“Volunteers … work not for money but because they want to give back, make a difference, change the world.” Sally Helgesen
While the need to give of themselves may motivate volunteers to get involved, it doesn’t ensure their continuing commitment. What keeps them involved is the quality of their experience with an organization.
The best way to understand your volunteers’ experience is to engage them in conversation. This can be done in individual conversations or, if you manage a large group of volunteers, through roundtable discussions or surveys.
Engaging conversation starters
Ask these key questions to learn what your volunteers think – and how they feel – about your nonprofit:
• What is it about this organization that appealed to you to get involved?
• What about this organization keeps you involved?
• What do you expect to give and get from your volunteer involvement?
• What do you enjoy most about your volunteer experience?
• What suggestions do you have to improve the volunteer experience?
• Would you recommend this organization to other volunteers?
What to do with volunteer feedback
Listen carefully and acknowledge your volunteers’ value – both in serving your organization and in sharing their thoughts with you. Collective responses to the first four questions provide important insight to reinforce volunteer engagement and may be used in your messaging to recruit new volunteers.
Responses to the last two questions will help you identify concerns that need immediate fixing and those that need to be addressed in the long term. Share and communicate any follow up to let your volunteers know that you heard them.
Volunteers are precious resources. Listen to them and treat them with the respect they deserve.
Shane Burcaw and Sarah Burcaw, Laughing at My Nightmare (LAMN]
I am one of more than half a million followers of Shane Burcaw’sLaughing At My Nightmare blog. I’m also greatly impressed with the nonprofit organization he co-founded with his cousin, Sarah Yunusov, with the mission “to spread a message of positivity while providing equipment grants to those living with muscular dystrophy.” The popularity and growth of LAMN’s brand has Shane and Sarah giving presentations throughout the U.S., so I was thrilled when they planned to speak at a “hometown” event in Bethlehem, PA, where I could hear them.
Their presentation was phenomenal – filled with the candor, humor, and positive perspective that characterizes Shane’s writing. I met with both of them recently, and we spoke about the critical need to embrace a positive attitude. Since Shane is busy writing his blog and has a new book in progress, I asked Sarah to share her thoughts here.
QSM: How did you and Shane get into speaking about the topic of positivity?
Sarah: Shane and I grew up in a family that was always laughing. Big family dinners occurred about once a month at our grandparents’ house, and the signature activity at these gatherings was making fun of each other. Most of our family has a twisted, sarcastic sense of humor, and once the jokes would start, they would never stop. This was the case at weddings, birthday parties, and even funeral receptions (it sounds wrong, but what better way to celebrate a life than by remembering the best moments with laughter?).
At an early age, we learned how incredibly powerful humor was when dealing with adversity. Fast forward to Shane starting his blog. His blog was basically just an extension of the mindset instilled in us by our family. It’s about the hilarious and crazy experiences Shane has had living with muscular dystrophy, but more than that, it teaches readers that a positive attitude can help them effectively cope with stress and adversity.
Science has proved this idea to be true. Studies show that “happy” individuals not only experience better life outcomes (such as higher income, better rates of marriage, etc.) but they also tend to be more productive than “unhappy” people.
The best part is that advances in neuroscience and positive psychology are showing us that it’s totally possible to actively increase your overall chronic happiness. Our happiness is composed of three basic parts: set point, circumstances, and intentional activity. Set point is your genetic happiness level. It accounts for about 50% of your overall happiness. Circumstances are things like job, geography, income, etc. These are the daily realities that we “think” have a huge impact on our happiness. Interestingly, though, studies suggest that circumstances only account for about 10% of our happiness. The last slice of the happiness pie are intentional activities—all the thoughts and actions we “choose” to think and do. These activities, which make up 40% of our happiness, are the key to becoming happier people. By learning techniques to live and think more positively, you can quite literally change the chemical functions of your brain to become a happier person. We think that’s pretty freaking cool.
QSM: What’s the key message in your presentations?
Sarah: The key message of our talks is that we have control over our happiness, as per the science I just described. We use funny stories from Shane’s life of living with a disability to illustrate these concepts. We’ve also done talks about inclusion and diversity, as well as anti-bullying themed presentations.
QSM: Your speaking engagements involve two distinct types of audiences: schools that range from elementary to high school, and businesses that include private companies and pharmaceutical firms. How do the responses you get from these diverse audiences compare?
Sarah: There are definitely some differences and similarities between the schools we speak at compared to the businesses. With kids, our message is more about showing them that we have choices about how we respond to adversity. Kids are endlessly curious too, which we love, because it allows us to understand the preconceptions they have about disability and gives us an opportunity to educate them. Adult audiences are more interested in the science and the concrete methods they can employ to become happier people.
QSM: How can your message of positivity help people today?
Sarah: We live in a time when fear and negativity are attacking our minds often, and in a variety of ways. Now more than ever, we need to remind ourselves why being alive is so beautiful. We believe our message can change the world with that very simple idea.
QSM: An inspired message and important goal, indeed. Thank you, Sarah!
You can learn more about the story behind Laughing At My Nightmare, Inc., in this video and on LAMN’s website.
Whether providing relief after a natural disaster or rendering humanitarian aid to countries in need, we’re familiar with the importance of international medical missions. The inspirational stories told by returning volunteers describe the desperate and challenging needs of the people served and their deep gratitude in receiving medical aid. The volunteers, themselves, are forever changed as a result of their experiences.
Presumably everyone involved benefits from such missions – the countries in need and the volunteers. But to what extent? Beyond the obvious good-will, what’s really happening in these situations and what can we learn from them?
In her new book, Hoping to Help: The Promises and Pitfalls of Global Health Volunteering,Judith N. Lasker, N.E.H. Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Lehigh University, explores the benefits and costs of such missions. She studied the impact of short-term (two weeks or less) medical missions through interviews and surveys with three key groups: the sponsoring organizations (religious, educational, non-faith based NGOs, and corporations); the people who volunteer (medical and non-medical); and the host communities. Lasker’s research covered the following:
the level of cultural training given to volunteers prior to their trip, ranging from thorough to insufficient background information on the host country’s situation and culture
how volunteer resources were deployed
the true costs involved, including travel, logistics, medical supplies and equipment etc., and their effects on donors, volunteers, and recipients
cultural sensitivity and the resulting impact on volunteers and host countries
needs assessments, program measurement, and outcome evaluations
capacity-building and the sustainability of such missions.
Was it good for you, too? The importance of “mutuality,” in which all parties mutually benefit, is a major theme throughout the book. According to Lasker:
“Achieving mutuality is one of the many challenges sponsoring organizations must try to address. Host-community members want more than helpful visitors with skills and resources, although these are valuable and greatly appreciated. They want to be involved in the work programs undertaken by volunteer organizations, and they want to be respected. They want a relationship of equality in which each partner learns from and benefits from the other. … an ongoing relationship of respect, collaboration, and exchange, if not with individual volunteers, at least with the representatives of the [sponsoring] organizations.”
She also explored the elements of cultural sensitivity and understanding, respect, and empathy by volunteers and the sponsoring organizations participating in international missions. Lasker found that:
“to treat the volunteer’s experience or the organization’s reputation or religious priorities as on a par with, or even more important than, the benefits to hosts is to exploit poor communities for the benefit of people from wealthier countries.”
Lessons for other nonprofits While “Hoping to Help” addresses global health volunteering, many of its recommended practices are applicable to other health and social services nonprofits:
Foster mutuality among ALL parties involved, including those who benefit from the mission and those who help support the mission (e.g., volunteers, employees, donors, etc.).
Conduct needs assessments with and among those benefiting from the services offered.
Strengthen volunteer training and preparation.
Maintain continuity of programming/services, as needed.
Evaluate process and outcomes, incorporating the results into continuous improvement.
Build capacity for the long term.
Sensitivity and empathy are also important for volunteers and nonprofit organizations. Lasker reinforces this by citing the following:
“Without the wisdom of humility, altruistic behavior can lead to self-delusion, compassion can become an obsession, and both may generate a damaging sense of hubris.” Dr. Jack Coulehan, emeritus professor, Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University.
While anytime is a good time to acknowledge volunteers for their dedication to helping others, National Volunteer Week provides a special opportunity to celebrate their efforts.
In support of National Volunteer Week, here are my favorite quotes on the tremendous value of volunteers.
“Volunteering is so pervasive it’s invisible. We take for granted all the things that have been pioneered by concerned, active volunteers.” Susan J. Ellis
“Volunteers … work not for money but because they want to give back, make a difference, change the world.” Sally Helgesen
“Volunteers are not servants. Volunteers are partners working together for improving America’s future.” Mayor Richard J. Daly
“At the risk of oversimplifying, we should make it a habit to treat volunteers like donors. Just as we should be appreciative for every financial gift big or small, we should be just as appreciative for every single gift of time and talent.” Vu Le
“A volunteer is like a rare gem. When placed in the right setting and cared for, they will shine and give pleasure to all who see them.” Unknown
“Volunteerism is currency that appreciates.” Susan J. Ellis
“Volunteers are precious resources. Treat them carefully and with the respect they deserve.” Sybil F. Stershic
While this next quote doesn’t specifically mention volunteers, it could have been stated with them in mind.
“If you don’t believe one person can make a difference, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.” Anita Roddick
That’s why I asked certain nonprofits to stop fundraising. The situation improved somewhat … until now. So far this year I have received monthly solicitations from one nonprofit, along with other fundraising mailers from a similar organization who either purchased or shared that nonprofit’s donor list.
I understand and respect nonprofits need to raise money on an ongoing basis to support their work. But when their fundraising continues on auto-pilot, it shows a lack of respect for donors.
Your organization may craft different mission-focused messages in multiple fundraising requests, but here’s how your constant solicitation can be perceived by a donor:
I feel like my contribution isn’t valued when you keep asking me for money all the time.
Maybe you should spend more effort on doing good work instead of continuously soliciting me for donations.
You might be earning additional revenue by selling your donor list, but I’m getting fed up with receiving requests from similar organizations.
I was happy to support your organization until you started treating me like an ATM.
Take a step back and view your fundraising efforts from a donor’s perspective. What message(s) are you sending to them in your ongoing solicitation?
It’s true – there’s no such thing as a perfect workplace. Every organizational culture has its positives and negatives. But in my experience with employee engagement, there are two particular workplace environments to be avoided at all costs.
“Oppression by purpose” describes “companies whose mission to make a positive difference in the world, but essentially do so on the backs of their employees.” [Source: When Employee Engagement Turns Into Employee Burnout by Tony Schwartz, March 13, 2105 NYTimes.com] Consider the company that prides itself on supporting a special cause (e.g., protecting the environment, enhancing educational opportunities, helping communities become healthier, etc.) with mandatory employee participation; i.e., employee involvement is “voluntold” not voluntary. Just because an organization serves a worthwhile purpose does not ensure it is a great place to work.
Institutional disrespect is another organizational culture to avoid. This workplace is characterized by managers who bully employees without repercussion, including those who ignore or dismiss company protocol to assert their perceived power. An environment in which managers continually undermine employee efforts is not healthy,
Both cultures share characteristics of a toxic workplace that suck the life out of employee enthusiasm where doing meaningful work is not enough to sustain their engagement.
Seriously, it’s no fun to work in a dysfunctional organization.
Given the importance of nonprofit engagement, I’m happy to share this post by Andrew Littlefield that appeared on the WeDidIt blog. It is reprinted with permission.
Keeping Your Team Fueled: Preventing Burnout for Non-Profit Workers
by Andrew Littlefield
Non-profit work is often romanticized. Well … at least by people who haven’t actually worked there before …
Students often pine about wanting to work for a non-profit, to pursue a career with meaning that will make the world a better place. 9-to-5ers in the business world will mention to NPO workers they meet that they would “love” to do that kind of work and feel like they’re making the world a better place.
How many times have you heard the tale of the corporate businessman or woman who left their corner office to go pursue an altruistic passion?
Then reality hits. You enter the non-profit world, and after just a few short years, you feel completely drained.
Non-profit work is tough. We love to get poetic about meaning in our work (which is undoubtedly important), but in doing so we often overlook other factors of workplace happiness that leave us feeling discouraged and defeated. Worse yet, the relentless pursuit of helping other often leaves NPO workers neglecting their own needs.
It’s a vicious cycle that has resulted in far too many talented non-profit workers falling out of the ranks.
So how do you keep this from happening to your team? You want to aggressively chase your organization’s mission, but is it worth high turnover among your ranks?
It’s not (all) about the money
It’s no secret that salaries in the not-for-profit world are often lower than what we’d like to see, and that certainly can contribute to burnout. However, it’s been widely proven that higher salaries don’t automatically result in higher levels of happiness. In fact, there’s a tipping point for financial happiness that is lower than you might think.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The good news is that non-profit work is perfectly suited for several well-researched variables to burnout prevention and job satisfaction.
The bad news is non-profit work is also very poorly suited for several of these well-researched variables of job satisfaction.
In his book Outliers (highly recommended reading), Malcolm Gladwell identifies three major factors of career happiness:
Complexity
Autonomy
Connection between effort and reward1
It’s within these factors that we’ll find clues to successfully leading a team away from burnout and discouragement. Let’s break them down.
Complexity
Non-profits win this factor by a long shot; if your organization’s mission were simple, there would be no need for a non-profit dedicated to solving that problem. NPO work is by nature complex! They tackle big problems that require big, creative solutions.
The complexity of an individual job within a non-profit organization varies, but the overall mission as a whole is complex and challenging. That’s why your team is there in the first place!
Autonomy
Unfortunately, autonomy in the non-profit world can be a bit harder to come by. Even the most cutting-edge, forward thinking NPO often receives funding from government sources that require strict oversight and little flexibility. This in turn can stifle the level of autonomy a certain position on your team might have. Workers may not feel they’re empowered to make the decisions they feel are best for the organization and the cause. This is a burnout danger zone.
Connection between effort and reward
At first glance, this one might seem like an obvious win for non-profit work, but I would argue it’s actually a wash. Non-profit work certainly serves a greater good, which is one of the biggest draws for many (particularly young) workers. Seeing your work in the office pay off in a veteran getting a job, a homeless child being fed, or a bill passed into law can be extremely rewarding.
The problem is, many times these payoffs are a long way away from materializing. You can work towards a cause for years, even decades, before the fruits of your labor are finally realized. There may be many micro-wins along the way, and all those micro-wins added together can be significant, but it’s often hard to recognize them in the heat of battle. That can make the effort/reward connection tough.
Your team often needs what your donors need
Even though they’re behind the scenes, your team members often crave the same kind of feedback your donors do: they want to know the details of the problem they’re solving, and they want to know specifically how their contribution has helped.
Make that connection tangible for them. Even if the payoff is a long way off, help them understand the importance of micro-wins. Do more than just tell them what a big deal it is, show them! Take them face-to-face with the people they’ve helped. Get creative and illustrate what their efforts have done.
Additionally, never stop communicating the details of the cause; the intricacies and difficulties associated with pursuing your mission. Don’t do this in a way that makes the problem seem insurmountable and discourages them, but keep them informed of how complex their job is, and pride will follow.
Finally, even though many of the factors that control the fate of your organization may be out of your hands (there goes your autonomy), actively seek out opportunities to hand over control to your team members. From big to small, give them a chance to take the reigns. That might mean they screw something up, but there’s value in mistakes.
Gladwell, M. (2008). The Three Lessons of Joe Flom. In Gladwell, M., Outliers (149-150). Back Bay Books: New York, NY
I’m fortunate to do work that I enjoy. This past year I had the opportunity to train managers how to strengthen employee engagement with internal marketing, facilitate planning retreats, and help marketing team members “get on the same page.” What’s most challenging is that each client presents a unique workplace culture and situation. The process of working with them to achieve positive outcomes in the context of their organizations is rewarding and a privilege I do not take lightly.
In addition to my client work, I met many fascinating folks at a variety of conferences. Highlights of this past year’s speaking engagements include:
BlogPaws – For the second time I participated in this special gathering of people who are passionate about animal welfare; my workshop there was designed to help rescue/shelter volunteers and staff better understand nonprofit marketing.
Volunteers in Medicine – I was truly inspired by this dedicated group of healthcare professionals and volunteers driven to improve health care access for the under-served and under-insured in their local communities; in multiple sessions we discussed how to strengthen volunteer and board engagement.
Here’s to a new year of new opportunities and challenges and why it will be another successful year:
“The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.”Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The value of having a favorable brand is that it inspires public trust and confidence – the stronger the brand, the more likely people will associate with it. A most important contributor to brand strength, and one that is difficult to duplicate, is the organization’s culture.
“Over time … we ultimately came to the realization that a company’s culture and a company’s brand are really just two sides of the same coin.” Tony Hsieh
A strong culture and brand also support effective workplace engagement. Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) is a perfect example of this culture-brand-engagement relationship. With nearly 100 community clinics throughout the U.S., VIM’s mission is to “promote and guide the development of a national network of free clinics emphasizing the use of retired medical and community volunteers within a culture of caring to improve access to health care for America’s under-served, particularly the uninsured.”
Amy Hamlin, VIM Executive Director, with speaker Sybil Stershic
I had the honor of working with this organization as a speaker at their Volunteers in Medicine Alliance Conference. Preparing for and participating in the conference, I was impressed by VIM’s Culture of Caring, a hallmark of its clinics and overall brand that appeals to patients, volunteers, and staff.
Volunteers in Medicine’s Culture of Caring is an approach:
“based on an ethical standard in medicine acknowledging that how people are treated during a clinic visit is as important as the actual medical care they receive. We believe that people who come to a VIM clinic are our friends and neighbors, good people in need of help. Surviving on limited resources, they often exhibit great courage simply trying to get through each day. Recognizing the strengths of those in need and respecting their dignity, the ‘Culture of Caring’ seeks to heal not only physical illness, but also the injury caused by bias, prejudice and indifference.”
As the foundation of its mission and brand, this special culture enables VIM clinics to successfully attract, engage, and retain physician and medical volunteers, as well as administrative volunteers, by offering them high-impact, meaningful opportunities to:
serve people in need
in a patient-focused environment
and with greater scheduling flexibility and more control than in traditional healthcare settings.
The chance to “practice the art of medicine, not the business of healthcare” through its culture of caring to engage volunteers and staff is critical to VIM’s brand strength and sustainability — a winning formula for patients, VIM volunteers and staff, and the communities VIM serves.
How does your culture and brand impact your organization’s engagement with employees and customers?
It was my second year as a speaker at BlogPaws’ 2014 conference. BlogPaws is a social community that includes pet owners, pet lovers, pet bloggers, animal welfare nonprofits (including animal rescues and shelters, American Animal Hospital Association, and the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation), and pet-product companies. What continues to impress me about BlogPaws is how much this social community focuses on serving as an “advocate for pets in need” with its Be the Change initiative. For example, at its annual conference, BlogPaws awards donations to several animal welfare organizations. To date, the pet community has donated over $90,000 in cash and goods. Another highlight of the conference is giving a safety vest to a police dog and oxygen masks to the local fire department in the community where the conference is held. All leftover swag from sponsors get donated to a local shelter.
Yvonne DiVita
I interviewed Yvonne DiVita, social media professional and BlogPaws co-founder, to learn more about this social community’s commitment to giving back.
QSM: Tell us about BlogPaws and what makes it a special community?
Yvonne: We’re truly focused on saving lives. A key part of that is supporting shelters and rescues through a variety of efforts. If we go back to day one of BlogPaws, when three simple bloggers (myself, my husband, Tom Collins, and Caroline Golon of Romeothecat) met at a BlogHer conference and decided to replicate that model for our pet blogger friends, a key element of the decision was Be the Change. This, of course, is based on the familiar “Be the Change You Want To See”… for us, it was a challenge to inspire all bloggers at that first conference in Columbus, Ohio, to go out and be the change for pets in need.
When folks ask me what’s ‘different’ about BlogPaws, compared to other social networks, I tell them about Be the Change. You see, Sybil, I have yet to meet a pet blogger that is not passionate about her local shelter, and many other endeavors to help pets in need. It’s an over-arching goal of this community to facilitate the saving of lives, even one life – to help you understand, I refer you to this video, shared at that first event, and still important today. Frugal Dougal is no longer with us, having passed to the Rainbow Bridge, but this video lives on as our commitment to animals everywhere. In fact, we are also part of a Disaster Relief Network, working with groups like World Vets, to make sure animals are not forgotten during disasters.
QSM: How do BlogPaws members get involved with Be the Change?
Yvonne: The members of our community participate in Be the Change is a variety of ways. Each one has a passionate purpose or focus – whether that’s their own shelter, where they volunteer, or a purpose they saw on Facebook or Twitter. We use social media regularly to reach out and connect with as many people as possible. The key here is to recognize that the pet community isn’t just bloggers. It’s pet parents everywhere who are devoted to saving pets. Be the Change encompasses all people, the world over, who see the value of the human–animal bond, and work to help the rest of the world accept the importance of pets in our lives. This transcends the usual “we love our dog” focus. It recognizes that pets of all manner help decrease blood pressure, teach children responsibility, assist veterans with PSD, and more. These are creatures that make lives whole for so many of us.
Members of our community share experiences and events, and make sure not only their event is noticed, but everyone else’s is, also. And when we see elephants rescued, or animals in need in disaster areas (flood, earthquake, typhoons), we rush to make sure the entire world is aware. Being involved just means doing what you feel is important. It can be a $5 donation, sharing on Facebook, or working hard to raise awareness of puppy mills.
QSM: What impact has Be The Change made?
Yvonne: It’s easy on some level to judge the impact, and, on another level, not easy at all. For instance, BlogPaws itself has contributed over $90,000 in goods and cash (most of that in cash donations via the conference) over the last five years. If we were to go back and ask each shelter that received donations from us, there is no doubt we’d get a lot of stories along with the many thank you’s we receive when the donations are made. In our heart of hearts, we love seeing the change first hand at the events we hold. Shelters are invited and most of them attend. They are astonished at the outflowing of good will and offers of help from the folks who meet them. The cash donations go far to helping feed and care for their charges. The donations of all leftover swag help many, many pets over the course of their stay – donations include dog beds, treats, pet food, toys, and more.
Within the community itself, the change is also apparent. The act of contributing to a shelter or rescue, whether in time and talent, with cash donations, or sharing among a network to help raise much needed medical care, lifts each and every person up in ways nothing else can! Among the deep seated passion for helping these local groups as they rescue and care for neglected or abused animals is the sense of having done something purposeful, of having been part of something bigger than ourselves.
Our Be the Change community is so strong and so sincere, it continues to stand as a foundation of everything we are about – helping pet parents be all that they can (or want to) be… including, angels for animals in need.
The hard part of understanding the impact is in having such an enormous reach – from working with folks like Eldad Hagar, who contributed $25,000 at the latest BlogPaws event to help medical care for pets displaced and lost in the tornadoes of the U.S. during May 2014 … to sharing the efforts of folks like Robin A.F. Olson, who writes Covered in Cat Hair and runs Kitten Associates … to Amazon Cares, which takes people to Peru to save animals in need – all of which means our efforts in Be the Change are just a blip on the radar of the universe and we still have much more to do.
QSM: What would you tell other social communities about giving back?
Yvonne: I would say, get to it. What are you waiting for? The ability to give back, to participate in a charity organization or event, lifts up all people, and reminds us why we are here – we are here because we are not alone. We are a community across the globe and, as a community, the ability to give back is inherent in our desire to be accepted and loved. When you give, you get… it’s as true today as it has ever been. I am not the first to say it. At BlogPaws, we remain true to this quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” If you hesitate because you aren’t sure how to begin, ask your community. You will be amazed and inspired by the response.
And when you’re ready, connect with others like BlogPaws. Because it’s only in working together, in bringing neighborhoods together, in giving voice to the human desire to save each other, that we will achieve the great success we all strive for.
