This week’s guest blogger is thoughts from the side of the Non-profit. We are doing these counterpoints to show that we are all not that far apart in the grand scheme of things…comments welcomed….
From the Non-Profit Side by K.F.
Establishing and maintaining a non-profit organization takes a lot of hard work, committed partners, and even some luck. As the Executive Director of an international non-profit, I can tell you that having a group of individuals committed to the cause is vital to the success of any organization. From the day to day activities to the direct oversight of programs and staff, volunteers tend to be the most committed individuals within any non-profit. From running programs, to direct donor contact, to fundraising, to grunt jobs like mailing letters….volunteers are an integral part of any non-profit. Without volunteers, administrative costs would be significantly higher, programs would have less funding, and even Boards of Directors would be understaffed. But with all the positive attributes of volunteers, there are certainly draw-backs too.
While so many volunteers are dedicated, passion driven, and reliable, many are not. Let’s face it, volunteers have a long list of daily activities frequently including caring for family members, and careers. Like everyone, life is full of expected and unexpected craziness. Even the most dedicated people struggle every day just to get food on the table and kids to bed on time. It’s easy for volunteering to frequently take a back seat to kids, school, family activities, and paying jobs. However, when volunteers don’t fulfill their obligations, programs and organizations suffer.
For 12 years, I’ve been the Executive director of a completely volunteer-run non-profit. Yep, no paid staff at all. This has led to very low administrative costs and volunteer staff around the world. However, it also has prevented quick growth and expansion. Volunteers, rightfully so, frequently view volunteering as something they do in their free time. At the end of the day when work is done, kids are in bed, and a little free time is available, it’s hard to get motivated to do another job. Weekends are packed with a variety of activities or chores that need to get done, and volunteering doesn’t always make the top of the priority list.
While most of us can understand the dilemma, when life gets in the way of volunteering, programs suffer. For instance, often volunteers are in charge of sending thank you notes to donors. Ensuring that donors know their gift is invaluable is vital to any organization. If thank you notes aren’t sent in a timely manner, donors can feel taken for granted. When donors know their gifts are appreciated they are more likely to donate again and tells others to do the same. An increase of personal contact with donors leads to an increase in donations. Unfortunately the opposite is also true.
Additionally, volunteers often resign from their duties with little or no notice. Because the volunteer position is not generally viewed as a “job”, volunteers frequently feel they don’t have an obligation to provide notice of their departure in advance as they would a paying job. Most of us have had a conversation with our friends or family about how we must start “saying no” to leading or participating in extra activities like heading the school’s bake sale, or being on yet another committee at church. In the frazzled world we live in, those conversations (at least in my house) frequently take place over a glass of wine with friends after a long, exhausting week. We feel empowered to set limits for ourselves and want to make a change immediately. No one can fault us for that. The problem arises for those organizations we have previously committed to, when we simply make the phone call or send the email on Monday morning saying, “It’s been fun, but I need to simplify my life. I hope you find someone else soon.” What volunteers don’t always understand is that the impact they are making is HUGE. Maybe they feel underappreciated, or maybe quitting is all about their personal lives and stress, but either way ending a volunteer position without the same type of notice given to an employer has a negative impact on the organization and other volunteers.
On the organizational side, I’ve heard similar concerns from volunteers. Organizations that make quick decisions about ending volunteer positions or changing the way individuals are allowed to volunteer can make those volunteers feel like they were simply spinning their wheels and not making a real impact. Sadly, while many organizations want their volunteers to treat their positions as if they are employees, volunteers are not always give the same consideration when changes are discussed or necessary. Volunteers are frequently the most knowledgeable about their positions and needs within a program. Countless volunteers have been shocked when they learn we have job descriptions for their positions, ask their options about programs on a regular basis, and have deadlines we expect to be met. Finding the balance between expecting the volunteer and the organization to treat the position as a “real job” is difficult, but vital if organizations want less turn-over and professional workers.
Training for volunteers is also frequently lacking on an organizational level. Volunteers want to help, but they also want to know the organization’s expectations clearly and want to do their jobs well. Organizations that don’t put time into teaching volunteers exactly what is needed only contribute to the problem of high volunteer turn over and a lack of prioritizing the volunteer work. Motivating volunteers is often over-looked, especially when taking time up-front to train and educate volunteers about the organization’s mission can seem more time consuming than it’s worth.
Unfortunately this applies to members of an organization’s Board of Directors (BOD). Often individuals interested of being on a BOD have wonderfully altruistic motivations for doing so….they want to use their professional skills to make a difference around the world. However, without in-depth information about programs, board expectations, cultural considerations, future goals, and organizational history, potential BOD members have difficulty committing. For instance, if board members feel as if there are no guidelines for choosing and keep board members, there is little motivation for them to accept a position or continue on the board. Even an interview process before offering a board position to a new member increases the likelihood a new board member will be committed and active on the board. Regardless, there is no way to ensure a board member will follow the job description and be a productive member of the board, but organizations that don’t have a clear process for finding committed member will be less likely to have BOD members who are willing to work hard and be productive, rather than having a line item on a resume.
Like other volunteers, a wide range of other commitments often take priority over board obligations. However, additional problems like different ideas of the board’s role, and personality conflicts potentially lead to stalled work. While it’s rare that overt conflicts occur, underlying frustrations around how to problem solve, appropriate ways to budget or plan for the future can cause meetings to feel as if they don’t move forward or come to a conclusions. Individuals who are risk takers and prefer to plan based on where they want an organization to be in the future often have difficulties agreeing on a plan with those who are more conservative and want to plan based on the past. Those with a social work background, have a hard time focusing on evaluations of staff or finances, while those with an accounting background are more focused on concrete information and statistics.
At the end of the day, every non-profit organization knows that volunteers in any form are vital to their work. Their tireless efforts are more often than not a huge asset to any organization. While there are always difficulties within any organization given personality differences, job overlap, and other commitments, it’s clear volunteers are invaluable. If organizations want volunteers to be invested in their work, those organizations must also be invested in providing volunteers all they need to be successful. Without effort for both sides, the volunteer system within any organization will fail. Those served by non-profits around the world deserve better.
Moving Difference 