(This is an excerpt from a blog written by Chris Jarvis)
Many argue that volunteer rates are falling. They complain that people today (usually young people) won’t make commitments to a cause. The problem, people tell me, is that volunteers want to know what’s in it for them. Yep, it’s true. But self-interest isn’t the problem. It’s the solution.
Why we do what we do
People volunteer for every imaginable reason.
“I have so much, I just want to give back.” or, “We wanted to be part of the solution.” or, “There are people out there who need our help.” Or so on. And so forth.
Some are prompted by an advertisement on the subway. Others are invited to volunteer by friends or family. It may be that they were urged to get more active in the community by our religious leaders. Or possibly, someone took President Obama’s message of activism to heart.
All good reasons. Just not good enough.
The best reason for volunteering is always self-interest.
I know, I know. You think I am drunk-blogging. Hold on, I’ll explain.
“Self-interested volunteering” seems generally at odds with everything we’ve come to believe about volunteering. Right? “Self-interested volunteers.” Isn’t that an oxy-moron? What about altruism and the greater good?
In Realized Worth training sessions we raise this controversial point and discuss two reasons why self-interest is an essential aspect of an outstanding volunteer experience. Both reasons have to do with motivation.
First, as my partner Angela Parker will tell you with great conviction, “We all do what we want.” Meaning, there is always some kind of motivation and pay-off for the choices we make. When it comes to motivation, the discussion can get pretty complicated. Very rarely (if at all) will someone make a choice with singular motivation. Usually there are multiple motivators, each compelling the other. (Test this by evaluating why you chose the particulars of your lunch yesterday.)
The Ins and Outs of Motivation
For simplicity’s sake, I would suggest that we experience two kinds of motivation: one; extrinsic and two; intrinsic. When people volunteer for the first time, they are usually motivated extrinsically. (Such as a desire to “give back.”) Extrinsic motivators exist outside of an individual. They are not intimate. And while extrinsic motivations are important, they are not deeply rooted in our personality. More precisely, they are not essential factors in our journey to become who we are.
PeaceKeeper launched a lip gloss called PeaceKeeper V-Day Gloss with Eve Ensler, Obie Award Winning Playwright and author of The Vagina Monologues, to support her work to end violence against women. Since the first benefit performance of The Vagina Monologues in NYC on February 14, 1998, V-Day has grown into a fierce catalyst promoting creative events that increase awareness, raise millions of dollars, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. Over 4,200 V-Day benefit events were held in over 35 countries, where local volunteers and college students produced The Vagina Monologue performances in an effort to stop the violence. Find out more about V-Day. PeaceKeeper’s V-Day Gloss is a sheer true crimson red that looks stunning alone or over any lip color. This natural lip gloss looks best on women with darker complexions, anyone who wants some Red Hot kissable lips!
PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics is an enterprising philanthropic brand which makes donations to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues. PeaceKeeper funds women who have been indentured or who live on a dollar a day. PeaceKeeper sources raw ingredients like rosemary and spearmint from third world farmers and gives micro-credit loans to the families of those farmers. This is called Beauty For Humanity – Good For You & Good For The World! Now That’s Beautiful™. To learn more about PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics and to order PeaceKeeper V-Day Gloss visit them at www.iamapeacekeeper.com.
Join Farron Levy, president of True Impact -- a leading provider of web-based tools and support services for measuring corporate citizenship programs -- to learn simple measurement techniques for measuring the social, financial, and environmental value of cause marketing programs to prove value, promote continuous improvement, and guide program investment and budgeting.
When you think Bollywood, do you think: choreographed pelvic thrusts, PG-rated love scenes, emotive ballads and uncomfortably cheesy acting? Do you also think...I COULD DO THAT? Well, now it's your chance to prove it.
Sign up at http://www.thegogame.com/bollywood as an individual or team to compete in an Indian-themed multimedia scavenger hunt through the streets of Haight Ashbury and see if you have what it takes to be crowned San Francisco's next Bollywood Star. The game goes from 1 - 3pm and more information will be provided once you sign up at: http://www.thegogame.com/bollywood
$20 suggested donation goes toward purchasing goats for tribal villagers in rural India and also puts you in the running to win our grand prize: A FREE ROUNDTRIP FLIGHT TO INDIA. Jai ho!
At the end of the game, judging will take place at the Poleng Lounge. Stick around and the party at Poleng will turn into a happy hour from 4-6pm, where you will get to see the EXCLUSIVE DEBUT of a VIRAL VIDEO that will take this effort 'round the world. Filmed entirely in Koraput, India, the video stars the villagers, their goats, and their moves in a rap music parody of the Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat" with a simple message: "I Want a Goat". Learn more at http://www.iwantagoat.com.
So dust off those early 90's dance moves and get ready to compete at the Community Game on Saturday, November 14th. Be sure to dress for success in bangles, turbans, sarees, kurtas, gem-tones, rave-wear or anything with jewels. It's going to get gaudy.When you think Bollywood, do you think: choreographed pelvic thrusts, PG-rated love... more
[Too] many groups are all working towards the same goal but not relying on one another's strengths - a social network can be greater, and more effective, since it brings all the separate efforts together.
(Heimbuch. J., 2009, September 9, par.3)
Launching officially in November, Team Earth is a collection of businesses from Dell to Starbucks, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) including Conservation International, politicians and student activists who hope to utilize the power of social networking to slow tropical deforestation.
(Heimbuch. J., 2009, September 9, par.2)[Too] many groups are all working towards the same goal but not relying on one... more
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is a community-based organization in the United States that advocates for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. ACORN has over 400,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S.,[1] as well as in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. ACORN was founded in 1970 by Wade Rathke and Gary Delgado.[2] Maude Hurd has been National President of ACORN since 1990.
ACORN's priorities have included: better housing and wages for the poor, more community development investment from banks and governments, better public schools, and other social justice issues. ACORN pursues these goals through demonstration, negotiation, lobbying for legislation, and voter participation.[3] ACORN comprises a number of legally distinct non-profit entities including a nationwide umbrella organization established as a 501(c)(4) that performs lobbying; various local organizations established as 501(c)(3) nonpartisan charities; and the ACORN Housing Corporation. These entities champion liberal and labor-oriented causes.The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is a community-based... more
The international disappeared day is 26 years old, today. But people kidnapped in the world are still too many and for many families the time of truth seems never arrive.The international disappeared day is 26 years old, today. But people kidnapped in the... more
Christie Johnson (Regional Program Coordinator) - a volunteer from NYC currently researching the need for technical assistance among indigenous and community based service providers (CBOs) caring for orphans & vulnerable children in Western Tanzania.
Together with a group of young university students from Uganda and Texas, we witness field research and data collection from a variety of local CBOs.
Frequent power cuts, the lack of infrastructure and education make this local initiative a much needed partnership. Data collection and personal input is crucial in an area that is filled with orphans and refugees from Burundi and DRC (Congo).
I followed the team over the period of two days, as they were out in the field collecting data and speaking to local CBOs in July 2009.
If you want to find out more, check facebook or http://www.arkafrica.org/
alternatively write to:
Christie Johnson
ARK Foundation of Africa
P.O.Box 651
Kigoma, Tanzania
You can also donate online at: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=13462
On the online form there is a box entitled “How should we apply your donation?”
Please add Christie Johnson Volunteer Commitment. All donators will receive a tax-deductible acknowledgement and receipt.Christie Johnson (Regional Program Coordinator) - a volunteer from NYC currently... more
It is now seen as an article of faith that the world suffers from overpopulation but exactly who are there too many of? You, me, my friends? For World Population Day 2009, we should be celebrating our increased numbers and looking forward to more not less of the earth’s richest resource, humanity. Volunteers present the case in this inspiring riposte to modern Malthusians.It is now seen as an article of faith that the world suffers from overpopulation but... more
NGOsIndia.com is a online web directory and resource centre of Indian NGOs. The portal is containing information about grassroot level Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Non Profit Organizations (NPOs), POs, GOs in India, Funding Agencies, social activists and concerned stakeholders,NGOsIndia.com is a online web directory and resource centre of Indian NGOs. The portal... more
Here are some clips from the beginning of our brand new journey into Luwero, Uganda. More to come.
Music: "You Are God" by Charlie Hall. (c) 2007 Sixsteps Records
Words by Charlie Hall, Music by Charlie Hall, Kendall Combes, Dustin Ragland, Brian BergmanHere are some clips from the beginning of our brand new journey into Luwero, Uganda.... more
Bonn, June 9 (IANS) Frustrated by the way governments are dragging their feet on combating climate change, leaders of green NGOs from around the world have come together to present the climate treaty they want to see inked at a global summit scheduled to be held in Denmark in December.
The Copenhagen Climate Treaty, as they call it, will be presented to bureaucrats from over 180 countries meeting here (June 1-12) in an attempt to draft the official version of the treaty.
Srinivas Krishnaswamy of Greenpeace India, one of the 47 authors of the NGO document, told IANS: “The treaty does not only tackle dangerous climate change. It will bring sustainable solutions to address the global recession, boost social justice and help eradicate poverty.
“It proposes institutional and political solutions as well as legal structures that governments should adopt to get an agreement all countries could sign up in Copenhagen.”
The authors of the NGO draft treaty have proposed a “global carbon budget that caps the world’s total emissions and breaks down which country can emit how much during the process of transforming the world into a zero carbon economy”.
Excess carbon dioxide emitted due to industrial activity is the main greenhouse gas that is causing climate change, which is already affecting farm output, making droughts, floods and storms more frequent and more damaging and raising the sea level.
India is among the countries worst affected by what UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called “the defining challenge of our age”.
India’s chief climate negotiator Shyam Saran told IANS that the government wants more emphasis on strengthening the existing UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol rather than a new treaty.
Reacting to this, Krishnaswamy said no existing agreement would be replaced but would be strengthened to “become broader and deeper, reflecting the need for industrialised countries to commit to much greater cuts in emissions”.
“The Copenhagen Protocol would be additional, setting targets for the US (which is not part of Kyoto), describing the actions that developing countries should take, and defining the financial and technological support industrialised countries must provide to them. It would also set out how adaptation and forest protection will be funded,” he explained.
Developing countries have been strongly against any attempt to cap their carbon emissions, arguing this would constrain their economic growth to handle a problem caused almost exclusively by industrialised countries over the last more than 200 years.
Krishnaswamy said: “Newly industrialised countries, such as Singapore and Saudi Arabia, should take on binding emission reduction targets. The criteria for designating a country as ‘newly industrialised’ should be agreed in Copenhagen.
end of excerptBonn, June 9 (IANS) Frustrated by the way governments are dragging their feet on... more
They are blamed for causing illness, death and destruction, prompting some communities to put them through harrowing punishments to "cleanse" them of their supposed magical powers.
"Children accused of witchcraft are often incarcerated in churches for weeks on end and beaten, starved and tortured in order to extract a confession," said Gary Foxcroft, program director of Stepping Stones Nigeria, a nonprofit that helps alleged witch children in the region.
Many of those targeted have traits that make them stand out, including learning disabilities, stubbornness and ailments such as epilepsy, he added.
The issue of "child witches" is soaring in Nigeria and other parts of the world, Foxcroft said.
The states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River have about 15,000 children branded as witches, and most of them end up abandoned and abused on the streets, he said.
The plight of "child witches" is raising concern among aid organizations, including the United Nations.
"It is a growing issue worldwide, among not just African communities, but in countries such as Nepal as well," said Jeff Crisp, head of policy development and evaluation for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "We are trying to see whether it is a neglected protected issue."
Belief in witchcraft thrives worldwide. About 1,000 people accused of being witches in Gambia were locked in detention centers in March and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, human rights organization Amnesty International said.
Pastors have been accused of worsening the problem by claiming to have powers to recognize and exorcise "child witches," sometimes for a fee, aid workers said.
Once a child is branded a witch, the stigma can last forever.They are blamed for causing illness, death and destruction, prompting some communities... more
In this report by our fledgling news crew economist and journalist Daniel Ben Ami, discusses what he calls “Caveman Equality.” He reminds us that in the Stone Age we were “all pretty equal …and dirt poor”. This caveman logic needs to be rejected, he argues, and instead we should fight for Ferraris for all.In this report by our fledgling news crew economist and journalist Daniel Ben Ami,... more
This is a report produced by our fledgling news crew which visited a conference challenging China bashing which reached a peak in the run up to the Olympics and now simmers as a backdrop to global affairs...This is a report produced by our fledgling news crew which visited a conference... more
Documentary:
Women in Eritrea are often depicted as Africa’s most liberated sisterhood.
They fought on the frontlines in the country’s 30-year war of independence. But in Eritrea’s poor rural heartland, woman’s liberation is a war still being fought. And the challenge is to convince women themselves of the need for change. This documentary tells the stories of three rural women and explores what the government and National Union of Eritrean Women in partnership with IFAD are doing to help improve women’s lives.
Documentary:
Women in Eritrea are often depicted as Africa’s most liberated... more
The Bolivian Jungle is fast becoming an eco-tourist hotspot. Yet despite the growing number of tourists arriving each day, its international tour operators who profit most, not the poor indigenous people who live there. Now, thanks to the efforts of an innovative project that is helping more than 100 indigenous groups in the Amazon basin increase their incomes while preserving their culture, indigenous entrepreneurs are taking a share of the tourism market.The Bolivian Jungle is fast becoming an eco-tourist hotspot. Yet despite the growing... more
Among human activities, agriculture is one of the largest producers of methane, a potent greenhouse gas 22 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Now an IFAD-supported project in Chinas Guangxi province is encouraging thousands of poor farmers to turn the methane produced on their farms into fuel for lighting and cooking, not only helping to improve local environmental conditions but also to help reduce poverty.Among human activities, agriculture is one of the largest producers of methane, a... more
"An international aid group has turned away US$46 million (€34.32 million) in funding from the US government, arguing the way American food aid is distributed hurts poor farmers.
CARE said wheat donated by the US government and sold by charities to fund anti-poverty programs destroys local agriculture by dumping low priced crops on the market and local farmers cannot compete. Other experts said they share CARE's concerns, but say different kinds of help suit different situations.
"We are not against emergency food aid for things like drought and famine," CARE's Atlanta-based spokeswoman Alina Labrada, said Thursday, adding the process did not help those who consistently went hungry. "They are being hurt instead of helped by this mechanism".""An international aid group has turned away US$46 million (€34.32 million) in... more
Aid agencies in Afghanistan have warned they may become unable to operate in parts of the country once seen as safe, because of the intensifying conflict.
A statement by 100 aid agencies pointed to a 50% increase in insurgent attacks compared to last year.
Aid agencies were increasingly becoming targets, they said.
Kabul blamed the rise in insurgent attacks on a truce between Pakistan's government and militants in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
In their statement, the aid agencies criticised the rising number of civilian deaths, which they said were caused mainly by insurgents but also by international forces' air strikes.
The Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (Acbar), an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations in Afghanistan, expressed its "grave concern about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the serious impact on civilians".
June saw more attacks on NGOs than in any month since the Taleban's overthrow in 2001 and some agencies have been forced to scale back operations, it said.
Nineteen aid workers have been killed so far this year - more than during the whole of 2007, said Acbar.
Some 2,500 people have been killed this year, up to 1,000 of them civilians, Acbar said.
About 260 civilians were killed in July alone, a higher number than any other month in the past six years, according to the NGOs. Aid agencies in Afghanistan have warned they may become unable to operate in parts of... more
