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  • Your Volunteer Manager Horoscope for 2017 Part 2

    your-volunteer-manager-horoscope-for-2017

    …and the rest of the volunteer manager horoscopes for 2017 are…

    Leo
    July 23 to August 22

    This is a very social year, and a lunar eclipse in Leo awakens your self-awareness, giving you the confidence to advertise your many program successes, which means you will wake up one morning, after having dreamed about vicious little Gavin in third grade who always copied off your papers and then threatened to rub your face in his tuna sandwhich if you told, and you will borrow a megaphone from your football crazed cousin who smells like ham and lives in your aunt’s basement. You will don your wizard’s hat left over from your Gandalf Halloween costume and you will arrive early at work, and stand near the front door, fist raised, blasting loudly all the things you’ve accomplished as staff and volunteers arrive. You continue to amplify stats such as “our volunteer team increased by 15% this year, are you listening?!” and “volunteers now have a hotline to call thanks to me,” until you feel a tap on your shoulder and you turn quickly, hitting the CEO in the side of the head with your megaphone which sports a sticker that reads ‘Balls are for Playing,’ knocking his new designer glasses to the pavement, breaking them in half.

    On the flip and positive side, you do think about real ways to trumpet volunteer successes so you enlist businesses up and down the main thoroughfare in your town to post pro-volunteer messages on their marquee signs. These messages announce volunteer stats and words of support and thanks during volunteer appreciation week, which increases awareness and not only brings in more volunteers, but also creates new corporate donor partnerships with your organization. Your CEO forgives you while sporting new glasses and asks you to increase your campaign of awareness, enlisting other departments to help.  (You social guru, you!)

    Virgo
    August 23 to September 22

    Uh, oh, Saturn is still squaring your sign giving you lessons to learn, and encouraging you to take it slow and steady. This means you will suddenly declare your office space a “No Emergency Zone” and you will send out a memo to all staff that you have hand printed on recycled gift paper with scented markers from a co-op in India. The memo reads in part: “Placement of volunteers is no mindless task, like making coffee or calling donors. NO! It is a thoughtful, nuanced and carefully crafted exercise that takes experience, level-headed planning and the most bodacious, artful begging in the world! There are at least 20 steps to making the correct volunteer assignment, and if you need me to read those steps to you, send me a note and I will read them to you when I am good and ready. From here on out, volunteer requests must be submitted no less than three weeks in advance, to ensure excellence in all volunteering assignments.” You will nail a box to your door marked. “Properly Planned Volunteer Requests. No Last Minute Filing Need Be In Here! This means you, too, administration.”  When you smugly open the box the first time, you discover chewed gum, used tissues and a note that says, well, I can’t print it for all the profane language. Your immediate supervisor will force you to remove the box after you submit a volunteer name to marketing one week after their event is over.

    On a more positive side, this is a year of putting down roots, so one afternoon while accompanying a friend who is apartment searching, you come up with an idea for a volunteer education program you call  “Rooted in Learning.” This idea resonates because you have experienced the growth or your volunteers due to their hunger for knowledge about your program. You enlist virtual volunteers to help create a monthly educational newsletter filled with articles, tips and research not only pertinent to the volunteers’ jobs, but also to the volunteers’ personal well-being and development. It is such a hit that it becomes a weekly newsletter with contributions from a growing team of virtual volunteers, who then ask for more work and they begin to aid other organizational departments as well. This new program wins a local award for innovation and creativity. (You innovative master, you!)

    Libra
    September 23 to October 22

    Oh, Libra, Jupiter retrogrades in the spring, bringing rapid change which means that you will suddenly decide after visiting that new Turkish coffee shop  to complete all your pending projects in a weekend you dub, “Rapid Fire Volunteering.” You decide to camp out at your office, bringing in a sleeping bag, toothbrush and soap, and a picture of your ex-partner because the sight of him makes you wildly aggressive. You schedule volunteers in one hour shifts to help you arrange all your notes and binders on the floor and tables in your office and you work non-stop while listening to vintage Prodigy albums. At 4am, a security guard finds you sleeping among strewn potato chip bags, “Firestarter” playing in a loop, and, thinking you are a vagrant, he calls the police.  He pokes you with his night stick and almost tasers you when you jump up swinging because in the dark, the policeman slightly resembles your ex-partner.  The policeman helps you to your feet and then confirms your employment by phone with a very angry and sleepy senior manager. Your organization circulates a memo, initiating a “no sleeping in your office policy,” and they include a picture of a sleeping you, dried saliva running down your cheek.

    But ironically, this energy serves you well and one day, you are in a departmental meeting involving volunteer services, marketing and PR. While listening to the marketing manager talk about their wish list,  you hatch an idea to create a volunteer marketing assistant group. You enlist your most vocal volunteers and with a marketing training course, these volunteers accompany speakers to speaking engagements, providing support, volunteer success stories and that personal touch. The volunteers also contact local groups to book more speaking engagements, increasing your organization’s community awareness, support and donations. (You brilliant thinker, you!)

    Scorpio
    October 23 to November 21

    Good ol’ Jupiter hangs out in your 12th house allowing you to reboot, creating a desire to really recharge. This means that although you pore through brochures about retreats to Nepal, the grim reality is that you can’t afford such a lavish trip, so you decide to go on a pilgrimage right there in your own town. You dress in Buddhist robes and sandals and carry a gnarled walking stick that you name “Metaphysical Mike” and begin your odyssey, quoting the Dali Lama as you walk through the main shopping area to raise awareness of volunteering. One morning, while pausing in front of Donna’s Diner to adjust the placard around your neck that reads “non-violence is volunteering,” you are approached by a man dressed in fur. He claims to be Sasquatch and although he just wants to hug you, you defensively bonk him on the head with Metaphysical Mike. He backs away, knocking over the diner’s cute cafe tables and Donna herself comes out to yell, but you hike up your robes and run. You finally breathlessly stop outside your office building, where a group of retired seamstresses are politely waiting for a tour of your organization. One of the group’s members is a volunteer who happily announces, “Oh, here’s our volunteer manager. She’ll take us on a tour!” Trapped, you lead the group through the building, your dirty and tattered robes falling off as you raise Metaphysical Mike and point out a startled group of administrators having lunch.

    On a saner and positive flip side, you do create a retreat for your volunteers, enlisting the services of your town’s business owners. You feature alternative therapies, such as yoga, massage, healing touch, reiki, and aromatherapy in a day of “Recharge and Refresh.” It is a resounding success and your CEO asks you to head up a committee to create annual staff and volunteer retreats. You agree and find that you are now recruiting more alternative therapy volunteers who go on to create innovative and meaningful programs for your clients. (You freakin’ guru, you!)

    Sagittarius
    November 22 to December 21

    Since your ruling planet is in your teamwork zone, you are pumped to make teamwork a priority and after spending an evening at a local sports pub because your friend wanted to meet the cute new bartender, your mind is swirling from all the television sets broadcasting various sports channels. While watching extreme sports, you decide to create your own team atmosphere by hand printing shirts for your volunteers that say, “Team Bestest Ever.” You wear a cap proclaiming yourself “Head Coach of Team Awesome” and one afternoon, you pass out pom poms to all employees in a staff meeting, claiming that they are the cheerleaders for team volunteer. You then pull three random staff members to the front of the room and attempt to lead them in a cheer, asking them to respond to your cheers by shouting “volunteer:” “Who’s the team that’s underappreciated? Volunteer! Who’s the team we fail to notice? Volunteer! Who’s the team that everybody should be thanking but don’t cause we don’t really know what they do and how complicated it is to keep them engaged? Volunteer!” When you realize no one is participating, but rather looking at you in total shock, you sulk back to your seat and sit down. You then are made to take down all the posters you have put up all over your organization, especially the ones that read, “Team Volunteer is Smarter Than Team Finance” and “Team Volunteer Challenges Team Grant Writers To a Cage Fight!”

    Thankfully, when the talk of your ” epic breakdown” fades away, a more positive team idea formulates. You create teams of volunteers made up of a mix of seasoned veterans, new volunteers, prospective volunteers, varying age groups, gender, culture etc. to promote a spirit of volunteer teamwork. The ensuing by-product is these team members support one another, disseminate crucial information, fill in for one another when necessary and work at retaining the members of their group. It is a teamwork win-win and your organization asks you to help recreate the concept for staff which infuses a positive and recharged organizational spirit. (You winning coach, you!)

    Capricorn
    December 22 to January 19

    Saturn rounds out a tour through your 12th house, meaning you will reveal many hidden things and so, one night while reaching for another tissue while watching “How to Train Your Dragon” again, you conjure up a volunteer department based on honesty and revelation. The next day while speaking to a volunteer who asks why she wasn’t told there were no chairs for her to sit upon at the table she manned during the last community fair, you try out your new communication style and answer, “Well, because Doris, the manager of PR, didn’t tell me that we needed to furnish our own chairs.” And in a fit of honest lunacy, you add, “let’s go up and give her a piece of our minds!” Horrified, the volunteer reluctantly follows you up to administration where you rap on Doris’ door, smiling sweetly at your petrified volunteer. When a puzzled Doris invites you in, you point to your volunteer and say, “our volunteer has something to say to you. Go on, be honest.” At this point, the volunteer bursts into tears and runs from the office, bumping into another volunteer who just collated 100 copies of the new procedures manual. Both volunteers drop to the ground, sobbing while gathering the scattered pages and you end up spending your day re-collating the manual and apologizing profusely. Doris, meanwhile bans you from her office for the next three months.

    When fellow staff stop avoiding you, you feel the time is right for your volunteer department to spread some much-needed positive joy within your overworked and stressed organization. You obtain permission for your volunteers to read “words of joy and inspiration” at staff meetings. The volunteers recount some of their personal journeys and experiences while volunteering and these 3 minute episodes are a huge hit with grateful staff. Based on the new-found camaraderie, your volunteers decide to create a “spa day” for overwhelmed staff, an event that features massage, and art therapy and stress relieving journal writing. Spa day becomes an eagerly awaited yearly staple and fosters a new appreciation for volunteers.(You wicked good leader, you!)

    Well, there it is! After she rolled up the charts, Ms. Crystal Ball-Starrzowie wiped the sweat from her brow, either because she had worked really hard, or maybe because the broken furnace in her basement kept running on super high, I’m not sure which. But she did grab my face, locked her eyes on mine and said, “Now this is vitally important. Listen very carefully.” She tightened the grip on my cheeks and added, “your credit card was denied. You owe me $78.”

    Cheers and here’s to 2017!

    -Meridian

  • Your Volunteer Manager Horoscope for 2017

    your-volunteer-manager-horoscope-for-2017

    I was so excited (after paying an online $78 service fee) to book a one hour session with the famous astrologer, Crystal Ball-Starrzowie in her uptown “basement of timeless possibilities.” I could not wait to learn all that is in store for volunteer managers for 2017 and so I took a bus into town, finally stumbling over two garbage cans and upon “Starrzowie’s Astrological Emporium” tucked in between a laundromat and convenience store. Crystal Ball-Starrzowie met me at the door and immediately shushed me, putting her purple cat fingernail over my lips, then she led me down past the ping-pong table to her “mystic room.” The patchouli incense burned my eyes, but I knew I had to do this for you, so I sucked it up, literally, and in between mopping the tears from my painful eyes, I wrote down her breathy predictions for volunteer managers for the coming year.

    Here they are:

    Aquarius
    January 20 to February 18

    Jupiter, that giant gaseous seeker planet moves into your global ninth house, indicating you will take an epic pilgrimage this year, which means you will most likely rent a family sized van and carpool a group of volunteers to a self-help seminar, where, after 15 minutes you will lose them in the crowd just as the presenter shouts, “Grab hands of the person next to you!” You will end up frantically enlisting security to help you find your missing volunteers, who have all wandered next door to the competing seminar, “Take No Prisoners, Grab What You Want Out of Life.” As you approach, the volunteers wave their seminar lists of ‘stand up rights’ and forcefully demand that they now be provided with organic snacks while volunteering and that they will pick the route on the drive home which involves stopping at the local Pottery Barn for a clearance sale.

    On a more positive note, a couple of lunar eclipses enhance your self-authorizing nature and spur a long-awaited change which means you will finally raise your hand in a staff meeting and say, “while it may seem like it is easy to ‘just get volunteers to do that’,  I’d love to help as best as I can. Meanwhile, may I present at next quarter’s meeting on the nuances of managing volunteers so as to give everyone a perspective on volunteer engagement?”  And then you will follow through with an awesome presentation on the changing world of volunteerism. (You freakin’ rock star!)

     

    Pisces
    February 19 to March 20

    Saturn, the sage planet has been messing around in your success-driven 10th house and you will make some lifestyle changes, meaning that after much thought, you will decide to switch to an unlisted phone number, then you will reconsider and make that number public when you miss all the volunteers calling you at all hours, then in a fit of what most of us deem insanity, you will invite volunteers to your house for a home-made vegan dinner (which consists of canned corn and frozen zucchini because both are out of season at the farmer’s market) and a round table discussion on ‘zany ways to make volunteering more appealing’. Several volunteers choke on the clumpy corn and you meet some really nice paramedics who calm you with a shot of tranquilizers.

    On a positive note, while you are considering planning a volunteer recruitment square dance, spiritual Neptune drifts through your sign, sparking real creativity. Instead, you design an open retreat for all volunteers from your community, focusing on the spiritual aspect of helping others and from this humble gathering, you not only gain new help, you forge a group relationship with other volunteer managers in your area. This group will provide much welcomed support for one another. (You creative genius!)

    Aries
    March 21 to April 19

    Five, count them, five crazy planets influence you this March which indicates epic, grassroots advocacy, meaning you will have an epiphany one night and will picket your own organization, cajoling three volunteers to join you in carrying signs that call for the ethical treatment of volunteers. When the local TV news station shows up, having been tipped off by a staff member who is still mad you didn’t get a volunteer to run an errand for her three years ago, you run in a zigzag pattern, just like you saw on CSI into a nearby parking lot where you and two volunteers hide behind parked cars. (the third volunteer hides behind a tree making bird sounds because she just had knee surgery and can’t run.)  Luckily, your executive director is not overly angry, but sits you down and challenges you to put all that leadership energy to better use.

    On a more positive note, since this is the year powerful partnerships emerge for Aries, you will seek out and partner with a local corporation to combine team building with meaningful corporate volunteering, which garners a positive write-up in the local newspaper and makes your executive director very happy she didn’t fire you. (You amazing activist you!)

    Taurus
    April 20 to May 20

    Jupiter, Mr. Humongous Adventure will shake up your sixth house of routine and responsibilities, meaning you will create a giant mandala on the floor around your desk where you will place buckets representing tasks to be done, such as read email, assign volunteers, plan events, etc. Each morning you will throw handfuls of shredded documents into the air and whichever bucket gets the most scraps of paper is the task you will complete. Other staff will steer clear of your area until they can no longer bear the sound of your mantra chanting “volunteers are people too, volunteers are one with the mission,” and administration will make you remove the fire hazard burning candles.

    On the other, positive hand, because your persistent nature abounds this year, you will finally convince your executive director to free up some funds to send you and several volunteers to educational training opportunities which leads to new successful and innovative projects, a few of which are piloted by those same, capable and motivated volunteers who attended the educational sessions with you. (You raging bull, you!)

    Gemini
    May 21 to June 20

    Crazy Jupiter is in retrograde from February through June giving you a chance to experiment with your already amazing style. You dye your hair purple, go completely boho and wear white t-shirts on which you have volunteers draw pictures and write their favorite quotes, uplifting messages and thoughts. You wear these “canvases of inspiration” to all meetings and events until your town’s mayor who officiates a major fund-raiser points out that on the back of your shirt is scribbled, “kick me in an inspirational place.” You then visit your local thrift store for new to you clothes, because you had given all yours away.

    However, in a positive vein, the planet of surprises, Uranus influences your friendships which means, creative Gemini, that you will forge a friendship with a video maker who helps you to create a series of volunteer training videos that are informative and engaging and aids you in attracting more well-rounded volunteers. (You star, you!)

    Cancer
    June 21 to July 22

    Mars, that red planet named after the god of war, can create aggression and impulsive behavior and he makes an appearance in your house this year. Tired of being playfully called the ‘caretaker’ because you always pick up the slack to ensure that volunteers have what they need at events and assignments, you’ve finally had enough of doing other people’s jobs and you go on strike. You refuse to make another volunteer assignment until your volunteer manifesto is read over the intercom. Fearing for your mental health, HR schedules an appointment with a psychologist who happens to be the brother-in-law of a senior manager. He thoroughly agrees with you, having tried to volunteer at your organization years before you got there. Having been treated as ‘just a volunteer,’ he understands your frustration and releases you immediately, commenting that you are saner than his own family.

    In the positive meantime, pesky Saturn, the sage comes into your sixth house of structure and you wisely focus on putting volunteer procedures and job descriptions into place. Your intelligent policies and procedures attract the attention of the Quality assurance folks and they enlist you to head up a task force to rewrite organization policies. (You smarty pants, you!)

    Ok, enough, I have to decipher the rest of my hasty scribbling, because at this point I was wiping my eyes with my paper which smeared a lot of the notes, but I will post the rest of Ms. Ball-Starrzowie’s earth shattering predictions next week.

    Happy Positive Year!

    -Meridian

  • Back to Work

    back-to-work

    The holidays, like the saved for since childhood vacation or the once in a lifetime visit to a restaurant with that one meal that beats all meals ever consumed in history, must at some point come to an end. Then the letdown, or the blues or the blahs set in. The little piece of owl wrapping paper hurriedly left on the corner of your desk stares at you, evoking memories of gift exchanges and the excited sharing of upcoming plans and the anticipation of fun.

    Now, work looks stark in contrast. Those colorful post it notes have a utilitarian feel and the decorations that need to come down are just one more job along with the shoveling of emails and the cleaning out of the gutter of voice mails. Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

    Or maybe you’ve had to work over the holidays, overseeing volunteer involvement in events or client interactions or special projects. Then your holidays feel stolen somehow, because at the time, it was festive to know you were helping others, but now it just seems all too short.

    So, I’ll make this quick and not add to your stress. You have better things to do with your time like sneak into a bathroom stall and weep a bit. And, since I am no therapist and usually don’t know what the hell I’m talking about anyway, here is my advice for this week’s return to work:

    1. Don’t feel guilty about feeling blah: No, nope, nada, nyet, iie, non, kao, nej. Your feelings are real and justified.

    2. Plan for your next getaway: Yep, put something on your calendar to look forward to, especially if you need it right now. Next week, you probably won’t need it so much, but right now, it is the light at the end of this back to work tunnel.

    3. Take it super slow: Only do what is absolutely critical to not lose your job. Other than that, allow the me comfort to continue all day, mainly to avoid telling the marketing director to ##!@ off because you weren’t ready to be asked for six volunteers to get those New Year’s flyers distributed asap.

    4. Make your work about your choice: “I choose to do..” rather than “I have to do..” will help shift that out of control feeling.

    5. Reflect on joy: What made you happy during the holidays? Studies show that the act of remembering joy can reawaken the joy. Go ahead and let that happiness wash over you again.

    We can’t inspire others if we are not healthy and whole. Please don’t ever think that your well being is not crucially important to this work. It is. Take good care of yourselves, because you are more important to furthering your mission than you will ever admit.

    Happy and Joy Filled New Year!

    -Meridian

     

     

  • Happy New Year!

    A very happy, prosperous and wonderful new year to all.

    Here’s hoping 2017 is the year of the volunteer professional!

    -Meridian

  • Happy Holidays

    holiday-card_001

    Happy Holidays to all!  If you can use it, here is a version for volunteers-please feel free to copy and share with your volunteers.

    holiday-card-for-vol_001

    Be safe, well and filled with joy.

    -Meridian

  • Twas the Night Before the Holidays

    twas-the-night-before-the-holidays

    Grab a cup of hot cocoa and please allow me to read my wish for your holiday season:

    T’was the Night Before the Holidays:

    ‘T’was the night before the holidays, when all thro’ the organization
    Not a marketer was stirring, not even administration;
    The recruitment ads were out in the media with care,
    In hopes that new volunteers soon would be there;
    Staff members were nestled all snug in their beds,
    While worries of slim budgets danc’d in my head.

     And I at my keyboard, pulled up the volunteer requests,                

    “Eight volunteers for tomorrow? Oh gosh, now I’m stressed.”
    When out in the parking lot there arose such a clatter,
    I sprang from my cubicle to see what was the matter.
    To the window I flew over piles of work,
    Tore open the miniblinds, and moved the whiteboard with a jerk.
    The blinking of messages on my cell phone screen,
    Made the unfinished filing an eerie green;
    When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
    But a tall group leader who gave a big cheer
    With a youth group in tow, so lively and quick,
    I knew in a moment it must be Coach Nick.
    More welcome than lunch breaks his team they came,
    And he whistled, and shouted, and call’d them by name:
    “Now! Danny, now! Derek, now! Pujesh and Vinnie,
    “On! Carlos, on! Carrie, on! Deidre and Minnie;
    “To the files! To the clients! To the hosting of the gala ball!
    “Now dash away! Get in the fray! Dash away all!”
    As dollars from donors to marketing fly,
    The work that needs doing, this team will supply;
    So into the building, now one, two, three run,
    With no complaints‍—‌they said this was fun:
    And then in a twinkling, I was so beguiled
    To see that each stack of reports had been filed.
    No questions they asked, they just got so busy,
    While Coach Nick came to me as I was feeling dizzy:
    He was dress’d all in uniform, from his head to his knees,
    And he said, “how can we help you some more, if you please”;
    He brought volunteer applications dusted with glitter,
    And said he had read my volunteer ad on Twitter:
    Our cause made his team feel like they should be giving,
    Then he looked at me and said, “now you make a living
    helping others all day and so we’ll help you.
    You’re an unsung hero, one of just a few
    who work so hard to give others a chance,
    to feel loved and not burdened by their circumstance.”
    He signed in as requested which gave me a fright
    That now I had good help-at least for this night:
    He got back to work, and didn’t complain,
    And the team he brought with him all seemed quite sane;
    They whisked through data entry and none were left brain dead
    And soon I knew I had nothing to dread.
    Nick gathered his team and encouraged them with meaning,
    And they finished putting together packets; and even did some cleaning,
    Then looking around, and seeing it was complete
    They took a few selfies and sent out a tweet.
    He sprung to his SUV, where he waved out the door,
    And happily the volunteers flew, while still looking for more:
    But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight‍—‌

    “Happy Holidays to all, we’ll be back another night.”

    -Meridian

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

  • But I Don’t Have All the Answers

    but-i-dont-have-all-the-answers
    “I’ve been managing volunteers for oh, say about ten years now,” Evan said. “Just recently, my organization sent me to a national conference on volunteering. “I was thrilled, you know, so happy that they invested that money in me and in the volunteer program. I signed up for every session I could and some of the presentations were about ideas that I already implemented, but there was this one presentation that just blew me away. It was from this young presenter who showed some pretty innovative ways to advertise on social media. When I returned, I have to admit, I was pretty embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of these social media ideas on my own. Is that normal, or am I being overly sensitive?”

    Evan, this is perfectly normal, trust me. If you’ve ever had a fellow staff member attend a conference and come back with an idea that they felt you should already have implemented, then you know what Evan is talking about. Volunteer managers, who daily strive for a superior volunteer program can naturally feel inadequate when shown an innovative and successful program implemented by another volunteer manager. “Why hadn’t I thought of that,” rings in our heads. “I must be slipping,” says that interior voice that constantly critiques.

    “Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers” …Voltaire, (1694-1778)

    Let’s break that down. Presentations at conferences are about innovation and success and the presenter is giving us the best of their programs. And that’s exactly what we want from them. But like that old adage that tells us to imagine an audience in their underwear in order to calm our speaker-nerves, we can realistically imagine that a presenter with a successful program may not have some of our innovative programs. Therefore, they are not better than us. They just have something different from us.

    We have to remove our sensitive emotions when researching volunteer engagement and instead, approach it with a logical open mind. Taking pride in the fact that you are continually searching for better ideas makes you smart and innovative yourself, not “behind” or “backward.”

    Successful volunteer management involves researching and attending conferences and seminars. Make researching part of your job description and lobby for the money to attend conferences and webinars and peer group meetings.

    None of us has all the answers. Our volunteer manager community, committed to sharing best practices,  lifts all of us, our programs, our profession, our volunteers and ultimately that sharing benefits our clients.

    Instead of feeling inadequate for not having all the answers, feel empowered because you are continually searching and implementing innovations to improve your volunteer program.

    -Meridian

  • A Form Letter in Good Form

    a-form-letter-in-good-form

    “Carlos is one of those volunteers who just knows what to do,” LeAnne said proudly. “He understands rules and boundaries, doesn’t need much instruction and always, and I mean always,” she laughs, “turns in his reports and attends meetings. My only problem is I can’t clone him. He’s so good, I started to pick his brain, wanting to know the magic thoughts in there and I discovered that he had volunteered for quite some time in another city before he moved here. He told me about that program and how his volunteer coordinator was instrumental in teaching him so much about being a good volunteer.” LeAnne sighed. “I really would love to thank her for that.”

    Ahhhhh, volunteers that have volunteered successfully at another organization. It’s like finding a hair stylist with lots of experience and training. (No, wait, it’s actually much better)

    I’ve been on both ends of this volunteer exchange. I’ve welcomed volunteers who have had a great experience elsewhere and I’ve heard from volunteers who say their experience with my program helped them in their new endeavors. It makes you realize that our work reaches far beyond our postal code.

    So, what if we created a form letter to send to that unsung volunteer manager who taught a new volunteer everything they know? How incredibly validating would it be to hear that a volunteer you’ve mentored went on to successfully volunteer elsewhere? Imagine receiving this letter:

    Dear (volunteer coordinator),

    I am writing to let you know that your former volunteer (Tom Smith) has joined our organization as a youth advocate volunteer. (Tom) brings incredible skills and exhibits the caring nature necessary to work with and advocate for our clients. He is an outstanding addition to our volunteer program.

    Tom speaks highly of the (four) years he spent volunteering at ( your organization) and attributes many of his volunteering qualities to your coaching and guidance. I wanted to personally thank you for all of your time and effort spent in helping develop Tom’s natural talent and (my organization) looks forward to working with him. I give you my pledge to treat Tom with the dignity and respect that you have shown him and hope that one day he will speak as fondly of me as he does of you.

    Sincerely,

    Me

    Wouldn’t it feel really great to receive this letter? Who knows, maybe a relationship between the sender and the recipient might just develop into a peer-to-peer support system. And the volunteers who move on will realize that we, volunteer managers not only recognize their worth, we recognize the worth of each other and each other’s programs.

    We truly are in this together. A stamp or email and a form letter is all we need to thank a volunteer manager for all the time and effort they put into mentoring the volunteer that we now have in our program.

    The Toms of the volunteering world are coached by caring volunteer leaders. What a wonderful gesture to recognize that work, especially when we benefit from their effort.

    -Meridian

  • What Am I Thankful For? Fantasies

    what-am-i-thankful-for

    Ok, so maybe we, volunteers managers can’t control everything in our little sphere (gasp, but I want to, so, so, so badly). Maybe we sometimes retreat to a fantasy world in our heads that exists across from the “10 super easy ways to get volunteers” list that inhabits our nightmares.

    Is that so bad? Well, no, not when you consider that maybe our fantasies are really brightly disguised goals on steroids. Unless of course the fantasies involve the demise of someone at work, then, well, find some help, ok?
    But positive fantasies can tell us a lot about our wishes and dreams and dismissing them as nonsense may also help push our goals to the back of our minds (next to the dream of being the first person ever to have dinner with Bigfoot-in the forest, with wine, a nice Chablis, but I digress). So heck, let’s just descend into a positive fantasy world for a moment where we can let our volunteer manager minds run wild. What would we fantasize about?

    • A volunteer manager is chosen as CEO after the CEO quits in frustration while yelling, “No one, and I mean no one, except that amazing volunteer manager we have, what’s his name again, can do this job!!!”
    • At the all-staff end of year meeting, the award for ‘Supreme Being of All Things Non-Profit’ which is only given out once in the entire life of the organization, goes to…. YOU! And then, everyone would sit through fourteen hours of long speeches about how volunteer management saved the organization (dinner and yummy rainbow cupcakes would be served, of course, in between speeches).
    • At the annual volunteer appreciation luncheon, the CEO, when giving the welcome speech, says, “..and we couldn’t do it without our volunteers.” Then she stops and with a wink adds, “Wait, that’s just lip service. We really mean that and I will show you.” At that, the curtain opens and every staff member comes flooding out to mingle with the crowd of happy volunteers. There are hugs and tears and stories and neck massages and homemade cards and selfies that all culminate in the entire room singing “We Are The Champions” with locked arms. And no one would forget about it the next day.
    • The board of directors, in their quarterly meeting, all stand up in unison, rip up their prepared agendas and with one clear voice declare, “We hereby unanimously elect to increase the salary of our volunteer manager in proportion to the money saved by utilizing volunteer resources. Hey, that looks to be about $76,000, and that means no gala for at least five years, but what the heck, it’s worth it!”
    • At a new project exploratory meeting, one of the senior managers muses, “We need some fresh thinking from someone who has all the skills necessary to help us get this new project off the ground, someone who is creative, has people-skills, professional management ability, public speaking chops, mediation experience and is a darned nice person to boot!” At which every other manager moans that there is no such person on the planet and that same senior manager lifts up her hands and yells, “yes there is! Our volunteer coordinator!”

    Ahhhhhhhhh, I can’t stop smiling. That felt doggone delicious. But anyway, positive fantasies just might be an exaggeration of our heart’s desires. We can shut them out or we can turn them over in our heads and look at them as a springboard to work towards personal goals. Do we want more respect, salary, recognition, voice or any number of positive outcomes? What are your positive professional fantasies and how do you achieve these goals?

    Hard work is not something that chases volunteer managers in nightmares. No, hard work is the stuff of our every day working lives. Our fantasy goals, once sorted out in logical thinking, will require that same hard work.

    Don’t feel alone in fantasizing about positive changes. There is an entire community all around us of volunteer resource managers working to create positive change.

    And we all fantasize too.

    -Meridian

  • Maybe We Have Some Splainin’ To Do

    maybe-we-have-some-splainin-to-do

    What is the great question of the ages? Forget about “What is the meaning of life?” Pffft to “is there life on other planets?” Is that all you got to “What really happened to those adorable dinosaurs?”  And finally, oh puh-lease to “Is Spam really a food product?”

    Here is the question of the ages: Can we possibly make it any harder for people to volunteer?

    I thought about this a while back as I chuckled along with this video from musician and songwriter, Dave Carroll: There’s Got to Be a Better Way

    In this clever video, Mr. Carroll laments the extra crazy legal steps he has to endure in order to volunteer at his son’s school. Somehow, he shares a birthday with a person who has a criminal record, so, well, you know how that can go. He tries to have his fingerprints taken at a local police department and of course, the LiveScan equipment fails to capture a clear reading, so they advise him to go home and put lotion on his hands while wearing gloves to bed. Mr. Carroll takes that advice to the extreme and tells himself, “it’s for the kids.”

    It’s really a cute video and the hilarity illuminates how frustrating and seemingly ridiculous it can be for someone who just wants to volunteer. Or wait, let’s amend that: For someone who doesn’t have ulterior motives who just wants to volunteer.

    And there you have it. We, volunteer managers, especially those of us who regularly deal with background checks, fingerprinting and drug testing, understand that all the time spent on these legal requirements adds hours to our workweek. But we plod on because we are working to protect our vulnerable populations. And frankly, background checks are here to stay, unlike the vacuous idea that volunteers sit around breathlessly awaiting our calls. (Pick your battles.)

    The question, “Can we possibly make it any harder for people to volunteer” has an answer. Yes, we can, and probably will. For any organization that does not yet require volunteers to submit to background checks, enjoy yourselves while it lasts. The first time an unchecked volunteer does something bad, you will be instructed by a senior manager with pulsating temples to institute this requirement. Most likely, we are not going to make it easier to volunteer. So, what do we do?

    Explaining the whys of background checks goes a long, long way to assure prospective volunteers that we are not suspicious of them, not unduly peering into their private lives, and not trying to keep them from volunteering. Using verbiage that focuses on the vulnerability of our clients moves the emphasis from volunteer hindrance to client protection. A few ways of framing this shift in focus are:

    • Would you want us to allow just anyone off the street to volunteer with your child?
    • If we placed a volunteer with your elderly or sick grandmother, would you want us to be certain that this person is completely vetted?
    • When you donate money to help a cause, are you comfortable with random persons handling your money?
    • If just one out of a hundred volunteers is here for nefarious reasons, what if that one volunteer is alone with your son, or daughter?
    • In a perfect world, everyone volunteers because they want to help. But we don’t live in a perfect world, do we?
    • If you, or your loved one needed our help, what would you want us to do to make sure our volunteers have altruistic motivations?

    Life for volunteer managers would include tea breaks if we weren’t required to make our new volunteers jump through so many hoops. The enormous time and effort we spend on interviewing, checking backgrounds, training and explaining rules and regulations heaps hour upon hour of getting things right.

    But no matter how cumbersome vetting volunteers can be, the time and effort spent cleaning up a mess created by an unchecked, untrained volunteer who has done harm to our clients is vastly greater and more importantly, will shake our faith in our ability to provide the best volunteer care.

    So the next time a prospective volunteer is asked to complete a background check, think about explaining the whys to them. Because, just as Dave Carroll said,  it really is for the kids.

    -Meridian