Naturally, leaders of volunteers want to express their gratitude for the contributions of their volunteers and want to encourage them to continue their efforts. As I work on a volunteer recognition and retention plan for one of my consulting clients, I’ve taken a step back to reconsider -- What really motivates us? How can that be integrated into how we reward and recognize volunteers?
A How to Guide on Leading with Gratitude Last week, I was the lucky beneficiary of several expressions of gratitude from clients and friends. Their heartfelt thank you notes and intention of leading with gratitude really helped lift my spirits during an otherwise tough week. Their generosity also got me thinking about the power of gratitude. [...]
The Problem with Hidden Biases and a Strategy to Reduce Bias Have you ever been in a volunteer or board meeting where one person suggests a course of action and everyone just goes with it, without really questioning the viability of the solution? Conversely, have you ever been in a meeting where the group sees a [...]
How to Hire a High-Quality Volunteer Management Consultant Hiring a volunteer management consultant can be a smart investment for your nonprofit, provided you find the right person with a solid mix of expertise, wisdom, credibility, and people skills. Moreover, because consultants spend part of their time reviewing emerging research and best practices, they can bring [...]
If you are struggling to find ways to motivate volunteers, or don't seem to have enough "leader" volunteers available, consider rennovating how you make decisions. Try leading from within, rather than from the top, by using a shared leadership model.
MP900387727In today's wired world, volunteers can make significant contributions to an organization, even if they live tens, hundreds, or thousands of miles away. Working virtually volunteers can be just as effective (or as ineffective) as those working on site.
Trends in Volunteer Management You Need to Know About Our yearly Volunteer Management Progress Report finds that while there are promising volunteer management trends in the field of volunteer administration, there are also missed opportunities. The most disappointing trend is the consistent lack of knowledge about (or existence of) agency budgets allocated for volunteer programs [...]
Common volunteer management approaches reflect traditional views of human nature as egocentric, motivated by self-interest and the will to survive. New research, however, shows the opposite may be true.
In his recent Ted Talk, “The way we think about charity is dead wrong,” author and fundraiser Dan Pallotta raises some serious questions about our current mindset in the social sector. He argues that a discriminatory belief system about nonprofits stunts our growth and capacity. This also impact how we think about and resource our volunteer programs.
Are You Curious About Australian Volunteerism? Let’s face it, it’s getting harder and harder to engage a quality, committed volunteer support network. Society is evolving and volunteers are, too. The approaches organizations used in the past to engage volunteers simply aren’t working anymore. Australian volunteerism is not immune to this problem, and we can learn [...]