What song or album best suits our profession?
Asked by Matthew Hick
Thanks for that one Matt!
For those that don’t know, I am a huge music fan. I love a wide range of genres and have an extensive collection of CDs (yes, I know about streaming, and I have Apple Music, but I am an old-school collector at heart). Matt is a fellow music fan, hence the question, which I love because it shows that we don’t always have to be super-serious when it comes to our work or what I get asked here.
It’s a tricky question Matt, because there are loads of songs that could apply to volunteers and what they do, but you want something that suits our profession, the work of Volunteer Managers.
The Energize website lists these songs as being relevant to volunteers:
Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow (traditional)
A Thousand Points of Light (Randy Travis)
Man In the Mirror (Michael Jackson)
Hero's Welcome (Michael Bolton)
Change the World (Eric Clapton)
A Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)
Because You Love Me (Celine Dion)
Go Light Your World (Kathy Troccoll)
Let's Hear It For the Volunteers (Mustard's Retreat)
I Volunteer (Collin Raye)
We Are the World - Various Artists
Thank You For Being A Friend - Andrew Gold
Whenever I Call You Friend - Kenny Loggins
United We Stand - Brotherhood of Man
Get Together - Youngbloods
Lean On Me - Bill Withers
Hero - Mariah Carey
And I also found this song from 2015 on YouTube that is even called, “The Volunteer Song”.
But what song or album best suits our profession?
I’m going to go for the album “Close To The Edge” by 1970’s progressive rock group Yes. Here’s why:
The title — all too often working in volunteer management can drive us close to the edge.
The music — it’s complex, constantly changing, speeding up, slowing down, and moving off in new directions, just like the work we all do.
A song title — the album only has two tracks (classic 70s prog) and the second is called, “And You And I”. For me, that sums up what we are about. We bring together you and I (people) to work together to change the world for good.
Now it’s over to you.
How would you answer Matt’s question?
Leave a comment with your ideas and don’t forget to ask your own question by emailing Rob now — rob@robjacksonconsulting.com, with the subject line “Ask Rob Anything“