tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62672785414336804352024-03-10T12:13:46.125-07:00Volunteer Frontier Dialogue on Strategic Volunteer Engagement
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Exploring trends, insights and ideas in the service fieldReed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-20067978657493131912012-12-07T12:08:00.001-08:002014-05-30T14:00:18.543-07:00New Tool Calculates the Value Volunteers Deliver<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my work, I've found that senior managers are most moved/influenced by bottom-line dollars & cents. I tried to fine a good tool that better captured what volunteers deliver, but came up short - so I created by own tool. Check out the new <a href="http://www.volunteerfrontier.com/service-roi-calculator.html"><span style="color: blue;">Volunteer Frontier Service ROI Calculator</span></a> to more accurately reflect the real benefits
derived from volunteer engagement. Show how
volunteers contribute to building the capacity of an organization through
saving money, raising funds, and doing more mission. Plug in your own expenses and revenue to
calculate the true financial contributions volunteers are making. If you like it, pay it forward! </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I use this and other tools when I help nonprofits and government figure out how to best engage volunteers. Feedback is always welcome! Let's make the tool even better.</span>Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-77601901916255497272012-11-28T09:09:00.000-08:002012-11-28T09:09:04.510-08:00Professional Millennials - What About Other Young People?Earlier this year the <a href="http://themillennialimpact.com/">Millennial Impact Report</a> was released. While it is certainly a solid and valuable contribution to the field of volunteer and stakeholder engagement for nonprofits, it is disappointing that the report focuses only on "professional" younger people. What about the other 70% of young people who might not consider themselves professionals? I wish the report gave a broader snap shot of all millennials - since people from all backgrounds can and do volunteer. As a field, we should be interested and learning about how everyone thinks about engaging with nonprofits. Check out <a href="http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/volunteeringiscsr/2012/07/03/the-2012-millennial-impact-report-harnessing-generation-y-for-csr-and-evp-success/">VolunteerMatch's Blog</a> for a terrific summary of the report. <div>
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Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-9703942258224484742012-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:002012-11-20T08:50:04.654-08:00There's Nothing Like Being a Volunteer for New InsightsI volunteer for a number of organizations and find it very rewarding. It's also given me a chance to see first hand how different organizations engage volunteers. When I speak to groups, I'll often ask the question, "Who's had a bad experience as a volunteer?" Almost everyone will nod that they have had their share of challenges. My own recent volunteer experiences highlight the difference in how volunteers are handled. In one situation, I volunteered with a staffer as my supervisor in an office environment. She'd already screened me and I was ready to give it my all. My first assignment was to put information into a spread sheet that she said was a waste of time to do but that her boss needed done. To put it mildly, it didn't feel like I was being valued very much, but I did it anyway. In addition there were too many volunteers scheduled, so we volunteers didn't have enough to do. I then decided to try volunteering for a political campaign. My "boss" was a leader volunteer and it was a positive and meaningful experience because I was put to work on a number of projects where I could see that my efforts mattered. I often have thought of myself as one who doesn't need much acknowledgement or expressions of appreciation. I must say, it felt good to be appreciated and recognized - even in small ways. I think it would be beneficial for all nonprofits to encourage their own employees get out and volunteer on company time for another organization - at least a few times a year. We all lead busy lives, but there is no substitute for feeling the volunteer experience so we can do better ourselves with volunteers. Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-10929828475513875322012-08-21T12:46:00.001-07:002012-08-21T12:46:19.081-07:00The Leadership Continuum Approach...Just like moving donors to higher levels of giving, developing leader volunteers takes time. I've found it to be the lucky exception to land a really good new and untested volunteer leader. We've all had folks show up -promise to do it all, then fade away - leaving us holding the bag and cleaning up the mess. Worse than that, our staff members say they'll never take another "leader" volunteer again. I'd suggest that we develop more of a leadership continuum approach. Many great organizations like the girl scouts and 4H have been doing this for years with volunteers taking on increasingly more responsibility and ownership over time. One idea is to have three categories of leader. I suggest levels like - 1. co-project leader (paired with more experienced volunteer), 2. project leader (tested & reliable), 3. program leader (more focused on leading others and longer term projects). Within those categories you could have a number of positions or roles with some being skilled volunteers and others being more managerial or project focused people. Some volunteers can be short-term, while others could be longer term. Check out my <a href="http://www.volunteerfrontier.com/update---august-2012.html">August Volunteer Frontier Newsletter</a>. It has great resources to help you move forward with grooming volunteer leaders. If you have good ideas feel free to write them below! What's working for you? How do you groom people for leadership positions?Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-56485984148780860402012-05-06T18:09:00.000-07:002012-05-06T18:09:12.601-07:00Recruit A Social Media Maven!I know your staff is already over-worked and now you've got all this Facebook, Twitter, blogging stuff to deal with that the experts say is vital to being relevant. One good option is to recruit a volunteer to work with your communications staff member (if you have one) to handle chunks of the social media work. This kind of job makes a lot of sense for many nonprofits because it offers a flexible opportunity with an easily understood scope of work. Possible prospects could include a board member, graduate student or volunteer who's been around a while and has a knack for writing. For the volunteer - what an attractive opportunity get social media experience and see the results of more followers, twitters, etc... I'd suggest making the position commitment at least six months with an expected 2-3 hours of service needed each week. If possible, encourage the selected volunteer to work on site at least for a while to get the lay of the land. If you've engaged a volunteer as social media maven, tell your story below!Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-45906662649978946942012-05-01T12:34:00.001-07:002012-05-01T12:39:50.959-07:00For Good Nonprofits - Volunteer Engagement Is Core To Effective Operations<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to share a new report I wrote
in partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Advancement in Washington,
DC. It’s called the <a href="http://www.volunteerfrontier.com/volunteer-engagement-stars.html"><i><u>Volunteer Engagement Stars</u></i><u> <i>Report</i></u></a>. I felt that the
field of volunteer engagement needed more case studies – especially with the
involvement of agency CEOs/Executive Directors. The publication is packed with practical, real-life examples of how nonprofits
are dynamically engaging volunteers in ways that deliver bottom-line results. Download the complete report by going to the Volunteer
Frontier Website. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The report
provides a road map to:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Create an Organizational Culture That Embraces Volunteers</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.25pt;">See Today’s Volunteer as
Tomorrow’s Donor</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.25pt;">Involve the Business
Community - Especially in Skilled Volunteering</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.25pt;">Appeal to the “New Breed”
of Volunteer</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.25pt;">Integrate Volunteering
Across the Entire Organization</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">So, what did I miss? Any major trends that you were surprised were not in the report? Interestingly, for the groups I interviewed, social media isn't being talked about as I would have thought. Put in your two cents! Download the report <a href="http://www.volunteerfrontier.com/volunteer-engagement-stars.html">HERE</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-58709948045074510682012-03-09T09:44:00.001-08:002012-05-01T12:43:41.832-07:00Ever Heard That Story - "I Tried To Volunteer, But..."I hear "the story" all the time - about friends and colleagues who want to volunteer but can't get nonprofits to take them seriously. I while back I was at an AARP staff alumni get-together. Many of the talented people I had worked with years ago have retired but still want to change the world. It was inspiring to hear what people are doing and how they're using their skills to help society. But, it wasn't always easy for them to find the right organization in which to serve.<br />
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Judy, who is an expert in the field of volunteering and held a high-level position at AARP, told me that when she retired she went around to numerous charities and said she was willing to lend them her professional skills. Not one nonprofit took her up on her offer. After a year or so of trying, Judy found a charity helping orphans in Vietnam, and ended up moving there for a number of years.<br />
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Another past colleague told me, "I was a professional writer and copy editor for 30 years with AARP. I approached this one nonprofit and told them I'd be happy to improve the copy on their website." They looked at him and said (I'm not making this up) "Thanks, but what we really need is a driver to deliver our publications around town. Can you do that?" <br />
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Of course, there are plenty of stories where people's skills and talents are well utilized. With the new breed of volunteer, my hunch is that organizations that don't snap up and engage talented people will start to see their support decrease.<br />
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How can we help staff think a little bit more outside the box to tap those willing to help in work outside of the canned volunteer position description?Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-74781856341156072582012-02-28T14:24:00.002-08:002012-02-28T20:21:47.251-08:00Remember the "Year of Giving" Guy?Perhaps you've heard of him. His name is Reed Sandridge, and in December of 2009, after getting laid off during the great recession, he decided to give a different person in need $10 every day - for an entire year. For more about him check out his <a href="http://yearofgiving.org/">blog</a> which is interesting and insightful. I have an amazing story about how Reed also tried to give his time, but more on that in a second. How did I, Reed Dewey meet another Reed you might be thinking. We both attended the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering last summer in New Orleans. There were 4,000 people in the darkened opening session that had already begun, so I grabbed a seat sort of near the back then in a few seats. In a whisper I said to the fellow next to me, "Hi, I'm Reed" and so we connected. <br />
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Now fast forward to February and Reed and I finally got together for coffee. He's a very genuine guy who's a great communicator and is focusing his time to writing a book about his year of giving and helping nonprofits and companies better tell their stories. <br />
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After the year of giving was up, Reed decided to do a year of volunteering (once a week) with 52 different nonprofits in Washington, DC. Here's the interesting thing... only a handful of these organizations ever asked him more about himself and why he was volunteering. For all these nonprofits knew, this man might have been willing to volunteer many hours or give them a large contributions down the road. <br />
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What an opportunity lost for many of these groups. I've done my fair share of nonprofit work over the years and I know how staff get really busy, but it strikes me as short-sighted to ignore someone who's willing to volunteer 3+ hours of their time while someone who gives $30 can't get off a mailing list.<br />
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What do you think about this? Should nonprofit staffers take more time to invest in getting to know those who volunteer - even if for one time? What advice would you give to charities about how to better engage those people who volunteer occasionally?Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-67767618717355588802011-12-12T11:47:00.000-08:002012-05-01T12:42:00.685-07:00Tapping Those Age 65 to 80 - Hidden Gold In Those Hills?While there's certainly been a lot written about engaging boomers, families, employees and more, rarely am I hearing about tapping those age 65 to 80. This age group has been called the "silent generation" and they are usually healthy don't have kids or parents to care for. Boomers are often referred to as the sandwich generation because they do have more family obligations behind and ahead of them. Research shows that older volunteers can be incredibly loyal and dedicated -and often stay engaged with organizations for years. AARP's 2010 "Connecting and Giving Report" found that 43% of those in this age group are "somewhat" or "very involved" in volunteer work. Another reason to engage older folks??? It doesn't hurt that many of these 65+ year olds have significant financial resources and have the capacity to give sizable gifts in addition to being valuable volunteers. Have you found it fruitful to engage this generation?Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-31124113374809156792011-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:002011-11-09T06:42:32.067-08:00Nonprofits That Are Volunteer Engagement Stars...<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I'm doing a report called </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;"><u>Volunteer Engagement</u><span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><u>Stars</u>. It is </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">showcasing how Washington, DC area nonprofits are utilizing volunteers in </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">new and innovative ways to further their work. The report will be free and available for anyone interested in learning about real examples of how volunteers have made a big difference as leaders, skilled professionals, project managers, along with other areas. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I'll be selecting 8-10 nonprofits to feature in the report.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Should you know of a nonprofit that you think is a leader in volunteer engagement, please let me know by November 30, 2011. </span></div>Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-41435146650093827532011-11-04T13:44:00.000-07:002011-11-09T06:51:26.627-08:00Why Did I Start Volunteer Frontier?Over the years I've seen all kinds of volunteering and done a fair amount myself. Early in my career as a community organizer with older people, I learned about the importance of people having power and being empowered to make a difference. At AARP I managed a consumer program that had ten volunteers that reported to be from across the Country. These people were putting in 20+ hours a week as leaders and advocates. <br />
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Now, fast forward to three years ago when I was lucky enough to run the Montgomery County Volunteer Center, with over 800 participating agencies. What I found was that there seemed to be two kinds of nonprofits. One with leaders who were almost all volunteer and then other nonprofits where all leadership positions rested with paid staff. For organizations that had staffs of around ten or more people, volunteers usually provided direct service or were on the board of directors. Of course there were exceptions, but not as many as I had assumed. The Volunteer Center had a program to match skilled professionals with short-term nonprofits, and it still is one of the crown jewels of what the Center offers. Della Stolsworth who started the Center's award-winning Pro-Bono Program (one of the first in the US), told me that about 30% of those who volunteer on projects end up volunteering on a longer term basis with the nonprofit they were assigned to help. <br />
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One would think that with the economy in the basement or other bathroom fixture, government and nonprofits would be seeking talented volunteers to help build and maintain their capacity - not just use volunteers to provide direct services and paint fences. The news these days is full of stories about how there is more natural gas in the USA than anyone ever thought possible, due to the new and controversial "fracking" technology. My consultancy, Volunteer Frontier, is helping nonprofits find new ways to tap the hidden talent and treasure that has always existed in communities. The pay-off, like exploring for gas and oil, can be well worth the risk. Saving money, delivering more services and increase contributions through higher levels of engagement are just a few of the possible benefits. Do you think CEOs are ready to try new ways of engaging volunteers? Will it take the collapse of the European economy to change the old ways of viewing what volunteers can and can't do? Write a comment!Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267278541433680435.post-17394872594221586172011-11-03T18:55:00.000-07:002011-11-09T06:46:23.457-08:00Letting Our Nonprofit Fans Decide How They EngageWhile I think a lot about how nonprofits and government can effectively engage volunteers, I'm increasingly seeing that all our audiences are blurring. Most agencies have different lists - one for donors, one for volunteers, one for media, etc... Even if these lists are part of of one database, we keep focusing on the groups within them. In Beth Kanter's book "<a href="http://www.bethkanter.org/the-networked-nonprofit/">The Networked Nonprofit</a>" she says we also need to be thinking about those who follow and spread our organization's messages - in addition to thinking about our advocates, donors and volunteers. With this logic we'd spend more time communicating with <u>everyone</u> who will listen to us through various social media vehicles, and let them decide what they want to do. Today's donor is tomorrow's volunteer is next week's connector to a friend at the local bank, etc... Perhaps we need to let our fans be free to engage with us in ways we never imagined. What cool ways is your nonprofit engaging fans to stay connected? Reed Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10529647372091274197noreply@blogger.com1