volunteerplaintalk

Tag: #lovols

  • 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.

  • 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

  • #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

  • 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

  • Moving from O2V to V2V to V2O

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Friends, we are behind the times. Way behind. You can feel movement like cool air that flows down a mountain. Can we define it?

    Businesses are rapidly changing because they feel it and see it. They are moving out of a B2C (business to consumer) model. You know, the “hey, Target has a sale, I’ll see if they have a shirt I can wear during zoom meetings.”

    But there’s nothing I want at Target. So I look at a marketplace like Etsy for something unique. (Etsy is a C2C-consumer to consumer model). I purchase a fun shirt I love directly from a designer.

    What is our current nonprofit volunteer model?

    Organization to Volunteer or Volunteer to Organization?

    Let’s say I’m a volunteer looking to join an organization. My first experience with an organization is reading an ad, or looking at a website. What catches my eye?

    From an actual current volunteer ad:


    Have you ever wanted to do something AMAZING to change the world but didn’t know where to start? Here is an opportunity to help underprivileged children, to help under-served children, to help ALL children displaced from school due to COVID-19, and even to help many adults.

    I then look at this organization’s website and find no volunteer information. No volunteer prompt. No volunteer pictures or information on how volunteering will enhance my life. Just Crickets. But donations are welcomed.

    Above is an example of an O2V (organization to volunteer) concept. It goes like this: “We, the organization, want XYZ from you, the volunteer.” Or, more simply, “buy our product (volunteering). We designed it and you’re going to have to buy it because that’s all you have to choose from.”

    But wait, there are volunteer choices now.

    People are bypassing formal volunteering and exploring solutions through social media on their own. Why choose a volunteer job that is cumbersome and just ok when you can find real satisfaction from joining a group on social media?

    There’s a monumental shift afoot from O2V to V2V (volunteer to volunteer)

    We see this all the time. My last podcast highlighted two amazing young women who started their own organization while in high school. They are now in the process of procuring donations, creating corporate partnerships and recruiting volunteers.

    https://www.buzzsprout.com/605416/4850183-episode-11-interview-with-samantha-and-sydney-high-school-students-who-founded-balance-boxes

    The nonprofit veil has lifted.

    We see this every time a disaster strikes. Volunteers find one another on social media and they band together and act. They bypass formal organizations and change their communities by forming their own grass-roots groups. Nonprofits no longer have the monopoly on solving issues.

    Next time: Businesses are moving from B2C to C2C to C2B. What would V2O look like?

    -Meridian

  • When All You See is Stress

    We are coping with a new normal that creates additional stress on already overburdened volunteer managers. Constant change and adaptation wears your psyche down like balding tires on a cross-country trip. You get no traction; only tires spinning and clouds of that toxic burning rubber smell. Your hard work is on hold. Volunteers are not getting the benefits of volunteering. People are not receiving the loving care from volunteers.

    A recent report from Reset 2020 (https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2020/08/new-report-uncovers-covid-19-mental-health-toll-on-nfp-sector/ ) indicates 28% of respondents say staff and volunteer mental health and well-being is impacted by the crisis. And when volunteers’ mental health is impacted, volunteer managers’ mental health is impacted.

    I don’t have some magic pill answer. Sometimes you just have to stop fighting and feel the feelings. (and remember, I am not a mental health counselor, just someone who’s also experienced burnout and dejection and stress).

    When struggling, I would find that fighting the burnout was more exhausting than experiencing it. I found that constantly berating myself for “having those feelings” crushed me. Instead, I began to let my understandably human emotions play out. I’d crawl into the feelings, turn them over, and verbalize how crappy everything was. I’d let the feelings run rampant.

    Then, after I rolled around in the negativity for a bit, something interesting would happen. I’d start to look at challenges without the crushing weight of burnout. Things didn’t seem so bleak. Sure, they were still hard, but they moved into a new perspective.

    I think we, volunteer managers tend to deny our negative feelings because we’re always “on.” We’re looked at as cheerful people with can-do attitudes and we don’t think we can have bad days. But we can. Because we’re human and our human-ness is what makes us so darned effective.

    Our human-ness allows us to empathize, to focus, to sincerely care. It makes us weep, and laugh, act silly and deeply serious. It leads us to connect and retain that connection as if invisible fibers radiated from our bodies to those around us.

    But it also gives us resilience. It gives us the will to get back up. It shows us that life is not always pretty or fun or good. We see the joys and the tragedies as we walk besides fellow travelers in the journey.

    We know that the human experience is filled with wonder, disaster, sadness and light. We know it is as varied as drifting snowflakes, and as vast as drops of ocean water.

    Our jobs require feeling.

    Sometimes we have to feel for ourselves

    -Meridian

  • Finding One Another is Our Future

    We, leaders of volunteers (#LoVols) have shared experiences, shared hopes, shared challenges and a shared future. We are a family, a team, a brother/sisterhood. We are a LoVols kindred. When one of us succeeds, all of us succeed and all volunteerism succeeds.

    Forging alliances, finding one another, speaking with shared voices (we don’t have to agree on everything) strengthens us and our volunteers. Recently, Marina Paraskevaidi, Volunteer Manager at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich wrote to me and wanted to share her thoughts with all of you in a LoVols kindred moment. Marina hails from Greece, has lived in Italy where she served as a volunteer coordinator with the NGO Service Civil International and since moving to the UK, she works as the Volunteer Manager at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, overseeing the overall strategic direction of the Volunteering Programme.

    Each one of us can share our challenges, successes, questions, frustrations, and hopes with one another because we get each other and guess what? We support each other, want to see each other succeed, and we all are working towards the same thing: Elevating volunteerism. Here is Marina’s message:

    When joining the Old Royal Naval College a little less than a year ago, I could never have imagined our site being closed same time this year due to an unpredictable pandemic that would keep us all at home (like a sci-fi post-apocalyptic movie). But amidst the uncertainty, our communities stay strong.

    The past two weeks have been a rollercoaster of reactions and emotions for all staff and volunteers. First, the uncertainty kicked in when the news spread about COVID-19 cases rising across Europe, while we were still on a let’s-pretend-it’s-all-normal mode on site, planning volunteer-led private tours, organising group reciprocal visits to other museums, conducting volunteer recruitment interviews and preparing upcoming induction training sessions.  Then, following the announced set of restrictions, the situation escalated so quickly, and we had to make swift changes to our everyday lives. A regular day in the beginning of March now feels a distant past. We had to take the decision to close our site to the public, while still processing the prospect of many of us having to isolate for weeks, even months, thinking especially of our volunteers who are in the most vulnerable groups.

    Ten days later, our new home-based routine is the norm and it looks like we are adapting to new virtual ways to keep in touch and support each other in the best way we know: sharing the love. 

    From volunteers asking about their peers’ wellbeing and sending personal warm wishes, to our staff mobilising team efforts to produce resources that can be accessible remotely; from our CEO’s reassuring message, to people going beyond and above to show solidarity and help each other while working remotely with limited resources. 

    It’s the same warm welcoming feeling that sparkles around in the Visitors Centre when volunteers put on their best smile to greet our visitors, it’s this shared love for what we do and who we are that drives solidarity among our communities.

    A lot of things remain uncertain and yet to be figured out: how do we keep in touch with those not online? How do we ensure we look after our staff and volunteer’s mental health? How can we be creative using virtual technology to communicate, offer online learning opportunities and organise local initiatives? How can we continue sharing our history and engage the public while closed? Can we think outside the box and create remote volunteering opportunities?

    The most difficult times might be yet to come, but I have always been a strong believer in the power of communities (and that’s also why I have chosen to work with volunteers): through the challenges we will learn, pave new paths and come out stronger on the other side. 

    Spread the love, Marina

    Thank you Marina for reaching out to all of us. We appreciate your courage, your conviction and your connection. I appreciate your LoVols kindred spirit.

    Spread love, knowledge, support, a shoulder to cry on, a tip on recruitment, a success story, a cautionary tale, an innovative project with each other. Find one another and use this time to build momentum. Volunteers are counting on us.

    It’s not easy, building a movement, but we are in this together.

    -Meridian

  • What do volunteers want? f/u.

    “Wait. you caught me off-balance.”

    What? You thought I meant… No, f/u=follow up. Like sending volunteer managers to leadership training, it’s sadly nonexistent these days.

    Lately, as a volunteer, I’ve experienced a rash of major lack of follow/up. Most of the time, follow/up applies to a new idea or project, but it can include things like getting answers on an assignment .

    Truth is, I’m guilty of it too. But when you experience it from a volunteer perspective, it is a motivation killer. No follow/up is like saying to a volunteer, “this is not important or worth my time. YOU are not important or worth my time.”

    When I was confronted by volunteers for not following up, I would feel off-balance and I’d use the excuses, “I’m working on it,” or “I haven’t gotten an answer yet,” (when I hadn’t even asked) or “I was just about to call you.” I’ve strung people along, put them on hold, shelved them, or ran the other way when I saw them coming; all because the follow/up wasn’t there. (But I was trying, so that made me a good person, right?)

    Why do we do this to our volunteers and to ourselves?

    • we have the best of intentions- but the road to the volunteer apocalypse is paved with good intentions
    • we can’t say no-which creates a loop in which we never get anything done
    • we are caught off guard-and we have no comeback prepared
    • we live in a visionary world-but we have no visionary strategy
    • we think we must prop up all volunteers-so we feed a need in some that may not align with our mission work
    • we are “nice” people-but we mistakenly equate nice with doormat

    The bottom line is this: if we can’t follow/up, we have no business engaging in the first place. What are some ways to prevent the volunteer f/u syndrome?

    • Make priorities known: It’s ok to say, “that is an interesting idea. Right now, our priority is to fill these volunteer roles. Can you help us do that first?”
    • Share the responsibility for f/u with the person: “I’m swamped with this event coming up. Will you remind me after the event?”
    • Be honest: “I might forget because we are in the middle of a recruitment campaign and I don’t want you to think I’m just giving you lip service, so can we revisit this at a later date?”
    • Weed out the serious from the non-serious: “That is an interesting concept. We have a volunteer task force that meets monthly and one of their objectives is to choose and implement a new idea. Would you come to the next meeting and make a pitch?”
    • Define the f/u: “What do you need from me? I will put it on my calendar and get back with you on the 20th of next month after I speak with the finance director.”
    • Don’t sugarcoat the no: “I’ve spoken to our CEO and at this time, she is unable to allocate the resources to your idea. It is not because the idea isn’t a good one, but because we are about to implement a new initiative and it’s all hands on deck right now. Try again after we’re successful.”
    • Don’t own the work: “I would like to help with that, but we are in the middle of volunteer appreciation planning. Can you work up a proposal with specifics and examples and get it to me? Without a fleshed-out proposal, I can’t get an audience to hear your idea.”

    I’ll not lie. I’m disappointed in my recent experiences with f/u even though I understand the why because I’ve been there and had those good intentions. But, still, lack of f/u kills motivation.

    So, let’s not make volunteer f/u an actual….F…. well, you know what I mean.

    -Meridian

  • Please volunteer for us, you caring person :-)

    You’re gonna love it!

    Picture a potential volunteer skimming through volunteer ads, and they come upon yours. Are they intrigued? Do they shout “Golly gee, this is fabulous,” and run for the phone, desperate for the wonderful opportunity? Or do they keep looking?

    According to research, the science of naming brands is more than descriptive words. Clever word coinage, rhymes that fall off your tongue and words that sound like the actual word (think fizz) all play into choosing a name.

    What if we rename common volunteer-wanted ad titles, using these techniques? But wait, let’s add a dose of job realism, shall we? For example, instead of:

    Office volunteer wanted:  Let’s use (and include a tagline)…

    • Mundane-Loving Myrtle; Boredom is the new black
    • Stays-In-The-Cubicle Carmen; see no evil, hear no evil, report no evil
    • Filing-Fool Fiend: keep your head and your hopes down

    Marketing/Fundraising Volunteer wanted: 

    • Shake-Em-Down Shirley; we’re all about the money, er the mission
    • Beggar Bonnie; sucking up to the donors so we don’t have to
    • Stay-In-Your-Lane Larry; we’re the experts here, silly, not you

    Events Volunteer wanted: 

    • Pack-Mule Pete; Hee-haw, following your dreams is so yesterday
    • No-Instructions-Needed Nell; Confusion is the spice of life
    • Stand-And-Wait Stanley; it’s just like being in line at Disney World except there’s no fun ride at the end

    General Volunteer Help wanted:

    • Obedient Ozzie; cause we don’t want no backtalk or new ideas
    • No-Personal-Life Latasha; stay by your phone, we might need something
    • Squeaky-Clean Shaquille; we can’t afford background checks

    While ad titles like Front desk volunteer, Office volunteer and the soul-sucking Dracula of all ad titles, Data Entry Volunteer may describe the positions, they lack the meaning that volunteers crave.

    Other outdated ad titles such as “Caring Volunteer,” or “Friendly Visitor,” feel like they were written with a chisel on stone. Recruitment ads forgotten on social media sites gather more dust than the speech I wrote in case I’m voted employee of the year.

    Or how about these dusty goodies: Bring Your Smile! Hold a Hand. They’re as effective as an ad for a VCR.

    Volunteer ads are passive recruitment which means they work for us while we are out talking to civic groups or sitting at community fairs or having lunch. Spending time and energy on writing these ads and regularly refreshing them is one of the most effective things we can do.

    Picture a student, late at night, phone in hand, swiping through ads that will fulfill their desire to be a change maker. Or a senior, recently widowed, searching in the still morning for something that will add meaning to a bruised soul. Or a working parent, sneaking a peek at ads while helping with homework, looking to spend some me time helping others. What speaks to them?

    Dive deep and find the meaning in your volunteer roles and convey that to potential volunteers. Try:

    • ask existing volunteers to help write ads
    • include quotes or testimonials from volunteers, staff, clients that get to the essence of why this job is important
    • use what I call the 3-way method: describe the job, describe what it means to clients/org and describe what benefits volunteers will reap
    • experiment with funny ads, pop-culture reference ads, or mimic current events
    • create a targeted volunteer profile and write for that person
    • write a question into your volunteer application that asks, “how did you find us,” and include a choice for ads, asking-“which one spoke to you and why?” Evaluate the feedback

    You work hard to recruit volunteers. Volunteer recruitment ads should work as hard as you.

    -Meridian

    This is an update from an old, old, old, dusty post: Caring Volunteers Wanted, Well duh.

  • #LoVols, Our Secret Sauce

    “…it’s so temptingly good!”

    We, volunteer managers have this rare overview of mission operations because our volunteers are involved in many/all departments and services. We know things other staff don’t know. We know Darcy secretly eats pudding at her desk which is why she always needs to swap out her keyboard. We know Lucas watches ninja videos on YouTube while claiming to do research. We know it was Kelly who jealously sabotaged Degan’s report because Degan got to go to that conference in New York.

    But, we also see how siloed everyone is and how much work is disjointed: For example – marketing sends a rep to schmooze a group of potential donors at a civics meeting. A month later, the CEO asks the education coordinator to “teach” a class at this same group. Meanwhile, you have this detail-loving volunteer and you realize they could help marketing and education efficiently merge their efforts.

    The same holds true for endless organizational meetings about a new project that is left simmering because staff is too overworked to get it going. Meanwhile, you know some amazing volunteers who could run with this idea and implement it.

    All throughout your organization, you see where volunteers can add tremendous value. You know what that makes you? (No, not a busy-body). A Visionary. Yep, it does, so let’s own it.

    We have a unique opportunity to offer volunteer value, although speaking up with authority can be downright terrifying. But remember, what is obvious to you is most likely not obvious to everyone else.

    We see where volunteer involvement can tie things together and how collaboration increases effective efficiency (or efficient effectiveness). We can show volunteer value in ways administration hasn’t thought of, but how should we offer?

    The ineffective way of pointing out volunteer help: (Negative Observation = Need Help)

    • Our volunteer heard a presentation given by Marcus at one of her club meetings and she said Marcus mumbled through the whole thing and nobody at her club could hear him so why don’t we use volunteers instead? We’ve got some real chatty volunteers!
    • Our volunteer overheard Gwen in marketing say she is delaying sending Skip the new marketing plan because she’s mad he won the employee of the month award but we have volunteers who are not petty like that so let’s put them in charge of the plan.
    • A volunteer said Jazmine in finance is afraid she’ll lose her job because she is having trouble learning the software, so hey, let’s give her some student volunteers because they all have computer skills.

    We don’t need to share negative tidbits. The visionary approach is to offer the impact of volunteer involvement and remove the objections to it. This is where the secret sauce comes in: It enhances your proposal with volunteer qualifications and the delicious work you have done to develop wonderful people into effective volunteers.

    Think of it this way: Would you feel confident if a staff member said to you, “I see you look stressed and I have someone to help you manage volunteers. They’re really nice.” No, you wouldn’t feel confident, you’d feel anxious. Why? Because negativity breeds anxiety and besides, nice isn’t a qualification. Neither is smart or honest or fun-these are attributes.

    Qualifications are the specific skills that are suitable to the job. (think office skills, public speaking). It’s imperative to ask questions to find what qualifications staff value in volunteers (able to work quietly, self-starter).

    We must offer volunteer help packaged with the volunteer’s qualifications and the background work we’ve done with each volunteer. Our volunteers are a package deal, not some random nice person off the street. We’ve invested time and knowledge in our volunteers and that investment will help open the silo walls.

    The secret sauce way to present developed volunteer help: (Positive observation + volunteer qualifications + secret sauce = win/win)

    • Volunteer Terrence, who is thoroughly vetted (secret sauce–vetting), has volunteered for five years in several roles (qualification), including working directly with our clients. He has been instrumental in bringing in 3 new donation streams (qualification) and through numerous training sessions (secret sauce–training), is versed in mission verbiage. Under my and marketing director Gwen’s watchful eyes (secret sauce-looping), Terrence can double the number of presentations given and he is ready to pilot a volunteer presentation program.
    • Volunteer Mizrah has been thoroughly vetted (secret sauce-vetting) and briefed (secret sauce-training) on the role in finance. He understands the importance of team and boundaries (a qualification you learned is important to Jazmine by talking with her) and will take the burden off Jazmine so she can focus on other important tasks. I will monitor their working relationship closely (the secret sauce – your leadership in looping, mediating and adjusting) so Jazmine is confident with the help.

    The #LoVols’ secret sauce is the work we do in the back of the organizational kitchen, mixing volunteer ingredients, stirring the pot frequently, tasting and adjusting so wonderful people are developed into effective volunteers: See The VOL E TEAM (vetting, orienting, looping, effectively communicating, training, educating, adjusting and mediating).

    We have a vision for our volunteer initiatives. Our volunteers are qualified. We have the secret sauce for their success. Let’s not keep our sauce so secret anymore.

    -Meridian