Re^2: Process for Site Improvement

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I found this particularly thought provoking:

One problem those of us who've worked with volunteer-based organizations quite a bit tend to find is that more low-level volunteers take up more time to organize and supervise.

This is also my experience, but I see it as a challenge that we need to address rather than a show stopper. When a group is small, organization is largely implicit - people chat on a post or in the CB or in real life over lunch and poof! things just happen. But when groups grow, process and structure has to become more explicit. Finding the right structure, especially in volunteer communities, takes a lot of dialog and even maybe some research into how other communities, especially on-line communities, handle this issue.

If this doesn't happen, then the percentage of people carrying on the volunteer work shrinks as a percentage of the people carrying the project. At the same time the amount of work increases; the complexity of coming to consensus increases; and the risk for people to feel marginalized (or burnt out) increases.

Contributing to something helps people feel ownership. The more ownership, the more commitment. The more commitment, the greater the likelihood that someone will volunteer in a manner that can really win the trust of you or tye or the gods. And the core group widens. So with the right structure, we can create a virtuous cycle rather than an exhausting one.

Best, beth

Update: as per mr_mischief's comment about possible misinterpretation.

Comment on Re^2: Process for Site Improvement

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Re^3: Process for Site Improvement by mr_mischief (Monsignor) on Mar 13, 2009 at 14:49 UTC
Just as a note, your last paragraph could be misinterpreted to include me with tye and the gods. Winning my trust would be nice, but it's neither sufficient nor necessary for joining one of the orders. I entirely appreciate your enthusiasm about improving the process. I'm sure you can understand tye's reluctance to rush people into positions that could be abused, too. Perhaps something that includes more volunteers faster than what we have now, but still slowly enough that they can be trusted and properly mentored would be a good compromise. If you have notes on how other groups work more smoothly in organizing volunteer resources, the gods would probably like to know. I can't speak for them, though.	[reply]

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Re^3: Process for Site Improvement
by mr_mischief (Monsignor) on Mar 13, 2009 at 14:49 UTC

tye

gods

I entirely appreciate your enthusiasm about improving the process. I'm sure you can understand tye's reluctance to rush people into positions that could be abused, too. Perhaps something that includes more volunteers faster than what we have now, but still slowly enough that they can be trusted and properly mentored would be a good compromise. If you have notes on how other groups work more smoothly in organizing volunteer resources, the gods would probably like to know. I can't speak for them, though.

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