Reimagining a Role for Highly Skilled Volunteers in Government Agencies
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Linda-Marie Sundstrom
June 3, 2020
As we begin to emerge from quarantine, and the Stay-At-Home orders decrease, government departments will be faced with an operational backlog of work, depleted budgets and new working conditions we had never envisioned. Once we begin to emerge, can we re-imagine utilizing a highly skilled volunteer workforce to begin helping with the recovery? Can we think broadly about highly skilled positions that could serve government agencies, such as volunteer firefighters, reserve officers, nurses, doctors and many more?
When Americans think about volunteerism, their thoughts tend to focus on charitable organizations in the nonprofit sector. Government sector volunteers do not immediately come to mind. Yet nearly 70% of the more than one million city and county firefighters across the country are volunteers. Approximately 600 law enforcement agencies employ more than 6,000 volunteer reserve officers. In a time of limited budgets, government agencies can begin to explore new ways to harness the power of highly skilled volunteers to augment critical functions in the community.
Many cities can benefit from expanding the role of volunteers to assist filling positions that might otherwise require a paid staff member. Additional local agencies may benefit from volunteer firefighters, reserve police officers, volunteer forensic scientists and other skilled positions. If the perception of what volunteers can do is limited to someone giving directions to citizens entering City Hall, or handing out flyers, we may need to re-think our perceptions of volunteers and re-imagine their capabilities. Many potential volunteers have considerable expertise, experience and resources that can be tapped into in order to benefit the agency and the community at large. Local agencies may want to explore aspects of their operations that require trained people in repetitive tasks, especially those tasks with consistent backlogs.
Does the spirit of American Volunteerism serve the public, perhaps ironically, in a way imagined in history by communist leaders? Karl Marx once said that if communism was to reach its full potential, people would inscribe on banners the phrase, “From each according to his ability—To each according to his needs.” One could argue that it is exactly what happens with American Volunteerism. With volunteerism at the root of the founding of our country, people came to America seeking freedom, especially from government oppression. With the absence of government services or protection, there began a cultural expectation for neighbor to help neighbor. If a person needed to build a barn, neighbors would willingly volunteer to lend a hand. If Americans became successful, there was a cultural norm to give back and help others rise as well. American culture promotes the idea that Americans voluntarily give “…according to their ability,” to those, “According to his needs.” Today, Americans give to charities, organizations and government agencies freely, based on their ability to give time, money and resources, to help others, “According to their needs.” Is it possible that, ironically, the American spirit of volunteerism, in an individualistic capitalism system, actually achieved Marx’s goal in a manner never imagined by communist philosophers?
American’s are drawn to help their communities and want to feel like their contribution is of value. By tapping into this spirit, and the rich resources in our communities, we can begin to not only achieve more productivity, but also draw the community closer by fostering common, achievable goals.
Has your agency started to think broadly about potential roles for highly skilled volunteers in your agency? Could volunteers be certified and trained to handle operational backlogs? Could licensed volunteer drone pilots in your area assist during an emergency? Could local Amateur Radio Operators assist if the 911 system temporarily went down?
Agencies may want to consider identifying new highly skilled volunteer positions and develop (or update) the specific job description that outlines the expectations for training, as well as the hours of commitment that will be expected for the volunteer to work on a regular basis. Up front, volunteers need to have a clear picture of the application, hiring, training and out-of-pocket expenses they may incur, as well as the number of hours per week or month they are expected to work (along with shift information). The more the volunteers know what is expected of them on an ongoing basis, the more likely the pool of volunteer applicants will be strong.
If your agency is using a viable volunteer pool now, please send me an email and let me know what’s working in your region. This is a great opportunity to share successes from around the country—finding the ways our citizens are giving, “According to their ability,” to better serve those, “According to their needs.”
Author:
Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom is a former Fulbright Scholar who taught Public Administration in Ukraine at a university under the Office of the Ukrainian President. She worked for two decades in local government, and has taught in Masters of Public Administration Programs for nearly two decades. She is currently the MPA Program Director for California Baptist University in Southern California. Email: [email protected]
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Reimagining a Role for Highly Skilled Volunteers in Government Agencies
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Linda-Marie Sundstrom
June 3, 2020
As we begin to emerge from quarantine, and the Stay-At-Home orders decrease, government departments will be faced with an operational backlog of work, depleted budgets and new working conditions we had never envisioned. Once we begin to emerge, can we re-imagine utilizing a highly skilled volunteer workforce to begin helping with the recovery? Can we think broadly about highly skilled positions that could serve government agencies, such as volunteer firefighters, reserve officers, nurses, doctors and many more?
When Americans think about volunteerism, their thoughts tend to focus on charitable organizations in the nonprofit sector. Government sector volunteers do not immediately come to mind. Yet nearly 70% of the more than one million city and county firefighters across the country are volunteers. Approximately 600 law enforcement agencies employ more than 6,000 volunteer reserve officers. In a time of limited budgets, government agencies can begin to explore new ways to harness the power of highly skilled volunteers to augment critical functions in the community.
Many cities can benefit from expanding the role of volunteers to assist filling positions that might otherwise require a paid staff member. Additional local agencies may benefit from volunteer firefighters, reserve police officers, volunteer forensic scientists and other skilled positions. If the perception of what volunteers can do is limited to someone giving directions to citizens entering City Hall, or handing out flyers, we may need to re-think our perceptions of volunteers and re-imagine their capabilities. Many potential volunteers have considerable expertise, experience and resources that can be tapped into in order to benefit the agency and the community at large. Local agencies may want to explore aspects of their operations that require trained people in repetitive tasks, especially those tasks with consistent backlogs.
Does the spirit of American Volunteerism serve the public, perhaps ironically, in a way imagined in history by communist leaders? Karl Marx once said that if communism was to reach its full potential, people would inscribe on banners the phrase, “From each according to his ability—To each according to his needs.” One could argue that it is exactly what happens with American Volunteerism. With volunteerism at the root of the founding of our country, people came to America seeking freedom, especially from government oppression. With the absence of government services or protection, there began a cultural expectation for neighbor to help neighbor. If a person needed to build a barn, neighbors would willingly volunteer to lend a hand. If Americans became successful, there was a cultural norm to give back and help others rise as well. American culture promotes the idea that Americans voluntarily give “…according to their ability,” to those, “According to his needs.” Today, Americans give to charities, organizations and government agencies freely, based on their ability to give time, money and resources, to help others, “According to their needs.” Is it possible that, ironically, the American spirit of volunteerism, in an individualistic capitalism system, actually achieved Marx’s goal in a manner never imagined by communist philosophers?
American’s are drawn to help their communities and want to feel like their contribution is of value. By tapping into this spirit, and the rich resources in our communities, we can begin to not only achieve more productivity, but also draw the community closer by fostering common, achievable goals.
Has your agency started to think broadly about potential roles for highly skilled volunteers in your agency? Could volunteers be certified and trained to handle operational backlogs? Could licensed volunteer drone pilots in your area assist during an emergency? Could local Amateur Radio Operators assist if the 911 system temporarily went down?
Agencies may want to consider identifying new highly skilled volunteer positions and develop (or update) the specific job description that outlines the expectations for training, as well as the hours of commitment that will be expected for the volunteer to work on a regular basis. Up front, volunteers need to have a clear picture of the application, hiring, training and out-of-pocket expenses they may incur, as well as the number of hours per week or month they are expected to work (along with shift information). The more the volunteers know what is expected of them on an ongoing basis, the more likely the pool of volunteer applicants will be strong.
If your agency is using a viable volunteer pool now, please send me an email and let me know what’s working in your region. This is a great opportunity to share successes from around the country—finding the ways our citizens are giving, “According to their ability,” to better serve those, “According to their needs.”
Author:
Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom is a former Fulbright Scholar who taught Public Administration in Ukraine at a university under the Office of the Ukrainian President. She worked for two decades in local government, and has taught in Masters of Public Administration Programs for nearly two decades. She is currently the MPA Program Director for California Baptist University in Southern California. Email: [email protected]
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