volunteers

By Josh Fixler, JFFixler Associate

A few weeks ago, Beth Steinhorn wrote a post about the Millennial Generation. She asked me to respond to it, since I have a unique perspective on the subject. I am, after all, a Millennial. I was born in 1984, putting me on the front edge of that generational line and I strongly identify with the label.

Websites are the portal to your organization. It's where your current volunteers can go for the latest news and where your potential volunteers can become familiar with -- and ultimately, engaged with -- your organization. So, having a powerful and effective homepage on your site is crucial to making your first impression one that is a lasting impression. We asked our colleague Monique Cuvelier of Talance, Inc. to share some tips about strengthening your organization's homepage. And, of course, we believe you have volunteers in your midst with skills and interest to help you implement all of these recommendations!

What compels a large, successful non-profit to re-imagine the potential of volunteers to build organizational capacity? "The economy" may be an obvious answer, given the increasingly fierce competition for philanthropic dollars... But our recent time on the ground with one of our Canadian clients revealed motivation that predates the economic woes and commitment that we believe will position the organization to become, in their words, the "charity of choice" in their country.

One of the benefits of travelling the continent for conferences, consultations, and workshops is that I get to meet so many dedicated professionals, passionately engaging volunteers to help make the world a better place. Just last month, I was at the National Council on Aging conference in Chicago and met Jenni Frumer, who is one of those dedicated and passionate professionals. Jenni is Associate Executive Director of the Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service in West Palm Beach, Florida and she is doing some impressive and innovative work with volunteers and older adults. She agreed to be interviewed so we could feature her organization as a case study in our blog. We believe the program will inspire you to utilize volunteers in similar grassroots, impactful programs – and to share your stories of your success on this blog, too. JFFixler Blogger Beth Steinhorn interviewed Jenni recently. Here are some highlights from their conversation.

Evaluation. Performance measurement. Outcomes-based assessment. These are all phrases we talk about frequently – and we repeatedly hear in conversations as we attend conferences, consult with clients, and confer with colleagues.Last week’s Chronicle of Philanthropy featured Patrick Corvington, the new head of the Corporation for National & Community Service, as he discussed his goals of shifting the Corporation toward a more outcomes-based culture. After reading that article and this blog, talk with your staff and volunteers about what it would mean to take this to the next level by cultivating volunteer leaders to help actualize those outcomes.

Baby boomers have been rewriting American culture for decades. Now, as the first wave of retiring boomers leaves the work force, they are redefining yet another great American institution – volunteerism.

More than half of non-volunteers 55 and older express interest in volunteering, with many viewing retirement as a time to begin a new chapter in their lives, according to the report “Great Expectations: Boomers and the Future of Volunteering.” Professionals and women aged 55 to 64 are most likely to be interested in volunteering, the report says.

Read this post by Guest Blogger Robert Rosenthal of VolunteerMatch.

With so much attention over the past few years focused on Baby Boomer volunteers, it would be easy to overlook another tremendously abundant resource of volunteers: The Millennial generation. The Millennial generation is comprised of those born in the late 1970s through the mid-1990s and is characterized as the generation that has come into adulthood with the turning of the new millennium. Millennials are currently in their teens and twenties – and are just as socially conscious – and just as numerous as their parents’ iconic generation, the Baby Boomers.

The stories are devastating; the images heart wrenching; and the future even worse. The earthquake in Haiti has shaken the world and the emotional aftershocks reverberate every time we turn to the news. As individuals, we all want to help – but it’s difficult to find a way to help when we live hundreds or thousands of miles away. As professionals in the nonprofit and service sectors, we are driven to help – even if disaster relief is not part of our organizations’ core mission. But how? Organizations who work as first responders, search and rescue, and direct relief often have built-in infrastructures to respond and support. For the rest of us, though, there are ways to leverage our existing structures and rally our constituents and volunteers to respond. We can make a difference.

With the launch of a new year, it’s hard to ignore the nostalgic reflections on the past year – and we enjoy a healthy review of the year’s successes and challenges as much as anyone. But, now that it’s January and we’re firmly rooted in 2010, we’d like to look ahead. The upcoming JFFixler eQuarterly newsletter will focus on some compelling forecasts by the Chronicle of Philanthropy and others about what nonprofits will face in 2010 and share a few proven strategies to consider in your 2010 organizational plans. In this, our first blog posting of 2010, we’d like to share our own thoughts about what to expect in this new year. The time to shift from reminiscence to informed action is now.

by Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn

It's that time of year, isn't it?  No, not the holiday season! It's time for the year-end solicitation, right? We know that, just like retailers depend on the holiday shopping season to bring them into the black each year, nonprofits have come to rely on the year-end solicitation to adjust the bottom line a bit more favorably.  So, we'd like to share with you the Top Ten reasons to ensure that your year-end solicitation strategy includes an intentional and strategic "ask" directed to your volunteers....