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Managing Volunteers
Written by John Berry on 25th August 2020. Revised 27th March 2024.
5 min read
It’s often said by managers in voluntary organisations that their volunteers can’t be managed. And yet, if that is so, the organisation faces rudderless chaos. The direction in which the organisation travels, what it achieves and whether it has a future are therefore all in doubt. In short, the situation is unacceptable. Volunteers must be managed for the good of the organisation.
Motivating Volunteers
Written by John Berry on 5th October 2020. Revised 27th March 2024.
7 min read
There’s a curious notion amongst managers of volunteers that a person changes when they move from being paid for the work they do to become a volunteer. But, the motivation is the same - it's just that older managers forget that the employment environment has changed. Today’s volunteers and employees are not so different.
The idea that volunteers can experience a different life from that in employment is obvious. One experience may compliment the other, then satisfying otherwise partially satisfied needs. One experience may supplement, enhancing the skills used, together satisfying more needs, or satisfying the same needs more deeply. This article explains more on supplementing and complementing needs.
The argument for strategy in civil society organisations
Written by John Berry on 10th March 2024. Revised 13th March 2024.
2 min read
A strategy is a model of a reality – a reality that visionaries and senior managers hope will in time come to pass in the civil society organisation. Visionaries and senior managers in civil society organisations must think hard about the future. And then apply their conclusions as strategy. But perhaps the future is not knowable? Uncertainty might demand strategic agility, reacting to opportunity. But strategic agility itself must be planned for – and so circuitously, we’re back to strategy.
Building organisation strategy on sand
Written by John Berry on 31st January 2024.0
4 min read
Vision, mission, aims, and values. The four trite statements. Strategy built from them is likely based on sand. Strategy begins with the most basic questions. What are our stakeholder needs ? And what problem do they have that we can solve?
TEPID OIL makes desired capability a reality
Written by John Berry on 25th March 2022. Revised 5th December 2023.
6 min read
Management is not about the manager – it’s about the people working for the manager and the technology they use. It’s about creating a capability that meets the required goal. The mnemonic TEPID-OIL helps managers consider necessary lines of development. In organisations where capability is released for use when ready, any omission in the TEPIDOIL elements must necessarily stop release while corrective action is taken. The manager’s job is therefore to develop, test and attempt release - and then maintain.
