Keeping the passion while adapting to change - and attracting more people - are key for the sector's future, writes Kate O'Sullivan
Whether you are running a local community development group or a franchise chain, the day-to-day challenges are very similar.
While many people in the community and voluntary sector may not like such a comparison with the world of business, the reality is that simply doing good things may no longer be enough. In today's increasingly demanding society, we need to do those things really well.
This is the thinking behind the first Irish conference on organisational excellence in the voluntary sector hosted tomorrow by the Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups. Titled High-Performing Organisations - A Key to Social Change, the conference will explore how voluntary and community groups can best meet the needs of the communities they serve by improving their own performance.
This does not mean that they lose their passion and dedication but that they harness these in a more structured and focused way.
There is a strong tradition of volunteering in Ireland. The conference takes place on the feast day of St Brigid, who is recognised as the first Irish "volunteer". A woman of unique vision, Brigid founded a monastery for both men and women, became a champion of the poor and sick, and was a peacemaker in a turbulent land.
Today the economic value of volunteers' unpaid work is estimated at 3.8 per cent of GDP. Almost every person in the State supports the 15,000 registered charities either as a volunteer or by making donations. A 2006 study carried out by TCD shows that 1.5 million people give their time and skills to this sector free of charge.
The strength of the voluntary sector lies in the passion of those involved to work for a higher goal - to meet a new need, to help the community or to give something back. We owe this to the public who are so generous in their giving. We owe it to all who use our services and who depend on us to fill that gap that the State does not fill.
However, resources in the sector are always scarce - whether money, volunteers, staff or other assets - so we must make the optimum use of them. If we don't discipline ourselves to focus on what we are there to do (our missions) and continuously improve the way we use our resources, we will only have ourselves to blame if government steps in and rules by edict, undermining what we treasure so much - our independence.
So what, then, constitutes a high-performing organisation? Management guru Peter Drucker says 90 per cent of issues concerning the leadership and management of highly effective community and voluntary organisations is the same as in other sectors. The other 10 per cent is determined by the organisation's specific mission, culture, history and vocabulary. Extensive research into highly effective organisations shows a number of common features among the best performers. These include:
• a clear vision, purpose and values understood by everyone involved and guiding all decisions;
• a proactive and inclusive approach to getting the job done;
• having the right people with the right skills, with clear roles properly supported and trained;
• encouragement of innovation and autonomy;
• fostering of trust and teamwork;
• a "stick to the knitting" approach - staying with the business you know;
• partnership and collaboration with other groups.
In short, disciplined people, disciplined thought and disciplined actions will build "greatness at last", to paraphrase Jim Collins's "Good to Great" framework.
Strict discipline and adherence to an organisation's core purpose will be covered by Anita Lawlor, regional director of the Samaritans. The Samaritans' purpose is to be available 24/7 to provide confidential, non-judgmental, emotional support to those experiencing feelings of despair. Volunteers carry their sense of purpose with them at all times, and all decisions are made in the light of this core purpose. Recruitment and training are simple but rigorous. They focus not only on the person being right for the Samaritans, but on the Samaritans being right for them. It really works.
There is a sense that volunteer numbers are dropping; perhaps the lifestyles we have as part of the Celtic Tiger mean we have less time to give. If we can create a society where it is normal for everyone to volunteer, everyone will gain. So it is incumbent on us who are involved in community and voluntary groups to provide real structured opportunities for this to happen. With the taskforce about to produce its final report, we are optimistic that a new climate will be created for supporting the work of the thousands of groups who go that extra mile for social change.
If one enduring message comes out of our conference, it will be this: we must preserve the core purpose of our organisations and at the same time adapt and change. Enduring, great organisations are characterised by a fundamental duality. On one hand they have a set of timeless core values and a core purpose that remain constant. On the other, they have a relentless drive for change and progress. The key to creating a high-performing organisation in the community and voluntary sector is to harness the passion, dedication and motivation of people in a disciplined way. Improving our performance will help to keep the sector independent and make an even bigger difference to the lives of the most marginalised members of our society.
• Kate O'Sullivan has served as chief executive officer of the Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups since 1992. She is also a member of the implementation and advisory group on the White Paper Supporting Voluntary Activity.
• High Performing Organisations - A Key to Social Change takes place tomorrow from 9.30am-4.30pm at Croke Park Conference Centre.