The Future Is Now
by Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn
The new calendar year is traditionally a very busy time for forecasters, prognosticators, and all of us who are planners at heart. For years, we at JFFixler & Associates have enjoyed reviewing such years-in-review and coming year predictions as both an exercise in nostalgia and preparation for the coming year - and we shared a few of our own thoughts about this new year in our recent blog posting. One notable development is that volunteer engagement has made the list of major trends explicitly and implicitly in unprecedented ways. In this newsletter, we would like to share a few of these published trends and our suggestions for strategic actions to incorporate into your 2010 plans.
- Demographics are shifting - in more ways than one. Volunteers today are not the same as they were 10 and 20 years ago and the management practices from those days won't meet the needs, motivations, and interests of today's volunteers. Motivations and interests vary across generations, cultures, and region. When volunteers' interests and needs are not met by an organization, they go elsewhere. How can you not only keep these volunteers in your midst, but also leverage these shifts to your advantage?
- 2010 Strategies: Develop and structure volunteer positions that appeal to multiple generations and cultures, including, for example, family volunteering opportunities, and flexible schedules. Offer virtual trainings and multilingual trainings and manuals in order to be more accessible, as does our client, the San Diego Council of Hostelling International USA. When seeking to cultivate volunteers from different cultural and generational groups, it's important to have staff and volunteer leaders skillfully demonstrate a commitment to diversity as well. For example, another client, 9Health Fair, engaged a new volunteer site coordinator who is Latina and works professionally with immigrant populations; she successfully cultivated a widely diverse group of volunteers and clients for this year's health fair. In the coming months, she will be providing training to other sites on effective strategies.
- Greater reliance on modest gifts. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "10 Emerging Forces in 2010" article last month lists the shift in funding sources as key for 2010. With reduced state, corporate, and foundation funding, nonprofits are working harder to cultivate individual donations and relying more on smaller and moderate gifts. Technology has created an unprecedented opportunity to cultivate small contributions from ever-increasing numbers of people. Meanwhile, recently released research by Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund confirms that volunteers donate, on average, 10 times more than non-volunteers. So, where should organizations launch this small contribution campaign? With their volunteers of course.
- 2010 Strategies: Develop and implement a volunteer fundraising plan. See our last blog post for more ideas and reasons to cultivate volunteers as donors. Furthermore, train and engage volunteers to cultivate donors using traditional and emerging fundraising strategies, including online tactics. See our newsletter by Josh Fixler for ideas on how to cultivate volunteers online. Finally, engage experienced volunteers to evaluate the results of volunteer fund development.
- Increased demand for services. Another important topic on The Chronicle's list was the notable pressure that the recession continues to put on safety net services. With the economic recovery predicted to be "long and difficult," The Chronicle predicts that not only will demand for social services continue, but also the demand for programs related to crime, domestic violence, mental illness, and substance abuse. We would add to this list an increased demand for other community services such as libraries, recreation centers, and community centers.
- 2010 Strategies: Skilled volunteers offer a powerful resource to help your organization develop and implement a work plan to expand the services for your clients. A self-directed team of volunteers can build the plan, solicit donations, set up programs, evaluate programs, expand staffing (especially in evening and weekend hours), and, by leveraging their profound social networks, help your organization partner with other organizations whose programs have a complementary focus to yours. We have seen entrepreneurial volunteers take on a challenge such as this at a rural library in California and, from just one small idea, build a whole new arts program for children that has dramatically expanded services without draining staff time. To see this case study and get detailed tips on engaging entrepreneurial teams, click here.
- Overworked and understaffed organizations. With layoffs and hiring freezes impacting so many organizations in 2008 and 2009, employees who are still at their desks this month are starting off the new year with more work and fewer colleagues to share the load. Combined with the increased demand for services, this is a recipe for burn out, at best - and disaster, at worst. However, skilled volunteers are an untapped resource to address this difficult situation.
- 2010 Strategies: Strategically engage skilled volunteers collaboratively to free up staff time so that staff can work priority initiatives and share their increased workload with capable volunteers. Again, self-directed teams of experienced volunteers are key here. At Metro Volunteers, a Denver volunteer center, a team comprised of volunteers (including a former nonprofit director, a retired volunteer director, and a retired corporate executive with extensive experience as a nonprofit trustee) has shepherded a pilot program to help local nonprofits engage Boomer volunteers. This program has expanded the center's program offerings without significantly imposing on the workload of staff. The ongoing version of this program is set to launch this spring, with the help of new team members - an experienced facilitator and evaluator both volunteering to help manage the program.
- Technology opens up new doors. The technology revolution continues to produce new ways of connecting, communicating, and cultivating - and organizations are faced with big choices about how to invest their time and energy and exactly how to join in the game. As The Chronicle notes, despite all these new tools and networks, "...few charities have figured out how to raise money using the new social networks." So, where to invest and how to join in the social networking game? These are key questions for 2010.
- 2010 Strategies: Technology has been widely adopted to help with traditional work - such as fundraising and marketing - but is still widely underutilized as a powerful tool to do new work in new ways, such as working collaboratively, virtual advocacy, convening supporters, and more. Tech experts can volunteer to coach, mentor, and train staff on strategies and tactics that will improve productivity. Furthermore, volunteers can serve as pro bono consultants and trainers as well as working to assess current use of technology, develop an improvement plan, and assist with the implementation.
- Volunteerism is in the spotlight. Volunteerism and national service have received unprecedented attention from the White House, Congress, and even the entertainment industry (see our October 15 blog post). The Chronicle notes that volunteerism has become "cool." The opportunity for nonprofits to strategically engage these volunteers in meaningful ways is only heightened by the fact that volunteerism and service have become high-profile priorities on the national agenda.
- 2010 Strategies: Given all the trends listed above, there is no better time than now to leverage this attention on national service and engage volunteers in new ways. However, deciding where to begin is challenging. We always recommend a systematic assessment as a way to identify your current strengths, opportunities, and needs. Visit www.BoomerVolunteerEngagement.org to download an Assessment of Organizational Volunteer Engagement and a Needs Assessment that will, together, help point you identify where to start in order to get the most out of your investment. These tools will then be your roadmap for the coming year as you move forward with new strategies and tactics to proactively leverage these trends to your advantage.
Together, these trends converge to make 2010 an unprecedented opportunity to use volunteer engagement as a strategy - a climate not only open to innovation and change, but one that demands an innovative shift if nonprofits are to survive and thrive. Success does not mean doing more with less, but rather doing more with more, when you access the skills, talents, and profound social networks of your stakeholders by engaging them as volunteers. The time is now to leverage these circumstances and engage individuals to make a difference for your organization and for their lives through meaningful volunteering.
by Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn
The new calendar year is traditionally a very busy time for forecasters, prognosticators, and all of us who are planners at heart. For years, we at JFFixler & Associates have enjoyed reviewing such years-in-review and coming year predictions as both an exercise in nostalgia and preparation for the coming year - and we shared a few of our own thoughts about this new year in our recent blog posting. One notable development is that volunteer engagement has made the list of major trends explicitly and implicitly in unprecedented ways. In this newsletter, we would like to share a few of these published trends and our suggestions for strategic actions to incorporate into your 2010 plans.
- Demographics are shifting - in more ways than one. Volunteers today are not the same as they were 10 and 20 years ago and the management practices from those days won't meet the needs, motivations, and interests of today's volunteers. Motivations and interests vary across generations, cultures, and region. When volunteers' interests and needs are not met by an organization, they go elsewhere. How can you not only keep these volunteers in your midst, but also leverage these shifts to your advantage?
- 2010 Strategies: Develop and structure volunteer positions that appeal to multiple generations and cultures, including, for example, family volunteering opportunities, and flexible schedules. Offer virtual trainings and multilingual trainings and manuals in order to be more accessible, as does our client, the San Diego Council of Hostelling International USA. When seeking to cultivate volunteers from different cultural and generational groups, it's important to have staff and volunteer leaders skillfully demonstrate a commitment to diversity as well. For example, another client, 9Health Fair, engaged a new volunteer site coordinator who is Latina and works professionally with immigrant populations; she successfully cultivated a widely diverse group of volunteers and clients for this year's health fair. In the coming months, she will be providing training to other sites on effective strategies.
- Greater reliance on modest gifts. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "10 Emerging Forces in 2010" article last month lists the shift in funding sources as key for 2010. With reduced state, corporate, and foundation funding, nonprofits are working harder to cultivate individual donations and relying more on smaller and moderate gifts. Technology has created an unprecedented opportunity to cultivate small contributions from ever-increasing numbers of people. Meanwhile, recently released research by Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund confirms that volunteers donate, on average, 10 times more than non-volunteers. So, where should organizations launch this small contribution campaign? With their volunteers of course.
- 2010 Strategies: Develop and implement a volunteer fundraising plan. See our last blog post for more ideas and reasons to cultivate volunteers as donors. Furthermore, train and engage volunteers to cultivate donors using traditional and emerging fundraising strategies, including online tactics. See our newsletter by Josh Fixler for ideas on how to cultivate volunteers online. Finally, engage experienced volunteers to evaluate the results of volunteer fund development.
- Increased demand for services. Another important topic on The Chronicle's list was the notable pressure that the recession continues to put on safety net services. With the economic recovery predicted to be "long and difficult," The Chronicle predicts that not only will demand for social services continue, but also the demand for programs related to crime, domestic violence, mental illness, and substance abuse. We would add to this list an increased demand for other community services such as libraries, recreation centers, and community centers.
- 2010 Strategies: Skilled volunteers offer a powerful resource to help your organization develop and implement a work plan to expand the services for your clients. A self-directed team of volunteers can build the plan, solicit donations, set up programs, evaluate programs, expand staffing (especially in evening and weekend hours), and, by leveraging their profound social networks, help your organization partner with other organizations whose programs have a complementary focus to yours. We have seen entrepreneurial volunteers take on a challenge such as this at a rural library in California and, from just one small idea, build a whole new arts program for children that has dramatically expanded services without draining staff time. To see this case study and get detailed tips on engaging entrepreneurial teams, click here.
- Overworked and understaffed organizations. With layoffs and hiring freezes impacting so many organizations in 2008 and 2009, employees who are still at their desks this month are starting off the new year with more work and fewer colleagues to share the load. Combined with the increased demand for services, this is a recipe for burn out, at best - and disaster, at worst. However, skilled volunteers are an untapped resource to address this difficult situation.
- 2010 Strategies: Strategically engage skilled volunteers collaboratively to free up staff time so that staff can work priority initiatives and share their increased workload with capable volunteers. Again, self-directed teams of experienced volunteers are key here. At Metro Volunteers, a Denver volunteer center, a team comprised of volunteers (including a former nonprofit director, a retired volunteer director, and a retired corporate executive with extensive experience as a nonprofit trustee) has shepherded a pilot program to help local nonprofits engage Boomer volunteers. This program has expanded the center's program offerings without significantly imposing on the workload of staff. The ongoing version of this program is set to launch this spring, with the help of new team members - an experienced facilitator and evaluator both volunteering to help manage the program.
- Technology opens up new doors. The technology revolution continues to produce new ways of connecting, communicating, and cultivating - and organizations are faced with big choices about how to invest their time and energy and exactly how to join in the game. As The Chronicle notes, despite all these new tools and networks, "...few charities have figured out how to raise money using the new social networks." So, where to invest and how to join in the social networking game? These are key questions for 2010.
- 2010 Strategies: Technology has been widely adopted to help with traditional work - such as fundraising and marketing - but is still widely underutilized as a powerful tool to do new work in new ways, such as working collaboratively, virtual advocacy, convening supporters, and more. Tech experts can volunteer to coach, mentor, and train staff on strategies and tactics that will improve productivity. Furthermore, volunteers can serve as pro bono consultants and trainers as well as working to assess current use of technology, develop an improvement plan, and assist with the implementation.
- Volunteerism is in the spotlight. Volunteerism and national service have received unprecedented attention from the White House, Congress, and even the entertainment industry (see our October 15 blog post). The Chronicle notes that volunteerism has become "cool." The opportunity for nonprofits to strategically engage these volunteers in meaningful ways is only heightened by the fact that volunteerism and service have become high-profile priorities on the national agenda.
- 2010 Strategies: Given all the trends listed above, there is no better time than now to leverage this attention on national service and engage volunteers in new ways. However, deciding where to begin is challenging. We always recommend a systematic assessment as a way to identify your current strengths, opportunities, and needs. Visit www.BoomerVolunteerEngagement.org to download an Assessment of Organizational Volunteer Engagement and a Needs Assessment that will, together, help point you identify where to start in order to get the most out of your investment. These tools will then be your roadmap for the coming year as you move forward with new strategies and tactics to proactively leverage these trends to your advantage.
Together, these trends converge to make 2010 an unprecedented opportunity to use volunteer engagement as a strategy - a climate not only open to innovation and change, but one that demands an innovative shift if nonprofits are to survive and thrive. Success does not mean doing more with less, but rather doing more with more, when you access the skills, talents, and profound social networks of your stakeholders by engaging them as volunteers. The time is now to leverage these circumstances and engage individuals to make a difference for your organization and for their lives through meaningful volunteering.
