SITE

By Maria E. Hinteregger

Ten years ago, potential volunteers would contact a program by phone, mail or even in person. Many of our organizations had no website and some even lacked computers. People could find out about us by connecting with us during work hours and we made time to orient them with what we do and how we might benefit from their time.

Today, the internet is often the first place that people look for information. People of all ages are surfing the web at all hours of the day (and night) to learn about their communities, including where to volunteer. They often start with one idea, and then look at other information in the process.

One way to take advantage of this change is to use VolunteerMaine. This statewide, web resource is free for both agencies and potential volunteers and can be accessed through United Ways, local host sites, links from agencies and www.VolunteeMaine.org. VolunteerMaine.org has multiple resources for learning about the best practices for volunteer management. Volunteer Solutions, the software that facilitates the volunteer matching, is where your volunteer recruitment can excel.

Although the initial time to register an agency, write about its programs and develop and post volunteer opportunities on the website might be considered burdensome by some, there are many benefits to doing it that more than offset the investment in time.

When someone comes to VolunteerMaine looking to find a volunteer opportunity, they will often start out with a simple zip code search to find out what is in their community. The search results allow them to review agencies and find which agency’s mission best fits their own. In their search, they may discover agencies they were unaware of or learn about agency programs of which they were unaware. Now the volunteer will review the volunteer opportunities that are listed. Which ones fit their schedule, their likes and dislikes, their skill-set? At this point, they can either give you a call or send you an automated email if they’re interested or continue their search another time.

Let’s look at the process the potential volunteer has just gone through and how it affects the work you do. First off, even if you never hear from this potential volunteer, they have taken the time to learn about your program. How often do you have someone read through what is basically your brochure (assuming you have a brochure)?

Without VolunteerMaine, you may never have had even this connection since the potential volunteer may have wanted to contact you during non-business hours. The websites busiest hours are 10pm to midnight and there is more activity on Saturdays and Sundays, then on Friday.

And don’t think that not getting a volunteer means that no one is looking at your listings. The United Way of Mid Coast Maine site for October 2009, showed that there were 608.75 Unique Visitors and almost 20% of site visits are for 5 minutes or more and 6 % spend more than 30 minutes.

Now consider that the potential volunteer does contact you. They have already taken the time to orient themselves to the organization and know what you will be asking them to do. They know that they meet the requirements for the position and are aware and comfortable with any pre-requisites including background checks or references. The time you spent registering your agency and creating a complete and accurate job description for each of your opportunities has now saved you the time to orient a new volunteer. Your complete job description has allowed the potential volunteer to envision themselves doing this work, which greatly increased the likelihood that they would follow up with you. It has also saved you the time of working with potential volunteers who might not have been a good fit, as well as the awkward situation of having to turn someone away.

Using VolunteerMaine allows you to do your job more effectively and efficiently. You can use your time to work on meeting your mission rather than on recruiting.

Since VolunteerMaine is administered by sites throughout Maine, contact your local United Way to get connected with an administrator who can answer your questions, guide you through problems, and inform you of various site features and how to use them.

Maria E. Hinteregger is the Associate Director of Community Impact at the United Way of Mid Coast Maine and a guest blogger.

By Judy Altman

We all know the importance of volunteers and how we couldn’t live without them. There’s always going to be one of those people who mean well but make you crazy. Take a couple of Advil and tell yourself that there are 10 wonderful volunteers who make up for this one.

If you’re one of those people who believe that “if you want it done right, do it yourself,” breathe in the good air; breathe out the bad air and let it go! Your agency should not be a one-person show. There are so many amazing volunteers out there. Let them help. And when they do, let them know how much you appreciate them. Be effusive.

Volunteers give up their personal time to assist you, so it is important to thank them for choosing to do so and to recognize them for their efforts. You can acknowledge their specific contributions when you thank them personally, or with a handwritten note or email. They can also be publicly recognized, as appropriate, at a special event in front of their peers. Bring in donuts and coffee when they’re doing a project. Put their names up on a bulletin board or in the newsletter. Tell them continually – “thank you so much;” “we couldn’t do this without you;” “you’re a gem;” “you’re the best;” “we’re so lucky to have you;” “we’re so grateful for the time you give;” “we really appreciate your help.” Go to www.nonprofitbuzz.org/volunteers.htm to get more ideas and information on how to recruit volunteers.

Judy Altman is a guest blogger and Co-Director of www.nonprofitbuzz.org.

By Noble Smith

You think that you know all the earthly sins in the world, particularly those surrounding the Art of Asking, well what are the three most flagrant ones in all of philanthropy?

You are right if you immediately uttered -
“I forgot to ask the prospect for financial support“,
“I didn’t ask for a specific project, amount or need“, and
“At the last moment, I had another event to attend and did not visit the prospect personally - just sent a little hand-written note.”

In nine out of every ten solicitations that are not successful, these three items are, at least, one of the main reasons for failure and no bacon!

Many, many solicitors do do their homework, rehearse their visitation, but when confrontation is at the doorstep, the orderly and essential process enters the mental round basket.

Every seasoned and successful fund raiser knows that 90% of any fruitful solicitation is planning with only 10% being the actual face to face opportunity to encourage and motivate a “lively suspect”. Tactics, strategies, relationships and associations, partnering - these words, and many like them, are all an integral part of that planning process - leave any of them out and you become more than a charter member of “The Half-Asked Society”.

You have never heard of “The Half-Asked Society” (THAS) - a very unwelcomed introduction to you. THAS is the demon, the curmudgeon of fund raisers, the jester who warned you not to make the same mistake twice and, THAS, unfortunately, is one commodity that will assist you in applying for Chapter 11. It is the resting home for staff, Board members and volunteers who do only 10% planning and 90% fund-raising, who let panic reign over common sense and organization, and who are consistently late for their prospect appointments.

If you are not planning, you are not fund raising!

Planning is the quintessential element for elevation to that promised land of successful fund raising, whether it is for annual support, capital needs or for planned and estate giving. Everyone needs to be involved not just the CEO, CFO, and the other institutional Os - an essential degree of involvement for staff, Board members and most importantly, volunteers.

All serious potential prospects (I call them suspects) must be thoroughly convinced that the non-profit has completed its homework, has structured itself in a business-like manner and knows how to get the most out of each buck. Without that level of confidence, the organization is just building expanded membership in “The Half-Asked Society.”

So as you begin to master the art of asking and to avoid membership in THAS, thorough planning is quintessential AND matching the right suspect with the right solicitor for the right funding objective and for the right amount of support is mandatory.

Next Blog - a detailed outline of what works in the successful art of asking!

Noble Smith is a former Commissioner, President of Noble Smith Associates (Development and Marketing Consultants), and a featured blogger.

By Sarah Ryan, Ph.D.

If your nonprofit doesn’t have a second life presence, are you doing a disservice to your clients? Probably not. If you don’t provide economic data on your website, are you failing your donors? Maybe so. These questions point to the difficulty of strategic communications planning in the digital age. The good news: You already have (most of) the tools to make the right decisions!

Nonprofit leaders, volunteers, and supporters can help their organizations succeed through effective external communications – digital or otherwise. And, the criteria for making decisions in the digital world are almost identical to those for newspaper, radio, and billboard campaigns. Yes, you might have to debate things like “Twitter vs. Blog (or both!)”, but your options should be judged based upon how well they serve your audience and your mission. With those two criteria in focus, decisions become much simpler. Let me demonstrate…

A nonprofit client came to me very concerned about second life. Other nonprofits in the neighborhood had a presence in the virtual world, offered clients the chance to chat via avatars, and hosted online socializing events. “We need to be doing this,” I was told. “And soon.” When I asked “Why?”, the organization’s community outreach director mumbled something like “…because the Jones’ are doing it.” I actually found this to be a compelling argument – no organization wants to lag behind its community or competitors. But the core mission of my client was assisting small businesses, mostly immigrant-owned, in succeeding. Having been a small business owner, I could not imagine wanting to create a pretend me and interact with pretend others in cyberspace while trying to juggle face-to-face meetings with clients and vendors, budgets, etc. So I asked, “Did any of your clients ask for this?” Silence. And I advised, “At your next big gathering, ask your clients what they need and want from you online. Maybe it’s second life. More likely, it’s a page with all of the business forms they’re always hunting for. I’m guessing it’s not virtual socializing. I bet you’ll find that that’s a waste of time and resources for this audience.” I offered that advice both because of the audience and the organization’s mission…

Some organizations, like my client, assist a select group of people in achieving specific goals. The people and those goals are central to the mission and are the basis for making almost all decisions (e.g., does X get our clients closer to Y). Other organizations – most nonprofit organizations, I’d argue – have a broader mission. While a nonprofit might protect animals in a certain jurisdiction, for example, it might also aim to educate a wider audience about animal cruelty. While a 501(c)(3) might support a single arts institution, it probably also champions the power of the arts to promote peace and tolerance in the broader world. When broad-missioned organizations ignore new technologies, they fail to fully realize their potential, or keep their promises. If an arts leader, for instance, laments that fewer people (than ever!) are visiting her museum in this down economy, she needs to bring the museum to them via the organization’s website, Twitter (e.g., pithy quotes from artists), blogs, etc. If she has to pay for underutilized physical spaces (e.g., empty galleries because there is no money for school bussing…), her digital showcases can actually save money while increasing the number of constituents served. Maybe. Of course, nothing substitutes for viewing a piece of art or watching a performance up close. But when the audience doesn’t show, the institution must find other ways of fulfilling its mission. New technologies not only fill gaps, they can take information, art, and client service-delivery in interesting and meaningful new directions.

So, the criteria for judging an external communication strategy are still service to the audience and mission. Nonprofit leaders, staffers, and volunteers should begin digital communications conversations by asking, “what does our audience want, need, and desire?” and finish with “does this forward the mission of our organization?” In the digital age, it is important to reach out to audiences in more ways than ever before. But not every tool or site or activity is right for every organization. There are costs associated with unnecessary communication strategies – time, money, burnout – as well as with underutilized digital technologies – loss of clients, educational opportunities, and potential revenue streams, declining prestige. Digital strategies are exceedingly important for large organizations in major markets such as New York City, where “cutting-edge” is a mission, not a vision. But smaller organizations and individuals working for good shouldn’t feel obligated to jump on every e-bandwagon. Just like always, they should focus on doing what they do best for the people they serve – in person, on the radio, or via frenetic tweets.

Sarah Ryan, Ph.D., is from the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at El Paso and is a guest blogger.

By Curtis Picard and Shelley Doak

Recently, both the Maine Merchants Association and Maine Grocers Association were able to be key players in a new endeavor in Maine, called Got Your Bags, Maine? The campaign is looking to reduce the number of paper and plastic bags used in Maine by 33% in 2013.

Both of our organizations are traditional trade associations working primarily with retailers and grocers respectively. We spend much of our time growing membership, addressing legislation and representing our industry locally, regionally and nationally. Which is why Got Your Bags, Maine? has been such a refreshing change of pace.

One of key pieces of the new campaign is not just educating our membership and getting their participation, but changing consumer behavior. Although most people understand the need and desire to reduce the use of bags, effecting change of behavior is a greater challenge. The way we are trying to do that is through grassroots volunteerism.

A big part of the campaign is reaching out to people through social media and connecting one on one with business owners. Our campaign website points to our Facebook fan page. In less than a month, we have over 200 fans and our Twitter account (@GotYourBagsME) is generating a number of followers.

With this growing word of mouth, we hope to turn these fans and followers into advocates for the campaign. Reducing the number of bags by 33% translates to approximately 250 million less bags per year. It’s a big challenge to reach the necessary number of businesses and individuals to help make that change.

Already, we have connected with some amazing volunteers that care deeply about the issue. Chloe Maxmin of Lincoln Academy organized a school project to produce reusable bags for Damariscotta. Their first printing of bags has already sold out. A woman in York County wants to speak about the campaign to area groups and has already connected with some York business owners.

Our hope is that people who care about the issue will do more than just increase their personal use of reusable bags. We hope that they talk to their favorite businesses about how they can participate, as well as talking to friends and family about it. We also hope that people take the time to participate in community fundraisers that promote reusable bags, that businesses band together to better recycle existing bags and Maine sets the benchmark for other states to follow.

Although we are only one month into this project going public, we are encouraged and heartened by the willingness of people to speak positively about the campaign and to point out the businesses and individuals willing to volunteer for change.

To learn more about Got Your Bags, Maine?, please visit www.gotyourbagsmaine.org or follow on Twitter @GotYourBagsME.

Curtis Picard is the Executive Director of Maine Merchants Association (www.mainemerchants.org). Shelley Doak is Executive Director of Maine Grocers Association (www.mainegrocers.org).

By Michael A. Aiguier

Recharging our batteries. Rekindling the passion. Getting your groove back. Whatever you call it, finding ways to remind ourselves of why we do what we do is necessary to enable us to do the best job possible.
Volunteering outside of the realm of what we do for work is helpful, because it not only gives us insight into what our volunteers are going through when they come to us, but how other volunteer managers are dealing with their volunteers. I have found many situations where there are things I should be doing differently, either because the people I am volunteering for are doing the same thing I am doing and I don’t like it, or because I am not doing something they are doing that I find makes my volunteer experience more enjoyable.

I also like to write out the affects that the volunteer coordinating I am doing helps the community. Not a formal thing for a report or advertisement, but a semi-fictional story about someone we might have helped through the work we do. Sometimes changing the way we think about the effect we are having can change the way we think about ourselves. A little ego stroking is not a bad thing when it can make us more effective agents of positive social impact.

Watching entertainment that has inspired us in the past to do what we do is always something that helps me. I am an easy mark for films about social injustice being righted and people taking action when others wouldn’t. I don’t know if you saw the film “The Way We Get By” about troop greeters in Bangor, ME, but I empathized completely with a Mr. Knight in the film when he talked about life having meaning only because it made other people’s lives a little better. I know I am not getting it exactly right, but the sentiment is the same.

Preparing to speak to others also helps, because we have to put the best light we can on our work. If we can’t figure out what to tell others about why what we do is important, we should re-evaluate what we are doing. How did we get involved? Someone communicated to us effectively what the issue was and how it might be solved. This is the true way to keep us going, because when we can see enthusiasm for what we do in others, it brings us back to where we were when we first got involved. That makes us want to be that person again. We might not be the best orators, I know I am not, but reaching one to two people about our efforts will create the sustainability that we are all looking for.

So, in conclusion, let me encourage you to find something else to do, work up your resume, kick back on the coach and watch some movies and brag about yourself a lot more. You deserve it.

Michael Aiguier is an AmeriCorps VISTA serving at the United Way of Eastern Maine and a guest blogger.

By Anne Schink

When one of my children was having a very hard time in school, she came home with a report card in hand looking very sad for a little girl. She said wistfully “I just wish they gave grades for being nice.” That was a heartbreaking moment for me as a parent, but I remembered it vividly this week when a colleague was struggling with a difficult situation at work and she essentially said the same thing. How can one very challenging person in an organization cause so much unhappiness for everyone else? And why can’t he be nice?

In our world today, we are all feeling insecure and wary of what the future holds in store. The ongoing war, the economic crisis, the vulnerability of nonprofit organizations, the increasing demand on social services, the cuts in funding all have us worried and tense. And tempers are getting short. People are snapping at one another and feelings are being hurt.

I think this is a good time to reflect on how we treat one another, whether staff or volunteers. When we talk about successful volunteer programs and volunteer placements, we often place a lot of emphasis on structures, policies, and tasks. It is terribly important to remember that relationships are at the heart of all successful volunteer placements. That’s what keeps a person coming back for more. In a work setting, it is common to say that the paycheck is the motivation for the work. But good relationships and collegial settings influence all programs and employment venues.

Creating a climate where differing viewpoints can be shared, where conflicts are resolved by discussion and negotiation, where the focus is on the work and not on personalities all strengthen a workplace and influence the volunteer program. Setting the tone is one of the roles of a manager of volunteers and this is a good time to commit to being a role model for supportive communication, explicit expectations, positive feedback and genuine gratitude for the skills, talents, and contributions of everyone engaged in the work of your organization—staff, leaders, funders, and volunteers. There is no substitute for kindness.

Anne B. Schink, CVA, is a Consultant in Volunteer Management and a guest blogger.