ISSUES IN PUBLIC SECTOR

Contemporary Issues in the Public Sector

Contemporary Issues in the Public Sector

Volunteer Organizations

Social movement scholars agree that individuals embedded in voluntary organizations “formally organized ... group[s], most of whose members …are not financially recompensed for their participation”- are more likely to participate in collective protest than those who are not. But we know less about how and why this happens. Empirically, some researchers suggest that being a member of an organization makes a difference. Others focus on the number of organizations to which individuals belong (Baer, 2001,, 249).

Assertion still relates that some different types of the organization are for real. Examinations of different studies perform by activities member within organizations (such as attending meetings or doing volunteer work) augment the chances of protest. These empirical approaches, reviewed below in more detail, have advanced our understanding on this issue. However, three of them (the membership, counts, and type approaches) do not tell us what specifically matters within organizations-they stop right before the “organization's door.” The activities approach has the advantage of “getting into” the organization, but ignores that the link between members and their organizations involves much more than just participating in activities.

Contracting in Volunteer Organization

Volunteers represent a valuable resource to nonprofits organizations. When they donate their time and talent, multiple benefits accrue to the organization, the individual, and society. The obvious organizational benefit is that volunteers work without work without pay; they can provide indirect support services (e.g., serving on boards, and committees) and direct delivery of service (e.g., staffing crisis lines) that offset the overall workload for staff and use their talents. As a volunteer, the individual may develop an appreciation for the social issues/challenges facing a resident; volunteering may strength the social fabric that binds community. Attraction and retention of volunteer's repress two challenges for agencies. Yet, the intensity of an agency's efforts to address these challenges should vary depending on the type of volunteers sought. Understanding why and how people volunteer in the first place helps to explain, in part, why they stay (or not) .

In the pre-volunteer stage, the organization can influence the individual to apply by advertising its particular need. This begins the organization's search process. Messages communicated to the two potential applicant pools are typically different. The organization advertises for people to fill job openings when hiring employees. To attract volunteers the agency advertises a need for a particular skill set or for someone to complete a particular task. This is the first point in the staffing model where the agency has the opportunity to be clear about the volunteer opportunities that exist and the type of volunteer characteristics that match best.

The application process continues with a review of applicant credentials. The organization wishing to hire an individual into a paid position carefully examines applicant knowledge, skills and abilities to ensure that it will be getting the best talent for its compensation dollar (a person-job fit). To bring in a volunteer interests (i.e., why are they volunteering) and whether the agency can ...