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 blog 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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Showing posts with label skilled volunteers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skilled volunteers. Show all posts
Nonprofits That Are Volunteer Engagement Stars...
I'm doing a report called Volunteer Engagement Stars. It is showcasing how Washington, DC area nonprofits are utilizing volunteers in 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. I'll be selecting 8-10 nonprofits to feature in the report.Should you know of a nonprofit that you think is a leader in volunteer engagement, please let me know by November 30, 2011.
Why 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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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