Former St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel reminded volunteer administrators at the 2004 Minnesota Conference on Volunteerism in May why their work is so important to our communities. Scheibel is currently the Executive Director of Ramsey Action Programs and has a long history of community activism and promotion of volunteerism through his work with several social service organizations and his service in elected office as St. Paul Councilmember, Council President and Mayor.

To prove that volunteers are “America’s True Community Builders,” Scheibel asked participants look for stories about community building. These stories tell us that service and volunteerism are integral to our communities. The work of volunteer administrators comes in understanding the importance of helping people answer the call to service in their communities, and then helping them to do so. Scheibel expressed that personal success must always include some sort of service. Once an individual hears the call to service, we as volunteer administrators must help that person prepare for and begin their service, sustain them through the duration of their service, and finally, feel as though they have succeeded.

Scheibel went on to explain that service brings more than individual success for the volunteer – it also helps entire neighborhoods and communities to succeed and advance greater purposes. By working with our volunteers to adopt a common vision and aspiration, and identify problems as well as actions and solutions, we can enact change in entire communities. Scheibel argued that it is important to involve volunteers in every step of problem solving and community building. We should work with them in the joint planning of projects, should be open to their ideas and initiatives, work with them to identify clear goals, and provide them with opportunities to see the bigger picture of what their work means and its impact on the community. Most importantly, we should take the time to reflect on and evaluate with our volunteers the work we do, so they can get a clear picture of how their service has brought success.

Scheibel reinforced the idea that volunteerism is greater than the success an individual feels when she has volunteered or the service the volunteer provides to an organization, by describing the work done by volunteers as citizen politics. Citizen politics is different from volunteerism, protest or voting. Through citizen politics, diverse collectives of individuals become agents of change in their communities. They do more than deliver a service or communicate an idea - they take ownership of the entire process of changing their communities and reinforcing democracy. According to Scheibel, citizen politics gives volunteers an opportunity to work on major issues affecting communities and to draw connections between their tasks and the larger questions that frame the work. Citizen politicians are well-informed of local issues, as their service deeply engrains them in their communities, and are more likely to be educated voters who hold elected officials accountable. They know how to affect change in their communities and are willing to do what it takes to see this happen. As volunteer administrators, we must help others realize this success by implanting in them the potential service has in their individual lives and in their communities.