THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE

Have you ever noticed that often the most inspirational thoughts and feelings come to you from the most unlikely sources?

Last week I was watching a television program on cosmology, the universe, and our place in it…quickly realising that quantum theory was almost as challenging to understand as volunteer management “Theory” , I listened intently as various luminaries discussed, dark matter, event horizons, red light shift and a host of other bewildering subjects and phenomena..

At one point in the program they discussed Earth like planets, and the fact that they had recently discovered a planet in what was termed “The Goldilocks Zone”, and which for those who are unfamiliar with this term, is a planet that theoretically has the ability to support human life… in that, it is the right size, and importantly the right distance from its Sun, and as with the story of Goldilocks it is neither, to Hot, nor to Cold, but just right!

Which leads me to how this fits in with formal organisational volunteering; for to me it seems that we are increasingly becoming bogged down in bureaucracy, and process; and losing our grip on what is I feel, the essence of volunteering. Rob Jackson, in his latest blog cleverly uses a skeletal frame to explain this and I would concur with his thoughts, feelings and conclusions.

But I would add further, that I feel we currently have a situation whereby it would appear that we have an increasing number of volunteer involving organisations, who seemingly directly port over existing HR practice, and process, rather than consulting the sector and/or those directly involved with front line delivery, i.e volunteer managers; and which this is often evident when reading their organisational material, as rarely does the documentation and process capture the essence, the heart, spirit and soul of volunteering; nor does it convey an understanding of the value of volunteer management, and that volunteer management is not an extension of HR, but rather it is a unique discipline that deserves respect, and parity, to be able to function affectively, and effectively to the greater good of the organisation, and its stakeholders.

To this end, I would ask...are we slowly and passively moving from the Goldilocks zone, whereby volunteers and all those involved with volunteering can thrive, to a place whereby through bureaucracy and red tape; allied to rigid stale HR thinking, we are changing the volunteering environment so much, that in the near future it may no longer be able to sustain volunteer life, as it is to cold, clinical, and oppressive. Where volunteers feel weighed down by endless forms, policies and procedures; and where the process is like chloroform in print!

As such, I ask myself, is this why many volunteers are seemingly turning away from “traditional” organisational structured volunteering and going it alone; doing their own thing, in their own way, and importantly making a difference, apparently unfettered by often seemingly meaningless process, target driven number crunching, and suspicious anally retentive practice in respect of volunteers. I.e. Can "they” be trusted!?

It strikes me that we need ensure that when organisations say they involve, value, and respect volunteers, volunteering, and volunteer managers, that they really do, and they are not just saying they do based on the fact that they have cobbled together, and/or cut and pasted some wordy volunteer related documents.

Sure we have various sector marks, accreditations, etc and many organisations have these, but to me they so often focus on and measure the process, the skeleton, of Rob’s article, as you like.

However, they do not and perhaps cannot measure the heart, the soul, the essence of volunteering within an organisation, and as a result, many organisations have all the “right” documents in place, and some make great news of it, and yet to me when looking at them organisationally, and seeing beyond the paper work. I see not the soul, the essence of volunteering within, but procedural volunteering shark eyes...empty, void, and cold!

I believe that Volunteer managers are often the key to organisations understanding the heart of volunteering, but so often they find themselves undervalued, under involved and de-skilled.

As such this piece is not just a UC statement, thought, reflection and opinion, but a question.

For if we as volunteer managers are to be empowered to help organisations understand the essence, the heart and soul of volunteering.

What is it that makes this happen?,
What doors need to be opened?,
What barriers need to be removed?
What glass ceilings need to be shattered?,

and importantly...

What do we as volunteer managers need to do in order to ensure that organisationally, personally and professionally, we all remain and thrive in the Goldilocks zone?