Hot
Topic Archive
December
2005
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Reflections
on an Australian visit
By Fraser
Dyer
OzVPM
Director Andy Fryar
recently spend time travelling through Scotland
with UK volunteerism expert Fraser Dyer where amongst
other things, they discussed Fraser's reflections
on his recent visit to Australia as part of the 'Turn
your organisation into a volunteer magnet' tour.
Below
are Fraser's thoughts on volunteerism in Australia
and his reflections of his visit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OzVPM:
As this was your first trip to Australia how did the
experience match up to your expectations?
FD:
Very well indeed. Australia has a very positive image
amongst my friends and colleagues, and anybody I know
who has visited the country has always raved about
it. But it is not until you visit a place that you
really understand what they are on about. The weather,
environment, food etc were all as great as predicted
but what really makes Australia is her people. I was
bowled over by the warmth, friendliness, hospitality
and great service that I encountered along the way.
Long after I become reliant on photographs to remind
me of the places I visited and the things I did I
will continue to remember the spirit and people of
Australia that made this trip such a great experience.
OzVPM:
What were your observations about volunteerism in
Australia?
FD:
You know, I’ve run workshops on volunteer management
in a number of different countries across four continents
and I’m always struck more by the similarities than
the differences. Not only is there something profoundly
universal in the experience of volunteering, but the
challenges faced by volunteer programme managers are
often very familiar. The struggle to gain adequate
resources for your programme, the need to attract
more of the right people, the false assumptions that
people make about volunteers, and the need for greater
leadership are all themes that resonate across borders.
Where
I think Australians have something to remind us about
in Britain is the way that you build relationships
into your volunteer programmes. There is a tendency
in this country for some organisations to rely too
heavily on systems, procedures and policies to orchestrate
their volunteers, and not enough on building friendship
into the equation. I think many of your organisations
are doing a better job of holding onto the flexibility
and camaraderie that relationship-based volunteer
management brings. I hope you will retain that both
for your own sake and as a continual reminder to those
over here who might feel tempted to become more clinical
and bureaucratic.
OzVPM:
What did you learn personally from your experience
here?
FD:
I was reminded that when your attention is divided
between productivity and people, keep your focus on
people. It is easy in all of our jobs to get absorbed
by the tasks and goals we have to accomplish, but
if that threatens to take time away from the people
in our work environment then we’ve got the balance
wrong.
A
small example: as a trainer your mind is preoccupied
before the session starts with getting the room set
up, the projector working and trying to remember what
you are about to do. It is always hard to do this
when people are coming up to you for a chat. In Australia,
people were ALWAYS approaching me to say hello while
I was trying to get myself organised. Taking my attention
off the task in hand and opening myself to these dialogues
helped prepare me and the group for the day ahead
in a different way than making sure the projector
was focussed or my notes in order. It was worth risking
a delayed start in order to build relationships with
new friends, because these dialogues not only informed
my approach to working with the group but established
a rapport on a one-to-one level that is far deeper
than one can achieve collectively -- leading to a
better experience for everyone.
As
a volunteer manager you will doubtless identify with
the unwelcome interruptions that punctuate your focus
on writing that report, completing a funding application
or wading through a backlog of mail. But when the
task tempts us away from serving those we work with
we not only risk undermining the relationship but
also failing to find the gift that the conversation
offers us.
OzVPM:
Thanks Fraser - we certainly look forward to welcoming
you back to our shores at some point in the future
If
you were one of the many Volunteer Managers around
the country lucky enough to attend the 'magnet tour'
sessions, why not share your experiences of what Fraser
brought to our country. Were there lessons you learnt
from his sessions that you have since implemented
in your programs? What were the main points that resonated
with you?
Please
feel free to respond below
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