All Volunteers Are Not Created Equal
All volunteers are not created equal. Certainly three people may be equally able to read to a child, plant a tree, or serve in a soup kitchen. But what if you knew this group included a marketing executive, an editor for a publishing house, and a software engineer? Surely the marketing executive might better serve the education nonprofit by helping to craft a marketing strategy to get the nonprofit's name out to more donors, the editor might help the environmental nonprofit develop an online newsletter to reach more supporters, and the software engineer could help the soup kitchen create an intranet that manages volunteer logistics so that the nonprofit's full-time staff could spend more time with the homeless.
Although more than one quarter of the American population volunteered in the last year, most volunteers don't use their professional skills on behalf of nonprofits, even though those who do are more satisfied volunteers. The gross mismatch in the supply and demand of pro bono service is highlighted by the results of a recent Deloitte study in which 95% of nonprofit leaders indicate a need for more pro bono support, and yet 97% of those nonprofit leaders do not know who to approach to solicit skilled volunteers.
These are tough times for all of us, but the impact of the financial crisis on nonprofits is especially stark. Charitable giving fell last year by the largest percentage in 50 years, according to a recent study by the Giving USA Foundation. With so much on their plates already -- constantly seeking new sources of funding, managing employees, and of course the hard work of serving the greater good -- most nonprofits lack both the time and the tools to recruit, manage and utilize skilled professionals. As such, the people who can help make the biggest impact in our communities, our brain trust of highly-skilled professionals (many currently unemployed and seeking ways to volunteer while keeping their resume up-to-date), are not serving in ways that take full advantage of their skills.
Web-based solutions are not new solutions by any means. Idealist.org has been serving the nonprofit community for nearly 15 years, and VolunteerMatch.org has been matching nonprofits with volunteers for over 10 years. However, new volunteer matching Websites such as Serve.gov and, most recently, All For Good, blow away the cobwebs from the old notion of service and volunteerism with their Web 2.0 technologies (AFG is open source) and fresh vibe (Obama's marketing campaign is certainly cool). Functionally, these platforms solve one major part of the service dilemma, which is simply connecting supply with demand, by offering up a myriad of volunteer opportunities with just the click of a mouse. You can even volunteer while still in your pajamas! It has never been easier to find your cause and volunteer for it, either in your local area or abroad.
Yet, while the fundamental goal of these sites is to increase civic engagement, matching nonprofits and volunteers does not solve a much less discussed problem facing nonprofits, namely, the lack of organizational infrastructure and resources needed to effectively manage and utilize volunteers and their specific skill sets. In the same Deloitte study, it was revealed that 1/3 of nonprofits lack the structural ability to effectively deploy volunteers. As many nonprofit managers can attest, even when a nonprofit has overcome the hurdle of finding the perfect volunteer, figuring out ways to make efficient use of a volunteer's time and skills remains a challenge for many nonprofits.
The legal profession is a leading example of a field where its professionals use their skills when performing their volunteer activities. This "pro bono" model is beneficial to both the volunteer and the nonprofit client. The lawyer gets a welcome break from the monotony of her regular caseload (from the firm's perspective, good for employee morale), knows that her skills are being put to good use (making repeat volunteering more likely), and receives the emotional reward of helping someone in need (good for the volunteer). The client of course, receives quality legal counsel that would otherwise be unaffordable. With the American Bar Association codifying the decree that "a lawyer should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono public legal services per year" it is not surprising that legal professionals have one of the highest rates of service performed of all occupations at 47.1 percent.
And while other professional associations have yet to push their constituents to volunteer their skills, professionals across all other business sectors are lining up to give their skills. In fact, the Taproot Foundation, a leading facilitator of pro bono business services, saw a 171% increase in demand from professionals who want to donate their skills. "The glut of laid-off volunteers has forced Taproot to stop all marketing and start turning away applicants", Taproot Founder Aaron Hurst said.
With the recent increase in volunteer participation throughout the country, bolstered by the President and First Lady Obama's passion for service, and now with the contribution of Web giants Google, Yahoo and Craigslist helping to make it easier for people to give anytime and anywhere, we are making important strides towards creating a national culture of service. However, as always, there is more work to be done.
We are still far from a world where every nonprofit can access pro bono services or where every professional can easily give his or her skills. Through the Web, we've brought volunteers and nonprofits together, but now we must figure how to get them work together in ways that consistently result in positive outcomes. The cultural gap between the nonprofit and for-profit worlds is vast. We need a scalable solution that helps nonprofit managers and for-profit professionals communicate effectively so that both parties get the most out of their volunteer experiences together. When we've accomplished this, not only will service be part of the fabric of American lives, but nonprofit and for-profit professionals will be finally speaking the same language.
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Very interesting debate going on here.
Yes, from my perspective as a skilled marketing professional, I would want to volunteer in a way that would allow me to leverage and enhance my skills.
Catchafire sounds like the perfect way for me to find a suitable volunteer opportunity.
I have just been retrenched from my role as a campaign manager for a large bank. This has made me think deeply about what I want to do with my life. I would like to use this opportunity to get out of the corporate world and do something good for humanity. However, I don't just want to volunteer anywhere. I want to maximise my marketing skills and build on these. A volunteer opportunity that allows me to do this would be perfect.
I agree with DivideZero's point that, "Volunteering is about the volunteer's needs as much as the nonprofit's needs." I think that it's logical to assume that if someone, especially a busy professional, volunteers her time, she wants to make a meaningful difference. Clearly, there are a multitude of motivations that drive a person to give their time, such as passion for a cause, connection to a community, building a career, learning, and even feeling guilty. (See Aaker's research on the psychology of giving http://tr.
This is a fantastic idea, as there will certainly be a supply of volunteers willing to provide professional services and a demand for them by non-profits, even though it won't be for everyone, as some posts below point out. Like many things, the devil will be in the details. With many new products like yours, the key is thinking about the human and organizational behaviorial aspects involved in getting the potential non-profit customer to "yes," i.e., what changes are you asking people within the customer organization to make, how hard is it for them to make those changes and is the status quo sufficient? One of the keys to success for your idea will be in providing specific guidance and tools to the non-profits on how to implement this type of volunteer service, e.g., (1) how to structure projects to coexist with, rather than compete or interfere with, the work of existing staff; (2) how to structure projects that achieve a specific end for the non-profit while at the same time provide a meaningful experience for the volunteer; (3) how to think broadly about what types of pro bono professional services could apply to the non-profit; and (4) how to provide online tools for the volunteers and non-profits to collaborate on, and manage, these important projects. If you think through a lot of these details I believe that you will get a lot of non-profits interested. Good luck.
Thanks for your thoughts gemc. You are completely right in saying that the devil is in the details! Your points are spot on, and we are definitely thinking about the 4 "keys to success" that you have outlined for us here.
Currently pro bono service projects are typically seen as longer-term, large scale, resource intensive, overhaul-o
One must be careful when exploiting(and I mean that in a good way) the special talents and knowledge of individual volunteers. Such people may provide an invaluable specialized service, but an organization must be prepared to continue with that service when that volunteer is no longer available. You may never find another volunteer to take his/her place that possesses the same skill set or knowledge base. A volunteer with special knowledge or talents can be a valuable adjunct to an organization but should never be relied on for the "nuts and bolts" operation of that organization. A volunteer should never be counted on to supply a service that is not duplicated by paid staff.
Excellent post. Like others who commented, I've had a frustrating experience volunteering largely because of the person who managed the whole process. I signed up to tutor ESL students trying to get their HS diplomas, and every other week I would take off early from work to get down there, and the kid would just not show up (many times with the nonprofit manager knowing and not contacting me!). The two big takeaways I got are that non-profits and for-profits have to speak more and NPOs have to manage their volunteers better. I think to truly do this you need corporate sponsorship along with the grassroots efforts of people just wanting to give back on their own time. We need to find a way to get major companies in the financial, marketing, and PR industries to follow the lead of the legal and consulting fields and commit to service. If you get ongoing partnerships and a steady stream of highly-motivated skilled workers to volunteer, it's a win-win. Talented, skilled individuals can give back as part of their chosen careers, corporations can brag about their "service initiatives", and nonprofits can get access to skilled workers that they trust and cherish.
There are people who volunteer to do something that isn't like what they do for a living; they want to explore a different path. If you crunch numbers for a living it can be tiring or even boring. Working at a soup kitchen or teaching non-readers could be different & exciting to a number cruncher. Showing people how to keep books for their agency or volunteer group could be a matter of SS/DD for a pro number cruncher.
Learning something new could be rewarding to some volunteers. The number cruncher could be bored to tears by number crunching for a volunteer group.
This has been one of the most thoughtful threads I've participated in on Huffpost.
Yes, I've experienced many of things people are talking about here. Nonprofits that want volunteers only to do the grunt work, regardless of their levels of skill and ability. Lack of competent management of volunteer service. Suspicion of "newcomers" and even denigration of those who don't get paid. A tendency on the part of some organizations to keep pushing volunteers to do more even when it hurts them financially, emotionally, etc.
"Volunteering" is kinda chic right now -- but choose with care or you can just feel taken.
I think suspicion of newcomers and denigration of those who don't get paid is going a little far. How about by the time the paid staff gets a volunteer doing "skilled" work up to speed with what is going on, answers all their questions, gets them logged on to a computer or prints out what they need or finds the documents they need, schedules their time to work, reschedules their time to work because they didn't show up, and reviews what they have done, corrects what they have done, the paid staff person could have done the work themselves. Volunteers, it's not about you. Volunteering should not be about fulfilling the desires of the volunteer; it should be about doing what is best for the organizati
Most non-profits are tiny and do not have the money to hire a volunteer coordinator to coordinate their limited volunteer opportunities. So give them a break. They are doing the best they can.
Check out the other comments on this blog. You will see different views. You are adocating what you think is the 'greater good'; there are different views & experiences than your views & experiences.
I assure you these conflicts between paid and volunteer staff exist in all non-profits to varying degrees. And it goes both ways. I've carved out a niche as the skilled volunteer coordinator wherever I work.
Your situation describes what I call a reactionary volunteer management model. If you don't have a serious volunteer management structure you will always have those problems and more. A proactive volunteer management model still has problems but is much more prepared to handle them before a problem volunteer turns into high turn over, missing resources, lost time and lawsuits.
A volunteer coordinator is just as important as a grant writer. Proper volunteer management makes money for the nonprofit and paired with a competent development team (often a team of one) can create new funding streams.
Volunteering is about the volunteer's needs as much as the nonprofit's needs. You have to create a symbiotic relationship or you can resign to live in a perpetual turn over world which it seems you're quite fond of.
Volunteers all volunteer for different reasons. If you're doing your job right, you'll figure out how to get volunteers who find their fulfillment through envelope stuffing. It does involve rethinking how you get and use volunteers but that should be no problem since in the end it is all about the children/h
Many great points, Thank you. In my volunteer work, rather than using my clinical skills, more often I am asked to contribute my administrative skills. My career has been about half'n'half. But your point that not-for-profit groups often need assistance with organization, policy, and communications (including PR) - hit home. Certainly we need both - and while some people want to contribute professional skills (tho some are reluctant because of liability uncertainties), others are looking for their volunteer experience to ad variety to their routine, all are valid and all are needed (and I worry that they will be needed even more in the future...)
I used to volunteer. But now I realize that since I am a moderate to low income person that I cannot afford to do it, as much as I would like to. I am too busy trying to earn a living to have the luxury of time to work for free. Ask those trust fund babies and those people with more money than they know what to do with to please contribute to society unpaid. Me, I've got to go to work.
Tho I'm not a trust-fund kid (blue-collar kid, worked my way through two degrees), I get your point. Maybe it is because I've known poverty that I feel it is only right to give back now that I'm able. In my professional and volunteer work, I encounter people of good will, such as you, who would give their time - but have to put their families first - or worse, through no fault of their own, require the services we provide. So thanks for your past service, and I hope your situation improves.
Been there. Done that. Sometimes all we can do is all we can do.
And we can also look for opportunities that aren't long-term, formal commitments -- the one day charity race that may need help with registration, the box we keep in our kitchen to put in an extra nonperishables we can drop off at the shelter eventually, the ride to and from the doctor's for a neighbor who can't drive.
Do what you can and don't be guilt-tripped into thinking it doesn't count.
I have a suggestion to you folks who are pro volunteer. Start a rally in front of the white house a million strong to make volunteer work paid jobs and pro bono work should be for all big corporations. Why are we still ok with allowing the earth and all of its occupants to suffer while paying CEO's and Wall Street, insurance co.'s, et al top dollar? The day that one is more important than the other is the day we can put volunteerism to rest and pay people for doing the right thing. Enough with asking people to do things for free, lets put them to work in something they enjoy and you will see billions knocking down the doors. Cubicle or freedom of the heart to do what feels good? Which would you choose? How far will you go? I would drive to washington in a heartbeat if someone started such a rally. Cmon people.
It's a great idea. Now, how do you propose to put it into action, besides hold a rally?
Remember when Bill Clinton started Americorps? Because it paid a small stipend and helped with the cost of college, critics said it wasn't really volunteer work and would somehow discourage people from "real" volunteer work. They still say that.
As for pro bono work -- companies react in their best business interests. You might get more out of the companies that already demonstrate a social conscience, but in others it's the individuals in positions of influence who demonstrate a more progressive attitude you have to reach.
I agree with BabaLou7 - way more than 1/3 of nonprofits have trouble with volunteer management, and even more are not prepared to manage highly skilled volunteers. The infrastructure problem is huge, and I think it's rooted in a perception that volunteer work = low-quality work. In the next couple of years I think there will be a shift, as more nonprofits, and especially as more donors, realize that the return on investment of a good volunteer management program is huge.
In the meantime, successful relationships between nonprofits and skilled volunteers are being facilitated by "brokers" like Taproot, NPower, and Executive Service Corps, by helping to match volunteers with agencies, and then manage the service projects.
You're right. I think there's another hurdle too (or maybe instead). There's this culture of old thinking. Doing things a certain way because they were always done that way and never tinkering with the process. Of course I'm a big fan of keeping it simple and not fixing what ain't broke but when everyone around you thinks something is broke, it probably is. The nonprofit management as a whole needs to let go of these old wives tales of volunteer management: Volunteer coordinators are too expensive, you can't fire volunteers, volunteers only volunteer for one reason, etc.
I also agree that the tide seems to be turning. Let's hope so because I need a job in my field again! ;-)
In my experiences with volunteering, I've observed many of the issues described in this post and by others commenting. I've had great volunteer experiences using both my professional skills as well as being an unskilled volunteer (stuffing envelopes, helping at Habitat for Humanity, etc.).
But on a few occasions when I've volunteered my professional services, I've been turned down - not because there wasn't a need, but because it seemed the non-profit's employees were worried about protecting turf, or maybe worried that they would lose their paid employment to unpaid volunteers. Some nonprofit employees seem to prefer that volunteers, regardless of their professional background, do the unskilled ("grunt") work while they themselves do everything else. It is usually to the detriment of the organization and has a tendency to alienate would-be volunteers. I don't know if this is the fault of poor management, personality issues, or just my own bad luck. Probably a combination of all three and then some.
Having lived in more than a half-dozen states now, it also seems to me that receptiveness to volunteers is at least partly a product of local culture. In those cultures where "outsiders" (i.e., someone who just moved there a year or two or three ago) are readily welcomed, I've always had the best experiences. In those cultures where, if your grandparents weren't born there and even if you lived there for 40 years you'll never be "from" there, it hasn't been so nice.
Twenty years in the nonprofit sector tells me it's more than 1/3 of all nonprofs that don't have the infrastructure to manage volunteers. A large number of groups struggling in the trenches today simply don't have the personnel to recruit, screen, train, supervise and evaluate volunteers.
This is where an understanding of where groups are in their development and where in the social landscape relative to highly endowed organizations is necessary.
A high level of volunteers in a group isn't always the best situation, either. I know of one group, for instance, that is composed largely of volunteers, due to a long culture of leadership training and civic engagement. This group lacks the direction that comes from the accountability that must exist from paid employees, and growth is not as focused as it might be with paid staff.
Superb essay and spot-on advise for non-profits.
As a television production professional, I've been involved in a number of projects via volunteerm
One of the things I like about volunteering is that it gets me doing things that are completely different from my work.
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