The Volunteer

COSTA BOOK AWARD WINNER: BOOK OF THE YEAR • #1 SUNDAY TIMES (UK) BESTSELLER “Superbly written and breathtakingly researched, The Volunteer smuggles us into Auschwitz and shows us—as if watching a movie—the story of a Polish agent who infiltrated the infamous camp, organized a rebellion, and then snuck back out. ... Fairweather has dug up a story of incalculable value and delivered it to us in the most compelling prose I have read in a long time.” —Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm and Tribe The incredible true story of a Polish resistance fighter’s infiltration of Auschwitz to sabotage the camp from within, and his death-defying attempt to warn the Allies about the Nazis’ plans for a “Final Solution” before it was too late. To uncover the fate of the thousands being interred at a mysterious Nazi camp on the border of the Reich, a thirty-nine-year-old Polish resistance fighter named Witold Pilecki volunteered for an audacious mission: assume a fake identity, intentionally get captured and sent to the new camp, and then report back to the underground on what had happened to his compatriots there. But gathering information was not his only task: he was to execute an attack from inside—where the Germans would least expect it. The name of the camp was Auschwitz. Over the next two and half years, Pilecki forged an underground army within Auschwitz that sabotaged facilities, assassinated Nazi informants and officers, and gathered evidence of terrifying abuse and mass murder. But as he pieced together the horrifying truth that the camp was to become the epicenter of Nazi plans to exterminate Europe’s Jews, Pilecki realized he would have to risk his men, his life, and his family to warn the West before all was lost. To do so, meant attempting the impossible—an escape from Auschwitz itself. Completely erased from the historical record by Poland’s post-war Communist government, Pilecki remains almost unknown to the world. Now, with exclusive access to previously hidden diaries, family and camp survivor accounts, and recently declassified files, Jack Fairweather offers an unflinching portrayal of survival, revenge and betrayal in mankind’s darkest hour. And in uncovering the tragic outcome of Pilecki’s mission, he reveals that its ultimate defeat originated not in Auschwitz or Berlin, but in London and Washington.

An odyssey of loss and salvation ranging across four generations of fathers and sons, in the finest tradition of American storytelling. The year is 1966 and a young man named Vollie Frade, almost on a whim, enlists in the United States Marine Corps to fight in Vietnam. Breaking definitively from his rural Iowan parents, Vollie puts in motion a chain of events that sees him go to work for people with intentions he cannot yet grasp. From the Cambodian jungle, to a flophouse in Queens, to a commune in New Mexico, Vollie's path traces a secret history of life on the margins of America, culminating with an inevitable and terrible reckoning. Scibona’s story of a restless soldier pressed into service for a clandestine branch of the US government unfolds against the backdrop of the seismic shifts in global politics of the second half of the twentieth century. Epic in scope but intimate in feeling, this is a deeply immersive read from a rising star of American fiction.

Every ministry needs capable and reliable volunteers, but so often it feels like no one is coming forward to fill your church's needs. In reality, the people around us do want to volunteer their time and talents, but we often fail to connect potential volunteers to ministry opportunities or lose them somewhere along the way. The Volunteer Effect is your start-to-finish guide to recruiting, leading, and retaining volunteers for your ministry. Based on solid management theory delivered in an engaging narrative form, this book shows you how to - recruit people to a mission, not just a role - create low-risk entry points - build a team that evokes pride - train them for the bigger picture - and much more Your most effective volunteers are already in your church! Let this resource show you how to find--and keep--them.

Comments from an earlier draft of The "Volunteer", which was formerly posted as a serial on Literotica.com: "I really enjoyed your story and was most impressed in the way that you described Dani's progression through her project. It was refreshing to read about being naked in public without the act being sexual and I suppose typifies the outlook held by naturists. Well done..." - Literotica user tompo296 "I enjoyed reading your story, and appreciated how the ending showed how Dani had been changed by her experience. I liked how you showed the awkwardness and embarrassment of Dani's situation but still provided a mostly safe environment for her to have her experiences. Thank you!" - Jessica Tang Von Harper, author of Candlelight City "This story was not only well written but had something worthwhile to say. It was very interesting to try to understand the subtleties of how Dani felt about nudity." - Literotica user reader_3634 "Read all 17 chapters over the last few days. Couldn't get enough of it." - Literotica reader ikaiser "Words fail me...- I have just read one of the best stories I have ever seen here on Literotica! Please please please continue with Dani's further adventures..." - Literotica reader The_Rat_in_the_Hat Many people dream of being at work or school only to realize that they are either naked or in nothing but their underwear. For university student Danielle Keaton, this dream is about to become her reality. Facing the consequences of a severe lack of judgement, she is forced to make a choice: either give up her scholarships and her plan for graduating from college debt-free, or volunteer to be the test subject in a unique sociological study that will leave her naked and vulnerable to the entire university and eventually the world.

This editionNpart of the Traveler's Handbook seriesNguides new and veteran travelers through the challenges of finding, vetting, and choosing their ideal volunteer experience all over the world.

VolunteerMatch taps expert knowledge from today's volunteerism professionals to help nonprofits take a more inventive approach to volunteer engagement Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights Changing the World shows you many of the innovative approaches to engaging volunteers that are reshaping nonprofits, volunteer programs, and communities around the world — and how you can bring these changes to your own organization. Curated and edited by VolunteerMatch, the Web's most popular volunteer engagement network, these transformative strategies and practices are already being used by innovative nonprofit, government, and business sector leaders in volunteering — and they represent many of the future trends in volunteerism. This insightful collection contains actionable advice on strengthening volunteering at your organization as well as broader explorations on the nature of opening organizations to volunteers to show you how to create a new volunteerism model that supports your organization's mission and programs. Among other things, you'll learn how to attract millennials and baby boomers to your cause, the best ways to partner with corporate and pro bono volunteer programs, why micro volunteering may be the future of online giving, what's new in national service, why your supporters are a largely untapped goldmine of fundraising success, and what trends will drive volunteering in the future. For more than 15 years VolunteerMatch has had unprecedented access to leading innovators in the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors. In this book, you'll share that access as you explore the ideas, strategies, and insights that will boost volunteer engagement today and in the future. Learn what trends and ideas are reshaping volunteer engagement today Reconsider your volunteer model to reflect your organization's mission Find out what the leading thinkers predict will drive volunteering in the future Optimize volunteer recruitment, screening, orientation, and training Understand and cater to the motivations of your volunteers The world of volunteering is changing and there has never been a better moment to engage the time and talent of those who support your cause. How will your nonprofit grow and thrive with the help of volunteers? Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights Changing the World provides the innovation and inspiration, you just need to supply the action.

Working with volunteers can be a rewarding and exciting experience—for them as well as for those who recruit, train, and maintain their services. However, if church leaders are honest, they know there are times that it can be frustrating. They know that volunteers are essential, vital to creating growth and new ministries, and are the key to introducing youth and children to Jesus Christ. They have the welcoming smiles at the door, they serve the food, pray for needs, stuff bulletins, organize missions trips, and on and on. If they want to see their church grow, it must be a volunteering church, a church that runs on volunteers. The Volunteer Church was developed out of the ministry of Leith Anderson at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where a vital and vibrant volunteer program boasting 4,000 participants grew under the leadership of Jill Fox. The principles and training have been applied in churches of all sizes and denominations in seminar settings across the country as well as at Wooddale Church. In The Volunteer Church, leaders will Learn how to effectively recruit and train volunteers Discover how to build sustainable, long-lasting ministries led by volunteers Find methods for encouraging and maintaining your volunteers for success Know how to build teams of volunteers Understand how to find the right service that fits a willing volunteer If you lead a church and are exhausted by the lack of volunteer help, or if you are a volunteer and dream of adding numbers to your team, this book is for you. If you are on a church staff and know that a new ministry is needed but volunteers and training are required to make it happen, here you will find the resources to recruit, inspire, train, and maintain the church’s most vital workforce.

Completely revised and expanded, the ultimate guide to starting—and keeping—an active and effective volunteer program Drawing on the experience and expertise of recognized authorities on nonprofit organizations, The Volunteer Management Handbook, Second Edition is the only guide you need for establishing and maintaining an active and effective volunteer program. Written by nonprofit leader Tracy Connors, this handy reference offers practical guidance on such essential issues as motivating people to volunteer their time and services, recruitment, and more. Up-to-date and practical, this is the essential guide to managing your nonprofit's most important resource: its volunteers. Now covers volunteer demographics, volunteer program leaders and managers, policy making and implementation, planning and staff analysis, recruiting, interviewing and screening volunteers, orienting and training volunteers, and much more Up-to-date, practical guidance for the major areas of volunteer leadership and management Explores volunteers and the law: liabilities, immunities, and responsibilities Designed to help nonprofit organizations survive and thrive, The Volunteer Management Handbook, Second Edition is an indispensable reference that is unsurpassed in both the breadth and depth of its coverage.

FUN, FREEDOM and FREE FOOD Worried about finances? Savings and 401k reduced? How about volunteering at organizations that offer free room and board in exchange for workplace or hobby skills? This is reality. All you need do is get there! You choose the destination, the hours, and your responsibilities within a multi-cultural, multi-generational community of like-minded colleagues giving to the greater good. All this, within your budget. Come join me! Second Career Volunteer: A Passionate, Pennywise Approach to a Unique Lifestyle offers: How-to find organizations that offer free room and board in exchange for your skills. How-can college grads find employment and gain experience while remaining independent. How-to prepare for retirement with travel on a budget. How-you-can downsize via the 3 Rs Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. How-to have your fun and free food too!

As a church or nonprofit leader who relies on volunteer teams to get the job done each week, you know how difficult it can be to keep all of your volunteer roles filled. You feel overworked and understaffed, with a budget smaller than your vision. Sometimes your ministry can feel like it has a revolving door, simultaneously bringing in new volunteers as current ones leave. The cycle of volunteer recruitment and turnover can be overwhelming, leading to frustration and distracting from the mission. In The Volunteer Project, we will introduce you to 4 Strategies that, when applied, will launch your church or nonprofit ministry into what we call a zero recruitment model of volunteerism. Formulated from the authors' research, combined 50+ years of experience in leading volunteer teams, and the feedback of hundreds of volunteers, these 4 Strategies are designed to provide individuals with such satisfying volunteer experiences that they are motivated to continue volunteering, and even invite their friends to join them. Packed with comprehensive research, an online assessment tool for measuring volunteer satisfaction, and real-life stories, The Volunteer Project is designed to help you stop recruiting and start retaining.