VT readers ask questions about volunteer management and administration. Ask Connie, an experienced volunteer manager, consultant and trainer, provides the answers for all to see.
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~ March 2005 ~ Topics

Every year at this time the Nonprofit Times publishes the results of its annual salary survey. This year's report shows that leaders holding six of the nine executive positions included in the survey can expect a bigger paycheck this year. This includes the Director of Volunteers position, which is projected to have a mean salary of $38,428, a 3.4% percent increase over 2004.

2005 average salary of a Director of Volunteers (their term, not mine!) by organization budget size is projected to be:

2005 averages by region of the country are:

To read the accompanying article and see other graphics, visit the Nonprofit Times. http://www.nptimes.com.

I am looking for a nametag for volunteers that includes hour recognition. I thought that maybe someone has a similar nametag with the capability of updating hours served (in 100 hour increments) and might already have a reliable vendor to get these from.

JR

Dear JR:

Instead of incorporating the name and hours/years of service on a nametag, many organizations provide two separate things for volunteers: a name badge (which presumably doesn't need to be changed with any frequency) and a pin, medallion, or small badge of some sort that signifies length of service. You can buy pins in bulk in increments of any number that works for you, such as 100-hour increments. You could even use only 100 hour pins and people can wear the appropriate number of them depending on their accumulated hours of service. (Adults still love to wear lots of pins!)

Prices seem to range from pennies each to $5 each depending on the number you order and whether or not you customize. Do a Google www.google.com search for "award service pins" and you'll find a long list of vendors. For example, check out: http://www.awardshere.com/products.html.

I received a question from one of my colleagues regarding the Administration of Medication certification. Are volunteers supposed to do this at the expense of the organization? Plus, if the volunteer is uncomfortable doing this, is the organization supposed to look into other resources in the community to accommodate the child?

MM

Dear MM:

I'm no expert on the certification process for the administration of medication by either licensed or unlicensed personnel, staff or volunteers. But, I do know that if you're asking volunteers to become certified as part of the requirement for particular (or all) volunteer positions, then your organization should bear any expense for training and/or certification.

I'm not sure I understand the second part of your query about whether or not the organization should look for other resources in the community if a volunteer is "uncomfortable doing this." I don't know if "this" means actually administering medication or if "this" means getting the training and becoming certified. It seems to me that they are both connected, but I don't know your circumstances.

Having said that, I can offer that if volunteers are resistant to being trained and/or administering medication then you need to find out the exact reasons for the resistance. It may be that some volunteers are just unsure about what is involved in becoming certified and that once they know they may agree to do it. It may be that some volunteers are physically uncomfortable administering medication, particularly injections if required. (I know that I personally couldn't give injections, but I would be willing to administer pills, drops, liquids, patches, etc.) It may be that some volunteers don't understand why the certification is necessary. In other words, be sure that you understand exactly WHY volunteers don't want to participate so that you can remove as many of the barriers as possible. This doesn't mean that you'll be able to make it so that all volunteers will do this, but you can certainly increase your odds by better understanding why a volunteer doesn't want to do something.

Connie