April 10-16th 2016 is National Volunteer Week. It is a time to celebrate and thank the millions of volunteers who spend hours making a difference to deliver the mission of your organizations. They are the backbone of every organization and every community.
As event directors who work with many different organizations and volunteers, we keep seeing a common theme: Organizations struggle when it comes to engaging committee volunteers. Working with volunteer committees can be rewarding and inspiring, but it can also be challenging and difficult. Many organizations face this challenge - you are not alone. Let’s change that!
Find the Right People
Many times charities are so happy to have someone say “yes” to sitting on a committee they leave out all the vital details about the role. If you are going to ask your committee and board to fundraise (as you should) then you need to tell them what the expectations and goals are.
The right people will be key influencers who are NOT AFRAID to leverage contacts. Yes, their contacts! You need volunteers who have contacts AND who are confident in influencing those contacts to support your organization.
Organizations need to not be afraid to let volunteers know that this is what you need from them.
Communicate and support
Now that you have the right people. You need to ensure they have all of the tools they need to do the tasks you need them to do. Make sure your deadlines are clear and keep volunteers up-to-date on the status of the fundraising goals – that’s right, share the financial goals! Be sure to offer support and communicate with them often.
Celebrate and say Thank You
We need to remember volunteers are not paid for their efforts. They are doing this because they truly care about making a difference in the organization. Do you know how they liked to be thanked? Have you asked them? Finding out how each one of your volunteers wants to be acknowledged or thanked is a vital stewardship step. Celebrate their successes and say thank you A LOT. Small genuine gestures can go a long way!
Let’s remember, your organization wouldn’t be where it is today without volunteers – have you said thank you?
Our Forté – Inspired Events by Jennifer & Ashlee Inc.
Jennifer Boyko – jennifer@ourforte.ca
Ashlee Sorochan – ashlee@ourforte.ca
