This means that the volunteer must be prepared for the long haul in order to realize lasting changes. Volunteers need to receive a proper induction into the work of the organization, to study and develop. Training, capacity building and empowerment will be even more vital as the years go by, as organizations become increasingly complex. But before being evaluated externally, volunteers must be the first to monitor themselves. They must guard against volatility and instability and, on the other hand, against standing still or stagnating.
Volunteers join a cause to serve it.
If service is kept under constant review, volunteers themselves are more likely to know when and how to change. Organizations are successful where they can provide the necessary space and opportunity for enhancing and channelling motivation, training and effective communication, establishing partnerships and networking and, above all, enhancing a strong sense of caring and sharing. The UN has declared the year 2001 the International Year of Volunteers. It is a year to celebrate and affirm the worth of the volunteer. But even more, it is a year to look to the future and establish the importance of the volunteer as essential to peace, development, social integration, and a higher quality of life for all people everywhere.