How to Unlock Service-Learning’s Power for Your Nonprofit
How to Unlock Service-Learning's Power for Your Nonprofit Service-learning offers a unique opportunity for nonprofits to connect with students who are actively seeking volunteer experiences that support their professional and career development. According to SOURCE, the community engagement and [...]
How to Build an Awesome Volunteer Network
How to Build an Awesome Volunteer Network A colleague and I were chatting today about the ever-present issue of finding enough volunteers to support your cause. We seem to focus all our attention on the individual we hope to [...]
How Judo can Inform Your Strategy for Leading Volunteer Teams
A few days ago, I learned that my beloved judo teacher, Sensei (Master) Keiko Fukuda, was awarded her 10th degree black belt. At age 98, she is the only woman in the world to ever receive this honor. Her promotion reminded me of many of the leadrship lessons I leanred from judo that I still use today, years after I left the sport.
Volunteer Recruitment Messaging: 5 Ways to Gain Traction
What is the #1 thing that creates loyal customers? It’s the social construct of reciprocity. Reciprocity is one of those social norms we live by. No matter where we come from, we feel obligated to return a favor. But, how can this concept work for volunteer programs?
Effective Delegation: Are You Delegating or Dumping?
In the harried rush to meet deadlines and respond to email, phone calls, and crises, we often communicate the best we can to our colleague, cross our fingers, and then rush of to the next thing. But is this most effective tactic in the long run? Probably not -- not with our paid staff and certainly not with our volunteers.
Why You Need to Embrace Organizational Support for Volunteers
If you’ve been involved in volunteer management for any length of time, you’ve inevitably come across people who just don’t get it. They either view volunteers as widgets who can be automatically plugged in to shore up the organizational need du jour, or they think volunteers are too much hassle to be worth it. If the decision makers in your organization feel this way, you’re not likely to get the support you need.