During a recent visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, I thought a lot about personal sacrifice for a purpose or cause. It occurs to me that volunteer leaders in associations such as the National Nursing Staff Development Organization (NNSDO) make a lot of sacrifices on behalf of the specialty of nursing professional development that may not be recognized, accounted for, or acknowledged. In some respects, we fail as a culture and society to laud the contributions of time and effort made by those who make all of our lives better.
In 2010, "about 62 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2009 and September 2010." Women continue to volunteer at a higher rate than men do, and 35- to 44-year-olds were most likely to volunteer while persons in their early twenties were least likely to volunteer.
Whites volunteered at a higher rate than Blacks or Asians did. Individuals with higher levels of education volunteer at higher rates than do those with a high school diploma or less (Volunteering in the United States, 2010, retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://bls.gov).
The estimated dollar value of volunteer time for 2009 was $20.85 per hour. The Corporation for National and Community Service reported that Americans gave "volunteer service worth about $169 billion in 2009" (Value of Volunteer Time, retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://independentsector.org/volunteer).
The Board, committees, task forces, and affiliates of NNSDO include more than 200 individuals who have volunteered to work on behalf of those in nursing professional development. This legion of volunteers contributes time, talent, and treasure to NNSDO. They work on public policy, informatics, simulation, scope and standards, certification, communications, publications, research, continuing education, and the convention. They chair the 47 affiliates or oversee the direction of the organization by serving on the Board. If each of these more than 200 volunteers gave only 12 hours a year to NNSDO, the estimated dollar value to NNSDO would be more than $50,000. Most NNSDO volunteers give much more than an hour a month to NNSDO; thus, measuring the dollar value of their contribution is difficult.
Why do people invest their time in a group like NNSDO? Some do it to advance the business of nursing and give back to the profession and the specialty. Some do it to advance their careers, their knowledge, or their leadership acumen. Others do it because they have a passion for nursing professional development, its growth, and future direction. Yet others value the connections made and leadership skills acquired.
For those members who are not volunteering for NNSDO, it is time to think about contributing your time and talents to advancing nursing professional development. We know that there are some who have volunteered to serve NNSDO and that the organization has not always done a good job of including all who volunteer in NNSDO's work. We are striving to improve!
This editorial is also written to remind readers to extend appreciation and lend a hand to those serving in leadership roles, offering a thank you, a cup of coffee, or an hour of time.
In addition, NNSDO's leadership ladder, like those in many other groups, will need replenishing as many are nearing retirement age; some are worn out and others want to focus on additional degrees or family or job responsibilities. There is a cohort of men and women in nursing professional development who must be mentored and urged into volunteer roles. We must seek out those in their 20s, 30s, and 40s and encourage them to volunteer. The best volunteer recruitment tool is to tell the stories about what volunteering has meant to the specialty, to those practicing in the specialty, and to those who have helped NNSDO grow and prosper.
Time is the new currency in membership organizations. An organization such as NNSDO can only be sustained by the passion, interest, and knowledge of those who are willing to commit time to mentor a new nursing professional development specialist, chair an affiliate, teach a continuing education offering, contact a public policy maker, or conduct a research project.
Exciting work is being done by NNSDO. Its leaders are focused on the future, moving the discipline forward and demonstrating its value. The leaders of NNSDO are focused on accountability for outcomes and excellence in all that NNSDO does. Come join these leaders and volunteer.
Linda J. Shinn, MBA, RN, CAE
Executive Director
National Nursing Staff Development Organization