By Elizabeth Bonner

“What is the city but the people; true the people are the city.”1 Much the same could be said for any organization about its ‘human capital’. Expanding on this notion, particularly in the not-for-profit realm of professional associations, this extends beyond the core staff team to include the member volunteers. This in turn ranges from front line service providers (the worker bees) to the leadership team (the strategic thinkers) comprising its board of directors.

At the BC Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA), there is little that we do day-to-day that is not supported by our member volunteers. Understanding what motivates them and the manner in which they choose to network becomes particularly important in the context of the changing ways that we connect with one another – friends, peers, colleagues, business associates – with the advent of social networks.

Clearly the lines have become blurred when we examine the delineation between our roles in our personal and professional lives. This holds true in much the same way when we apply this to our volunteer roles. In “The Forms of Capital”, Bourdieu defines ‘social capital’ as “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to the possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition.”

Recently, in a BC HRMA survey of those members who participated in our professional mentoring program, the results indicated a shift away from an emphasis on predominantly extrinsic motivation to that of a more intrinsic intent. Of those surveyed, 67% held their CHRP (Certified Human Resources Professionals) designation, yet when asked what their primary reason for participating in the program was, the same percentage stated it was ‘to give back to the HR profession’. Only 5% responded that it was to ‘gain CHRP credits for re-certification’. Surprising? Yes. As in any association where it is incumbent upon you, as a practicing professional, to maintain and enhance your career development, one might assume that the latter might be higher.

Merrill Associates, in 2008, stated that “volunteers are most satisfied with their volunteer experience when: it is for an issue of personal importance, they feel valued and needed, it is meaningful and interesting work”3. I would like to add to to that mix with ‘a sense of belonging and giving back’. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, after physiological and safety needs, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, followed by the need to be accepted and valued by ‘the group’, whatever that may be.

Back to our blurred lines. In a world where the virtual sometimes takes the place of the real, it is curious to note that this shift in consciousness has attached itself to something very tangible, the very real contribution of a mentor’s expertise and knowledge to the development of a fellow professional.

This need for connectivity, to be affiliated with something, is growing in a much larger way and in a less tangible forum as well – social media. We just have to look to our BC HRMA Facebook and Twitter followers , as well as the growing number of members in our LinkedIn group and On-line Community to see the dramatic increase in member-to-member interactions and the support offered from one member to another. In the last Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating(CSGVP)4 conducted by Imagine Canada in 2007, after organizing events and fundraising, the top three types of volunteering were: sitting on a board or committee (33%), teaching ,educating, or mentoring (30%), and counseling or providing advice (28%).

The other phenomenon taking place is with respect to the manner in which our mentors (member volunteers) and mentees (members) interact. While the preferred method of connecting remains ‘in person’ (91%), fast on its heels are the ‘internet options’ that are readily available (78%). This presents a sharp contrast to the findings of the CSGVP 5which pegged only 27% of volunteers using the internet in some way in order to perform volunteer activities for a group or organization.

Could it be that as our means of connecting and networking is changing, the manner and type of volunteering that we engage in will change as well? How will we recruit, manage, and support our ‘social capital’? In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about volunteering or mentoring with BC HRMA…you can e-mail, ‘LinkIn’, ‘Tweet’, or ‘Facebook’ us or give us a call, the old-fashioned way!

Elizabeth Bonner (ebonner@bchrma.org) is BC HRMA’s professional mentoring program manager and member relations manager for the Coastal Vancouver region.

PeopleTalk Fall 2011