By Anne Schink
We have devoted a lot of blog time talking about ways to engage and keep volunteers. I’d like to talk about ways to expand the way you think about using volunteers. Many corporations and businesses are engaged in finding ways to increase their local community impact. In this economic climate where they may not have a lot of money to spread around the community, they may well have employees at all levels who would love to work with your organization to share their professional skills. Using pro bono volunteers requires you to have a very open mind about how to use them and a clear plan of what you would really like to accomplish.
It goes without saying that this relationship between your local business and your organization will be much more productive if you have already established a relationship before you go to them with your hand out.
It requires you to have had conversations within your own organization with the Executive Director, senior management, and perhaps the Board of Directors to explore creative ways to engage highly skilled volunteers to meet your own needs.
Dream big. Create a wish list among all your departments of all the things that you’d love to do/have that aren’t in the budget or on anyone’s work plan.
Let’s see….. How about new office furniture? Or a new space plan from an architectural firm? A consultant to facilitate a strategic plan? A computer techie to network all your computers? Marketing materials for your next big event from a graphic design firm? Training on computer programs from an organization that provides regular training to its employees? An audit from an accounting firm? An employee handbook from a law firm specializing in employment law? A business plan from a company that supports your mission? Build your own list!
Unemployed professionals may be very willing to work with you on well-defined projects in order to build their portfolio, to keep fresh with their professional skills, or to try something different within their area of expertise.
While all this abundance may seem like manna from heaven, you need to be prepared with clear expectations, boundaries for work between highly skilled volunteers and existing staff, and lines of reporting to either you or whoever else is responsible for these volunteers.
If you’ve been reluctant to step up to the leadership plate in your organization, this may be the perfect time for you to suggest to your ED or senior management team that they develop a “pie in the sky” list of things they would love to have or projects they would love to have completed. It could be a fun exercise and an opportunity to open up the ways in which your organization uses volunteers.
Anne Schink is a Consultant in Volunteer Management and a featured blogger.
