Volunteers

Companies and nonprofits that manage employee giving and volunteering programs are quite adept at the processes and practices that keep these programs humming. Yet they often struggle to find and tell stories that show how the generosity of employees is making a difference. Effective storytelling is a key ingredient of your marketing and communications efforts.…

If football coaches do not recruit well, their teams will not have winning seasons. In the nonprofit world, a losing fiscal year could mean a reduction in programs, services and staff. If you have too many losing fiscal years, you could end up looking for another position at another nonprofit...

Give Kids the World Village, (GKWV) is a nonprofit situated on a "79-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families." Since 1986, more than 146,000 children and their families have come to the resort to visit Central Florida and its collection of theme parks and other attractions. But until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of it...

It’s probably you. Or could be you in the near future. And if not, then definitely some of your friends. I’m talking about the 4 million moms, dads, teachers, community members and other concerned citizens who are currently PTA members that willingly share their precious time with their children’s schools...

Volunteers play an integral role for most nonprofit organizations, with their work spanning from the front lines to behind-the-scenes importance. Increasing efficiency and cutting down on personnel costs sound desirable to any business, and it’s no different for nonprofits. Having a capable core of volunteers can reduce overhead costs and make it easier to meet monthly or annual goals...

For many people, the outcome of living in a consumer society is the belief that more stuff equals more happiness. So we look forward to the boost in happiness that the next new car, bigger house or the upgraded-thing-of-the-hour will provide. But, the upgrade doesn’t get us "happy," at least not for long. When the buzz from the Beamer quickly wears off, we start to focus on the next thing that we think will up our happiness quotient...

It was a new vice president for development, and expectations were high. I was serving on a campaign steering committee and enjoying a day full of high energy. The new staff leader entered the room quietly, sat in a row of chairs against the wall and proceeded to either text or read emails until he was asked to speak...

Once a development officer told me, "I’ll be damned if I’ll follow up with board members. They’re adults and said they would do these things. So they should just do it." Well, that person isn’t going to make it as a development officer. Such naïveté. Such arrogance. Competent development staff help their board members to…

We all know that millions of Americans enjoy volunteerism. All of us strive to identify, recruit and orient volunteers each year. We also know that, for our organizations to continue to stimulate volunteer engagement, we must provide meaningful opportunities for volunteers to engage in win-win situations. In order to provide those, we need to have those volunteer experiences for ourselves...

Recently, I attended an activity for volunteers. The purpose of the event was for our volunteers to help stuff backpacks for needy children. The smiles and response following this hands-on event proved to me that this type of activity is vitally important. It is all about building relationships...