically the same, the management would need clear directives for long-term survival in the civil society.
Role of Management
There was also need to have a clear difference and categorization between role of the management and board of directors. This would assist the organization avoid a situation like what had happened earlier, when the CEO passed on. The two units were the core service bodies of the organization and a clear administrative procedure would translate to improved efficiency and effectiveness.
Financial resources were becoming more limited therefore the organization needed officials who were competent enough to manage through implementation of cost-effective measures. They would also keenly work in line with government policies to avoid uncertainties that would negatively affect funding. The staffs were concern over job insecurity and this meant the management had to strategically redefine and address all apprehensions afresh.
Reasons Why AVS engaged transformation in the aim of implementing a Strategic Vision
There were needs for the management to review its work strategies and plan by implementing a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis (Wong and Chan, 2007, p.8). In line with Wong and Chan (2007, p.8), a three-year strategic plan, vision and mission of the organization were re-established. Some of the highlighted aspects included procedures of enforcing a people-oriented volunteering initiative by proactively encouraging potential volunteers.
Secondly, the managerial paradigm shift would address citizen’s involvement in volunteering as a key future strategy of empowering the society.
Thirdly, the organization would need to enforce a global participation initiative to facilitate transfer of skills, technology and mutual coordination among potential volunteers.
AVS had to strategize on ways of fighting individualism by enriching volunteering through participation in practical activities such as culture, health and environment.
Lastly, the organization had to enforce productivity through implementation of new information technology for instance the web-based volunteering initiative.
AVS needed to focus mostly on the importance of collaborating with diverse sectors, mobilize and facilitate superiority services. There was also need to proactively educate the society and encourage participation in promotion of sustainable development. Secondly, the limited budget of AVS meant that the organization had to scale down and focus on ensuring perfection, to promote quality-volunteering services.
The organization also focused on fulfilment of its mission and through the 30-years’ experience, decided to pursue the vision of finding more global strategic partners. In line with Wong and Chan, the internationally designated year of volunteers (2001) instigated networking, promotion, facilitation and recognition as the key elements for better service delivery (Spector, p.68). Notably, AVS needed to recruit qualified professionals for international assignments especially at transnational levels, especially in developing countries.
Competencies Demonstrated by AVS Management in Facilitation of Organization Transformation
AVS engaged partnership with various agencies including the private sectors for instance the Crystal Group, which funded the volunteering program in China (Wong and Chan, p.10). The new management comprising of Board of managers provided a recruitment procedure for the managerial level employees.
Competent managers were required to cater for international duties especially in developing countries. It was professional for them to search beyond the traditional societies, and develop contacts in cultural, health and educational sector. Beside the environmental and initial managerial challenges, the ability to budget for limited resources and effectively deliver services demonstrated the organization’s competence.
The self-sufficiency of the organization particularly after the government funds decreased from 80% in 1970s-1980s to 30% in 2000 indicated improved managerial competence especially on financial management (Wong and Chan p.8). Analysis of government budgetary allocations between 1999 and 2004 indicated that the organization was departing from being full dependent on government provisions (Wong and Chan p.8).
AVS management decided executive committee members could not play an honorary role like the previous board, but be more active, visible in performance and accountable. The board would thus oversee the managerial duties. The competence of the management was visible when they were keen on acquisition of resources through lobbying for funds to establish potential partnerships.
arious special initiatives were also eminent, for instance the “study on volunteering service in 2001” (Wong and Chan, p.9). The management had established a volunteering service plan, which was a 3-year strategic review plan among other future development plans. The program was in place by 2001(Wong and Chan, p.17).
Influences of the NGO Environment on Managerial Procedures of Handling Change
The environmental or structural setup of non-governmental organizations varies considerably. The current advancement of information and communication technology influences formation of community/locally-based NGOs that are active at national and international levels.
The organizations are social forums formed within a civil society. The society on the other hand works in partnership with the government and private sectors. The government therefore has influence over organizations through civil societies. Organizations play an amicable role of strengthening and establishing civil societies especially in remote areas. Although formed as collaborating entities, the credibility of NGOs depends on independence.
There is great influence on NGOs by the government due to funding, especially when the organization is highly dependent on such funds for instance the AVS case analysis in the 1980s and 1990s (Wong and Chan, p.11). The governments tend to influence organisations towards their political favours such as promoting regime policies.
The emergence of ‘government owned NGOs’ abbreviated ‘GONGO’ thus emanates from such environments, where there are high government influences. An authoritarian social environment also has great influence over the way the organization handles changes. The organizations have financial difficulties when they act independently and the society may fails to recognize or acknowledge such an NGO, unless when based on a very strong social environment.
NGOs dealing with humanitarian and development relief also face the challenge of establishing and sourcing more resources to run their operations. Considering the challenges, most of such organizations readily accept official government funding and weaken their influential powers, due to the controls established by the governments through the funds.
The case study of AVS is a clear indication of how the government was influential at the initial stages. During the shift of focus from social service to civil society bureau, AVS had to transform and be in line with the funders. However, the organization improved and becomes more independent over the years of experience. Managerial competence and actions are the main influences of transformation in an NGO.
There is great and constant transformation of organization environments especially the role and activities undertaken to lobby for funds. The role of the management is ever changing and thus technical expertise is increasingly becoming vital. The change of the work environment thus increases workloads and responsibilities.
Change requires managers, board of directors or supervisors to understand the complexity of a workforce. The working environment directly determines the area of coverage, particularly the attitude and behaviour of volunteers and performance of the management.
Conclusion
The working environment also assists in defining human behaviour in relation to volunteering. Transparency of operations and managerial commitment to work in accordance with the set rules, vision, mission and goals helps to establish the work environment. Stakeholders especially the benefactors therefore cannot easily influence a work environment that is free from chances of venality.
References
Spector, B 2009, Implementing Organizational Change: Theory into Practice, 2nd ed, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
Wong, G., and Chan, J 2007, Organizational Transformation: Agency for Volunteer Service, Asia Case Research Centre. Hong Kong, China.
