I have heard countless nonprofit professionals say, “We need a volunteer to handle the job.” Often this phrase is uttered before any kind of thoughtful review process is undertaken of what is really needed by the organization. It is often easier to just assign a volunteer to a task then to think through what are the real needs and to find the most appropriate volunteer. There are a number of steps that should be implemented before volunteers are brought into the equation. The first is to clarify why a volunteer is needed in the first place. Where did the idea come from? What were the reasons why the job or task could not be fulfilled without a volunteer? What are the specific tasks needed to be performed? As soon as these questions are answered then a job description can be written for the … Continue Reading
Let’s Get Personal: The Professional – Volunteer Relationship
Have you thought about the nature of your relationship with your volunteer leaders, board members and donors? You see them at meetings and spend a few minutes speaking with them, but when thinking about moving beyond the formal relationship, what is appropriate? On one hand, you want to show that your connection is not only a functional one. On the other hand, you still want to maintain a sense of professionalism. The challenge is often finding the right recipe for an appropriate, yet personal connection within the professional working relationship. The first part of the process is getting a sense of who these people are and developing a sense of their interests. It does not mean prying into their lives and pushing yourself on them. However, it does mean getting a sense of who they are and what … Continue Reading
Time Over Money
[This post was originally published October 18, 2009 in PresenTense Magazines' Philanthropy issue. As a part of our continuing discussion on Jewish philanthropy, we are reprinting.] The Elders of Zion had it right - money and Jews go hand in hand. Philanthropy runs through the Jewish world like veins run though our bodies. You can put your multiples of chai towards Jews in plight, gentiles in plight, volunteering in a third world country, your local Jewish Federation, disadvantaged communities in Israel, or strengthening the Jewish voice on Capitol Hill. Limited time and, even more, limited funds are dwarfed by the seemingly unlimited causes vying for our attention. As the economy shrinks, and with it the cash flow in the Jewish world, this question is more poignant than ever. With this in mind, … Continue Reading
Limmud FSU Princeton: Bridging the Disconnect
With the goal of helping to bridge their disconnect from the American Jewish community, over 500 Russian-Jewish-American young adults will gather at Princeton University, May 11th-13th, for the first-ever three-day Limmud FSU Conference in the United States. The entire conference, including its content, is organized by volunteers from the U.S. Russian-speaking Jewish community and reflects the participants’ desire to maintain their Russian Jewish culture while living in the United States. An estimated 750,000 to 1 million Russian-American Jews live in the country, with about half residing in New York and New Jersey. Among the presenters at the conference are leading academics, politicians, writers and artists hailing from the United States, Israel, Russia and elsewhere including, Yossi Bachar, … Continue Reading
Values and Volunteering
by Lisa Barkan I have learned many an important lesson from my father, lessons which I carry with me to this day. Better to get an average grade and not cheat than to copy from another student and get an ‘A’. If the grocer gives you too much change you must return it, even if you have to walk all the way back to the store. Always keep an eye open for an older person who might need help. And the one that resonates with me every day, the one that I try to listen to as much as I can, admit when you have made a mistake. There is nothing wrong with saying that you could have done better. As individuals we always have something to learn, and as a community, as a people, we always have a new lesson waiting around the corner. Such is the challenge of the Jewish people. To learn our lessons, act, and … Continue Reading
Enthusiastic Volunteer Leaders Can Be A Challenge
A source of real strength and sustainability for most non-profit organizations comes from the involved and committed volunteer leaders. These are people who identify for a myriad of reasons with the purposes and functions of the agency and the services it provides. They decide they want to give of their time, as well as financial support, and they become very committed to the agency and the services delivered to the community. Some volunteer leaders are interested in serving on the board of directors while others become active in providing direct services to clients. They demonstrate their dedication through taking on assignments that are in keeping with their interests, skills and abilities. Often volunteer leaders take on a variety of roles and are able to develop themselves as they contribute … Continue Reading
Dealing With a Difficult Volunteer Leader
Sticky Issue: Dealing With a Difficult Volunteer Leader Following last week’s posting one of the regular leaders wrote to me and said she was glad someone was willing to write about issues and conflicts that are not always addressed. She raised the issue asking how professionals and volunteer leaders should handle dealing with a volunteer leader who is either inappropriate or destructive in the organization. This is a very sensitive issue especially when the person is very committed to the organization and volunteers and/or provides financial support. Unfortunately the challenge these difficult lay leaders and volunteers provide is not an isolated case or unique to specific situations. Organizations that recruit social capital to strengthen their leadership pool and their source of … Continue Reading
The Changing Face of Volunteers
from The New York Times: Older Workers Bring New Purpose to Volunteer Work Spurred by the tight job market or often career-change aspirations, older workers with specific goals for donating their time are remaking the face of volunteerism. Call it giving back with an agenda. Executives at nonprofit organizations around the country testify to the new worker demands, many of them from baby boomers used to pushing for what they want. The execs are hardly complaining - volunteerism is on the rise and it's the older population that's behind it. ... But nonprofits say it's boomers, now ranging from age 45 to 64, who are driving the trend of looking for meaningful volunteer opportunities as they near retirement. That's a big change from earlier generations, whose volunteers, many of them women … Continue Reading
Managing Volunteers: Making the Most of a Valuable Resource
A significant number of non-profit organizations in voluntary organizations around the world recruit and use volunteers to deliver vital services to their clients. Engaging volunteers is not just a matter of enlisting people and assigning them to various tasks. In order for there to be an effective and efficient use of volunteers it is important for the agency to plan for their training, assignments, and ongoing supervision, as well as, developing a way to acknowledge their contribution. In times of limited resources and increased requests for services board members often think that engaging volunteers to “fill in the gaps” is a way to go in order to maintain the agency’s functioning. When we consider the use of volunteers it is necessary to recognize not only the needs of the clients who … Continue Reading
Boards in Transition
Taking Stock of Accomplishments and Identifying Challenges Several weeks ago I received a request to meet with the executive director and the staff person who works with their donors and potential donors of a mid-size multi-service organization. The agency was in a period of transition, and according to the by-laws, they would be electing a new board of directors in the early part of the 2010. Many of the board members would be continuing to sit on the soon to be elected board and a number would be completing their volunteer service to the organization. They posed a series of questions focusing on building a sense of continuity into the board’s functioning and on not losing the momentum of the present board. How could the new members of the board be brought “up to speed” and quickly … Continue Reading
English