volunteerplaintalk

Volunteer Plain Talk

for today’s leaders of volunteers

  • Yay, Another Holiday Card From a NonProfit!

    https://gratisography.com/

    So, last week, I posted a sharable holiday card for volunteers. Nice, huh, cause volunteers love getting cards from organizations, right? Cards mean we care, we appreciate (and we all know volunteer appreciation, no matter what it consists of, especially if it involves balloons, is the key to volunteer retention), we go the extra mile to engage our volunteers. What could be wrong with that?

    Volunteers love getting cards, right?

    Funny thing. Ironically, as I was sitting at my desk, on my laptop, posting the volunteer card, I was also looking at a pile of holiday cards I received from various nonprofits I’ve volunteered for. And my reaction to some of them? I just laughed. (Not the intended reaction, I’m sure)

    I laughed because I’ve been inactive at some nonprofits. I’ve not been contacted, surveyed, or asked what I’d like to do or heaven forbid, why I am not volunteering anymore. I’ve not been offered any “opportunities.” I basically sit on a list, like countless other volunteers. My name is a number.

    But, it’s my job, isn’t it?

    I have to admit, I’ve been mindlessly guilty of thinking cards mean the same thing to every volunteer. I’d think “hey, I HAVE to keep in touch with each and every person that even so much as breathed the words, “what’s this volunteering about?” I’d think, “how can I keep my hooks into this prospective volunteer?” And I also thought, “if I send this pretty card, surely that will make this inactive (or grieving or ill or suffering or unsure) volunteer whip out their phone and give me a jingle.”

    I could picture that volunteer, gazing at the glittery goodness, thinking, “wow, I’ve been so selfish. I need to contact Meridian. It doesn’t matter that the department she assigned me to never followed through. She’ll get me something better, I just know it!”

    So what if the message doesn’t resonate, it’s a pretty card!

    I knew a CEO who thought that volunteers would feel special getting cards signed personally by her. Never mind she rarely interacted with volunteers during the year.

    As a volunteer, I look at the cards from certain organizations as a waste of time and money. I actually feel that instead of connecting me to the organization, it has the opposite effect. The tone-deaf mindset alienates me further.

    So, don’t send cards? No, send them, but not mindlessly. Some of the cards I received included timely messages about the organization’s work. I find that more engaging than a simple signature. But a message to me as an active volunteer when I’m not, is tone-deaf.

    If I haven’t volunteered of late, messages such as “and thank you for volunteering this year,” reinforces the perception that the organization does not know me, nor cares to. Do I want to volunteer for them now? Eh, probably not, especially if I’ve not felt engaged when I did volunteer.

    In simple math, more volunteers=more work

    Once there are more than 30-40 volunteers, the ability to track them personally diminishes, which is why every volunteer manager needs his/her own volunteer administrative help to keep track of each volunteer’s status. Then, cards can work when a more personal message is included.

    And you know what? If one of the holiday cards I received had simply said, “We miss you,” I’d have felt like they were talking directly to me. I’d have felt guilty, intrigued, pleased, and motivated by those 3 simple words. Keep your glittery goodness. I want to be acknowledged as a human being.

    Glitter or Connection? Um, connection please!

    I’m involved with a start-up. I’m not getting a card from them. They have no regular meetings, no luncheon and drat, there are no balloons, ever. Everything is chaos. But you know what? They know me. That’s my glittery goodness.

    Managing personal connections with volunteers is not easy. It’s not simple. It’s not perfect. However, we can chip away at tone-deaf messages by looking at the causes and by forming solutions such as,

    • I have too many volunteers to keep track of personally: It’s easy to connect with volunteers who are outgoing, give a lot, are dependable, communicate, ask questions etc. Connecting with the rest of the volunteer team is challenging. Get volunteer administrative help now. Once I did that, things got better. A whole heap better. Here’s my complicated math equation. Every 25-50 volunteers=1 part-time volunteer administrative helper. I also had one designated volunteer to manage prospective volunteers. (she was so busy, she came in twice weekly. But you know what? More prospective volunteers followed through, thanks to her communication skills)
    • I’m unsure of volunteer preferences: Use surveys, whether informal or formal. Explain why you are surveying the volunteer-“because we want your experience to be a meaningful one. It’s a win-win for us, for you and for the people we serve.”
    • volunteers come and go, so I don’t know who is active, inactive, temporarily unavailable and I can’t create personal messages for everyone: Fair enough, so pay attention to language. What message would resonate or at least not sound tone-deaf? What would an active volunteer, an inactive volunteer and a volunteer who wants to be active, but can’t, all want to hear? Maybe scrap “thank you for volunteering,” and say something like, “every volunteer has contributed to our successes in our fight to eradicate homelessness” or “volunteerism is at the heart of our work and we want to acknowledge your contribution, past, present and hopefully, future.”
    • I can’t always know that a volunteer is sick, or their loved one died, or they got laid off: We can’t, and although it pains us, all we can do is be honest. “I didn’t know. You are valuable and we want to know your status, not because we want something from you, but because you are one of us.”
    • some volunteers are not returning calls, emails etc: This goes against every fiber of our volunteer manager hearts, but send the volunteers who are MIA a letter/email/card/call letting them know that they are welcome back anytime they wish to rejoin, but you are removing them from further volunteer updates. Then, remove them from the volunteer list. (OMG, it hurts to type “remove” and volunteer in the same sentence…nooooooooooooo.) Keep them on general lists, because you want that volunteer to continue to be an advocate for your organization.

    To send cards, or not to send cards

    Are we sending cards because it’s always been done this way? It’s tradition? I’m not saying don’t send, but how much in volunteer management is done because it’s always been done this way? It’s time to re-think volunteer engagement messaging, language and methods.

    What resonates with your volunteers? 2020 has given us the opportunity to change the way we engage volunteers. As the leader of volunteer engagement and impact, look at everything with a fresh eye. You got this.

    Oh, BTW, here’s the holiday card I’ve always wanted to send:

    let’s be real

    -Meridian

  • Holiday Card (2020 Style) for Volunteers: Free Download

    First page

    Happy Holidays everyone, please feel free to download this holiday mp4 and share with your volunteers. You are welcome to add your logo/personal message.


    You are welcome to download here; the video comes directly from this wordpress site.

    Wishing all of you, love, peace and joy.

    -Meridian

  • Dealing with Regrets: Should We Let Go or Is There Another Way?

    Photo by Kamaji Ogino on Pexels.com

    Regrets. We all have them. I have some real doozies in my volunteer engagement career, and I’ve read plenty of advice about how to deal with regrets, including the advice to “let go.”

    I don’t know about you, but letting go is not that simple. I still am disappointed at some of my bone-headed mistakes, especially the ones I made, knowing that I shouldn’t have. Those are the tough ones to swallow. (cause, shhhhh, we’re not perfect)

    I’m thinking of the time I no-showed a volunteer’s funeral, the volunteer who always came in when I asked and oh, btw, gave a very thoughtful present to one of my children for graduation. I knew I would regret not going, but hey, I told myself I was too busy. Or tired. Lazy, maybe? Doesn’t matter; that one stings.

    Or when I knew sending an often unreliable volunteer to that home would result in a disaster. Sure, I had no one else. Sure, it was a tough case. Sure, I wanted to complete the assignment cause I was egotistical about filling assignments. But, I knew it was a mistake and yet, I did it anyway.

    Or when I was too busy to double-check on that assignment, cause my gut told me that times and location had changed, but I let it go, until volunteers frantically called me because they were in the wrong place. Yep.

    What was I thinking?

    Fortunately, I don’t dwell on these lapses in common sense. But I also can’t wipe them from memory like they never happened. Not entirely. So, is feeling guilty the answer? Can I do anything to make amends and wipe the deed from the universe’s memory?

    Constructive vs unproductive

    When you make a mistake you regret, look for the lesson. Two weeks ago I wrote about volunteers who teach us to be vigilant. The mistakes we personally make teach us not only are we human and fallible, but we are also adaptive and teachable. The beauty of being human is our ability to grow and learn.

    Harness mistakes as a blueprint for improving

    There are some ways to keep regrets from eating away at you. Being constructive and choosing to use the mistake as a springboard to improving puts you in control. Harnessing mistakes means:

    • first and foremost, get rid of unrealistic expectations-you know what I mean, the “I have to be perfect, because, (insert every disastrous outcome here, like volunteers will not like me) and set expectations that allow for a few mistakes to occur.
    • give yourself attainable goals and parameters-stop the “I must NEVER again do anything wrong” baloney and ease up. Try, “I’m working towards a reasonable goal in steps that are not perfect.”
    • forgive yourself, but remember the lesson and use it to motivate, not berate yourself.
    • record all the examples of you doing something amazing and compare to the one or two missteps-you’ll find that you are actually, pretty amazing.
    • dialogue the lessons: Journal the conscious steps you are taking from lessons learned.
    • remind yourself that volunteers and your organization are better served by someone who learns from mistakes and grows than someone who lives in paralyzing guilt and stays stuck in guilty-mode.
    • name regrets out loud(this is a tough one)-don’t fear admitting blunders, to volunteers, to staff, to administration. But always add, “and because I assigned a volunteer who I knew wouldn’t follow through, I have learned that it is more important to give our clients reliable volunteer help than just filling an assignment to fill it. And here are the steps I’m taking to make sure we always give our clients our best.” Besides, if you own your mistakes, guess what? You get to define them and stop any inaccuracies from becoming organizational lore, such as “oh, the volunteer department never sends reliable volunteers.” Own the narrative.

    Forgive without forgetting

    Let those tucked away regrets motivate you to be constructive so they don’t turn into full-on guilt. Regrets can either keep us paralyzed by guilt or they can motivate us to grow by making us constructive.

    And hey, think about this. Which would your volunteers prefer? A paralyzed by guilt leader or one beautifully human, who embraces constructive changes and is visibly growing in leadership skills?

    Not a tough choice.

    -Meridian

    If you are having overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame or hopelessness, please reach out to a trusted family member, friend or colleague. These days, additional stressors can exacerbate our feelings of guilt, hopelessness and anxiety. We all experience tough times and knowing when to ask for help is courageous and necessary. Be important to yourself. We need you.

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    Wishing everyone a moment of reflection and acknowledgement for the work we do to make our world a better place.

    -Meridian

  • Thanks to the volunteers who lied, stole and created havoc

    Photo by Samuel Wu00f6lfl on Pexels.com

    Do you ever gush, “Thank you to of all the wonderful volunteers who have inspired me, enriched my soul and taught me compassion?” Yeah, that’s my go-to line because I mean it and I bet you do, too. Besides, isn’t thanking what we volunteer managers do best? (well maybe next to being annoyingly humble)

    Volunteers shape us and teach us how to be better leaders. So, maybe we should also thank the volunteers who taught us the lessons that strengthen our characters. You know the ones. Their memories are seared into your psyche like the time you dropped your phone when you learned a trusted volunteer called a client “idiot.”  You slunk back to your office when the CEO told you a volunteer tried to sell his daughter’s beat up Chevy to a client’s son. You found a seat way in back and kept your mouth closed in meetings after a volunteer wrote that oddly kind, but wildly misguided letter to the editor, calling your staff “an army of swat unicorns who invade with guns shooting helping dust.”

    Mop-up lessons are hard when they occur

    You never intended a volunteer to try and convert a client’s family to their religious or political beliefs. These are the mop-up lessons. You mop up the mess, apologizing profusely, hoping no one thinks that all volunteers act this way, while explaining that you never gave volunteers permission to move in with a client or take out an ad in the local paper and alter the logo to make it look like it was smiling.

    But, honest mistakes aside, think about all the clients saved from unscrupulous volunteers because you learned a hard lesson. Think about all the necessary precautions you take because you were put through the wringer. Think about the watchful eye you developed because you were caught unaware.

    Mopping up after mistakes equips us with vigilance.

    Many years ago, volunteer Jacob lied to my face. Again and again. I believed him, not because he was charming and convincing, but because I wanted to believe him. I believed in the romantic notion that all people would set aside their personal agendas for the greater good. I lived in a faerie world in which all volunteers understood the mission and eagerly awaited my instructions so they could change the world.

    Jacob showed me that I had to be realistic if I truly wanted to do right by our clients. He showed me that healthy watchfulness did not diminish my job, but rather elevated it to a higher level of purposefulness.

    Matching volunteers to vulnerable clients takes more than kindness

    You’ve been through this. We struggle to explain all the carefully measured thought and actions required to match volunteers to clients and programs.  Faeries are lovely, but we live in the real world. In the real world, placing volunteers with vulnerable clients takes discerning judgement, careful pairing and keen watchfulness. 

    I’ve had volunteers who stole, volunteers who pushed an agenda, volunteers who wanted to take over and volunteers who were just mean. I’m still surprised by volunteers who talk a good game and then cause real harm. I’ve also had volunteers who messed up royally because they did something nice, but so misplaced that it caused real harm.

    So, I thank Jacob and the others for giving me a discerning nature, for strengthening my resolve to do right and for teaching me that compassion takes the courage to be a sentry.

    The volunteers who cause harm never intend to teach us anything. Their intent lies deep within their own needs.

    But every one of these volunteers teach us lessons that mold us into a better leader of volunteers. They teach us to trust, yet verify and to protect the vulnerable people we serve. A successful leader of volunteers must be strong. Conviction means doing what is right, even when it is hard. It means saying no with kindness.

    So, let’s silently thank them for those often painful lessons that shape us into stronger leaders.

    They never intended to teach us something valuable, but they did, so thanks, you guys.

    -Meridian

    This is updated from a 2017 post.

  • Hey #LoVols Reputation, Meet Our Self-Identity

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    So, what’s next for leaders of volunteers? #WeGetToRevampEveryVolunteerRoleSoVolunteersActuallyWantToVolunteerWithUsWhatAConcept!

    Ok, maybe we should take it one step at a time. To reframe volunteer engagement and impact, we first need listeners who become supporters who then become advocates for our vision.

    Tall order, right? It’s hard enough to get anyone to listen, much less champion the ideas we are advocating for. This is where reputation comes in.

    And who will listen to us if our reputation paints us as:

    • meek and mild
    • having fun
    • doing easy stuff
    • always apologizing
    • always running around putting out fires
    • reactive versus proactive
    • unable to fill requests
    • babbling on and on about how wonderful the volunteers are
    • in charge of the fluff
    • not involved in the nitty gritty planning work
    • going along to get along

    Being known as proactive vs. reactive

    Taking control of the conversation surrounding your volunteer program begins by taking control of your reputation as the leader of volunteers. Look at it like this: Let’s say you go to a bank to open an account. Two bankers are working that day and as you wait, you listen to them talk to clients.

    A tale of two bankers, or who the heck would you trust with your money?

    One banker is animated, showing her client the various accounts available. She points to stats, but doesn’t rattle off numbers. She explains how each statistic impacts the client’s vision for financial success. She offers multiple paths to success so the client can grow their investments. She explains in detail how each account functions, their positives and their challenges and yet assures the client that with her expert guidance, financial success will come.

    Photo by Frans Van Heerden on Pexels.com

    The other banker looks harried. He fumbles through a stack of papers, dropping them on the floor and apologizes for the lack of available options. He grabs a board he obviously made himself that displays the various colors the client can choose for a checkbook cover and points to the blue one, saying “this color is really pretty, don’t you think? “

    Who would you pick? (and if you picked the banker who spent his time showing checkbook cover colors, you’re most definitely a volunteer manager who has spent a lot of time “rescuing people,” am I right?)

    Perceptions are created in the first few minutes.

    And to make matters worse, once a perception is established, people then look for signs that reinforce the perception. (We all do it BTW, which is why I always gave this one pompous marketing executive the incomplete copy of a report-cause I figured he’d never read it and I always waited for him to ask where the rest of the report was, but he never did) So, if you’re perceived as being in charge of fluff, people will notice anything that reinforces that perception. Boom, you now have a reputation because people talk.

    Establish the reputation you deserve

    Start by doing small things that produce big reputation results.

    • Speak up in meetings in an advocating way-most of us get caught off guard in situations so create a few well-crafted opening statements and memorize them. For example, “Volunteers have contributed a lot to that program and here’s how,” or “This is a great opportunity for our volunteers to contribute, let me show you how,” or “Just a reminder that our volunteers are involved in that initiative and so far, they’ve…” Opening statements make it soooooo much easier to quell any jitters about speaking up. And you know what? Pretty soon, when you open your mouth to speak, others will chime in, “yeah, we know, volunteers are contributing because….” But that’s great, because the phrases will cement themselves and your professional reputation improves.
    • explain how volunteers are having fun because you are working at making a welcoming environment for volunteers. Say, “because we don’t pay our volunteers, their reward for a job well done includes having an enjoyable atmosphere in which to work. That’s why I work hard to create fun around them.”
    • explain the work involved in engaging volunteers (see Not So Fast, Captain Obvious for more on explaining volunteer engagement)
    • NEVER, EVER apologize because a volunteer can’t fulfill an assignment (see Volunteer Managers are better than These 3 Phrases for more about re-framing apologies)
    • flip the perception which means emphasize the positive versus reacting to the negative. When staff say, “I have a last minute request, so not sure if you can get someone,” instead of saying, “I’ll try,” say “Most volunteers are willing to do last minute requests because they want to help us reach our goals.”
    • offer solutions with this caveat: we can do more with me at the planning table
    • stop going along to get along to be liked. Instead aim to be respected as a professional. Being respected has little similarity to being liked. Liked is for your friends, family, dog, hamster, hairdresser, maybe the guy who rotates your tires cause he’ll throw an oil change in for free. Respected is the professional’s goal. Respected means you accomplish stuff and do the hard things without complaint. It means you are fair, mission focused and strong.

    Know it or not, YOU are the face of your volunteer program and the perceptions of how your program is run, lies with you. It can feel overwhelming, but once you take control of the perceptions, you emerge with the reputation as… a leader of volunteers.

    I’m not saying it’s easy and I’m not saying it’s instantaneous. But it is doable.

    And besides, when have you, volunteer professionals ever backed down from a challenge? (Uh huh, thought so)

    -Meridian

  • International Volunteer Managers Day November 5: What’s Next?

    Photo by Pressmaster on Pexels.com

    International Volunteer Managers Day is tomorrow and the theme for 2020 is: What’s next?

    I’ll tell you what’s next. Change-big, big, gargantuan change, that’s what’s next. Sweeping changes, whether we initiate them by adjusting volunteer programs, or they occur naturally in spite of what we do. But changes in volunteerism have been drip, dripping in for years and the pandemic has merely loosened the change valve and allowed a wave of changes to gush in.

    Shall we get red in the face and shout?

    So, do we simply amplify our change voices?

    Should we yell in the next meeting that “volunteers need respect and true recognition, you fools, not balloons and cute sayings?” Scream over the intercom that “volunteers need meaningful roles, people” and hope that sticks? Put up posters with sayings like “volunteers are human beings, not tools,” or “the volunteer exodus is real?”

    Starting where change must first begin: with our approach to enacting change

    “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
    – Lao Tzu

    What is your perception of yourself? Well, that’s easy, right? Let’s see, I’m

    • hardworking
    • dedicated
    • kind
    • creative
    • forward thinking
    • humble
    • a team player
    • a believer in possibilities

    But what is your reputation (not self-identity) within your organization?

    Your self-identity may not be the same as your reputation. You know you possess all those wonderful traits, but how do you exhibit them at work? Or, could it be that (as I’ve experienced more times than I care to admit) what seems obvious is not obvious at all?

    Maybe your humility is viewed as weakness. Maybe your kindness is viewed as a lack of gumption. Maybe all of your hard work behind the scenes is not seen at all. Maybe your dedication is viewed as having fun with volunteers. Maybe your forward thinking is perceived as complaining.

    Shouting won’t change the perception of who we are and the importance of our volunteer programs

    Think about a person you respect and/or admire. When they say something you listen, right? Now think about a person you’re ambivalent about. What happens when they say something? Do you listen with the same intent? Probably not.

    Change will never happen until people want to hear what we have to say

    We can argue and advocate all we want, but if our reputation hinders us, people won’t listen deeply to understand what we are saying. And we must get through to our organizations. Why? Because volunteers are rapidly changing, irrespective of Covid’s impact, and we know that organizations must adapt to sustain volunteering.

    For years, volunteers have been changing because:

    • they look for flexibility
    • they need meaningful roles
    • they want instant access
    • they want to have say in what they do
    • they crave being told how they’ve impacted missions
    • they hate red tape
    • they demand transparency
    • they want to know more about organizational inner workings
    • they don’t feel bad about leaving for better opportunities
    • they want to be educated and more involved
    • they want to feel totally integrated
    • they want to use their skills, not be slotted into tedious roles
    • they want to create an identity within the organization
    • they want more control over their volunteering
    • they want to be on an even par with donors
    • they want to be recognized for their additional support outside of their recorded volunteer hours

    That’s a butt-load of changes, isn’t it? These changes are not new; they’ve been coming for years and now, they’re here in our laps. So, we can shout all we want, but we need listeners.

    Who are we in the nonprofit world?

    Take a moment and think about perceptions. Look at the behaviors that might create the wrong perception. Do you ever…

    • stay quiet in meetings
    • phrase your advocacy in terms such as “but, volunteers don’t want to do that.”
    • hang back so volunteers are in the spotlight
    • assume everyone sees how hard you work
    • look harried at times
    • get down or mad because no one seems to get it
    • react defensively when staff doesn’t respect volunteers
    • use phrases like, “I’m putting out fires”
    • talk about “having fun with the volunteers”
    • avoid confrontations with challenging volunteers
    • just sit back and hope for the best

    Now, remove yourself and picture a random person (let’s call her Matilda) exhibiting any of the above behaviors. What would your perception of Matilda be? What would Matilda’s reputation at work be like? Would she be thought of as a visionary, a leader, a go-getter, an innovator, a solutions gal?

    So, for International Volunteer Managers Day, the “what’s next” question for me means this: Forget for a minute all that needs to change when engaging volunteers and think about how we can make change happen.

    What needs to change is our self-identities as innovative, mission-supporting, forward thinking, visionary people must match our reputations within our organizations.

    Once we are viewed in the way we self-identify, we can successfully advocate for the changes we seek because people will listen.

    Next time: An action plan

    -Meridian

  • #LoVols, Beware: It’s Zombification Season

    Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

    The night air is cold and your breath hangs, a web in the blackness. Your heart races, threatening to burst as something draws near, just over your shoulder. You close your eyes as it creeps behind you, opening its mouth to strike.

    But you’re exhausted from running, and maybe if you just stopped, blissful oblivion will take over. Maybe zombification isn’t so bad.

    A year like no other

    The challenges this year have exponentially added to the stressors from overwork, revamping volunteer programs, and onboarding an influx of new volunteers while retaining furloughed volunteers.

    Being zombified means through stressors, you’ve lost your vitality, your human essence. You’ve lost you. It’s a very real phenomena in everyday volunteer manager lives and especially now, with the added stressors.

    Stessors that zombify us

    • feeling underappreciated
    • feeling targeted
    • feeling like nothing ever changes
    • feeling like no one understands
    • feeling that it’s all for nothing
    • feeling like everyone is quick to criticize or give advice
    • feeling like everyday is the same
    • feeling like control is slipping away

    Zombification is just so….dead

    Zombified managers (and you’ve experienced one, right?) shuffle through the day, avoiding anything that takes energy because they have none to spare. When we, leaders of volunteers become zombified, what happens? (and trust me, I’ve become zombified at times, until a caring co-worker or volunteer bashed me in the head and work me up)

    • volunteers don’t get the inspiration they seek or are used to getting
    • difficult conversations with volunteers go unsaid and problems fester until they become full-blown
    • volunteer programs wither
    • the people we serve don’t receive the volunteer help that might have made all the difference to them
    • volunteers go elsewhere or fade away
    • potential is lost
    • and sadly, the joy a volunteer manager receives from being a volunteer manager dies

    The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection

    George Orwell

    We are not perfect and these times are far from perfect. When things look bleak or never-ending, it’s understandable to want to curl up in a ball and mentally detach. We’re not immune to our own feelings. We swim in feelings, whether it be volunteers’, clients’, staff or friends and family all day long.

    Anti-zombification repellant spray

    Remember, you cannot be perfect, because you’d lose your humanity if you were perfect and volunteers need your imperfect, caring self. What can you do when feeling zombified? Here’s some things, for better or worse, that I’ve used when I realized I was just shuffling through the day, a drop of spit hanging from my slack mouth.

    • watch the funniest movie or stand up comedy you can find and then, when you’re still giggling, start to think of the maddening things that weigh on your mind. Mentally insert those things into the funny movie and make them funny. Write yourself into the scene. See the things that bring you down in a different light.
    • Grab your best-est friend, co-worker or relative and dare each other to do something outrageous. The thrill of the dare can often break feelings of drudgery. My family does this all the time to each other. These episodes become some of our best memories and make us laugh.
    • Read or watch the saddest thing you can find. Cry, feel horrible and then go wallow in all the rotten feelings you’ve been experiencing. Get it out. Take each rotten feeling, turn it over in your head and then think about the sad movie or story you’ve watched/read. How did the person in that movie/book deal with their challenge? Find inspiration in the strength of others.

     When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

    Fred Rogers

    Stress can easily zombify us when feelings of not being in control overtake us. But we know our volunteers look to us to lead and inspire them. They believe in us. We can, too.

    Volunteers don’t want perfect, robotic leaders. And sometimes, zombification comes when the desire to do everything perfectly meets the reality that we are imperfect creatures.

    Volunteers want imperfect us

    Volunteers want you, imperfect you, and all your quirky sayings, your crazy ideas, your funny habits. They want the way your nose wrinkles up when you hear that a staff member didn’t say hi to a volunteer. They want the way your brow knits in thought when you’re plotting a way to involve them in a new program. They want your voice raised an octave when excited about an upcoming meeting. They want that hastily made poster that says thank you in sloppy script.

    Volunteers want your human self.

    -Meridian

  • VPT Podcast: Elisa Kosarin of Twenty Hats

    https://www.buzzsprout.com/605416/episodes/5987878

    or pick one of the podcast platforms on the left; Google, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify

    iHeartRadio

    I was fortunate to chat with Elisa Kosarin, CVA, who is one of our important thought leaders in volunteer engagement. Listen in as Elisa shares her insights on:

    • strategic planning and how fun fits in
    • how volunteer managers should aspire to move up into senior management
    • achieving buy-in and the seven kinds of power
    • the future of virtual volunteering
    • how volunteer managers are embracing and adapting traditional roles to virtual
    • how new looks at virtual roles may create more inclusion and diversity
    • how doing uncomfortable things makes you grow
    • work/life balance
    • leadership, vision and creativity
    • the first step to achieving your vision

    About Elisa:

    Elisa Kosarin, CVA, helps nonprofits deliver fully on their missions by strengthening their volunteer programs. Her work is driven by the conviction that volunteers who are supported and valued have the potential to transform their communities.

    Elisa consults, coaches, and trains on volunteer management best practices.  She blogs regularly on her Twenty Hats website, exploring the skills and practices that leaders of volunteers seek to build confidence elevate their programs.
    Elisa’s blog on strategic planning at CASA: 

    Thank you Elisa for all you do for the volunteer management community and for sharing your passion and wisdom with us.

    -Meridian

  • Stock Pictures or the LoVols Picture on Volunteer Websites?

    Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels.com

    Stock photos are just so……..stock

    Stock pictures are the visual equivalent of “volunteers give from the heart,” or “volunteers are priceless.”

    Or my all time favorite, “volunteers are the sprinkles atop our caring cupcake.” MMMMMM, I feel so warm and squishy inside.

    Photos of real volunteers in action on your website do double duty. They show potential volunteers their peers at work and the types of jobs available. But think about a potential volunteer’s questions when navigating your site. “Who is the first person I will meet? Who will train me, direct me, encourage me, coach me, teach me what I need to know to succeed? Who will be there for me when I have an issue?”

    Hint: It’s not this guy.

    Stock photos or worse, no photos on your site lacks the personal touch. But again, the potential volunteer is wondering, “who will lead me?” A personal welcome from you is inviting and eases the potential volunteer’s crucial first step: Walking through the front door, not knowing what to expect.

    I’ve observed that entering the building for the first time was the hardest part of a new volunteer’s journey. Let’s make that less intimidating. Go further and film a short video in which you personally welcome a potential volunteer, and dispel some of their fears.

    Kapow! you’ve just saved time.

    Bam! In that short video, you’ve gifted yourself all the time you’d have to spend soothing potential volunteers. You know what I’m talking about. A new volunteer nervously arrives into those awkward minutes when they size you up and down, wondering what you’ll say, what you’re like, whether you’re warm or cold, authoritarian or encouraging. Now multiply those awkward minutes by each potential volunteer and thank yourself for making that welcome video.

    After watching your welcome video, a new volunteer arrives to meet someone they’re already comfortable with. Be authentic, and be yourself. You can write a script that gives you the opportunity to say all the things you want potential volunteers to know without having to remember and repeat each time someone contacts you.

    Look, we are all on zoom now and all used to regular folks on camera so now is the opportune time to film that video. Make it fun. Make it warm. Make it you.

    I made a sample video here:

    Ok, maybe that sample video wasn’t perfect, but don’t let that stop you.

    It’s about putting a face to volunteering at your organization. Your picture, your quotes about volunteering, your experiences and assurances all serve to quell the trepidation volunteers feel when mulling over whether they should take that first step.

    We want volunteers to feel welcomed. We want volunteers to know that we’ll walk with them on this journey. We want volunteers to know we’ve got their backs.

    Let’s show them in that first moment when they click on our websites.

    -Meridian