Last week we held a training session in partnership with the Social Economy Centre at the University of Toronto led by Dr. Laurie Mook , Director of the centre. Managers and Coordinators of Volunteers learned the basics of Social Accounting: how do to it, when to do it and why. Sitting in on the class were number of us from Volunteer Toronto. Our conclusion? One word: wow.
Non-profits everywhere are urged to tell their stories. In the subway recently a Toronto hospital put up an add detailing the lives of patients going through medical treatment in the first few hours of a traumatic injury and over a span of years when dealing with a disease such as cancer. These ads are an excellent example of non-profit storytelling, taking us from the need to the resources required to treat the need to the people that are affected. On the face of it, it appears that volunteerism plays no role in in the situations dealt with in this ad as the implied “ask” in this case is not for volunteers qualified to be ER staff but for donations to fund everything from doctors to research and beyond. Appearances can be deceiving. Certainly, volunteers do not play a role: they are not the doctors, nurses or paramedics that perform everyday miracles. However, while the contribution that volunteers make in this instance is both indirect and hidden it is no less important than the contributions made by donors. Whereas a donation of money or goods can be tabulated, a donation of time has traditionally been much more difficult to quantify and thus, report. In this case, the behind the scenes contributions of volunteers absorb some of the overhead costs associated with running a non-profit or business allowing donations and other funding to be utilized in other areas.
Below is a brief description of two volunteer positions at a Toronto hospital and the skills required to do the jobs.
Clinic Support
- Greet and welcome patients and visitors
- Assist with various administrative tasks including photocopying, filing, phone calls
- Assisting the public with general inquiries as to location of offices and clinics.
Admin Support
- Greet and welcome patients and visitors/employees
- Phoning patients to confirm upcoming appointments
- Filing, faxing and photocopying
- Errands to other departments
Qualifications:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Strong problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
- Good interpersonal skills, caring and friendly, and able to interact with family and visitors when required.
- Proactive and resourceful.
- Pay attention to detail.
- Must be able to take direction, but also to work independently.
- Reliable and punctual.
The similarities between these roles and the role that secretaries, administrative assistants and office managers play in organizations is striking. In these two position examples there is a direct correlation between the work of a volunteer and the equivalent full-time staff position allowing us to parallel the contributions of volunteers to that of donors by examining the financial offset volunteers provide. Though there many not be a If the yearly equivalent of 10 full-time staff are employed as volunteers in the above positions, the cost savings to the hospital is enormous and the potential loss were there no volunteers to fill these positions equally significant. Social accounting is a new way of looking at the contributions of volunteers and bringing their work from the periphery of reporting to the forefront.
Check back in the coming months for more details on upcoming Social Accounting sessions to learn more about how your organization can apply this tool or look below for more information and resources related to this topic.
Dr. Mook’s Biography
Laurie Mook has degrees in accounting, international development, educational policy studies, and adult education. She was a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada doctoral fellow at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, and is now co-director of the Social Economy Centre of the University of Toronto. Dr. Mook’s research focuses on social and environmental accounting, social economy organizations, and volunteerism.
Her new book: Understanding The Social Economy
Laurie is co-author (with Jack Quarter and Betty Jane Richmond) of the recent book, What Counts: Social Accounting for Nonprofits and Cooperatives, Second Edition, (London: Sigel Press, 2007).
