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By Pete Phair

I have a couple of good friends who spend many weekends every year maintaining their respective sections of the Appalachian Trail. Another just received a coveted Volunteer of the Year Award from an organization she has done some fantastic work for. My friend Bo drives for hours to manage ski races all over the Northeast and my brother, God Bless him, travels all over the world as a volunteer for a group that accredits high schools. Just this past year alone, I volunteered for six different organizations between January and December. Look around you- you are surrounded by volunteers whether you realize it or not. And it seems that just about every one of them has a different reason for volunteering.

Part of my job requires that I try to figure out what compels people to volunteer. Why, for instance, would someone raising three young children, working forty plus hours each week and trying to maintain a semblance of a personal life want to give up a Saturday afternoon to stand behind a table for four hours? Why would someone offer their lunch hour two days a week to work on menial tasks that aren’t theirs to own? Why would a young woman trying to find employment in this current economy spend nearly an entire day each week as a volunteer in our office?

Some answers are straight forward- volunteering looks good on a resume`, it gets one out of the house and in some cases, volunteering helps to keep skill sets fresh. There are some volunteer scenarios that may result in personal perks while still others address intrinsic rewards we all need to feel good about ourselves. I suspect however, that there are a lot of underlying reasons that are not as obvious. Knowing those reasons should be able to help me with my recruiting efforts. But to find relevant answers to these questions, it seems I had to first ask – what are the reasons I volunteer?

Here’s what I came up with…
• Generally, I believe in the cause- passionately. Enough to drive me to action.
• Ultimately, the things I volunteer to do, better the lives of someone some way.
• Because it’s fun. Period.
• Volunteering helps me to feel less self-involved.
• I feel like I’m giving back to something.
• It involves me in a greater community.
• I get to meet new people.
• I want my daughter to see that volunteering is part of who we are as a family.
• It gives me a sense of accomplishment.
• I am part of a team working toward a common goal.
• I get to share my skills when I volunteer but just as important, sometimes I get to just do what I am told and not have to troubleshoot or make any decisions!

Let’s not forget that the reasons why people do not volunteer should be considered in our thinking too. Transportation, childcare and availability all play into the equation but so does philosophical alignment. A lot of our volunteers initially approach me to volunteer for WinterKids because they love to ski. That’s great but we do not necessarily need volunteers who ski. We need folks who want kids to get outside and be active in the winter time. Conversely, people who do not ski, or who are not active in the wintery outdoors, feel they have nothing to offer WinterKids. Au contraire! That’s why perception is another element in whether a program successfully recruits volunteers or not. Although your needs may be obvious to you and your co-workers, it may not always seem that way to potential volunteers
I suppose it all boils down to good matches. What would Abbott have been without Costello? Lewis without Clark? Sonny without Cher? Who can really say? But knowing how your organization’s volunteer needs match up with the audience you draw from is crucial to sustaining a successful program.
Thankfully, 110 people felt aligned enough with WinterKids to provide over 900 hours of volunteer service since last June. Without them, we would not have been able to do the work we do and whatever their reasons are for helping us, I am thankful and proud that they choose WinterKids as a volunteer opportunity. In a word, they are the Milli to our Vanilli…

Pete Phair is Outreach Coordinator at WinterKids and a featured blogger.

by Ann Swain

In all parts of our world, there are many people with the greatest desire to offer their expertise in a volunteer capacity. In preparing for retirement, I often ask the prospective retiree, ‘do you have a plan?’ If they don’t indicate a plan for their retirement, I will always suggest volunteering. However, there is a population in our world who may not have expertise in any particular area, but they truly have heart. They want to give back, but they don’t even know what to give back or how.

Our expectations of the ‘ideal volunteer’ may need to be rewritten. Our expectations may in fact, not be reality. It all depends on where we are in the world. The day a prospective volunteer walks in your door with the desire to ‘give back’, even if they don’t know what that really means, they may end up being one of the best volunteers you have ever had. They may not be able to read beyond a sixth grade level, or at all for that matter. But they have heart and desire to give to their community. It may have taken all their inner strength to walk through your door and offer themselves beyond what is comfortable. Look beyond your expectations and see.

Expectations and reality don’t always match, and that’s not a bad thing.

Ann Swain is a featured blogger and the Director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Senior Companion Program.

by Jen Lobley, M.ED, CVA

Having been with UMaine Cooperative Extension for almost 10 years working in the area of 4-H Youth Development, I now find myself with a new challenge. I have recently been named Statewide Extension Educator for Volunteer Development.

Cooperative Extension provides research-based information from the Land-Grant University through a variety of educational programs to local people. Cooperative Extension volunteers play a unique role among volunteer agency programs in that they can extend the reach of Cooperative Extension into every Maine community and help provide a link between the Land Grant University and the people seeking out information. Did you know that 7,987 Extension volunteers devoted more than 151,428 hours to their communities last year? These volunteers are working in a variety of areas including: youth development, horticulture, coastal and freshwater water quality monitoring, environmental work, nutrition education, senior companion programs, sustainable coastal community programs, and parenting education.

I am excited about the challenges this new position will bring as I begin to work to create a volunteer delivery system which will increase our organizational capacity to engage more volunteers. This in turn will help provide long-term program sustainability and expand Extension’s economic, social, and environmental impact on the state of Maine. In the process of getting this work underway, I have set three goals for myself:

1. Make training and resources available for Extension staff members that enable them to gain skills and confidence in building volunteer capacity. Helping staff understand the foundational components of a volunteer system and then helping them create volunteer programs that are reflective of current trends in volunteerism will make up a large part of my work. Trends such as episodic volunteerism, virtual volunteerism and catering to the Boomer generation are all areas to be aware of and consider as we design volunteer opportunities.

2. Utilize research to build effective training opportunities and educational programs in which volunteers will be educated and empowered to assume or accept service or leadership roles. I believe volunteers are the heart of Cooperative Extension. They have played a critical role in the 95 year history of Extension here in Maine and will continue to actively do so in the future. However, the volunteer of today is different than the volunteer of yesterday and this will impact how we work with them.

3. In the near future, Extension will be viewed by other organizations around Maine as a place to find research-based volunteer development trainings, opportunities, and resources that they can access and adjust to fit their individual needs. I envision Extension collaborating with the Maine Commission for Community Service and other groups to help build new partnerships and tap new community resources to expand volunteerism. Just think of the endless opportunities!

So that’s a lot to accomplish, huh? You might be wondering where on earth would she start? The real work will begin internally within Extension. Although I have a general sense of the various programs we offer, I will need to spend time learning about current volunteer engagement within our various program areas and spend time on needs assessment. I am also forming an advisory group. By having an advisory committee to provide input into determining priorities,long-range goals, policy and procedure, I believe a better volunteer system will emerge than if I were to try implementing something alone.

I know demands on our staff in terms of time are tight. As I develop training opportunities I will need to keep this in mind. I will work to develop and provide easily digestible “chunks” of information including monthly Volunteer Management Minute trainings (narrated video clips lasting five minutes or less with a few PowerPoint slides), a series of volunteer management tips that will be emailed out on a regular basis, and create an internal web page for staff members that will host a variety of or resources. (I must note that I am very fortunate to have a VISTA volunteer helping me get these projects started!)

I am proud to work for an organization that supports having a position that is focused completely on volunteer development. Our administration truly understands the value of volunteers. I will make every effort to communicate the importance of volunteers both within and outside the organization- not just to our volunteers, but to paid staff, executive committees, funders, local officials and administration. This truly is an exciting time to be working in the volunteer development profession and I look forward to the work ahead!

Jen Lobley is the Extension Educator for Volunteer Development at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 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 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 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 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 Martin J Cowling

In a few weeks time, the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism will convene under the theme: Compassion-Action-Change.

As I prepare my presentations for the conference, I have been reflecting on these three words and particularly the word: Compassion. What is its meaning? What does it mean for our not for profits? For our communities? Our nations?

In Nick Hornby’s 2001 novel “How to Be Good”, he tells of a character who decides to be “good” to the utmost extent. His goodness becomes sickening and suffocating. This is not the sort of compassion we are looking for.

What is the compassion we are looking for?

Compassion is not a term we often hear in business or government. Even in the not for profit sector, it is not always welcome. The word seems to cut across much of how we are told that we “should” behave in these fields. We are told that we are supposed to be “tough, unyielding, undeterred, competitive and focused.” As a result, compassion, for many sounds like a soft or as passive word.

Compassion is the human emotion prompted by the pain of others. The feeling often gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering and therefore ultimately to altruism. The basis of compassion is therefore: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”

This is a value therefore that is fundamental to our societies. Far from being a passive word, compassion implies strength, courage and determination to act. It is definitely neither a sickening or suffocating term.

There are many many volunteers across the globe who show compassion through their own lives.

I was recently visiting a couple who have taken in children into their home. Children abandoned by parents who are unable to care for them. This couple opened up their home and their lives to children who need love, care, good modeling and an education.

In the severe fires that swept Australia in early 2009, volunteers took in and protected Koalas that had been burnt by the fires. In New Orleans volunteers took in the cats and dogs that were stranded in that city.

Compassion drives “Doctors Without Borders” volunteers in Africa operate on people impacted by natural disasters and war, often under the most terrible of conditions. These examples are compassion in action.

When people come to us to volunteer, motivated by the compassion they feel to a person/people/cause or issue, how do we deal with this?

Do they find an organization motivated by compassion? Or do they experience something which undermines that compassion. When people hear about your board meetings, attend your internal meetings or read your internal emails, memos and notices, do they see an organization that’s very soul is one of compassion?

Do they find organizations that help people live out this compassion that they feel? I was working with a charitable organization where one volunteer said to me “I wish we treated each other as well so we treat the clients”. That’s an indictment on that not for profit and its culture.

Do incoming volunteers find organizations that reward compassion? In most volunteer based organizations we reward the volunteers for the number of hours, they complete or how many years they have served. Do we ever reward volunteers on how they live out the values of our organization? Is the “Volunteer of the Year” chosen because they turned up a lot or because their life exemplifies the values wee are seeking?

Our volunteer involving organizations were generally started by people with compassion. How do we maintain that compassion in the future legions of people who follow? Three simple ways?
1. Lets talk about our values including the compassion of the founders
2. Let us deliver our services with those values
3. Let us reward these values

I would be interested in your feedback on how you do this and how we can support each other to do this.

Martin J Cowling is the CEO of People First -Total Solutions and the Keynote Speaker at the 2009 Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism.

By Carla Ganiel

Heather Banester Bassett’s recent post on the benefits of volunteering for job seekers got me thinking about how to reach the unemployed or underemployed. One of the first pieces of advice for job seekers in this age of social media is to create or update your profile on LinkedIn. Having had my own LinkedIn profile for at least a couple of years, and having woefully neglected it for most of that time, I wondered whether there might be a way to use the site to identify possible volunteers.

I logged into my profile and started looking around. One feature that is new since the last time I visited is the “What are you working on now?” question that appears under your photo and job title. I typed in, “Carla is writing a post for the Volunteer Maine blog.” You, however, could use this space to advertise your need for a volunteer to help with your marketing plan.

Alas, beyond this I couldn’t figure out any way to easily search out people who might be looking for volunteer opportunities or to advertise them to my contacts. Wouldn’t it be nice, for example, if the developers of LinkedIn would add a little check-box under “contact settings” where people could indicate an interest in volunteer or pro bono projects?

Of course, it’s possible that my lack of familiarity with the site is the reason I couldn’t figure out how to use it more effectively for this purpose. Who else out there is on LinkedIn? If you have any suggestions, let me know. In the meantime, I’m going to commit to finding ways to make better use of my own profile. Or at least I’m going to try, provided that I don’t get distracted taking quizzes on facebook instead.

Carla Ganiel is a Commissioner on the Maine Commission for Community Service board and a featured blogger.