Jubilant this Jubilee?

It is rather difficult to sit on the edge of a second extra bank holiday in as many years in the realisation that the cause of these long weekends is once again our royal family. Feelings of guilt wash over me and I get rather uneasy about the whole thing. I attended a grammar school and on Sundays I went to a CofE church where I sang in the choir. I enjoy Shakespeare, crosswords, real ale, tea and cake, cricket and nothing gets me going like a good old fashioned queue (in which I can discuss at length what the weather might be like at the weekend). All of these things should make me a prime candidate for a rousing rendition of Jerusalem this weekend and a toast to her madge but I’m as likely to sign up for the festivities as I am to put on cassock and surplus again or sign up for the old boys’ association.

For some time I have walked a fine line balancing my own sense of patriotism with the misappropriated Britishness/Englishness associated with intolerance and the hooliganism of the EDL et al. A few years ago on Bastille Day I stood not far from the Champs-Elysees among natives and tourists alike to see a great deal of military hardware, air force flypast and M. Sarkozy waving at me from the back of an army jeep. Bunting waved in the breeze, crowds cheered and music filled the air as Paris thronged with excitement and national pride. As I waved back (mentally ticking off yet another thing from my Francophile checklist) it struck me that I would never contemplate anything similar in the UK. I mused that this was because the service personnel, vehicles and weaponry would not be rolling uninvited into an Afghan village any time soon… then felt rather smug about how witty and satirical I was.

Enough bragging about my Wildean humour and long weekends in Paris hanging with Nic and back to the monarchy/patriotism rant. Arguments for the monarchy pull on tourism and/or international profile and feature some interesting rhetoric that boils down to ‘she’s the queen, it’s what she does’. It is a well worn road in this argument to play tourist income against cost to the taxpayer but in an age of austerity and cutbacks could nearly £40m per year not be better spent? Also the fact that parts of the royal attractions are unavailable through the year must damage their earning potential, imagine how much more we could make if QE2 and her groupies were never in residence! As for international profile I would suggest that there are few less recognisable faces than Barrack Obama and he doesn’t feel the need to swan about in a horse-drawn carriage dressed like he’s in panto. A little distracted now but thinking of tourism and internationally recognisable figures I’d like to see how much a certain squeaky voiced mouse bring to the US tourist economy (I’m avoiding the comparisons of ridiculous pageantry, parades, heteronormacy, failure to represent diversity, gender disparity… you get the point... and that was me avoiding them!).

What I don’t want is for people to call me unpatriotic. I am British and very happy to celebrate what I believe it is to be British. We are the result of years of settlement, invasion and empire which has given us a rich legacy of culture, language and history that is inherently multi-cultural. So the purpose of my diatribe becomes clear; we can wipe the slate clean, abolish the monarchy and in such a clear stroke reclaim patriotism from those who would co-opt it for intolerance, Islamophobia and violent racism. An antiquated institution is not what we need to take us into our bright future. So this weekend I will raise a pint of German lager, not to the Teutonic ancestors of our head of state but to dreams of revolution and to celebrate the Britain I know we can all enjoy. 

Cue Land of Hope and Glory The Sex Pistols…                  

Casting the Net

As volunteer managers it is easy to feel isolated within our organisations. Personally I’m not just the only employee within the library service whose sole responsibility is volunteering but the only person in the whole of the council structure with such a role. When I took this position just over a year ago I needed professional guidance and support, this simply wasn’t available to me locally so I started to look further afield. I needed to improve my knowledge and skills to overhaul and unify policy and procedure for the library service. I decided that the best way might be to see what resources were available online.

After some pretty broad Google searches I found myself stumbling around strange new worlds. Some seemed a little dry and didn’t inspire me at all but others opened up a new world and eventually led to online communities (but more of that later!). Volunteering England in particular kept me well informed and provided the guidance I was looking for when I needed advice on policy and demystifying areas that had been mired in scare stories and supposition.

Much later I joined UKVPMs which is also a very useful way of getting personal responses and anecdotal advice from a broad range of people within the sector. I’m glad I did it this way because UKVPMs could have been a little daunting had I not already had chance to develop some of my own opinions. This is due to a side-effect of a format in which simple questions posted can elicit a variety of answers and even spark quite intense debate which can overrun the initial post. This being said it is a tremendous professional resource and once confident enough the lively (but respectful) differences of opinion are a crucible, in which the profession can develop and evolve.

During my initial searches I also came across iVolunteer (now ivo) which seemed familiar with its profiles and wall posts like the social networks I belonged to. I was also pushed towards forming a group of library volunteer co-ordinators which attracted plenty of people but as a group it didn’t really know what it wanted to achieve. Keen to maintain an online presence I also posted opportunities and a little note which I later realised had little value because however well crafted it was no-one was following me! To top it all off I also realised that there were no prospective volunteers in my region. I must take this opportunity to apologise to the volunteer managers of Brighton and Hove who seemed to be awash with volunteers on the site and may have unknowingly been the subject of a frustrated rant. There was one saving grace for me at the time which was the steady stream of posts and comments that appeared on a range of topics, some relevant to me but all interesting and informative. Throughout this time some names kept cropping up and I started following people and in turn they followed me. Having plenty of experience of different types of writing I thought I’d try my hand at blogging when iVolunteer launched its competition. This proved to be a gateway into a community that welcomed me with open arms and encouraged me to get more involved. ivo also led me to take part in several webinars run by Warrington VC as part of EYV11 as national (and international) training forums. I’m very excited to see that these are continuing!

Whilst this was going on I had taken the step to set up work Twitter and Facebook accounts (with all the conflicting experience of online forums and posts to learn from) and I was able to experiment with ways in which these media could work for me. I soon realised that Facebook was only for sharing embarrassing photos of me with old university friends and remembering birthdays so that soon fell by the wayside. Twitter by contrast was a new world of international contacts and a network of professionals sharing opinions as well as links to online content, and thanks to ivo I had a small pod of recognisable faces to add already. With the rise of mobile internet it is accessible and instant as well as giving you a real sense of community. Twitter has also provided a platform for Thoughtful Thursdays (#ttvolmgrs) which sets a theme each week, normally by a guest blogger, and then invites people to join in through the day to share ideas and experience within the 140 character limit! These have proven to be a great catalyst for debate and sharing and often spark more debate for following weeks (I must confess that even when I’m on leave I still get thoughtful on Thursdays!!!).

I think it is useful to point out here that I have work and “personal” Twitter accounts for very different purposes, but they are both for work. I have an account (@WBCLibVols) which allows me to advertise volunteer positions and events locally and for maintaining a community presence in my region. For professional development, Thoughtful Thursdays etc I use my “personal” account (@BigDSmall) which allows me to show more of my personality and interests as well as connecting with other VMs beyond the organisations we work for. By which I also mean trading baking pics, commiserating Man U supporters (sorry Sue) and my ABBA dancing conundrum!   

I would now consider myself an active member of networks on ivo and Twitter, I blog (when I can, should do more) on ivo as BigDSmall and at www.blogspot/smallmindedthinking. It has even provided the springboard for relationships that have moved beyond the virtual to support my development and allowed me to help others by making my skills available to them.

I hope, if anything, my experience can help Volunteer Managers realise that there is a flotilla of online resources which you can tailor to your needs and individual situation. Nothing needs to be too daunting and whether you want to observe and reflect or dive in head-first there is plenty for everyone out there.  

Ron (or "How volunteers make a difference")

As a Volunteer Co-ordinator it is very easy to get bogged down in facts and figures, recruitment strategies and thinking about new opportunities to engage with volunteers. Recently, while out visiting a new IT support volunteer, I was reminded of exactly what volunteers mean to our service. As the volunteer brought the session to a close I approached and jokingly asked the elderly gentleman he had been helping patiently “So… how was he”? His response was perfect and accompanied by a beaming smile: “He’s a cracker! I’ve learnt more in the last hour than I ever knew before”. His reply formed part of a volunteering story that cannot fit into a spreadsheet or work plan.

Ron, the man who had given such a great response, wanted to learn more about computers because he, like many other people of his age, felt lonely and was at risk of being alienated by an increasingly digital world. When he saw IT sessions advertised in the library he thought it would be a way to connect with family and friends and maybe an opportunity to meet new people too. By attending just one IT session at his local library he learnt how to send and receive emails and gained the confidence to do so independently (he also decided that even though everyone else seemed to be doing it Facebook probably wasn’t for him!). More importantly, Ron was able to enjoy 100% of someone’s attention for an uninterrupted hour and I could see how much this meant to him. He was full of enthusiasm and keen to practice what he had been shown with his ‘homework’ before coming back for his next session.

This is one story in one library in a pattern that I’m sure is replicated everywhere there is a volunteer in place. I know that across our region people are finding a new hobby researching their family history, parents and children are bonding and making new friends at Rhymetime or Storytime, people confined to their homes are welcoming a visitor bringing them library stock and in the summer children will share an enthusiasm for books which will hopefully last a lifetime. All of this can happen because of volunteering! It was brilliant to witness the effect first-hand and a reminder of how volunteers compliment the great service libraries provide and the community spirit they embody.

Caring but Daring

To be a volunteer manager takes sensitivity, empathy and the ability to work around others to suit their needs. In contrast to other careers there is little competition between managers; instead there is collaboration and community support. I would never wish to change this and I attribute the success of individuals and groups to their willingness to shirk societal pressures that would have us believe we compete in all areas of our lives. But this does not mean that we have to be so malleable in our approach to professional life.

Volunteer managers rightfully celebrate the contribution volunteers bring to their organisation but as @jackal tweeted recently ‘if we don't know how great a job we are doing ourselves how can we expect others to value us’? In the corporate world competition between staff for promotion, attention and reward means that a culture has grown in which you have to sell yourself to succeed. Now, I would never suggest that as a profession we ape the behaviours of the corporate world and ignore what has worked so well for so long for so many people. However, in this case we may be able to reap some of the benefits profited by the corporate world if we choose carefully which techniques to adopt and make our own.

Taking stock of your success is empowering. 
 
When you take time to recognise your achievements you are reminded how valuable your skills and abilities are. Recognising this means that you are an equally valid member of your organisation as anyone else and can take confidence in the things that you are expert in.
A stressful day can be eased by drawing on positive memories and past success, reminding you that you can overcome obstacles and deliver positive results.

Realising what you are good at and what you do well brings into contrast what you could improve and what you could be doing better. Self-reflection must be honest and constructive if it is to be effective.

We should be holding our heads high and getting recognised for our expertise and achievements. In practical terms there are a number of avenues you can explore. Keep your manager and colleagues updated and informed, with any luck this will also guarantee their involvement and help them to understand your role better. Include staff in volunteer celebration events, this will promote cohesion in what can be at times a tense relationship and encourages staff to reflect on how much volunteers help them (and always remember what shines on the volunteers reflects on you). If you have a newsletter or e-bulletin maintain a presence which is varied and engaging, yes it is right to say thank you but people need to realise that as great as the volunteers are they wouldn’t have been recruited, trained and supported to deliver fantastic results if it wasn’t for the hard work of a volunteer manager.

No-one likes a show-off so you don’t want it to sound like you are blowing your own trumpet all the time! With (the aforementioned) confidence you can make the most of opportunities. A colleague recently thanked me for recruiting a volunteer for his library which has meant they can now provide weekly Rhymetime sessions. Knowing I had someone on my side I suggested he might want to share his experience with others. I opened the following week’s newsletter and found an article which said ‘We are very lucky to have [a Rhymetime volunteer] and she is a shining example of how volunteers can allow libraries to do things that simply would not be possible without their help’. I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Wear a new hat

I suggested at the final EYV11 webinar that sometimes we need to speak the language of those we are trying to influence. As agreed by @uncollectiveconsciousness this does not mean ceding ground to them but might give them access to our world and goes some way to proving how versatile we are. We wear a great many hats that see us perform all sorts of roles; celebrating volunteers, promoting volunteering, enabling volunteers, to name just a few of the ways we remain flexible and look after the needs of others. But you need to find a new hat to add to the collection; confident equal to anyone in your organisation. Our pay is often less than our colleagues and at times our contribution is valued less but until we see ourselves as professional equals how are we going to convince others? Confrontation is not a regular part of many of our working lives but we have to be unswerving and fight our corner. One person who has some strong views on this is Jayne Cravens and her blog is a rousing battle-cry:

Volunteer manager fight club...

We care so much for our volunteers, we care about each other and we care about the future of our profession but if we want to make a difference we should dare to challenge boards and our organisations’ leaders.

Nought to Volunteer Manager in 6 Months

I have had the opportunity to exercise so many skills over the last six months in a role that has required me to be manager, motivator, coach, entertainer, counsellor, cake-maker, archivist, negotiator and so much more. I love my job and the wonderful people I get to meet. Recent events have spurred me to share my experience in my very first blog:

Options in adult social care were disappearing so I started looking around and what jumped out was a new job in the library service as volunteer co-ordinator. Having volunteered for as long as I can remember and had some responsibility for volunteers at university (not to mention the attraction of a new challenge) I went for it and was very pleased to be appointed.
I knew that volunteering in libraries was an emotive subject and was under no illusions that there would be some resistance. What I was not prepared for was to hear from my father that he had been accosted by someone who made it very clear that I was not welcome. In the circumstances it was understandable; it transpired that this person was a library assistant and I can’t blame them for being concerned because the people who recruited me didn’t quite know what they wanted me to do so staff had no idea what I was there for and were wary of my arrival. I had work to do!

I got into the role straight away. Some quick wins and getting out meeting staff (sometimes shamelessly bearing biscuits!) won me acceptance and paved the way for some great success. With a little research and online tools I soon found my feet, I had a lot of freedom to make the role my own and the faith placed in me was rewarded with results. My profile grew and with the support of staff at all levels volunteering grew massively, in volunteer hours but also in the value added because of the time these fantastic people are giving.

As my confidence grew and I settled into the role it seemed natural to take a step back, expand my horizons and invest time in my professional development. By this point I saw myself as a volunteer manager (though my title is co-ordinator, if they called me a manager they’d probably have to pay more!). What a revelation, I was not alone! Suddenly I was part of a community, there were interesting and relevant debates and a group of practitioners who took my job seriously, who wanted to work together to become better. I have never worked in a profession so dynamic and passionate, keen to embrace new ideas and new technology to become more effective. I now have international contacts and have even been approached to share my knowledge and experience.

Yet there is a step we need to take together and soon. I’m nearly thirty, I have an M.A., a wealth of experience and ambition to grow and progress. Currently there are no opportunities in my current organisation, no system of qualifications and no structured path if I want to pursue it as a career. This is an important time to gain recognition and spread the word, to achieve the status volunteer management deserves and to attract the right people.

We all have our part to play and if anyone questions our ability to make a change I have a success story to share. It wasn’t easy but I submitted a comprehensive document detailing my first 6 months, thoughts on the future of volunteering in the council and the things I thought needed fixing in volunteering council-wide which won me an audience with the senior management team. Confidence in my ability and specialist knowledge meant that I could go with solutions, not just problems and speak with authority. As a result I feel that I have shaped the opinions of those who are making the big decisions about the future.
I will leave you with these words of wisdom:

Don’t confuse access with influence.
BUT
Being cynical doesn’t mean you’re being mature.

Oh and for those of you who might like to know there is a certain library assistant who now always greets me with a smile (they make a pretty good cuppa too!).