Volunteer Matters
8 Lessons for creating an amazing volunteer environment
I recently re-watched Patty McCord’s TED talk “8 Lessons on Building a Company People Enjoy Working For,” and the suggestions she made were...
When it comes to leadership styles , they are all good
I’ve been reading a number of articles and posts recently about different leadership styles. Most of the articles split the styles into those that are...
The four appreciation languages
Do you know the appreciation languages of the volunteers in your organization? You may have heard of “love languages,” the different ways that...
Joint application design sessions for volunteer programs
Digging through my files today, I came across an old invitation to a joint application design (JAD) session. Many loops back on my very wiggly career path, I...
Intergenerational volunteering benefits everyone
I learned today that June 1 was Intergenerational Day here in Canada, so I missed the best time to write about intergenerational volunteering. As the old saying...
A rising tide really does lift all boats
Organizations can improve their volunteer programs by harnessing the power of collaboration. Have you ever heard the phrase “anything you can do, I can do...
Importance of gathering feedback from volunteers
At a recent speaking engagement, I was asked by an audience member how they should get feedback from volunteers: surveys or exit interviews. The answer, of...
Create a culture of problem-solving in your organization
Do you have a culture of problem-solving in your organization, or are you the person everyone in your volunteer program comes to for solutions? When anything...
Making a case for selfish volunteers
When you recruit for your organization, do you avoid selfish volunteers? Should you? Can self-interest drive positive change? I’d like to challenge you to...
The art of getting club members to volunteer
Does your group have challenges getting club members to volunteer? How about the parents of members? I spoke with the leaders of a wholly volunteer-run sports...
Include volunteer professionals on your board
Do you have any volunteer professionals on your board of directors? I saw a question on LinkedIn the other day by Tracey O’Neill regarding why the boards...
How to handle volunteers walking away
One of the most frustrating roles of a leader of volunteers is when volunteers quit. You’ve put time and effort into training and supervising them and...
Tips to turn staff into volunteer lovers
Are you dealing with pushback from your organization’s staff around engaging volunteers? Would you like to turn staff into volunteer lovers? I’m...
Finding funding for volunteers and volunteer programs
Recently I read, and participated in a webinar about, a fascinating study about funding for volunteers and volunteer programs. The U.S. study, by Sue Carter...
Keeping volunteers engaged when clients have complex needs
I was having a conversation with the executive director of the local branch of the Mustard Seed recently. He told me levels of volunteering go down when clients...
Preventing compassion fatigue in your volunteers
Wood is supposed to float. It’s supposed to be buoyant and dance on top of the water. Why, then, are their logs the have sunk to the bottom of a river?...
Conflict resolution when volunteers are involved
There are people out there who have researched and analyzed conflict resolution for years. They are amazingly skilled and confident in it. I’m not one of...
Effective 'onboarding' of volunteers
Do you have an effective "onboarding" process for volunteers, or do you have a bit of a revolving door? Do volunteers come in, stick around for a...
Succession planning for volunteer boards
Does your board have a succession plan in place? I had the pleasure of running a workshop this past weekend for the not-for-profit organizations in the Regional...
The benefits of public acknowledging volunteers
Public acknowledgement of volunteers is important – and in more ways than one. As we all know, volunteers play a crucial role in our communities. They...