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by Jen Lobley

The Machias Blueberry Festival takes place each year on the third weekend of August. The event has taken place for 35 years! There are a variety of activities that happen throughout the weekend. There’s the children’s parade, the road race, the pie-eating contest, the musical, and the craft show. There’s the quilt raffle, the selling of t-shirts, the banner contest and the cooking contest. There’s the pancake breakfast, the fish fry, a dessert café, the food court and the blueberry pie sale. Don’t forget the shuttle service, art show, and flea market. Whew! And it all gets accomplished with the donated time, talents and wisdom of over 200 volunteers from the community!

I love this event because it allows me the opportunity to BE a volunteer. I oversee the organization of the crafters and vendors. My work begins in January when we send out the invitations. Throughout the spring, as applications come in, I assign spaces and have various phone and email “festival conversations” with both new and returning vendors. On Saturday morning of the festival, I arrive on site at 4:30AM to prepare a wagon of hot coffee and blueberry muffins that will be distributed to the vendors as they arrive and set up. I run around with my clipboard checking in vendors, helping them find their space, and making sure their cars are moved by 7:00AM (so as not to interfere with the road race). I answer a myriad of questions, occasionally stop to help someone erect their tent, and most importantly, smile, be friendly and welcoming.

As a professional who works in the realm of volunteer development, I find my personal volunteer experiences to be critical to my work. Being a volunteer helps keep me grounded and prompts me to remember what it’s like to be on the “other side.” I have the chance to examine the following questions: What is it that I want and need as an actual volunteer? Did I enjoy the experience? Do I want to return? Were my efforts recognized in a way that was meaningful to me?

Through my volunteer experience, I take time to look through my professional lens and I am reminded of the importance of role descriptions, and how important it is to take the time to match the volunteer to the position that is right for them. I am reminded of how good orientation, training, and support can strengthen the ability of the volunteer, and how lack of these components can really hinder a volunteer’s work. I am reminded of how critical good communication is. Most importantly, I am reminded that a key piece of volunteer development is in the ability to empower a volunteer to do the work.

If you are a volunteer manager, I encourage you to immerse yourself in a volunteer experience. Having the perspective as a current, engaged volunteer provides you with insights that can strengthen the work you do with your own program volunteers.

Jen Lobley is the Extension Educator for Volunteer Development for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. She is a featured blogger.

by Michael A. Aiguier

Sometimes a volunteer manager will find themselves with the fortunate situation of having an over abundance of people willing to help out in their organization. In this situation, it can be tempting to throw one’s hands up and just send people home with no clear reason as to why, or, if they have not arrived for an opportunity, not giving them a call. Both of these situations can lead to hurt feelings and the high likelihood that when you do need them, they will not be there.

So, how does one avoid these situations? Finding other organizations that have similar ends and are much needier than you is a good start. If you can build a standing relationship with one or a few other groups that also need volunteers on short notice, you can build good will by sending overflow to them and allowing your volunteers to participate in organizations with similar goals as they have.

Always having a back-up project is another way to help ensure satisfaction with your volunteer program. Have staff add ideas to a “project bank” that volunteers can withdraw from when they come in. You should also encourage your volunteers to suggest ideas for projects that they or others with the right skill set can do. Sometimes it is easier for some one doing volunteer work to see where a program can be improved with just a little more people power.

Designing projects in such a way as to have them easily broken down into teams, and to have those teams broken easily into further groups is another effective way of managing overflow. You automatically have created new volunteer positions (team leaders), and found a way to distribute new volunteers (as they come in you can assign them to one of the current teams).

So, when you have advertised your event or position so well that you have an overwhelming response, do not despair. Be thankful, and reward the interest in your organization with new and on-going opportunities.

Michael Aiguier is an AmeriCorps VISTA with the VolunteerMaine Project serving at the United Way of Eastern Maine. He is a featured blogger.

By Caitlyn Horose

I spend a lot of time thinking about issues related to non-profits. I guess it makes sense since I work for three organizations in the sector and volunteer for a handful of others on a fairly regular basis. My Google Reader is filled with blogs about volunteerism, national service, and non-profit management. And lately, a few interesting things have come across my screen. Here are some of my favorites:

The Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act – Did you know that Congress could soon pass a bill that would create a U.S. Council on Nonprofit Organizations and Community Solutions? The Council would look at ways to enhance the relationship between the federal government and nonprofits. The bill also calls for data collection and the creation of an Interagency Working Group on Nonprofit Organizations and the Federal Government that would consider government policy that relates to nonprofits. To learn more about the Act and how it might affect you and your organization, visit http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/nscsact.

Catchafire.org – I’ll just go ahead and say that I don’t quite get it, but there is definitely some buzz out there about this new site that allows volunteers with strong professional skills to connect with nonprofits. The only, umm…catch, is that nonprofits have to pay for the project they want completed. I guess if your organization is looking to redesign its logo, catchafire can make that happen for a much lower price than you’d pay a regular designer. I want someone to try it and tell me how it goes…

The Extraordinaries - This website is also looking to connect virtual volunteers with nonprofit organizations. Building on the concept of “microvolunteering”, visitors to the site can volunteer for a few seconds from their computer or smartphone. Most of the projects involve tagging or cataloging photos – it’s sort of like wasting time looking at photos of “friends of friends” on facebook, but it actually helps out a nonprofit!

Blue Avocado – Ok, so maybe I’m late to the game, but the Blue Avocado blog is my new favorite thing. The articles focus on issues of interest to nonprofit organizations and people that work in the sector. I was particularly struck by Rick Cohen and the “Sacred Cows” series in which he raises questions about some of the unspoken problems with programs and policies that often receive nothing but praise (i.e. The Serve America Act, Teach for America, and L3Cs).

Cities of Service – Ever think that your city would be leading a service initiative and coordinating volunteers? Me neither. But I like it. This new initiative is gaining some interest, though mostly in states with larger cities than we have here in Maine. Maybe we need to think about a “State of Service” movement like our neighbors in Massachusetts are discussing – they are hoping to develop a blueprint of best practices with a goal of improving service in Massachusetts and establishing a state service model for the nation.

There are so many more resources, ideas, and discussions taking place about the nonprofit sector and its role in communities – What have you been hearing about?

Caitlyn Horose is the Development Assistant for Portland Trails and the Chapter Leader of the Maine AmeriCorps Alums. Every six weeks, we’ll see a submission from the Maine AmeriCorps Alum group, one of our newest featured bloggers.

by Keri Penick

Have you ever heard of the nationwide program Plant-A-Row (PAR)? Most people are able to exclaim- “Oh, I’ve heard about that!” Commonly, people do understand it is a public service campaign to encourage home gardeners to grow more vegetables and fruits and donate any excess to local food pantries. Most understand it is a great idea, but can be puzzled as to what it really entails.

The beginning of May saw the launch of the 2010 Kennebec Plant-A-Row Challenge, after weeks of planning and building excitement among volunteers, including UMaine Cooperative Extension Staff, Master Gardener Volunteers, and community members who are behind local efforts for this program. This “Challenge” is to provide at least 12,000 pounds of fresh produce to food pantries in the Kennebec County area.

A great incentive for interested volunteers to sign up now is to receive support, connect with the gardening community, and to eliminate pantries from becoming overburdened. But with busy lives, we all understand the regret that can come from hearing about great ideas such as PAR, but becoming unable to join the effort. Of course, the biggest reason that may keep people from volunteering is limited time. The second reason, however, is one that may be overlooked but can easily be addressed to increase participation- fixing the disconnect between volunteers wanting to help and not knowing exactly what they can do!

The Kennebec PAR Planning Committee is addressing this challenge in several ways, including:
• Public Outreach: Distribution of information to nurseries, greenhouses, health food stores, farmers’ markets, and libraries
• Identifying Resources: Using excitement, talent, and connections from volunteers themselves for such distribution and to create hand-drawn logos and tee-shirt designs
• Providing Support: Welcoming participants to the program and giving specific instructions for donating to pantries
• Creating a Coaching Model: Implementing volunteers to serve as local coordinators for PAR participants in their area, increasing connection and underlining the power of relationships
• Offering Opportunities: Inclusive to those without a garden, for example:
 Giving a helping hand to local community gardens already growing for food pantry donation,
 Serving a food pantry or soup kitchen based on their individual needs: contributing time, transportation of food, or even donating containers.

By filling out an enrollment form, a volunteer can be encouraged to find an opportunity that works for them and the community, in whatever capacity they may offer. Enrolling in the PAR program connects the gardener with other volunteers also committed to improving the local food economy, as well as providing an outlet of communication for horticulture advice.

UMaine Cooperative Extension and Master Gardener Volunteers are excited about gardening, and with dedicated food pantry and soup kitchen volunteers—are also passionate about helping the community. The 2010 Kennebec Plant-A-Row Challenge combines such efforts. Join us today—and many thanks to those who already have!

Please visit our website for more information, including an online enrollment form.

Keri Penick is an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Kennebec County and is a guest blogger.

by Jamie Andrew

For those of you who don’t know, PAVA is a beautiful thing. PAVA stands for Portland Area Volunteer Administrators, and we meet once a month at different organizations throughout Portland. Not only are there muffins and coffee (!), there is always a truly wonderful group of people willing to bounce ideas, thoughts, and questions off of each other. The value of this can’t be underestimated – especially because, as Volunteer Coordinators, we’re often flying solo in our organizations. Most non-profits barely have money for one Volunteer Coordinator, let alone two. So who do we gripe about unreliable volunteers with? Brainstorm about retention with? My co-workers appreciate volunteers, but they’re not always wildly excited to discuss background checks (for which I don’t blame them).

So at a recent PAVA meeting, we did some group work, analyzing different statistics about volunteers from the past five years or so. Our group got into an insightful conversation about the roots of lots of issues we deal with – recruitment, training, management, retention – that I think is important for every Volunteer Coordinator (and employee who works with volunteers, for that matter) to think about. We know our organizations have and appreciate volunteers, but have you ever asked your staff: Why Volunteers? No, like, really – why volunteers? Chances are, the reasons your organization has volunteers runs deeper than having an occasional stapler, envelope stuffer, or tree-planter. The time and planning that goes into having volunteers is a huge investment, one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Does the staff of your organization understand this? If you can, consider an all-staff meeting involving a group discussion about volunteers, asking why you even have them in the first place.

We are operating in trying economic times, and most non-profits are seeking ways to expand capacity while cutting budgets simultaneously. (Somewhat counterintuitive, no?) Think about what volunteers have to offer if we take the time to thoughtfully integrate them into all aspects of our organizations. Not just the copying, the cleaning, and the odd projects here and there – but getting to know them individually for their personality, skill sets, their passions. Match them with jobs that suit them, meaningful tasks that allow employees to take on bigger projects. Imagine the load that could be lifted off of our over-worked staff! Everyone needs to be on board, though, or it won’t work. So consider starting by asking everyone a simple question: Why Volunteers?

Jamie Andrew is the Visitor Guide / Volunteer Coordinator at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine and is a featured blogger.

By Michael Aiguier

One of the things that volunteer managers use in recruiting is finding the things that people are passionate about. Something that can be implemented into many volunteer programs is music. People are passionate about both genre and just passing on a love for music. This can be used in many ways to generate volunteers for and awareness of your program.

One traditional way to have volunteers incorporate music is as performers. This can either be in the concert type setting. Both the Quarry Hill Retirement Community and Spring Harbor Hospital offer opportunities for people to show their musical talents. In the area of performing for children, the Children’s Center in Augusta is looking for people to come in and play for kids with special needs. Maybe it can be a one time opportunity, like the HOPE Festival Singers.

Passing on an individual’s passion for an activity can be another way to get volunteers involved. The Independence Association has an opportunity to lead people in musical activities, both vocal and instrumental. The Center for Grieving Children is looking for people to show how music can be an outlet for expressing what one is going through.

Sometimes just having the ability to be around a musical environment is enough to inspire volunteers. The Franco American Heritage Center is looking for people to answer their box office telephone and sell tickets to the concerts that they host.

Of course you can always use music as a fundraising vehicle for your volunteer programs. The Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area are doing just that by having live music at their Summer Solstice Garden Party.

There are lots of ways to include music in your volunteer program and VolunteerMaine has many more listed than what I have here. Be sure to check them out for ideas and then be sure to post your own!

Michael Aiguier is an AmeriCorps VISTA with the VolunteerMaine Project serving at the United Way of Eastern Maine and a featured blogger.

by Sarah Rhyan

Last semester, one of my students brought me an all-too-familiar problem. As a leader of her son’s P.T.A. she was frustrated with the low parental turnout at meetings and P.T.A.-sponsored events. She asked what she should do.

I offered the following advice:

When I ran a debate program in the South Bronx, getting parents to visit was the toughest part of my job. One year, I offered $100 worth of office supplies to the debate team that brought the most parents to the program’s annual open house. The winning school enticed two parents to attend. They were the only two that showed up. Over time I learned why parents don’t participate and how nonprofit leaders and volunteers can cope.

Why don’t parents participate?

Over the years, I discovered that well-intentioned parents still miss P.T.A. meetings, open houses, and the like for two reasons. First, parents opt out because they can’t find the time, not because they don’t care. Even non-working parents are balancing doctor visits, house-cleaning, shopping, etc. The particular date or time selected for a meeting might coincide with soccer practice, a visiting aunt, and the like. Today’s parents are busier than ever and they simply cannot attend every event. Second, parents are asked to attend all sorts of meetings, and most of them are a waste of time. Moms, dads, grandparents, and other legal guardians meet with doctors, social workers, pastors, nutritionists, teachers, etc. They show up to these meetings to demonstrate that they care about their kids. Many of these meetings are disorganized, irrelevant, unpleasant, and offer parents little in the way of help. Well-meaning administrators across the public sector organize face-to-face meetings when they’re not really necessary. Parents cannot tell the difference between a legitimate meeting and a waste of time from the flyers brought home by their children.

What can nonprofit leaders and volunteers do in the face of parental absence?

Nonprofit staffers – especially volunteers and unpaid community leaders like my student – can approach the situation using some or all of the following five strategies:

Strategy 1 - Only convene meetings when there is a true need for face-to-face decision-making, etc. For everything else, use e-mail, paper (e.g., take-home handouts), etc.

Strategy 2 - Plan a clear agenda and communicate it with parents well in advance so that they know the topic of the meeting, the goals for the meeting, and why their participation matters.

Strategy 3 - Organize, organize, organize… so that you can run the most efficient meeting possible. A thirty-minute meeting is ideal for busy parents.

Strategy 4 - Schedule the meeting at a time that works for working (and non-working) families (e.g., 4:30pm). If possible, provide an extra benefit such as free dinner. Remember, in the world of busy parenting, a 30-minute meeting accompanied by dinner for the family might actually save time (e.g., no dishes to wash).

Strategy 5 - Be happy with quality, rather than quantity. A dedicated team of 5 parents willing to meet monthly will achieve more for most organizations than a loose grouping of 20 parents willing to meet once a year.

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

By Noble Smith

Having spent nearly fifty years in the business of working with and for volunteers at non-profit organizations does not make me an expert at anything. However, one aspect of serving as a volunteer that I have carried into my professional life has been the trait or characteristic that governs a successful volunteer experience.

I have seen these experiences especially over the last twenty years being a volunteer at a number of organizations and as a member of various commissions, task forces and quasi-governmental agencies - make darn sure that the volunteer has a clear understanding of what is required, that the task is well-structured, well supervised and that it fits into a total integrated framework of the non-profit.

Today’s non-profits now have a plethora of baby boomers who are (or shortly will be) descending by volunteering their professional and personal skills, time and commitment and as the masses increase, non-profits best hone and fine-tune their enlistment, training and management skills. As we are observing, baby boomers are better educated, healthier, have less free time, and high levels of work experience that perhaps the previous generation. Non-profits better be in top-notch shape to handle this growing influx.

Cited below are the most frequently stated observations by both volunteers and those who run the non-profits that I have experienced as a volunteer, a development staffer and as a consultant. (The reader will certainly have many other valued observations and recommendations.)

What are you as a volunteer looking for in volunteer opportunities?

Clear job descriptions of what is expected;
Matching my life experiences with the task assigned;
Responsibility with authority, although all volunteers must recognize that they are working, as in business, for others, others who must possess and execute clearly visible leadership traits;
A genuine pat on the back for a job well done (or a constructive overview where improvement can be made);
Follow-up reports on the effectiveness of the volunteer effort.

What attracts the volunteer in the search for opportunities?

Well-organized volunteer program;
Good volunteer management supervision;
Organizations that dovetail with my personal interest/skills;
Recognition;
Timeliness of task and its functionality;
Impact that volunteers have on reaching the vision, mission and core values of the organization.

What do volunteer managers need to know about working with older volunteers?

Know the volunteer’s life experience and match accordingly;
Know exactly what you want the volunteer to undertake and accomplish;
Provide appropriate and realistic training;
Treat volunteers as though they were your parents;
Listen carefully to the volunteers 4 Cs - comments, concerns, compliants and compliments;
Provide personal follow-up, and visible recognition;
Know how to discharge, relieve a volunteer who is in the wrong place, wrong task and at the wrong time.

We all need to keep firmly in our minds, whether we are the organization or the volunteer, that in equivalent payroll, volunteers are indispensable to our society. They are a commodity that merit’s our highest degree of quality care, a solid business-like approach to their involvement and, most importantly, treat them like your parents - they certainly qualify!

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

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.