URGENT: counter negative CNN comments re: volunteers!
10:26, 13 October 2010
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management1 trackbacks
.. Link
Quick: if you are on Facebook, log on RIGHT NOW, "like" Richelle Carey HLN (she's on CNN) and find where she posted the link to this story, Tight budgets lead to more civilians used for policing. RESPOND!
People are calling this CNN correspondent and posting to her Facebook page to say this kind of work "cannot be trusted with volunteers." One caller said, "What's next? *Volunteer* firefighters showing up at your home?"
Let's counter this negative image of volunteers RIGHT NOW!!! Don't wait one second! Go now!
Of course we don't want volunteers replacing paid workers only to save money. The volunteer management community has said again that that is wrong wrong wrong. An organization shouldn't involve volunteers "because then we don't have to pay staff!" But we MUST counter the negative comments about volunteers not being qualified, not being appropriate, not being capable of certain jobs!
By posting right now, you could influence what CNN says on the air today about volunteers! Don't delay!
Here are my two replies posted to the Richelle Carey HLN page:
Volunteer firefighters DO meet "national standards." The caller who said they don't needs a lessen in the difference in a volunteer and a professional firefighter -- it's what they are PAID. One is paid, one is not. That's it. Training prog...rams do not distinguish between who is a volunteer and who is not. Volunteer firefighters in the USA provide high-quality, excellent service to their communities. Why are there paid firefighters? Because many communities cannot recruit enough people willing and able to be volunteer firefighters -- for instance, many people don't work where they live, and stations cannot recruit volunteers among the local work force that may live elsewhere, many employers won't release firefighters for calls, etc. Another caller said that maybe volunteers might be better in certain situations because it can help them become more connected to the community, and he is exactly right -- some jobs are actually BETTER done by volunteers!
Of course we don't want volunteers replacing paid workers only to save money. The volunteer management community has said again that that is wrong wrong wrong. An organization should NOT involve volunteers "because then we don't have to pay staff!" But these negative comments about volunteers not being qualified, not being appropriate, not being capable of certain jobs is also wrong wrong wrong!
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