Hmmmmm. A more modern definition can be found at urbandictionary.com:
"1. Being forced to do something you don't want to do, on your own time, without any compensation, because some one can force you to do it. A form of forced labor,or slavery. 2. To perform or offer to perform a service of one's own free will. This action can be with or without compensation. 3.
Those individuals dedicated to performing tasks that could have otherwise provided jobs to those that need them."
Or you could take my definition: someone from Tennessee. But, I digress.
As someone who has both volunteered and been a paid volunteer coordinator in the museum community, I see a lot of what should and should not be done. This experience is both valuable and not found in my grad school text books.
A volunteer should:
1) Treat the position as a job. You were interviewed, background checked, and hired. The difference is that you are being paid in experience.
2) Maintain active communication with your coordinator. Finding someone to cover a call out by a volunteer at the last minute is next to impossible. Also, the communication is vital in knowing what is expected at the job site.
3) Never do anything that would put you at risk without being backed by extensive liability forms.
4) Never do anything that the establishment is not fully licensed to do. If a license is there due to requirement (such as cooking), NEVER do what the license is meant to cover without documented training by an official of the establishment.
5) If you decide to risk your well being for the establishment, it is your neck and your responsible for any liability.
6) Never assume that they are a spokesperson for the establishment.
7) Follow instruction and time restraints.
8) Have fun!
A volunteer coordinator should:
1) Make it a point to introduce the volunteer to the other paid staff. The volunteer is one of your most valuable assets and often an untapped resource. Do not play "upstairs/downstairs" with their time.
2) A volunteer is giving up their time and resources so that you have someone on staff that you are not paying. There is a certain layer of respect that should be automatic with that. While a ticker tape parade is not expected or warranted, a smile and hello do wonders. Never walk by a volunteer with your nose in the air.
3) Communicate, communicate, communicate! The volunteers are your front line employees. They are the first thing your paying guest sees.
4) Always monitor what is legal and ethical versus what is not, right down to minutiae.
5) While they do not receive a paycheck, they are still your work force. They are expected to be on time and perform to the levels explained to them in training. They are employees, represent your establishment, and should be held accountable for their actions.
6) Your volunteers are often an untapped resource of information, value, and talent. They would not be volunteering for you if they did not love something about what you and your establishment are doing. Find out why they are there and use that reasoning for both of your benefits.
7) Never ask a volunteer to do something that you would not do yourself. They are just as much guests as they are workers. They are not slaves.
8) Have fun!
Both the coordinator and the volunteer should always remember two key phrases: Please and Thank You. Being a volunteer is usually a rewarding and pleasurable experience. However, the moment that volunteering becomes a chore is the moment that the whole purpose behind volunteering dies for all involved. While no one expects a volunteer to be treated like royalty, there needs to be a heightened level of respect given to those who are willingly working without the benefit of pay. Conversely, establishments should not rely on volunteers as the bulk of their work force. As the old saying goes, money talks. Loyalty has a price. Pay, on the other hand, is not always in the form of money. A volunteer will always pick which one will benefit him/her the most. The volunteer coordinator needs to make sure his/her establishment has the best value. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure that the staff is enhanced by the volunteer work force, not rely on it to do all the work.
To wit:
My worst experience as a volunteer - One of the paid staff members came barging through one of my presentations to paying guests carrying an empty and smelly carry out container with her lunch in it right as I was discussing one of the more tragic moments of the story. No apologies, not even eye contact, and, the worst, NO acknowledgement of the guests that I am entertaining for free while their entrance fees pay her salary.
My worst experience as a coordinator - One of my volunteers decided, rather loudly, to try and convince the other volunteers that his religion was right and everyone else was wrong. I hate having to fire anyone. This was an example of when a volunteer had to be fired.
My best experience as a volunteer - I was an "artist runner" at an outdoor visual arts festival. It was a brutally hot day. I had so much fun speaking to the different painters and sculptors while taking care of their most mundane needs the time just flew. Even during challenges, everyone was in fine spirits.
My best experience as a coordinator - After a long, hard, and late painting session, the exhibit looked absolutely pristine and my volunteers got the job done ahead of schedule. I asked the boss if I could treat them to breakfast. He agreed. It was a meal more than well deserved. The pride I felt for everyone pulling together and everyone walking out all smiles has lasted through the years.
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