Enhancing volunteers capacity in all‐volunteer nonprofit organizations: The role of volunteer leaders' reliance on effective management processes and (de)motivating leadership

All‐volunteer nonprofit organizations rely solely on the commitment of volunteers to support their operations. As such, it is important that leaders of these organizations, even though they are volunteers themselves, rely on professional skills in order to optimize their organization's volunteers capacity. In the present study, we investigated how volunteer leaders' reliance on effective management processes and a (de)motivating leadership style related to volunteers capacity. To this end, we relied on the Competing Values Framework (CVF) and Self‐Determination Theory (SDT), respectively. Results revealed a positive (unique) association between (the sum score of) the management processes of the CVF models, as well as (the sum score of) the motivating leadership styles and volunteers capacity. Bivariate analyses indicated that the management processes of each CVF model (i.e., human relations model, internal process model, open system model, and rational goal model) and each motivating leadership style (i.e., an autonomy‐supportive and a structuring leadership style) related positively to volunteers capacity. These findings have important practical implications as they revealed that it is crucial for volunteer leaders to implement effective management processes, while adopting a motivating leadership style.     

从观念到实践:佛教慈善向生态环保的拓展

佛教慈善向生态环保的拓展是生态环境建设的现实需要,在当前是与佛教慈善的现代化进程纠结在一起的。佛教慈善观念向生态环保的拓展具有不同于传统慈善的内涵和特征,它要求立足佛教慈善传统,吸收融合现代慈善理念,涵摄生态环保意识等。佛教慈善实践对生态环保的关注目前主要集中于生态环保意识和生态生活方式的宣传方面,其进一步的拓展应结合现实生态环境建设的需要,开展生态环保与经济社会可持续发展相结合的项目,它要求佛教慈善基金会、佛商、佛教志愿者的共同参与。     

我国志愿服务规范化发展的实证研究——以厦门市为例

与发达国家践行百年的志愿服务相比,我国的志愿服务仍处于初级阶段,规范化程度严重滞后。志愿服务是＂文明厦门＂的重要组成部分。志愿服务在构建和谐社会过程中具有举足轻重的作用,这对志愿服务规范化提出了更迫切的要求和更高的标准。文章以实证研究方法,分析厦门市志愿服务规范化发展中的困境,探索推进志愿服务规范化发展的有效路径,提升厦门市志愿服务的水平和扩大厦门市志愿服务的社会影响力,这有助于志愿者认同志愿服务理念,以实现自我价值,同时推动社会文明发展。     

山东省青年志愿服务水平评价研究

志愿服务是志愿者及其组织服务社会公众生产生活和促进社会发展进步的行为.以山东省高校学生为研究对象,通过构建青年志愿服务水平评价指标体系,运用熵权系数法和模糊层次分析法,对山东省青年志愿服务进行水平评价.山东省青年志愿服务总体水平为中等偏下,其中社会环境、政策法规、志愿者队伍达到或接近中等水平,服务机构处于较差水平.     

Stability and Change in Nonprofit Organizations: The Volunteer Contribution

This paper reports on a study of the microprocesses of stability and change in a nonprofit welfare organization in Australia. We position volunteering and voluntarism as core constitutive phenomena in and of nonprofit organizations and the nonprofit sector more generally, and examine volunteer agency in action. Developing a model drawn from neoinstitutional theory and adopting an ethnographic approach, the paper illustrates theoretically and empirically how volunteers create and revise institutional orders operative within organizations in ways hitherto poorly articulated and understood.     

对“社工+志愿者”社区服务实践的思考及建议——以重庆市江北区廊桥水岸市民学校为例

“社工＋志愿者”社区服务模式是一种由社工机构向社区派驻专业社工,政府相关部门选派驻社区志愿者共同服务社区居民的模式。论文对重庆市以市民学校为平台,在社区开展的“社工＋志愿者”实践中取得的成效、存在的问题进行了分析,提出继续加大资金投入力度,整合多部门资源;以社区需求为服务导向,强化社工与志愿者配合;注重对社区人际交流公共区域的利用;将志愿者培训纳入服务发展规划,提升社区居民自治能力,不断加强社区服务的建议。     

A Pseudofolliculitis Barbae Clinic for the Black Male who Has to Shave

Abstract

We conducted focus group interviews with students who were current peer health educators at a mid-sized university to determine what factors motivate individuals to volunteer for a peer health education program. Specifically, we asked the participants questions designed to explore their life experiences, their expectations of the peer education program, and their motivations. Constructs from social learning theory were used to categorize and contribute to our understanding of the responses. Many participants specified experiences with family members or friends, such as alcoholism or other illnesses, that had influenced their decisions. Participants' expectation of the program varied greatly and did not indicate a strong link to the decision to volunteer. The peer health educators' motivations for volunteering were altruistic, such as wanting to help others; egoistic, such as wanting job training; or related to self-efficacy beliefs, such as satisfying a personal need for health education. This study indicated that life experiences, a belief in the effectiveness of peer health education programs, and positive reinforcement to join influence the decision to volunteer. Implications for coordinating peer education programs are discussed.     

Older and Isolated Women and Domestic Violence Project

ABSTRACT

An innovative national research project was undertaken in Australia to identify and explore the needs of older and isolated women who live with domestic violence. Face to face interviews, focus groups, and a national phone-in were conducted, and a wealth of rich information was provided by many women from metropolitan, rural and isolated areas. Older women from indigenous, non-indigenous, and diverse language and cultural communities spoke of their experiences as well as women with varying abilities and those with mental health problems. This paper will identify the significant themes that emerged from the phone-in and will highlight the major issues identified by older women needing attention by government authorities, health professionals, and service providers. Recommendations will be made for policy development, improved service provision, and prevention strategies.     

The Application of Family Systems Theory to Geriatric Hospital Social Work

Integrating and applying Family Systems Theory principles into the assessment and treatment process of families of hospitalized high risk elderly is an area that has received little attention in health care literature. The multigenerational approach is a model that can be used as a clinical framework for guiding the social workers in developing intervention strategies when working with hospitalized high risk elderly and their families. This approach can be extended to clinical assessment techniques and psychosocial rationales for discharge planning. Three case examples are presented to illustrate how Family Systems Theory can be integrated into social work practice resulting in effective interventions for hospitalized high risk elderly and their families.     

A Study of Older Chinese in Hong Kong

Abstract

Objective: We extended the volunteer process model (Omoto & Snyder, 1995) to identify factors influencing the persistence of volunteer activities in older Chinese.

Method: We individually interviewed 318 older Chinese volunteers about their demographic information, history of volunteer activities, subjective health status, perceived social support, motivation for volunteering, integration into volunteer group, satisfaction from volunteer work, and intention to continue volunteering in the coming year.

Results: Bivariate correlation analyses generally supported the volunteer process model. In particular, intention to continue volunteering was related to antecedent factors of high educational attainment, mental well-being, social support, and fulfillment of altruistic and self-oriented motives as well as volunteer experiences of integration into the volunteer group and satisfaction with volunteer work. Results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that fulfillment of self-oriented motives was the most salient factor in predicting the persistence of volunteer activities when shared variances of various factors were also considered.

Discussion: Research and practical implications were discussed to facilitate the retention of older Chinese volunteers.