Universal Declaration on the Profession of Leading
and Managing Volunteers
As the international professional association for volunteer leadership,
the Association for Volunteer Administration envisions a world in which
the lives of individuals and communities are improved by the positive
impact of volunteer action.
This vision can best be achieved when there are people who make it
their primary responsibility to provide leadership in the management of
volunteer resources, whether in the community or within organizations.
These �leaders of volunteer resources�* optimize the impact of
individual and collective volunteer action to enhance the common good and
enable humanitarian benefit. These leaders are most effective when
they have the respect and support of their communities and/or their
organizations, appropriate resources and the opportunity to continually
develop their knowledge and skills.
With the growth of volunteering worldwide there is a recognition that
the time and contribution of volunteers must be respected, and that their
work must benefit both volunteers and the causes and organizations they
serve.
Thus, we affirm and support the Universal Declaration on Volunteering
adopted by IAVE � The International Association for Volunteer Effort
� which states �Volunteering is a fundamental building block of
civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspirations of
humankind � the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety and justice
for all people�.At the dawn of the new millennium, volunteering is an
essential element of all societies.� (The complete text is available
at www.iave.org)
As volunteering has expanded globally, the need has emerged for strong
leadership and management of volunteers. Increasingly, this is recognized
as a professional role.
*This phrase applies equally to terms like
administrators, managers, coordinators and directors of volunteers. For
this declaration, the term �Director of Volunteers� was selected to
represent these many terms.
Value and Contribution of Directors of Volunteers
Directors of Volunteers promote change, solve problems, and meet human
needs by mobilizing and managing volunteers for the greatest possible
impact.
Directors of Volunteers aspire to:
Role
Directors of Volunteers mobilize and support volunteers to engage in
effective action that addresses specified needs.
As Directors of Volunteers we strive to:
Core Beliefs
As Directors of Volunteers, we hold these beliefs and seek to
demonstrate them in our actions:
We also believe that we share the responsibility:
The complexity of the problems the world faces reaffirms the power of
volunteering as a way to mobilize people to address those challenges.
In order for volunteering to have the greatest impact and to be as
inclusive as possible, it must be well planned, adequately resourced and
effectively managed. This is the responsibility of Directors of
Volunteers.
They are most effective when their work is recognized and
supported. Therefore, we call on leaders in:
We call upon Directors of Volunteers worldwide to
accept this Declaration, to integrate and embody it in our shared work,
and to promote and encourage its adoption.
While we recognize that all countries in
the world do not approach volunteer development in the same way, this
Declaration is intended to encourage all those concerned with the
advancement of this profession, to aspire to these
statements.
Developed by the International Working Group
on the Profession
Convened by the Association for Volunteer Administration
Toronto, Ontario, Canada,
2001
With representation from:
Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, England,
Hungary, Israel, Mauritius,
Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand,
Scotland, United States
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