When we think of volunteers, we usually think of someone who does work without being paid. While this is true, there is much more to volunteers than free labor. In fact, trying to put a monetary value on volunteerism can diminish the impact of the work that people do. One author defines volunteerism as "working with others to make a meaningful contribution to better a community or organization"1(p6) and asks the question: "how can we put a monetary value on ordinary people doing extraordinary things?"1(p6)
Professional associations cannot run without the hard work of countless volunteers. It is not about the labor involved, although that is substantial. It is about the ideas and leadership of many individuals providing a voice and bringing current, everyday issues to the forefront. Without volunteers, it would be impossible to know and respond to the needs of our members. Nursing organizations, like organizations in other professions, are run almost exclusively with volunteers. It is the volunteer who keeps the local chapters viable. It is the volunteer who serves on committees, task forces, and boards of directors. It is the volunteer who plans conferences, reviews contributions, and sets standards for professional practice. No matter how many people we pay to run the day-to-day membership activities, it is the volunteer member who determines the course of the organization, what issues need to be addressed, and what the standards for the practice should be.
Why do nurses volunteer? A passion for the subject is essential.2 If you are reading this, you have a passion for care of infants and families. That passion translates into wanting to make sure you give the best possible care. You take pride in contributing to patient and staff education. You want to make sure that we live up to the trust our patients and families place in us. What better way to make that happen than to be involved in your professional organization and lend your expertise and voice to improving care to our patients.
While the volunteer provides an essential function in promoting the work of the association, the benefits to the volunteer cannot be overlooked. Acquiring new skills such as leadership, public speaking, or writing motivates some to become involved. The benefits of meeting others in the profession are important to many. There is the satisfaction of providing a service to colleagues by developing educational programs, care guidelines, or tools to improve care. There is the opportunity to make a difference for our patients by advocating for improvements in access to care or safe staffing ratios. There is the satisfaction gained from mentoring another or sharing expertise. You also get to draw from the experience of many others in your specialty area.
It is important to take time to thank those who volunteer for the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and those who volunteer to make Advances in Neonatal Care a viable journal. No professional organization or journal can exist without the hard work and countless hours of those who provide time and expertise. The journal relies on volunteer authors, section editors, an editorial board, and peer reviewers who make sure that what we print is accurate, timely, and useful to the reader. The editorial board and section editors for Advances in Neonatal Care are listed in the front of every journal. You will find the members of the NANN board there as well. Please take time to thank them for their contributions. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many peer reviewers for Advances in Neonatal Care. Their names are listed below. If you would like to be added to this list, please let us know. We would be glad to tap into your expertise and knowledge to make the journal even better.
Peer reviewers
Maureen Allen, BSN, RN, IBCLC
Carol Andrew, EdD, OTR
Muhammad Aslam, MD
Sandra Beauman, MSN, RNC
Susan Berg, MS
Brenda LaLa Black, BS, OTR
Marianne Bracht, RN, RSCN
Alyson Brodey, BSN, RNC
Angie Burd, MSN, APN-C, RNC, CCNS
Cindy Barney, MS, NNP-BC
Jennifer Callen, MS, NNP-BC
Cheryl Carlson, MS, NNP-BC, NRC
Patricia Clifford, MSN, RNC
Garris Keels Conner, DSN, RN
Margaret Conway-Orgel, MS, NNP-BC
Stacy Dalgleish, MN, NNP-BC
Theresa DeLorenzo, RN, CNSD
Darcy Doellman, BSN, RN, CRNI
Terry Griffin, MS, NNP-BC
Jennifer Guidice, MSN, NNP-BC
Deborah Guglietti, MSN, NNP-BC
Gina Heiss-Harris, DNPO, NNP-BC
Pamela Heaberlin, MS, NNP-BC
Rodney Hicks, PhD, MSN, MPA
Diane Hoditch-Davis, PhD, RN, FAAN
Pat Hummel, RNC, MA, NNP-BC, PNP
Irene Hurst, PhD, MSN, RN
Linda MacKenna Ikuta, MN, RN, CCNS, PHN
Lori Jackson, ND, CCRN, NNP-BC
Alta Kendall, BSN, RNC-NIC
Amy Koehn, MSN, NNP-BC
Nancy Kraft, MSN, NNP-BC
Karen Lasby, MN, RN
Elizabeth Lawrence, MSN, NNP-BC
Brandy Lipscomb, MSN, NNP-BC
Catherine Logee, BSN, RN
Dianne Maroney, MS, RN, CS
Kathryn McLean, MSN, NNP-BC
Rose McGonigle, MSN, NNP-BC
Susan Meier, MSN, NNP-BC
Keitha Mountcastle, EdD, NNP-BC, CNS
Dorothy Mullaney, MHSc, ARNP
Kristan Natale, BSN, RN
Jean Newbold, MS, MBA, PNP, CNS, RNC
Babara Noerr, MSN, CRNP
Teresa O'Neill, PhD, APRN, RNC
Ann Gibbons Phalen, PhD, CRNP
Rita Pickler, PhD, PNP, RN
Judith Polak, MSN, NNP-BC
Shahirose Premji, PhD, NNP-BC
Lynn Rasmussen, PhD, NNP-BC
Maureen Reilly, RRT
Terry Roff, BSN, RNC-NIC
Connie Rusk, MS, NNP-BC
Elizabeth Sharpe, MSN, NNP-BC
Joan Renaud Smith, MSN, NNP-BC
Laura Stowkowski, MS, RNC
Natalie Sweeney, MS, CNS, RN
Ema Urbanski, BSN, RNC
Diane Veprauskas, RNC
Brenda Walker, MSN, RNC
Brittany Wall, MSN, NNP-BC, CPNP-PC/AC
Tamera Wallace, MS, NNP-BC, CNNP
Cynthia Weiss, RNC
Carolyn West Jones, MSN, NNP-BC
Rosemary White-Traut, DNS, RN, FAAN
Ashley Wood, MSN, RNC, MA
Susan Yelle, MS, NNP-BC
References