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by Margaret Petrarca

National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 by President Richard Nixon to establish an annual celebration of volunteering. What a terrific idea! It is all too often that we forget to celebrate the hours upon hours of hard work non-profits, volunteer administrators, and volunteers put forward. As volunteer administrators, we spend most of our time planning programs, recruiting volunteers and engaging our current volunteers. We may be withdrawn from the direct service that volunteers participate in daily and it becomes so easy to lose track of our accomplishments. Each day we are making it possible for volunteers to serve over 300 individuals in soup kitchens, teach refugees the magic of winter, care for children in need and support families across Maine and more. Now that is a reason to throw a wild rumpus of celebration at least once a year if not more! So why don’t we?

The dilemma is that on our already overflowing plates we now have to give even more to celebrate the art of volunteering and the individuals that make it possible. As I sat with my supervisor at our monthly celebratory coffee break we discussed the very same point. National Volunteer Week is here, what are we going to do? We thumbed through ideas and years worth of saved resources and past activities and came across the most magnificent project, a Tree of Volunteerism! Each leaf would represent a volunteer and their beliefs about volunteering. We spread out our notebooks and started brainstorming. Where does it go? Wouldn’t it look beautiful in the United Way lobby?!! How are we going to get the materials?…How are going to build a tree?…How are we going to cut out all of those leaves? The idea quickly became overwhelming for our packed tight schedule.

I then decided to use my, “Power of Ask” and the amazing tool of collaboration! I turned to my local peer-to-peer network of volunteer administrators, PAVA (Portland Area Volunteer Administrators) and combed through my contacts to find the best person to start with. Immediately I thought of Jamie Andrews from the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, she not only has a passion for exciting projects but also has the materials and artistic ability that I am in great need of! I didn’t stop there because I realized that if everyone in PAVA participated we could create a tree that not only recognizes the work of United Way and Children’s Museum and Theatre volunteers but volunteers from almost 30 organizations across Greater Portland. What an enormous tree and a beautiful display of appreciation!

Now the heavy load of my project is lessened significantly because it is now OUR project and the tasks can be divided up. Currently a three-dimension tree is being constructed out of PVC pipe at the Children’s Museum and PAVA volunteer administrators are seeking and submitting statements to me from their volunteers. Are you interested in helping with the tree too? Ask your volunteers to write a sentence or one word reflection on volunteering and the organization they volunteer with. They can choose to include their name and age or remain anonymous.

Submit the statements to me by Wednesday, March 14 at 5:00pm. Stop by and see our Tree of Volunteerism anytime during National Volunteer Week (April 19-24) at the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine in Portland!

Margaret Petrarca is a VolunteerMaine AmeriCorps VISTA at the United Way of Greater Portland and is a guest blogger.

Sarah Ryan, Ph.D.

When it’s time to give the talk about “increasing diversity” to staffers, volunteers, donors, or board members, it can be tough to find the words. Drawing upon social science research and best practices from the public sector, I suggest the following talking points…

1. Humans seek comfort in sameness; public servants seek justice through diversity.
For a host of reasons, we tend to gravitate toward the people most like us. Communication scholars call this the principle of “homophily” or sameness. Homophily can help ease tensions, minimize misunderstandings, and make people feel more comfortable (e.g., when they don’t feel the need to explain their cultures to colleagues). We seek homophily without even thinking about it most of the time. But when we do stop to think, most of us realize that we also value diversity, complexity, and the productive discussions that arise out of misunderstanding and explaining. We want our nonprofit organizations, our volunteers, and our donors to be diverse. So, we cast out our nets for heterophilous, or diverse, people. Still, attracting and retaining diverse volunteers, staffers, and donors is difficult. We need to start by inviting them…

2. Diverse people must be invited to participate or they won’t know they’re welcome.
The idea of inviting in diversity comes from renowned arts marketer Donna Walker-Kuhne. She is perhaps most famous for assisting George C. Wolfe in transforming New York City’s Public Theater into a multicultural destination for the arts. George wanted the audiences at The Public to be as diverse as the folks waiting for trains at subway stops. Donna articulated the steps that enabled him to reach his dream. She wrote down her activities, methods – even to-do lists – in “Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to the Arts, Culture and Community” (2005, New York: Theatre Communications Group). In a nutshell, Donna argues that people must be invited to participate in cultural events and volunteer work, or they will think they’re unwelcome. She suggests transforming institutions around the practice of inviting…

3. Inviting is a strategic, thoughtful activity that requires dedication and follow-up.
When we commit to increasing the diversity of our organizations, we realize that we must extend invitations to people who have not traditionally donated, volunteered, or supported our events. The good news is: we usually know who these people are! A quick comparison of a donor list with the local phonebook is a great start. From the research, we also know that African Americans and Hispanics are frequently overlooked as donors and volunteers. The marginalization of these or other groups of people arises from a number of misunderstandings and stereotypes. These assumptions are rooted in subconscious homophily, translated into “people like me will give time and money to the organizations and activities I value.” We need to consciously shift this line of thinking to “people different from me might value and support the same things I value and support.” We need to test out this idea by inviting diverse people to participate in our activities and following-up with them regularly.

Invitational campaigns can begin at any time. But, they require a deep commitment to cultivating diversity. Still, as Donna Walker-Kuhne suggests, if we invite people to the party, they will come. And it will be a much better party!

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

By Elizabeth Cole

What do you think of when you hear the word coach? While your mind may have wandered to your little league experience in elementary school or your favorite sports team, coaches are not just for athletes! Volunteers are likely to encounter many situations where personal coaching would make a big difference in their performance, whether it’s improving communication, resolving conflict, or making better decisions.
Supervisors who apply a coaching model ask open-ended questions, helping volunteers to discover answers and solutions on their own. In this way, coaching respects individual capabilities and encourages self-development and personal confidence. It leads to greater reflection, awareness, and increased performance.
Though this process takes more time than just telling volunteers what to do, it is an investment that will help you uncover their full potential. Being provided with all the answers does not encourage learning or self-development. Coaching, on the other hand, teaches a process of problem-solving and analytical thinking is useful in all spheres of life.

Good coaching requires practice. When the rest our work and life moves at a blistering speed, coaching forces us to take a step back and slow down. For people used to firing off responses to questions or problems as quickly as possible, walking someone else through a problem-solving process can be hard to get used it. Additionally, it is really difficult to keep from jumping in with all the answers and solutions, especially if you feel like you know better.

As difficult as coaching can be at first, it gets easier. You will be rewarded with more thoughtful responses and a more capable volunteer-force. I will be back next month to introduce a model that will lead you step by step through the coaching process. Until next month, happy New Year and keep up the good work!

Elizabeth Cole is an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Maine Commission for Community Service and a guest blogger.

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 Trudy Hamilton

At the recent Blaine House conference, there was quite a bit of information about professional development in the volunteer management career path. Much of the information was about the exciting, new opportunities being created by leaders in the field, like Anne Schink and Larry Ullian at USM, or the work being done by the Project Invest folks.

There is much more to professional development, however, than traditional courses and credentials. Joining a network of your peers can be equally beneficial. PAVA in the Portland area usually has a variety of presentations throughout the year. One of my favorites this year was the presentation on social media, and I’m looking forward to Martin Cowling’s training in November. VAMM in the Midcoast area traditionally does an excellent one-day conference at a marvelous venue…The Maine Maritime Museum. The topics offered are as varied as the presenters, and the keynote is always interesting. DOVIA in York County has had dynamic membership and presenters over the years.

Up and coming are new networks in a wide area of the state. In the Lewiston-Auburn Area, the VISTA hosted by my agency, Michelle Mason, is working diligently to convene other volunteer resource managers in the area and help with the growth of AVA. She did a fantastic educational piece around social media, and is planning a piece on professional development for the next meeting. The Franklin Volunteer Resource Network in the Farmington area is coming back to life after a long hiatus in an effort to share resources, ideas, and needs. There is another network developing in the Bangor area, as well. If we become active in our local groups, and those groups thrive, most of the state will have opportunities for involvement.

At the national level, you might think about joining the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE). Part of their mandate is to provide trainings, regional conferences, and a voice at the national level. They are currently planning to provide a free webinar training for members, developed by Katie Campbell of CVA and Susan Ellis of Energize.Inc.

All of these networks provide professional development for volunteer managers. You get the opportunity to find out who else is doing what in your community, and everyone has the opportunity to learn about you and your agency, as well. One of the nicer pieces is realizing that although you may be the only one in your organization who does what you do, you aren’t the only one in your community. Everyone has something to offer.

In this field, you find professional development opportunities in unusual places. Make the most of them.

“Knowledge is power and knowledge shared is power multiplied.”
– Bob Noyce

Trudy Hamilton, CVA is the Manager of Volunteer Resources at SeniorsPlus and a featured blogger.

By Lauren Kelly

Earlier this summer, an announcement was made that will forever change the way our nation volunteers. The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) announced that it, along with The Corporation for National and Community Service, will launch the “I Participate” campaign October 19-25. The purpose of this campaign is to spotlight the power and personal benefits of volunteering and to encourage a new era of volunteerism.

Nationally, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC will support the campaign by airing celebrity Public Service Announcements (beginning late September) encouraging viewers to tune in the week of October 19th when more than 60 network television programs (such as 30 Rock, Desperate Housewives, and CSI: New York) will feature a volunteer or service related message in their story lines.

Locally, statewide television and radio stations have pledged their support by agreeing to run VolunteerMaine.org Public Service Announcements which provides valuable publicity for volunteer efforts and opportunities throughout the state.

As the message of volunteerism receives this influx of national and local attention, it’s a natural reaction for more people to become inspired to volunteer.
So you must ask yourself…”Is my organization ready?”

These 8 strategies will help ensure you are prepared to take full advantage of this amazing publicity opportunity.
1.Define your needs for the short-term: Spend an afternoon brainstorming with staff and board members and identify things that could be done by a volunteer. Consider a variety of opportunities — some that are one-time and some that are ongoing.
2.Think big, but maybe start small: Not many nonprofits can manage a highly-skilled, long-term volunteer program right out of the gate. If you don’t currently have volunteer opportunities, consider designing and hosting a quarterly volunteer day to get the ball rolling.
3.Get everyone on board: Define your process for securing interested volunteers. Make sure everyone — from your board members to your receptionist — understands that process- i.e. who handles calls from interested volunteers?
4.Be resourceful: If you don’t have staff who can serve as volunteer coordinators, consider tapping one of your most dedicated volunteers to play this role.
5.Post your volunteer opportunities far and wide: Start by visiting VolunteerMaine.org- it’s a great resource for volunteer recruitment.
6.Invest in your volunteers: Treat them as you treat your staff. Ensure they understand your mission and that their participation contributes to meeting a need in their community.
7.Can’t take any more? Once you have reached your limit, be able to refer potential volunteers to other organizations that could use their time and energy. You are the doorway for a Mainer to make a difference!
8.Define your needs for the long-haul: Integrate volunteer engagement into your annual strategic plan. It should be given as much attention as your fundraising strategies — because volunteers are an invaluable resource.

Lauren Kelly is the Marketing VISTA at the Maine Comission for Community Service and a guest blogger.

Resources:
California Volunteers, “Simple Steps for Non-Profits to Get Ready for IParticipate” http://www.californiavolunteers.org/http://www.eifoundation.org/
http://www.iparticipate.org/,

By Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom

Last month I attended the National Conference on Volunteerism and Service in San Francisco. This was the biggest and most spectacular gathering of volunteer leaders and change agents ever in the United States. The organizers really outdid themselves in terms of star power, meaningful engagement, flawless logistics, etc. So how can we improve next year? Better, more effective use of social media. Social media was a professed new focus of the conference this year, but it was clear to me that this was merely a test year. The greatest sign that the involvement of social media in the conference was not well planned: NO WIFI!

For the uninitiated, let me step back a minute and describe what a conference looks like that effectively engages social media. Conference organizers create the structure that allows conference goers to go the extra mile to engage with one another and share their thoughts and ideas with their peers as well as with the masses of people who wanted to attend the conference but were unable to. For example, the conference decides on a hashtag (a key word that every attendee will use when writing about the conference online so that the information can be found and aggregated). For this conference it was #NCVS. If you go to http://search.twitter.com/ and type “NCVS” into the search box you will find posts from before, during, and after the conference.

Where NCVS organizers dropped the ball was in not enabling social media use at the conference itself. They even set up a blog about the conference but didn’t blog during the event! If they had WIFI access and even someone designated to be tweeting or live blogging from each session or main event, it would have created a rich conversation for people both within and outside of the conference to follow. One of Twitter’s greatest strengths is in helping a large group of people who are all interested in the same thing but don’t know each other, have a massive conversation. If everyone is using the same hashtag / keyword then you can get up-to-the minute information about that topic from everyone at the conference. On a practical level you can find out how long the line to get into the opening plenary is, which session has an engaging presenter you want to see, where to get coffee within a few blocks, and feel the enthusiasm as everyone writes about their reactions to Michelle Obama’s speech.

For more ideas of how Social Media can be effectively used in a conference setting, check out Alan Levine’s guest post on Beth Kanter’s blog.

For more information on Social Media in Local Government, check out the “Wikis, Podcasts, and Blogs –Oh My!” article from the Fall 2008 edition of NAVPLG.

- Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom, Volunteer Program Specialist, Volunteer Arlington and Board Member, National Association for Volunteer Programs in Local Government (NAVPLG), www.navplg.org

By Deb Bicknell

Youth and adults working together to make positive change in the world; a beautiful vision, a creative and powerful solution to solving complex problems, a worthy endeavor and not always as easy as it sounds. Being able to work together effectively to create change within any group of people can be challenging and often when groups of youth and adults try and do this it can be like two worlds colliding. Youth may feel misunderstood or like they are tokens of adult processes. Adults may feel unsure about how to work with youth in a way that gets “the job done” and also honors youth voice and needs. Take a peek at the conversation below for a few thoughts on how to create partnerships that work.

Q: What is a youth/adult partnership that you have been involved in that worked? Why do you think it worked?

Youth: In high school I was part of the school based health center outreach group and I worked in partnership with other youth and our advisor. This partnership worked because we had really open and strong communication.

Adult: Working with youth at the Maine Youth Action Network to do trainings and run events. The partnerships worked because we were willing to share power and to offer youth skills they needed in order to be able to do the work and to share their voice.

Youth: I would tell them to go for it. Go in there and be yourself, you are the future of today. You are the next person who is going to impact the world.

Q: What is a good way for adults interested in involving youth to reach out to youth in their community?

Youth: Have informal meetings to see what the youth’s needs and concerns are and let them know they have the power to create change.

Adult: Send out or make personal invitations to youth you know or ask adults who work with youth to do so. Young people often don’t know about opportunities and even if they do they don’t feel comfortable joining in so having personal invitations can be really helpful.

Youth: Pose a forum or use time and resources that they use, when you open it up to a group you give everyone their voice. Don’t use complicated surveys, frankly they just don’t work.

Q: What do you think is the biggest barrier in youth and adult collaboration? How do you think we can overcome it?

Youth: I think the biggest barrier is a lack of communication and closed minds. In order to transform those things, both youth and adults would need to make a commitment to keep their minds open and their communication strong and clear.

Adult: I think that the biggest barrier is that often adults don’t think to include youth. We often have ideas about things that young people can and can’t do or should or should not be involved in and those preconceived notions can get in the way. Starting to shift the way we think and the ways we invite youth in is a great first step to challenging this dynamic.

Youth: It’s all about language. Body language, your language as an adult. If you start using big terms or stand in a power stance or you come dressed in business attire you throw up a huge barrier.

Q: What is one thing you would tell a young person interested in partnering with adults in creating positive change?

Youth: I would tell youth that partnering with adults to create change is really worth it and that they have the power to create some really amazing change together.

Adult: I would tell a young person that if they don’t share their voice and their talents then no one else can. It is really worth it and you are really valuable. If you can’t find an adult to support you who you trust, trust yourself, ask questions and keep coming back. You will get there.

Youth: I would tell them go for it. Go in there and be yourself, you are the future of today. You are the next person who is going to impact the world. You can do this. Even if you walk into a room and you are surrounded by adult, make it work. Work the scene and make it happen for you. They will listen to you if you make your voice heard.

Q: What is your best piece of advice to an adult interested in involving youth in a volunteer project or some sort of community change effort?

Youth: My advice would be to never underestimate the power you and the power youth have to create change, and always be open to new ideas.

Adult: Be willing to lend a hand and reach out to any and all youth who are interested. Young people have so much to offer and once they feel needed and know that someone will generally listen to them. Remember that youth may need a hand but not for you to do it for them.

Youth: Be like Nike and just do it. If you make the investment your returns will be great.

This is just a snip it of some ideas and thoughts connected to youth and adult collaboration. There are lots of resources and opportunities at the Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) to learn more about this topic as supporting youth and adults to work together to create positive change in the world is central to our work. Visit www.myan.org to learn more.

Deb Bicknell is the Training and Projects Coordinator at Maine Youth Action Network(MYAN) and a Guest Blogger.

By Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom

Volunteering has made it into the news a lot recently for a couple of different reasons. First, the recession is increasing the ranks of the unemployed as well as increasing the demands on voluntary organizations. Second, President Obama, from campaign rhetoric, to getting his hands dirty on MLK, Jr. Day, to signing the Serve America Act has shone a light on service in the United States. What is the impact of all of these new developments on volunteer managers?

You have an opportunity to take advantage of new volunteers who can bring a wide variety of skills and backgrounds to your mission.
- Who are some of these new volunteers?
- Recently unemployed adults from a variety of sectors including marketing, finance, customer service, and more.
- Recently retired – the first surge of baby boomers taking advantage of early out programs. Many of these individuals will want to work part time or look for opportunities for paid work down the road.
-Young adults looking for resume building opportunities during this competitive job market.

These new volunteers represent the larger trend in volunteerism that was anticipated with the retirement of the baby boomers and introduction of the millennial generation into volunteering.
- They have new skills to offer and really want to bring those skills to your mission.
- They need flexible schedules and the ability to engage at different levels over time.
- They may want to take the lead on a project or work with a team of volunteers on a project for your organization.

So what should you do to prepare for and welcome these new volunteers?
- Work with the staff of your organization to identify possible roles for skilled volunteers.
- Examine current volunteer roles to see if they can be restructured for more flexibility.
- Rethink your recruitment messaging to appeal to these new volunteers and their motivations.

For more information and ideas, view the presentation from our March roundtable, “Boomer Engagement: Inviting Boomers In” by Andrea Taylor, PhD, Director of Training for the Center of Intergenerational Learning at Temple University.

To read about the trends check out these news stories:
From Ranks of Jobless, a Flood of Volunteers
CNN – “Jobless, But Working”
Supporting Local Agencies During Challenging Times
A Special Moment for Service

For helpful articles on engaging skills based volunteers:

Baby Boomers and the New Age of VolunteerismPro Bono Volunteering ResourcesOrganizational Readiness

Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom is a manager of volunteers with Volunteer Arlington and a guest blogger.

By Noble Smith

In every generation, some piece of local, regional or Federal legislation, or some momentous activity or occasion or some human event initiates a life-style change, a change that affects almost every aspect of our country.

Certainly when President Obama on April 21st signed into law the Kennedy Service America Act, some recognized instantly, others still were in wonderment, but the volunteer force and its impact on this country’s volunteer sustainability changed abruptly.

Some would say, “so what, it won’t help my pocketbook”, or other phrases such as “what’s in it for me” or “it’s just another bureaucratic labyrinth that will cost more than it’s worth.”

Others, rightfully so, across this country in all walks of life, all age, gender, race and socio-economic groupings are beginning to understand that service to this country through volunteering is now very much apart of our modus operand.

For Maine, the magnitude, complexity and diversity of the Act’s implications are still under intense assessment, planning and organizational implementation. Maine’s existing volunteer commitment and leadership, recognized nationally, has already begun a process, in an orderly business-like manner, to expand, enhance and grow the volunteer movement and its participation at all levels of the State’s needs. These adjustments will start to alter the landscape when the Act becomes effective on October 1st.

But, the impact of this Act is not just for Executive Directors, CEOs and top management. The impact is a bottoms-up initiative with strong top to bottom fiduciary, management and training mandates. The Act’s content has impacts from the smallest to the largest non-profit, to a wide diversity of human service and life-sustaining organizations and to a whole new set of service initiatives.

AmerCorp, alone, will grow from its current 17,000 participants to over 250,000 by 2017. Five new service Corps - Education, Health Futures, Clean Energy, Veterans and Opportunity - will be established thereby providing substantial and expanded volunteering options for local, regional and national service.

The senior administrative staff of MCCS and several Commissioners journeyed to Boston on the Friday start of the Memorial Day Weekend to participate in a historic “listening session” with our national partner – the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

The MCCS Commissioners will review in extensive detail the impact that the Service America Act will have on Maine during their annual retreat in June. Once all the legislative enactments are evaluated, MCCS and CNCS have agreed upon the steps that are in the best interest of Maine, our volunteer work force and how Maine can accommodate the new national criteria, a series of postings will be made on MCCS’ web site outlining in detail this most positive generational change.

As you read earlier this week, in the critically important blog by MCCS Executive Director, Maryalice Crofton, just determining the extent, magnitude and potential impacts of the Act represent a Herculean task. The thoughts, insights, guidance and council from all of Maine organizations that garner and encourage volunteer involvement should begin an open dialogue with MCCS.

The years ahead are extraordinarily bright for this State’s volunteer involvement. Maine is extremely fortunate to have a brilliant, hard working professional staff and an expanding group of volunteer Commissioners, all of whom share an exciting vision for the future.

Noble Smith is an MCCS Commissioner and a featured blogger.