Have you wondered … how a volunteer organization functions?

The Photographic Society of America (PSA) is typical of organizations throughout this country except possibly that PSA has many international members as well as domestic. How best for PSA to function efficiently when it has just a couple of employees and everyone else is a volunteer, is perhaps the most difficult aspect for management.

It has been said that volunteers are the heartbeat of an organization and PSA is no different than any other similar organization. Without the many people that do the work of this Society, there would be no PSA! Take a look at the last issue of the PSA Journal (October, pages 34, 35 and 36) at the Services and Activities section, where the list of most of the active "worker bees" of the Society were listed. Add to the many names in those pages, the officers, some presidential appointments that are not listed in those pages, and the fact that some people are listed many times, and it will be clear that PSA has a large number of interested photographers willing and able to handle the responsibilities of our organization. Know, too, that PSA is constantly in need of interested persons to help out in the many departments, divisions, and interests. As interests change, aging prevents active involvement, normal attrition leaves 'holes' in certain spots, ability declines or some members move up to officer level and must give up their chairmanship it becomes obvious the member volunteer pool needs incoming people at all times.

How does PSA function when it is always seeking new photographers to fill the vacancies in the list of positions? Basically, the Society must go on a search! Somewhat like a headhunter from an employment agency, the current leaders must be looking for interested persons who can get along with others, learn a new position, answer all e-mail and "snail mail" in a timely fashion and follow the Master Operating Manual which virtually every position has. Notice that an individual must be able to get along with his fellow members! Occasionally there are people that will volunteer for almost anything available but their reputation may precede them in their offer to fill a position. In this organization, as in all groups, there are individuals that are known to complain, to send off letters of complaint for years on end to have gained a reputation for being extremely hard to work with. They are willing to volunteer but accepting them has a major obstacle attached: they are extremely difficult to work with, won't follow directions, and in short, the record simply doesn't allow for them to be on most PSA jobs. The opposite scenario is even more often the case: the PSA leadership goes after someone that just will not accept a position.

Ideally, the Society will have talented experienced members who want to serve in one or more positions. When asked they accept, learn a job, do their best and perhaps move up to another interesting position. And that kind of volunteering makes for a successful organization! Be there for PSA!

Jean Timmermeister; FPSA

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