Wishes For Volunteerism This Week
Spring feels like it could be just around the corner on this side of the country. The snow is melting, the birds are singing, the warm sun is making a coffee on the patio possible. Spring is all about growth and so here are two simple wishes for volunteerism and organizations this week. They might seem like little things but best believe they could make a massive difference in the experience of a volunteer inside an organization.
Wish 1: Be specific in your asks
In the past couple months I have seen a couple posts on our local community page asking for volunteers and it goes something like this "looking for volunteers to help with XYZ event, date, time, email address" This is an awesome first step but volunteers are humans with a million things going on in their lives so the more information you can provide up front the better. It saves everyone time and energy in the beginning and fills in the blanks and questions you might not even know exist (ps our opportunity posting page does a great job of walking through this if you need some help!) Volunteers need to not just know where to be and when but everything that is involved. Sometimes it is hard to think about those people who are not yet swimming in the water of your organization.
Wish 2: Show gratitude to the humans
I recently read a volunteer info page that has been living rent free in my head for the past 2 months, one line in particular "if there is food leftover the volunteers at this event can have some". While there is absolutely no ill intent meant by this and I am 100% certain this is a simple logistical issue, meant to be interpreted as a 'perk' to volunteering I can assure you as a potential volunteer it is not. If having a meal provided is indeed a bonafide perk of a volunteer role - wonderful brag about it! Put it all in caps! If it is not than simply do not include it, and instead include the long list of very legitimate benefits that someone will get from giving their time to your organization. Think about what this perk/benefit will mean to the volunteer because dedicating time to an organization is a massive gift which deserves more than a maybe sandwich.
Do you have wishes for volunteerism? We would love to hear info@volunteerconnector.org