volunteerplaintalk

Category: volunteer coordinator

  • Taming the Mokita

    taming-the-mokita

    Ahhh Mokita. It’s time we talked about the elephant in the volunteer manager room. We want to stand up for ourselves, but we don’t want to be ruthless. We want to be selfless but we don’t want to be stepped on. We look at our traits in terms of opposites. So we pick one side over the other, never thinking that we can be a whole and more productive person by uniting these two sides.

    How can volunteer managers tame the emotional war within us? Must we be placid to be kind? Do we have to become hardened, selfish and mean spirited to achieve respect and recognition for our work?

    NO, NO and once more, NO.

    In order to cease battling and reconcile the two sides within, we first must dispel our burdensome misconceptions. Let’s look at the traits that make up our Mokita: We’ll consult a dictionary as the authority.

    Misconceptions on the giving side:

    Humble = weak; (no, it means ‘not proud or arrogant’)

    Altruistic = easy; (not even close; it means ‘unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others’)

    Magnanimous = powerless; (not in this lifetime; it means ‘free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness’)

    Kindhearted = spineless; ( no, way off; it means ‘showing kindness’)

    Helpful = doormat; (no, besides one is an adjective, the other a noun, but anyway, it means ‘being of service’)

    And misconceptions on the taking side:

    Strong = mean; (no, and I LOVE this. It means ‘especially able, competent, or powerful in a specific field or respect’)

    Respected = selfish; (no, and this is just priceless. It means ‘having esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person’)

    Appreciated = greedy; (nah, and this couldn’t be better. It means ‘being valued or regarded highly’)

    Conscientious = uncooperative; (nope, never did. It means and this is so spot on, ‘governed by conscience; controlled by or done according to one’s inner sense of what is right; principled’)

    Bold = conceited; (no, didn’t think so. It means, and oh yes, this is perfect; ‘not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring’)

    For too long, volunteer managers have operated under the misconception that we are the the pushovers, and the pack mules of our organizations. But in order to change these misconceptions, we must first change them within. If we do not believe that we can be strong and bold without losing our altruistic and humble nature, then we won’t convince anyone else either.

    Maybe, to ease the emotional adjustment to becoming courageous and daring, we can look at it like this: We’re not changing to only better ourselves. We’re changing to help lift all the other volunteer managers and volunteer programs out there. We are striving for respect and appreciation to light the path for all those future volunteer leaders.

    Now that’s more in keeping with our altruistic nature, isn’t it?

    -Meridian

     

     

  • Our Mokita Is In The Room

    our-mokita-is-in-the-room

    Mokita is a New Guinea word that speaks of a “truth we all know but agree not to talk about,” which can more easily be translated into “the elephant in the room.”

    Do we, volunteer managers have a Mokita stomping around our offices?  Do we put our fingers in our ears when it trumpets? Yeah, I kinda think we do. So what is it? What big elephant are we ignoring when it knocks reports off the shelf and whacks us with its trunk as we work?

    We, volunteer managers are at war within ourselves.

    Yep, I believe we are. See, on one hand, we are givers, nice, humble, stand in the background types who push our painstakingly cultivated volunteers to reach for the sky. We fade into the shadows while putting everyone ahead of ourselves-the volunteers, the clients, staff, administration, the board, the donors, everyone. Very noble, right?

    On the other hand, though, we secretly would like to do a little taking. Somehow we magically hope our organizations will recognize the work we are doing, will appreciate all the sacrifice, and will actually see us in the shadows and give us the respect we have earned. We want a seat at the adult table. We want more than just individual volunteers honored once a year. Truth be told, we want our programs and yes, ourselves recognized as well . Selfish, right?

    And when no one sees us in the corner, we get frustrated. We feel beaten down, unappreciated, misunderstood. We can become bitter and angry. We can quit and go work at the Tire and Lube Store down the street or we can stick around and watch the elephant grow bigger on the peanuts of continuing letdown.

    It is our Mokita-our deep appreciation for being humble and giving versus our frustration at not being recognized for our humility and giving nature. And it is our inner turmoil in refusing to ‘sell our souls’ to become selfish in wanting to fix this. It is the elephant that constantly bumps our desks and breaks our spirits. Those silent pretty elephant eyes look accusingly at us and ask, “will you cease to be that nurturing person if you demand some respect?”

    So what do we do? Are we doomed because nice guys really do finish last? Or, are we, as a profession, awakening from under the blanket of background existence woven from fibers of frustration? Can we somehow balance our give and take and still maintain our cultivating spirits?

    What do you think? Well, here’s a question for you to ponder: Do you think volunteer managers should rise to Executive Director positions? If you hesitated, even for just a teeny bit, the Mokita is strong with you.

    Next time, some thoughts on Mokita: Do we have to live in the shadow of the elephant?

    -Meridian

  • The Honestly Honest Truth

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    Brad sighed. “I haven’t had a response from our volunteer, Ashwan in several months. He hasn’t answered emails or phone calls, or come to our monthly meetings. He was a good one. I just don’t know what happened. Did we do anything wrong?”

    This frustration ranks up there along with wondering why I was never employee of the year. Why do good volunteers fade away? Why don’t they tell us the truth about why they leave? Why aren’t they honest with us? We’re really nice people and we listen, right?

    Well, maybe because we need to be more than honest with volunteers right from the start. We need to be honestly honest.  Oh sure, we say to them, “hey, this volunteering might not be for everyone,” but doesn’t that just smack a bit of sanctimonious superiority? Doesn’t that just have an undercurrent of “oh, our volunteering is only for the good volunteers, and that’s probably not you?” If someone said that to me, I’d be looking for the nearest door and planning my exit move too.

    Maybe the breathy tales of our great volunteers can be a bit, well, off-putting for new volunteers. Who wants to have to live up to a Gandhi or a Mother Teresa?

    Maybe, instead of peppering our new volunteer training with story after story of long-term volunteer successes, we could also talk about volunteers who leave and how that’s ok.

    Maybe we could say things like:

    “Take our volunteer Shirley for example. She only stayed with us for three months, but we are so grateful for those three months. We still keep in touch with her. No matter how much or long you are with us, when you’re done, you’re done. Only you know when that is. And that’s ok. All volunteers leave and each volunteer that leaves has made a huge difference and trust me, we are grateful for each one.”

    “Volunteer Craig left after he tried a few different positions and found that they weren’t what he was looking for. Let’s be honestly honest here. We MAY FAIL YOU. Yes, that’s right, we may not intend to, but we may seem to take you for granted, or fail to use your skills. We’re human too and we want to fix things, for you and for other volunteers, so please, tell us when something is not right, because we are not perfect. Craig discussed this with us and we fixed some things because he shared his experience.”

    “Believe it or not, we don’t expect you to stay forever! And believe it or not, losing interest or moving on is something we experience all the time. That happened with our student volunteer, Sheri. She finished her degree and moved on. She got what she wanted from her experience here and took those skills with her when she left. That’s great! You are growing and changing and so are we. Nothing remains the same and if you find yourself feeling restless and wanting to move on, let us know. We want to have the opportunity to talk about it with you. Please don’t rob us of the chance to say thank you.”

    “If you find volunteering elsewhere a better fit for you, let us know so we can send a great recommendation along with you. All volunteering is good work and we are not in competition with other organizations. Our volunteer Marvin found that another organization was a better fit for him. We were so pleased that he took his volunteering to the next level. He comes back and helps us with special events and we love to hear about how he’s doing.”

    Every volunteer leaves a lasting impression on us. And while we strive to make volunteers comfortable with us, they may not be comfortable enough to share the reasons they leave. They may just think that our conception of a good volunteer revolves around how long they stay. Then, when they fade away, we lie awake and night and wonder why.

    So why not be honestly honest from the beginning and try to make it easier on them. And ultimately, easier on us too.

    -Meridian

  • A Corporate Volunteering Interview Part 2

     

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    Part 2 of the interview with Sadie on corporate volunteering-the day of the event.

     

    VPT: So, on the day of the event, you and several other employees met up at the location. How did it go?

    S: Well, we had an issue with parking. There were street parking spots, but a sign said ‘two hour parking only.’ We parked anyway. It was a four-hour shift so we figured we would have to come out and move the cars. Later, when we asked, they told us that the city had waived that rule and we could stay in our spots.

    VPT: After you parked, you went in and what happened?

    S: The building was a warehouse type of building and we had no idea how to get in.

    VPT: What did you do?

    S: We went around back, found a back door and went in through there.

    VPT: And then what?

    S: We found the makeshift kitchen where there was coffee and donuts and we announced ourselves to the people in there. They asked if this was our first year and we said yes, so they got another person to come and train us.

    VPT: Were they volunteers or staff? How did you know they were part of the event?

    S: I honestly don’t know if they were paid or not. But they wore stick on name badges.

    VPT: Did they greet you?

    S: They seemed stressed. It felt like they didn’t know what to do with us. They consulted the printed out sign up sheet and saw that we were listed so they said they would try to find a spot for us.

    VPT: What did the training consist of?

    S: About two minutes worth of what we were supposed to do.

    VPT: And that was….

    S: We were to walk around with the clients. They would have a shopping cart and we would go from station to station where they would pick out toys according to how many children they had and their ages. Then we would escort them to the stations where they would get boxes of donated food. I will say, the person who showed us what to do was very nice.

    VPT: How were the stations?

    S: The stations were very well set up, and organized. You could tell they had done this many times before.

    VPT: Were you given any information on how to act around the clients, anything about sensitivity or confidentiality?

    S: (laughs). At one point we were told to try to get stories of hardship from the clients so that we could direct them to a station that had extra toys. They had more toys than they needed, so I guess that’s a good thing.

    VPT: Did someone check in with you during your shift to see if everything was ok.

    S: Not with me, I don’t know about the others.

    VPT: And you were there for four hours.

    S: Longer. One of our group, Justin, who was helping at a food station, was told he could not leave until his replacement showed up. After thirty minutes of waiting, we just left. Some of us rode together and had to go.

    VPT: Did anyone acknowledge you when you left?

    S: No. Justin told his station manager and we left.

    VPT: How was it working with the clients?

    S: That was great. The people were very grateful and appreciated our being there to help.

    VPT: Were you comfortable with the clients, given you had minimal training?

    S: Surprisingly, yes. It felt very natural.

    VPT: Did your firm get any acknowledgement, thank you, write-up, mention on website, anything?

    S: No, nothing that I am aware of. In hindsight, we should have worn company t-shirts or brought something for them to use. They didn’t ask, though.

    VPT: Did you have some sort of follow-up meeting with your fellow employees after the event?

    S: No, we probably should have done that. But I did check in with them individually.

    VPT: What feedback did you get from the other employees?

    S: They thought it was worthwhile. They felt like they made a connection with the people being helped.

    VPT: Will you be back next year?

    S: Yes.

    VPT: What will bring you back?

    S: As much as I didn’t appreciate how it was run, it is about the people I was helping and it makes me feel good to help them. I wasn’t able to volunteer until I was a point in my life where I felt I was able to help others. Now that I can do that I feel like I’m also able to take on obstacles such as the people running the show. Maybe they started off like me, caring about the people more, and they never transitioned over to caring for the volunteers that help the people in need. I’m not sure, but I do feel like it comes with the territory.

    VPT: Anything else?

    S: Second reason I’ll go back is because it might not be the best environment to make me feel appreciated, but I’m comfortable now. I do have a busy life and I chose this organization for a reason. To find another one like it is time-consuming and what if it was just the same or worse? I feel comfortable at this organization now and next year I will be able to walk in, do what I came to accomplish and leave.

    VPT: Thank you Sadie for sharing your experience with us.

    Huh. Well, that was definitely eye-opening. So, I guess the takeaway is we should be relieved when volunteers put up with us because it’s just too darned time-consuming to find another place to spend their time and talents. And luckily for us, that new place might be worse.

    And hey, here’s a thought. Maybe we should thank the people we serve for being needy. Maybe we could just give them a reward for keeping our volunteers coming back. We could call it the “Sob Story of Retention” award.

    Or maybe we could just do better.

    -Meridian

  • A Corporate Volunteering Interview

    corporate-volunteering-interview

    I was really lucky to catch up with and interview Sadie, a busy mother and professional who took charge of a corporate volunteering event this past December for her financial firm. Here is the interview:

    VPT(volunteerplaintalk): Thank you for speaking with me today. I understand that you took the reins on a corporate volunteer project over the holidays?

    S: Yes, my firm allows us 4 hours of paid time to volunteer and I wanted to do something myself around the holidays because it felt like the time to give back. And because our 4 hours does not accrue for the following year, so I either had to use the time or lose it.

    VPT: How were you chosen to head up the corporate volunteering event?

    S: Quite by accident. I was just looking to fill my 4 volunteering hours.

    VPT: So you had planned on only volunteering yourself?

    S: Initially, yes, along with one of my friends.

    VPT: Did you find the organization you chose on your own or did they reach out to you?

    S: I found it on my own. It is a local toy drive put on by a local city organization and my mom had done something similar in Florida and I thought it would be a festive, holiday experience and I know that there is actual work that needs doing during the holidays to pull off these events.

    VPT: How did you end up doing a corporate volunteer event?

    S: Well, I approached my HR department to see if this organization would count towards my 4 hours and they told me that a number of employees hadn’t yet taken advantage of the volunteering hours for the year. They asked me if I would take charge of making it a corporate volunteering event and I agreed.

    VPT: How did you feel about taking charge?

    S: I really didn’t mind, because at our firm, we run projects, and so we are often in charge of other team members. But I will say, that there is more pressure when you are trying to create a worthwhile experience for a group. You don’t want to waste your fellow volunteers’ time.

    VPT: So, how did you set up this volunteering event with the organization?

    S: Well, I went to their website and saw that groups could volunteer. There were several categories, including sorting toys and food, setting up and also volunteering to help the people shop on the giveaway days of the event. I wanted our group to volunteer on the day they actually gave away toys and food to needy people, because I thought that it would be very meaningful for us.

    VPT: And how did you sign up?

    S: There was a place on the website to sign up for a particular date, so I did that with the names of the members of my group. I signed up two groups on two successive days. I also called the number listed on the website and left a message, because I wanted to make sure that my sign-up was recorded and I did have a few questions.

    VPT: And what did you ask when they returned your call?

    S: I never did get a return call.

    VPT: What? No one called you back?

    S: No, no one did.

    VPT: Did you try again? Did you get a confirming email?

    S: I called again and left a message. I did not get an email either.

    VPT: Were you worried at that point?

    S: Yes, very. I was now responsible for my co-workers’ volunteer hours, and time was running out on the year.

    VPT: What did you do?

    S: Well, I was very busy, what with all the family things to do and at work we had some projects with deadlines, so I waited for some sort of acknowledgement.

    VPT: Did it come?

    S: Luckily, yes. When I was about to look for another volunteer opportunity, I received an email asking me to sign up again through a website called signup genius. I clicked on the link and re-signed the  two groups for two separate days.

    VPT: Did you get a response then?

    S: Yes, an automated one from signup genius saying thank you and confirming.

    VPT: But no personal response?

    S: No, none. I did get a reminder from signup genius, so that was helpful.

    VPT: Was that enough?

    S: It would have been reassuring and helpful to get a personal phone call or email, but I just trusted that we were good to go.

    VPT: And did you inform your group that you were good to go?

    S: Yes, I forwarded the confirmation email to them with their names listed.

    VPT: Did you meet with your group before the event?

    S: No, we did not meet. It seemed pretty straightforward.

    VPT: Did you have an idea of who and where to report to on your volunteer day and what role you would have?

    S: I was in the day one group, so I could inform the group on day 2 of anything they needed to know. But, no, I had no idea who we were supposed to report to or where. I did have the address, though.

    VPT: And so, in good faith you just…

    S: (laughs) We just showed up.

    VPT: And how did it go?

    S: Well, parking was a real issue and we couldn’t figure out how to get into the building..

    Sorry to cut it off here, but the interview is longer than one post. Next time-what happened on the day of volunteering: The conclusion of Sadie’s interview.

    Thanks and have a great week!

    -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

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    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 Holidays

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    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

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    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