Every now and then a prominent member of the volunteer management community reminds us of the inappropriate use of the phrase “using volunteers”.
The argument often put forward to avoid this phrase is that this is more than mere semantics, as the language we use around volunteers and volunteering speaks volumes about the way they are viewed, regarded and respected in our organisations.
The evolving VM position of ‘Thou shalt not use the phrase using volunteers’ was reinforced in 2018 by Rob Jackson, who was Third Sector’s ‘Voice of Volunteering’ for nearly 10 years. He cites (sarcastically) a few things that charity leaders can say which create a nightmare for volunteer managers. One of which is that charity leaders who don’t get volunteering will often promote the phrase “using volunteers”.
We are told that any organisation that uses this term means that volunteers aren’t seen as part of the team but a resource to be used and disposed of.
…But people dedicated to a cause use this term without a second thought – Dedicated people who are not overfamiliar with the nuances of volunteer management, who seek to use volunteers to make the world a better place.
Who are these dedicated people using the phrase “using volunteers”?
They are passionate about their cause; they are strategically savvy; they are spinning operational plates in the midst of the ever more VUCA* world; they are tenacious and committed to tacking the challenges they face on their journey. In short, we love these dedicated people, and we need the impact they have in our communities!
These dedicated people use paid staff, use resources, use their own imagination…and use volunteers – anything that can enhance the delivery the service. George Bernard Shaw’s quote sums it up:
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one… I want to be thoroughly used up when I die.”
Consider when we volunteer. We are more than happy to be used for a worthwhile cause. We don’t really want the spotlight to be on us. The whole point is to be used for a cause that isn’t about us…
So, what might be the impact if a ‘Thou shalt not use the phrase using volunteers’ is endorsed as a volunteer management commandment and followed religiously by the VM community?
Dedicated people
– Might be made to feel they are ignorant and undermined, and that people do not trust their intent.
– Might be less likely to engage with the volunteer management community.
Volunteer management community
– Might be more cynical whenever they hear a person using the term “using volunteers”, regardless of whether they are trying to make the world a better place.
– Might be less likely to engage with these dedicated people.
We need something better than this…
We need to develop dialogue and engagement – not focusing on the semantics but focusing on the outcomes – the “what we are using volunteers for”(!)
Even raising the issue of the semantics is a trap! It arguably helps no-one and achieves nothing – actually less that nothing – it can be detrimental.
So here is another approach…
Whenever you hear anyone using the term “using volunteers”, verbally or in writing, ignore it. Look like you never even heard it and get engaged in the conversation about what the volunteer are being used for(!). Focus on the better world that dedicated people are trying to create…
What might be the impact of this more accepting approach by the volunteer management community?
Dedicated people
– Might be fully engaged with the volunteer management community to optimise the contribution that volunteers can make to their communities.
Volunteer management community
– Might be perceived as a community that can see the wood for the trees, and an important community to be engaged with.
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* VUCA – Volatile Unpredictable Complex Ambiguous