Mike Waller:
>Before I came to the zoo my view was that volunteers are more trouble than
>they are worth. Now I am dependent on over 600 volunteers who provide over
>70,000 hours a year to the zoo, thats 35 person years of work. The key
>utilizing them in research is designing the projects and training them.

Volunteers, like any other workers, have basics need:

1. Clear understanding of expectations.
2. Support and recognition for achievement (and, of course, being
unpaid the "bonus copout" just ain't available)
3. Supervision

And other things, I'm sure.

A lot of groups just don't take the time to properly manage volunteers,
and it shows. You get a small batch of over-achievers who don't need
the above environment, but in reality they don't really need your
organization, either - they could go off and do good work on their
own, even start their own group of activists (which often happens,
for instance, in neighborhoods - in Portland, our neighborhood
orgs started up after years of negligance by the City, though they've
now been integrated into the urban structure once their effectiveness
and power became too great to be ignored).

But, if you want the masses behind you - organize. Goad. Define.
Stroke. Hug. Educate. Praise. And, when necessary - fire and/or
demote.

Just like a job...

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>