Reading Response March 26th

Reading Response

Hager and Brudney: Volunteer Management Practices

Assigned: March 26th

Today's reading by Hager and Brudney regarding techniques for volunteer management at charities definitely has parallels to sustaining volunteers at campus media organizations. For example, the authors mention that organizations should “invest in recognizing volunteers, providing training and professional development for them, and screening volunteers and matching them to organizational tasks.” They also stress that, “poor volunteer management practices result in more lost volunteers than people losing interest because of changing personal or family needs.” This really drives the point home that having the correct incentive and recognition for your volunteers is key to success. I also found it interesting that the authors suggested that, “charities that use volunteers to recruit other volunteers have higher retention rates. Having volunteers represent the charity implies trust, evidence of a positive organizational culture, and confidence that the charity provides a worthwhile experience for volunteers.” It is one thing to have a professor or administration member advocate a certain club or organization, but when actual student volunteers do the recruiting it becomes more meaningful and effective. That is what we are trying to achieve with our projects, but it is easier said than done. If, for instance, RTV had access to professional grade equipment and perhaps an intern program at a TV station, many more students might be interested in participating.