Professionalization of Third Sector - building a volunteering structure: A case study of network of regional voluntary centers – Czech Republic and Slovakia

• In Event: Volunteering and Organisational theory

Abstract

The paper aims to contribute to the research of the professionalization of Third Sector through building volunteering structure and networking based on regional voluntary centers.
It shows how structured environment done by state with cooperation of NOGs
influence managing of volunteering and through these centers professionalize Third Sector.
It describes organizational performance in the case study of network of regional voluntary centers. In addition, it explores institutionalization (Powell, W.W., DiMaggio, P. J., 1991) of engaged NGOs in their network. Centers are operated by NGOs with a cooperation of state governments.
It is based on comparative study (Armer – Grimshaw, 1973) of two countries and it shows the way of development of volunteer infrastructure arising from the very similar conditions which are determined by a history of Czechoslovakia state.
The paper defines main actors of regional voluntary centers professionalization that are coordinators of volunteers as a specific profession (Muzio, D., Brock, D., & Suddaby, R. 2013) that play the role in institutionalization through their competencies (Giddens, 1991 in Carter, 2007, Wenocur, Reisch, 2014). They are the leaders of volunteering management of the regional voluntary centers – their knowledge and skills are the main factor of successful (or not successful) new established network among the centers and the government and fosters Third Sector.
I focus on formal volunteering organized by NGOs, which operate with formalized volunteer management structure to find out how its established volunteer management mechanism.
To show and describe the role of regional voluntary centers network, to find and define their options and limits, I use a case study research design. This method allows combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (Ying, 2009). Due this fact I use: semi-structured interviews, questionary, document analysis and statistic data. The period of the research of regional voluntary centers starts in 2016 when Czech Republic government started to build voluntary infrastructure through regional voluntary centers, operated by EU fund.
Existing research suggests that cooperation between the nonprofit sector and government can benefit society (Anheier, 2005). I describe changes which taking place in volunteer management together with related organizational structures within the configurations of actors (government and nonprofit) who participated in managing formal volunteers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

References

Anheier, H. K. 2005. Nonprofit Organizations. Theory, Management, Policy. London, New York: Routledge.

Armer, M. – Grimshaw, A. eds. 1973. Comaparative Social Research. Methodological Problems and Strategies. New York

Carter. Neil. 2007. The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Policy. Cambridge University Press.

Muzio, D., Brock, D., & Suddaby, R. 2013. Professions and institutional change: Towards an institutionalist sociology of the professions. Journal of Management Studies, 50(5): 699–721.

Powell, W.W., DiMaggio, P. J., 1991. The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis. Chicago Press

Yin, R.K. 2009. Case study research: design and methods. Beverly Hills: SAGE.

Wencour, Stanley. Reisch, Michael. 2014. The Social Eork Profession and the Ideology of Professionalization in The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Volume 10. Issue 4 November. Article 10


WILENSKY, Harold L. 1964. „The Professionalization for Everyone?“ American Journal of Sociology 70(2): 137-158

Author

• Nataša Diatková