Launch of Managers Matter: Who Manages NZ Volunteers?

My first thoughts are to thank

• - Professor Bob Buckle for hosting us tonight;


• - Tim Burns; Executive Director of Volunteering New Zealand;


• - and to the rest of the Volunteering New Zealand Board who are here tonight, including the Chair, Gillian Peacock.

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There was once a family of the most exquisite, jewelled gecko.  

They lived in the midst of manuka scrub and when they walked past, everyone would stop to watch them strut - struck by their vivid bright green colour; their soft velvet skins glistening in the sun; and their eyes bulging - daring not to blink.

But one day tragedy struck.  

Two of the tiniest geckos became separated from the group, disappearing into thin air.  The family searched high and low and finally spotted a telltale shimmer; submerged deep within the sludge of the dark water hole into which they had fallen.

As the baby gecko looked up, the older ones yelled out to them, "save your energy, there's nothing that can be done, you're as good as dead". 

And sadly it wasn't long before one of the gecko stopped moving, and gave in to the end that was destined.

Through their tears the older ones peered back down into the hole, and unbelievably the other baby gecko was valiantly climbing up the wall, shedding his tail on the way up, so that all they could see was his bright green body.

As he eventually reached safe ground, they crowded round and asked him - what was the miracle that saved his life?

The gecko swallowed and said, that although he hadn't been able to hear them, all of their frantic gestures to him had given him all the hope that he needed to know he could make it.

So what does the gecko story tell us?

Sometimes the power of the tongue can be such that one lash can be fatal.  For the gecko that could hear, the negativity and the defeat expressed in the words of his elders, became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But for the one that survived, all it took was a little bit of encouragement and the inspiration of the collective to cause miracles to happen, the impossible to become possible.

Becoming a manager is taking on the challenge that in the case of the geckos could have meant the difference between life and death.  

Being a manager is about being prepared to back the team; to accentuate the positive; to create the reason.

Being prepared to sit in the manager's chair, is indicating a willingness to be led by the group; to lead the group; and to take responsibility for one's actions.

Managers matter -  because managers make others matter.

Being a manager is about finding the purpose for people to want to unite together in pursuit of a common goal.

Purpose is a great motivator - we want to create our own destinies, live up to our own promises, to build organisations that have the potential to make each day that little bit better.

Sometimes all it might take is for a kind word to uplift and energise someone else.

Or like in the case of our survivor gecko it might be all about the actions you take to let someone know they matter.

I am pleased to be here to receive this very important report, Managers Matter : who manages New Zealand volunteers?

And I want to share some of my thinking around why this report is so important.

This report gives us a vital view into the lives of those who manage volunteers.   They may be known as Volunteer Managers, Co-ordinators, Administrators; or they might more properly be known as Superman or Superwoman.

This week, Volunteers Awareness Week, is a prime time to stop and marvel at the fact that over one to two million people volunteer in New Zealand every year.   We often describe volunteers as the lifeblood of the not-for-profit sector; the fuel that keeps our economy running.

Another way of thinking about the community and voluntary sector is that it is like the air all around us - basically invisible, but absolutely essential to keeping our world afloat.

And so within this environment of invisibility a report like this one today is really important, and I want to really commend Karen Smith, Carolyn Cordery and Nicholas Dutton for the proactive efforts you have made to initiate research in this area.

It is also great to see Victoria University collaborating with Volunteering New Zealand in what might be an ongoing research agenda around volunteering.

Because I believe the findings of this report, accrued from the perspectives of over 800 individuals, tell us a great deal about what we need to know and what we don't know about how we can support the greatest cheerleading squad in the land - those who manage our volunteers.

It was really pleasing to read that 90% of respondents - both paid and unpaid - felt that they were satisfied with their role in volunteer management. 

But there were some issues which detracted from this considerable self-satisfaction and I don't think we should be afraid to talk about them.

Some managers felt that their role in volunteer management was squeezed in around all their other responsibilities. 

Many managers felt a sense of frustration that there was neither the time nor resources to attend training and development.

And there were others who felt that the important job they did in motivating and managing volunteers was not adequately acknowledged or compensated for.

I think this information is really useful in giving us a clear sense of the challenges our communities face.

It almost goes without saying that the special people who put their hand up to manage volunteers are people who are motivated by things other than financial reward.

These are people who believe that what they are doing is worthwhile.   This is not about a 9-5 job; a meal-ticket; a means of paying the bills.  This is about being part of a movement for change; an organisation; a club; an association of people of like minds.

People volunteer because they believe that what they are doing is important.   The managers who care for our volunteers are a key source of support and motivation - to ensure our best efforts maximise the time, skills, talents and enthusiasm of all those who are working with and for the common cause.

In many ways, it is almost irrelevant whether the volunteering purpose is one for the environment; education; social, health, sports or any  other aspect.

For what unites all causes together, and all volunteers into one mass movement of minds, is the meaning and motivation we each get from knowing that what we do - and who we are - matters.

I congratulate everyone who participated in this research; and I wish you all much opportunity to celebrate the launching of this report - and the significant difference that you make to our communities.