volunteerplaintalk

Category: volunteer value

  • What is Volunteer Value, Anyway?

    How do we show volunteer value? In the old days, (way before Covid) we, volunteer engagement professionals, used three basic value indicators:

    • touting number of volunteer hours given
    • listing number of active volunteers
    • calculating money “saved” by incorporating volunteer help

    Since these methods were basically a bunch of numbers without any causality, they never showed:

    • how those volunteer hours supported mission goals
    • how those active volunteers completed mission objectives
    • how the volunteers brought in resources instead of how they saved money (which is a misnomer anyway, because volunteers do not replace paid staff. There are laws about that, BTW)

    The old methods don’t work. Volunteer impact is the way to show the causality between volunteer support and mission goals and objectives. Download the volunteer impact worksheet here.

    Connections are the circulatory system

    But that’s not the complete picture, is it? It’s time we added connections as a companion piece to volunteer impact. Connections are the crucial, desirable, sought after components to successful missions. Why? Because connections bring our organizations the things we need, such as donations, resources, advocacy, awareness, more connections, key advice, skilled help, encouragement, and avenues to grow.

    If impact is the heart of a mission, then connections are the circulatory system’s arteries. Arteries carry the mission goal out and return with the resources the mission needs to grow, thrive and meet objectives.

    But like arteries hidden beneath flesh and bone, connections are difficult to see as they are forming. We may see the results, but we often do not see the veins and arteries at work. We don’t see the volunteer talking us up at their clubs, soliciting donations for us. We don’t see the volunteer at a store who hands the cashier the organizational brochure he carries, telling her that the organization he volunteers for will help her child. We don’t see the volunteer who insists the next neighborhood newsletter feature an article about the good work we do.

    Connections are built, not made

    And here’s the misnomer about “making a connection.” Strategic connections are built, not made. Sending the marketing rep out for a quick “talk” to an interested group may make a short connection, but it does not contain the building blocks to a sustainable, vibrant partnership. Relationship building takes more than flyers dropped off or a quick tour of the facility, or heaven forbid, an invitation to a task force where the participants are subjected to lots of blowhard, uninformed blah, blah, blah. (yep, been embarrassed by those task forces many a time)

    While networking is fine as a starting point, relationship building is strategic partnering. Just as saying “we have 600 volunteers who gave 40,000 hours last year” is way less meaningful than “last year our 50 volunteers kept our doors open,” saying “we gave presentations to 35 clubs and corporate groups last year” cannot hold weight against, “we made 7 strategic connections that proved to be sustainable and brought us…(fill in the blank with the tangible benefits).”

    Our volunteers have a circle of influence (the folks around them) that are NOT acquaintances, but rather people who have some knowledge of the volunteer and therefore will listen with more trust than they will to some unknown speaker who shows up for 30 minutes and prattles on. Trust and familiarity are huge when making connections and our volunteers have trust and familiarity with their neighbors, friends, places of worship, professionals they employ (doctors, real estate agents, accountants etc.), and clubs, etc. to make sustainable connections. Their circle of influence becomes our circle of influence when our volunteers are empowered to advocate for us.

    But, as volunteer managers know, our volunteers don’t wait for the pat on the head, or the “ok, go out, but be careful” talk. They do it anyway, because they are good, smart people. But think about how much more effective they can be when encouraged and supported and supplied with resources.

    Reporting connections

    It may be imperfect, but we can show the connections made and the resources gained by our volunteers. Which takes us to this equation: Volunteer impact + volunteer connections = mission goals achieved, connections made and resources gained. But let’s not stop there. How do volunteer impact and connections happen? Because the volunteer is just a nice person? So, the equation becomes: Meaningful volunteer engagement + training and resources the volunteers need =volunteer impact + volunteer connections = mission goals achieved, connections made and resources gained.

    Using the above example, let’s take this further. 15 neighbors + 250 worship members + 30 club members =295 new connections. Wait, what about the 20 professions and 5 newsletters? Well, because our volunteer spoke to their doctor, their financial advisor, their lawyer, their children’s teacher, their real estate agent about the services we provide and the great work we do, we can safely assume those people will pass it on, so it becomes immeasurable.

    You can create a “connections” report, like the one above, or in whatever manner you think will show the work being done by volunteers. All you need is one volunteer to tell you the extra advocacy they do while away from your site. It’s pretty impressive.

    Present the report and ask for the resources your volunteers need, so that they can more easily make these connections. Give them marketing training, phone numbers to pass out, business cards to carry. When treated like valuable members of the outreach team, they will forge connections we now only dream about.

    Why wouldn’t any organization welcome additional help via our volunteers? Why do they prefer volunteers to “stay in their lanes?” Why aren’t volunteers typically mentioned in vision statements and future goals as contributing team members who add value by not only impacting the mission, but by forging connections that sustain us?

    Just what the heck are organizations afraid of?

    -Meridian

  • Volunteer Time Donor or Time Investor?

    Just revisiting this post about volunteer investors from 2017. Semantics aside, we need to change the deep conceptions/misperceptions surrounding volunteers.

    Why Time “donors”

    Time=Money. We all say it and that’s why we call volunteers “time donors.” They donate their time, skills, expertise, talents etc. But is that what they really are? Donors? Maybe there’s a more descriptive word for our volunteers. And what is the difference between the terms donate and invest anyway?

    donate: to present as a gift, grant, or contribution

    invest: to use, give, or devote (money, time) as for a purpose or to achieve something:

    Hmmmm, there’s a subtle, but profound difference in the two definitions.

    Volunteers don’t just show up, give a few hours and walk away. But outdated thinking categorizes them in this way. Doesn’t it feel like investing is closer to what volunteers do? Maybe we should start to rethink this whole time donor idea.

    Why Investors?

    Let’s take this further and examine investors. Investors invest money, right? But why? Why do they invest money in startups. non-profits, real estate, stock markets and other ventures. To make more money? Or is it more than that?

    Money is a currency. So what do investors really invest? Many things. They invest their future, hoping to be financially secure. They invest their dreams, hoping to achieve a goal. They invest their essence, hoping to give back. They invest their good name, hoping to attach to a cause that is worthy of their currency. They invest employee engagement, hoping to attract great employees. They invest their clout, hoping to further a cause that supports their vision.

    Investors invest so many intangibles, and their currency is money. They don’t give startups or organizations money, they devote their money in order to achieve a goal.

    How would this apply to volunteers?

    If money=currency, then time=currency.

    So if volunteers’ currency is time, then what exactly do they invest?

    They invest all of the above and their humanity. (the quality or condition of being human)

    Volunteer managers everywhere instinctively know this. We feel this every day when hearing and observing our volunteers’ intangibles. How do we feel this?

    • by the rewards volunteers tell us they personally feel
    • by their belief in us and our missions
    • by the passion exhibited by volunteers
    • by the camaraderie volunteers forge when bonding with like minded citizens
    • by the commitment volunteers show
    • by the enrichment volunteers gain by volunteering with us
    • by the sense of pride volunteers feel in their work
    • by the support and love they extend to us and other staff
    • by the initiative they take when doing word of mouth marketing in their communities
    • by the care they wrap around strangers in need
    • by the desire they exhibit in wanting us to grow and succeed
    • by the pure joy they infuse into our lives
    • by the amount of time they spend away from us helping us off the clock by recruiting, marketing. finding resources, donating, improving themselves, etc.

    What do we get from these Investors?

    • Additional time spent off the clock
    • Additional resources
    • Free marketing-the best kind, word of mouth
    • Support, both organizationally, and personally for any staff member lucky enough to work with volunteers
    • Information from the outside world-pretty darned important when you exist in a non-profit bubble
    • Expertise-think all the accomplished volunteers who willingly give their expertise to help us
    • Fresh ideas
    • Recruitment of like-minded individuals
    • Learning from all walks of life/education
    • Diversity and the ability to make real diverse change
    • Transparency and the ability to proclaim that transparency
    • A chorus of voices and a wide circle of influence

    Investors, according to experts, want the following things from the areas in which they invest:

    • they want to build a relationship
    • they want to partner
    • they want to invest in a “team”
    • they want to see a better future
    • they want to grow
    • they want to understand concepts

    Sounds an awful lot like the wants of our volunteers, doesn’t it? Calling volunteers “time donors” implies that they give time and walk away and are mostly disconnected from us. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    So, do volunteers donate their time or devote their time if devote implies giving for a purpose? I think devote wins hands down.

    For years and years, we have been trying to equate time donation with money donation. Time and money are simply two different types of currencies. And besides, we all know that volunteers do so much more than give their time to a task. They also raise money, find resources, advocate, broadcast, recruit, and market for us. They have chosen to invest a huge chunk of themselves in our missions. They have chosen to connect to us.

    Let’s stop constantly trying to shove volunteers into the round money hole by equating time spent with dollars saved, which isn’t a true measuring stick at all. Let’s erase the idea that volunteers have no more connection with us than a few hours here and there.

    time donors=minimal involvement

    volunteer investors=fully engaged

    Instead, let’s elevate the volunteers’ role as investors. Investors who devote their time, money, skills, talents, resources, passion, commitment, expertise, experience, knowledge, drive, zeal, perspective, and so much more to helping us further our causes.

    Investors.

    What could be more important than that?

    -Meridian

    originally appeared September 2017 here

  • Are We a Lone Nut or Part of a Movement?

    Everywhere #LoVols are saying, “Volunteerism is evolving and we must adapt to meet today’s volunteer needs.” We’re all saying it. But individually. We hear each other. But our organizations mostly hear us, and a lone voice is rarely heeded.

    I love Derek Sivers’ “How to Start a Movement” Ted Talk. It’s so good: (and only 3 minutes long)

    Are we, volunteer managers lone nuts? Do we whine, cajole, beg, furiously educate, preach, go back and squeeze our stress ball, then start again? I know I did, all the time. (I didn’t squeeze a stress ball though, I preferred sneaking in and turning off the light in the bathroom closest to the senior management offices-yeah, passive-aggressive, I know)

    We need to fix this lone nut conundrum and find the followers who can help create a movement. Let’s move our message outside the volunteer management bubble and get people who are not in our profession to follow our lead. It will not be easy, but we need the first brave followers to help lead change. (if you didn’t watch the video, the first follower is also a leader who has an important role-inviting others to join in)

    Where are these first followers? In your organization, who has benefited from volunteer involvement? Who on staff do the volunteers praise? I had one department in my organization that worked wonderfully with their volunteers. I wish I had tapped into that department’s potential to be the first follower but sadly, I didn’t know the importance of the first follower at the time.

    How do we create a movement within our organizations? Well, can you enlist staff who “get volunteer value” or an entire department who work wonderfully with volunteers to be your first follower? How?

    • equip the FF (first follower) with the phrases that advocate for volunteer engagement. Ask the FF to repeat key words when speaking. (for example, “our volunteers give my staff more time to complete their critical tasks.”)
    • ask a department who works well with volunteers to co-present a volunteer presentation at a staff meeting. (assure them that you will do the majority of work so they’re not bogged down) Ask the department to share success stories and invite others to join. Remember, the FF has a leadership role-inviting others to join.
    • invite your local volunteer manager peer group to speak to your organization. Ask them to share the trends they are seeing and how their organizations are striving to be “cutting edge” by adopting their volunteer manager’s recommendations. Remember, in a movement, no one wants to be left out.
    • share articles on volunteering trends with senior management. Give them the research to back up your advocacy. That makes you the FF, and not the lone nut.
    • find the “what’s in it for me” verbiage to entice followers. A movement is not something we throw at people, it’s something they choose to participate in.
    • join every volunteer management group you can, whether locally, nationally or globally. There’s many groups on social media. Together, we can’t all be lone nuts.

    We know our volunteer programs have so much to offer. We know we’re advocating for a better way for our volunteers, our organizations, the people we serve and our communities.

    We’re not lone nuts. We’re a movement.

    -Meridian