If no blog entries, show something else
This should do it:

{# Get all of the entries in the 'volunteerPosition' section #}
{% set entries = craft.entries.section('volunteerPosition').find() %}

{# Do we have any %}
{% if entries|length %}

    {# Loop through them #}
    &lt;ul&gt;
        {% for entry in entries %}
            &lt;li&gt;{{ entry.volunteerShortDescription }}
        {% endfor %}
    &lt;/ul&gt;

{% else %}
    {# Nothing to see here #}
    Sorry, nothing to show.
{% endif %}