Am I Making the Right Decision? The Role of Ethics in Volunteer Engagement

 We all encounter ethical dilemmas in our daily work.  But rarely do organizations focus on ethics related to volunteer engagement.  This session provides an opportunity for practitioners to understand the difference between personal, organizational and professional ethics.  The core values and principles identified by the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA) will be shared.  Participants will learn a process for ethical decision-making that can be applied in any situation, and then practice this using a real-life scenario related to volunteers.  Finally, several specific strategies will be offered for increasing awareness of ethics within an organization and helping both volunteers and staff become more effective at handling ethical dilemmas.  

SPEAKER BIO:

Joy S. Parker, CVA, Director of Ethics

Joy is the Director of Volunteer Services at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, VA, and has been in this role for the past 20 years.   CHKD is Virginia’s only freestanding full-service pediatric hospital and the volunteer department hosts more than 700 volunteers annually.   Prior to CHKD, she held similar positions at Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk and King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY, for a total of 26 years of hospital volunteer management experience.  Joy received her Masters of Education in Health Promotion from Virginia Tech.  She is past president of the Virginia Society for Directors of Healthcare Volunteer Services and has held her Certified Volunteer Administrator credentials from the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration since 2005, where she currently serves as Director of Ethics.