An early spring has blanketed much of the country – and all this sunshine and warmth make my household think not only of crocuses and spring breaks, but also tornadoes, floods, and other potential disasters. You see, my husband works in emergency services with the American Humane Association’s Red Star animal rescue team.

How can I have more influence in my organization? That’s a question we hear frequently from volunteer engagement leaders, whether they are volunteer coordinators who work in small departments that serve the larger nonprofit or they direct an entire division. No matter where they are placed in the organization, volunteer engagement leaders are the organization’s link to a vital resource of human capital – and yet, many feel that they have little influence.

It’s exactly that dilemma that inspired me to revisit a book that came out a few years ago, called Influencer: The Power To Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. The book presents a compelling model for having more influence in your world. The model is based on the premise that people work from two basic mental maps – motivation and ability. In other words, having influence boils down to helping others answer these two questions, “Can I do what’s required?” and “Will it be worth it?”

By Beth Steinhorn and Jill Friedman Fixler

One of our favorite bloggers, Beth Kanter, posted yesterday about one of our favorite topics: evaluation. After reading the blog we began to think of ways that volunteers can assist organizations with evaluation. We know that today’s volunteers are invested in result and impact. Many of them are also interested in the evaluation process as well. Whether you are experimenting with new ways of engaging volunteers or piloting other new programmatic approaches within your organization, volunteers are a resource for program evaluation. Many volunteers are already highly skilled as facilitators, evaluators, and project managers – all of which would equip them to either contribute to or lead the evaluation process.  Here are a few ways volunteers can build your capacity to effectively measure results and evaluate your volunteer engagement strategies.

by Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn

You’ve probably heard – Facebook will be going public and Google has new privacy settings. One of the other social media trends we have been closely following is the rapid evolution of LinkedIn. Through the expansion of groups, postings, and discussions, LinkedIn has become a dynamic resource for improving knowledge, making connections in the field, and discussing current issues and trends. Additionally, it has added new sections to individual profiles that directly feed into volunteer cultivation as well as recognition. Here are a few ideas to explore and consider that will build your network, expose you to professional development, and enhance your volunteer engagement efforts.