Challenge to support volunteers for NGOs and government
Tuesday, 06 September 2011
Giving the closing address at the 64th Annual United Nations Department of Public Information Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations on “Sustainable Societies: Responsive Citizens” in Bonn, Dr Davis Smith set three challenges for NGOs:
“We must better embrace new technologies to ensure that we are at the centre of strong online, as well as physical, communities. We are at a crunch point where organisations risk being left behind as our citizens move onto new ways of communicating and organising.
“We need to analyse how we involve our own volunteers - young and old - and ask ourselves whether we do the most to encourage their decision-making and leadership in our organisations.
“We need to make the best use of resources and look for opportunities to collaborate and work together to make scarce public resources go further.”
Dr Davis Smith recalled for the conference how after the recent riots in English cities, thousands of people had organised through Facebook, Twitter and the riot clean-up blog to clear up the streets. Recognising this was “clearly spontaneous”, Dr Davis Smith reflected: “We do also need to see how it depended on technologies and to see where it built upon people’s experience of organising in their communities.”
Justin Davis Smith also challenged local, regional and national governments to be “more responsive to volunteers, more open to working with voluntary groups, and more willing to hear the distinctive voice of activists and volunteers.” He argued: “Government has got to be active in creating the conditions in which people feel able and encouraged to volunteer. We know through our experience over the years that we need the practical support of governments in investing finances in the infrastructures and organisations which provide information and access to volunteering opportunities."
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