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Volunteer Matters

Avoiding the 'Dead Horse Theory'

Avoiding the 'Dead Horse Theory'

Mar 2, 2023 / 4:00 am

The "Dead Horse Theory" is a well-known business concept that explains the tendency of individuals and organizations to persist in ineffective...

Volunteer passports could save time, effort and attract more volunteers

Volunteer passports could save time, effort and attract more volunteers

Feb 23, 2023 / 4:00 am

In September 2020, in his Leveling Up Our Communities report, British MP Danny Kruger proposed the establishment of a volunteer passport to help all social...

Making volunteering more flexible will help attract more volunteers

Making volunteering more flexible will help attract more volunteers

Feb 16, 2023 / 4:00 am

I recommend spreading out a volunteer’s "buffet." No, I’m not completely out to lunch (pun intended). Over the last couple of years,...

Volunteering in a support role can really make a difference

Volunteering in a support role can really make a difference

Feb 9, 2023 / 4:00 am

Have you ever wanted to be a hero, someone who goes out and saves people’s lives? Unfortunately, many of us (and I include myself) simply don’t have...

Dealing with risk management in volunteering

Dealing with risk management in volunteering

Feb 2, 2023 / 4:00 am

Risk management is essential in all volunteer programs. I recently finished a book called Transforming Nokia’s by Risto Siilasmaa. In it, Siilasmaa, the...

Using instructional design for training volunteers

Using instructional design for training volunteers

Jan 26, 2023 / 4:00 am

Lately, I’ve been researching the world of instructional design. I’ve been specifically trying to find a way that it can be used for improving the...

Should you hire volunteers?

Should you hire volunteers?

Jan 19, 2023 / 4:00 am

I had someone ask me a question recently: "Is it okay to hire volunteers?" In our current environment of staff shortages and burnout, organizations...

Is a fractional volunteer coordinator right for your organization?

Is a fractional volunteer coordinator right for your organization?

Jan 12, 2023 / 4:00 am

The term “fractional volunteer coordinator” is one that most people are unfamiliar with. Briefly, fractional volunteer coordinators are highly...

How to stop this growing trend from hurting your not-for-profit

How to stop this growing trend from hurting your not-for-profit

Jan 5, 2023 / 4:00 am

According to Stats Canada, a large and quickly growing majority of volunteers are listed as “informal”. In other words, they are people helping...

Two common delegation traps and how to avoid them

Two common delegation traps and how to avoid them

Dec 29, 2022 / 4:00 am

Leaders, especially of volunteers, often fall into one of two traps when delegating: they either tell their volunteers in excruciating detail how to do the task...

How to stop this growing trend from hurting your not-for-profit

How to stop this growing trend from hurting your not-for-profit

Dec 22, 2022 / 4:00 am

According to Stats Canada, a large and quickly growing majority of volunteers are listed as “informal”. In other words, they are people helping...

Take a closer look at the 'micro-volunteering' trend

Take a closer look at the 'micro-volunteering' trend

Dec 15, 2022 / 4:00 am

One of the biggest trends affecting volunteer-supported organizations right now is the trend toward “micro-volunteering.” More and more people...

Recruit volunteers who don't 'fit the culture'

Recruit volunteers who don't 'fit the culture'

Dec 8, 2022 / 4:00 am

I read an interesting report recently that got me thinking about how we tend to recruit volunteers who fit the culture of an organization. The Volunteer...

Appropriate name for board members

Appropriate name for board members

Dec 1, 2022 / 4:00 am

I've been thinking a lot recently about the different titles used for board members around the world. Here in Canada, for example, we call them directors....

Going beyond a ball cap when it comes to recognizing volunteers' efforts

Going beyond a ball cap when it comes to recognizing volunteers' efforts

Nov 24, 2022 / 4:00 am

I often see posts on social media about what to give as gifts for volunteers. Whether the gifts are for reaching a milestone, to celebrate Volunteer Week, or...

It's smart to invest in volunteers and volunteer programs

It's smart to invest in volunteers and volunteer programs

Nov 17, 2022 / 4:00 am

We haven’t invested in volunteers—and it shows. Volunteer programs are like the foundations of a house. They are put in place and then hidden away,...

Treat people like they want to be treated

Treat people like they want to be treated

Nov 10, 2022 / 4:00 am

Have you heard? There’s a new golden rule. There are many versions of the “golden rule”, from many different religions and tenets, dating back...

How to become a volunteer magnet

How to become a volunteer magnet

Nov 3, 2022 / 4:00 am

The other day, I was asked what’s the best way to attract volunteers. The short answer? Give them what they want. Actually, that’s the long answer,...

Six emerging trends in volunteering

Six emerging trends in volunteering

Oct 27, 2022 / 4:00 am

What are some of the emerging trends in volunteering that may affect you in 2023? Earlier this month, I spent two days at an in-person conference put on by...

Four early warning signs of team conflict

Four early warning signs of team conflict

Oct 20, 2022 / 4:00 am

The best time to stop conflict is before it starts. Have you heard that advice before? It’s much easier said than done. How do you stop something before...

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