The IJOVA Volume XXVI, Number 2
FROM THE EDITOR
Orchestrating the Symphony of Volunteerism ... link to pdf
FEATURE ARTICLES
Volunteer Partners: At Our Town Picnic Dinner Theatre
Carolyn Ashton, M.A., & Marilyn Lesmeister, Ph.D.
The authors describe how youth and adult volunteers created, directed, and produced an interactive dinner theatre to raise awareness about the 4-H program, and funds to support it. It describes the success of a youth/adult partnership in a community. Research shows that youth benefit from partnerships with adults when they are seen as individuals who are competent and able to contribute to important decisions. This interactive theatre production, Our Town Picnic, provided a fun, learning and profitable experience for the local program, the community, and participating youth and adult volunteers. ... link to pdf
Key Words: interactive dinner theatre, performance arts, youth development, youth engagement, youth/adult partnerships, volunteers
Governance Volunteers of Arts Organizations: Volunteer Resource Management Considerations
Keith Seel, Ph.D., & Anita Angelini, M.A.
This exploratory qualitative research utilized grounded theory to examine the experience of volunteers serving on nonprofit boards of directors in arts organizations. By examining the perspectives of the governance volunteers it is evident that proper and thorough volunteer administration practice could enrich the performance of individual board members and therefore impact the volunteer board’s overall effectiveness. ... link to pdf
Key Words: volunteer, administration, management, board
COMMENTARY
The Emerging Impact of Volunteers at Performing Arts Centers in the United States
Brooks Boeke
During the 1960s, when performing arts centers were first being established in the United States, thousands of individuals began to volunteer for these institutions. However, there is very little documentation on how these volunteer programs evolved and what they have become today in almost 50 years later. Performing arts venues simply could not have survived in our communities without the support of volunteers. In 2007, the author realized how valuable it would be to everyone in the field to learn basic information about these volunteer programs. She informally surveyed volunteer resource managers and program administrators at performing arts centers, with the goal of sharing the results with the group for purposes of in-house promotion of volunteer programs, outreach presentations on the status of volunteerism at performing arts centers throughout the United States, and promoting arts volunteerism globally. ... link to pdf
Key Words: performing arts centers, volunteers, survey, outreach
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Transforming Museum Volunteering: A Practical Guide for Engaging 21st Century Volunteers
Ellen Hirzy for the American Association for Museum Volunteers (Author House, Bloomington, IN, 2007, 122 pages. $35. ISBN 978-1-4259-9393-1)
Reviewed by Nancy Macduff ...link to pdf
IDEAS THAT WORK
Performing Arts Volunteer Program Administrators Create an Online Forum
Brooks Boeke, Ginny Bowers Coleman, Meghan Kaskoun, CVA, M.A., Sally Kutyla, & Connie Pirtle
Administrators of Volunteer Programs in Performing Arts (AVPPA) is a free online forum created in 2007 by a group of professionals who shared the same vision of bringing together colleagues in performing arts volunteer resource management to share best practices. AVPPA is open to professional leaders and other specialists who actively manage volunteer programs at performing arts venues and who have a desire to promote effective performing arts volunteer resource management practices globally. AVPPA provides an online network for discussing the unique challenges of performing arts volunteerism and also serves as a resource for anyone interested in establishing a volunteer program in a performing arts organization. The authors discuss challenges to volunteerism in arts venues, including keeping volunteers motivated and engaged while monitoring that they are delivering accurate messages about the organization, ways in which volunteers are rewarded and recognized for their volunteering, and scheduling and supervision of volunteers who may be asked to work late evenings, weekends, or numerous hours per week. ... link to pdf
Key Words: performing arts centers, performing arts venues, arts volunteerism, global arts volunteerism
FROM THE JOVA ANNALS
How to Make a Museum Volunteer Out of Anyone
Nancy Johnston Hall & Karla McGray
The authors describe a program that was implemented at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1977, designed to identify, recruit, and retain diverse individuals as museum volunteers. Museum staff designed the entire physical facility with a strong emphasis on participatory activities which can be enriched by volunteer individuals. ... link to pdf
(Editor-generated) Key Words: volunteer, museum, science, diverse
Volunteer Management in the Leisure Service Curriculum
Karla Henderson, Ph.D.
This article addresses the use of volunteers in public leisure service organizations to maintain and enhance recreation and parks programs. The author examines why volunteerism is an important area in leisure services; suggests steps which can be used in developing a volunteer management course as a part of the leisure service curriculum; and outlines objectives, course content methodology, and evaluation of a volunteer management course. ... link to pdf
(Editor-generated) Key Words: volunteerism, leisure
Evaluating a Museum’s Volunteer Program
Shirley M. Lundin, CVA
The author describes a nine-step evaluation process developed to assess volunteers’ attitudes and opinions regarding growth and change in a restored historic home serving as a cultural museum. ... link to pdf
(Editor-generated) Key Words: volunteers, satisfaction, change, evaluation, museum
Overcoming Road Blocks:
Change Strategies for Arts/Museum Volunteer Programs
Heller An Shapiro & Nancy Macduff
The authors describe a planned change initiative implemented with a small town symphony that was led by the organization’s volunteer resource manager functioning as a change agent. Seven stages of change are described: 1) shock; 2) disbelief; 3) guilt; 4) projection; 5) rationalization; 6) integration; and 7) acceptance. The authors conclude that volunteers can be encouraged to accept change by providing an environment where it is permissible to work through the stages of change. The volunteer program manager can be the catalyst to help volunteers process and accept change more quickly and in a supportive environment. ... link to pdf
Key Words: volunteers, change, symphony, strategies
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