Trends in volunteerism - are you harnessing these yet?!
20:45, 6 October 2010
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.. Link
I had a great time last week presenting to the volunteer leadership of Qwest Pioneers, the largest corporate-based volunteering group in the world (that's what they told me, anyway!). My topic: trends in volunteerism and how to harness them.
A person during the Qwest Pioneers presentation said, "10 years ago, we wouldn't have been ready to hear this." And I knew that all too well. This was an updated version of a workshop I co-presented back in the late 1990s to SeniorCorps - to a very hostile audience, an audience that did NOT want to change. My presentation has certainly been updated, but the overall message hasn't changed: there are dire consequences for your organization if you do not acknowledge trends in volunteerism and try to harness them.
I already see the consequences at nonprofits who have refused to use the Internet to involve and support volunteers, for instance: their volunteering numbers are down, and their volunteer ranks are not diverse. Online volunteering/virtual volunteering is a practice that is more than 30 years old, yet thousands of organizations in the USA refuse to think about it even in 2010!
Change is scary. But these trends in volunteerism also present incredible opportunities
- for organizations (more volunteers, more diverse volunteers, more satisfied volunteers, more community support, more transparency to the community),
- for volunteer managers (professional development, more recognition for your job, more staff involving volunteers),
- for volunteers themselves (more opportunities to help, more experiences that can help you in paid work, more hands-on activities as volunteers, a greater voice in the organizations you are supporting), and
- for those served by nonprofits, NGOs and public sector organizations that involve volunteers.
I can squeeze in one or two more presentations in 2010, but otherwise, I'm booked for the rest of the year! And I'm already booking dates for 2011! More about my classes, workshops and presentations -- book me now for 2011! Also see my consulting services -- I can help your organization address these volunteerism trends!
