Recently, I presented a series of trainings for chapters of a statewide nonprofit.  Each chapter was run entirely by volunteers, and each was struggling to find enough people to carry out its work. I started the sessions by asking participants why they needed more volunteers.  “We want more people to come to our meetings,” was invariably the answer.  “Why?” I asked. “How will having more people at your meetings help you achieve your mission?”

This always got the conversation going, as the group discovered that coming to a meeting was the only way a new volunteer could enter the organization.

This kind of meeting madness is common in small nonprofits, even though insisting that volunteers come to meetings in the evening, after a long day’s work, is a sure-fire way of discouraging people from participating.  Some people have low meeting tolerance – they are burned out from attending meetings at work, have family responsibilities, or just don’t enjoy discussion and debate.

There is a tremendous untapped pool of volunteers, made up of people who want to do good works in the community but have no interest in organizational management.  These are people who could be counted upon to clean up a riverbank, or play ball with kids, or

build scenery at the community theatre.  They do not want to sit in your business meeting.

There has to be a ‘side door’ through which volunteers can enter and go directly to the heart of the matter – hands-on work that advances the mission of the organization.  This side door exists in large institutions, usually in the form of a paid volunteer manager.  But how can an all-volunteer group construct a side door when there is so much other work to be done?

1. Commit to a new way of recruiting volunteers.

At one of those business meetings, get everyone’s agreement to open up the organization to more people, even those who cannot attend regular meetings.

2. Designate a coordinator.

A tried and true strategy, to be sure, but it has lasted for a reason!

Nominate your most friendly leader to be the Volunteer Coordinator.  Relieve this person of all other responsibilities within the organization, so s/he can concentrate on finding and placing new volunteers.

3. Match and coach.

The Coordinator helps the new volunteer figure out what they’d like to do and when they can do it.  S/he also keeps in touch to make sure they are doing a good job.

4. Embrace change.

Expanding the organization’s network in this way may feel odd at first, as tasks start to be carried out by volunteers who the core leadership doesn’t know very well.  As long as these new volunteers are doing a good job, however, value what they do contribute to the group rather than focusing on the meetings they are skipping.  And whatever you do, keep the front door to your organization’s meetings wide open.  You never know…a volunteer might just get inspired to walk in!

Allison Trimarco is the owner of Consulting for Nonprofits, and works with small and mid-sized nonprofits on planning, fundraising, and volunteer development projects in the greater Philadelphia area.

  

By Allison Trimarco

Reprinted from Turn Your Organisation Into A Volunteer Magnet, 2nd edition

(ed. Fryar, Jackson & Dyer) 2007.

Views expressed are those of individual authors, and do not necessarily represent

those of their employers or the editors.

The second edition of ‘Turn Your Organisation into a Volunteer Magnet’ was launched in late last year.  The book is a knowledge-sharing initiative within the international community of volunteer programme managers (VPMs) for the purpose of peer-to-peer professional development.  The editors and writers have given their time for free and it is the intention that nobody should profit from the sale of this publication.

 

This e-book is available to download for free via the internet.  To download a copy of the full booklet go to www.ozpvm.com.