Volunteers in Member-based organisations:
Roles and Contributions
Today’s Main Issue
? Do memberbased organisations really need volunteers?
! Yes!
Three Perspectives
1. A System in Crisis
2. Two Approaches to Volunteers in Memberbased Organisations
3. Professionals, Volunteers and
Members/Users: Who Does What?
1. A System in Crisis
a. A Crisis of Legitimacy
b. A crisis of Function c. A crisis of Resources
2. Two Approaches to Volunteers
Functional- Professional skills, e.g. IT-skills,
fundraising etc. - Helping out in general (within well-
defined areas)
Existential - Person to person- Life experience
The relationship to the member
Volunteers Professionals
Status - One fellow human being to another- Closeness
- Helper / a guide - Closeness and knowledge
The perspective Now Future
The control of the relationsship
The user’s terms User define subject- professionals takes charge.
Target for relationsship
No planned goal Employee works towards a predefined goal
3. The Relationsship between Employees, Volunteers and Members
Main Point Today…
Volunteer helps the member define his or her
own solutions = the feeling that the member by
his or her own will and influence is capable of
making changes!
To Consider…
“If you had money to pay professionals to
do the volunteer’s job - would I do it?. And
could you do it”
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