Online Registration Open for Annual Luncheon

Online registration is open for the Annual Advocacy Luncheon.

How to Make Volunteers Feel Like a Million Bucks

How to Make Volunteers Feel Like a Million Bucks
(When You Only Have Pennies to Spend)
by Helen Beamer

You want to appreciate your volunteers in a spectacular way but your volunteer appreciation budget (what budget?) does not provide the necessary funds.  Faced with this challenge, I find it works best to be creative in how you recognize volunteers.

Here are a dozen low-cost ways to let your volunteers know you appreciate them.

1. Be friendly and say thank you.  It doesn’t cost a thing to greet a volunteer and ask how things are going.  A warm, welcoming atmosphere creates an environment that meets the social interaction needs of volunteers. Encourage staff who work with volunteers to express their appreciation to volunteers each day.

2. Involve your clients in saying “Thank You.”  Client-made cards, decorations, or performances in poetry, song, or dance demonstrate appreciation in the most precious way.  The words and drawings of grateful clients (especially if your agency works with children) convey a sincerity that will touch a volunteer’s heart.  You can replicate these one-of-a-kind thank you cards with a color copier or a scanner and color printer.  They make great gift cards attached to an inexpensive gift.  The reproductions look almost as good as the originals.

3. Turn others’ trash into treasure.  Your agency may have extra items left over from a fundraising event or an in-kind donation they can’t figure out how to use.  I have uncovered expensive gift bags and colorful ribbon, discovered potential centerpieces, and framed photos with castoffs I found stuffed in boxes and hidden in closets.

4. Seek out donations.  A local business may be willing to provide exactly what you are looking for.  I once got several beautiful flower arrangements for an event at no cost with the condition that I return the empty vases to the florist the next day.  Make sure to write a glowing thank you letter and to provide a donation receipt for tax purposes.  Obtain your supervisor’s approval before you solicit donations.

5. Recruit the talents of family, friends, and staff.  My mother-in-law makes and sells dried flower arrangements.  She put together more than a dozen centerpieces one year when I asked for her help.  The volunteers loved them!  A friend who likes stamping designed a card to fit a recognition theme.  Co-workers were more than happy to give an hour to wrap gifts for volunteers.

6. Turn centerpieces into volunteer gifts or door prizes.  We had lots of small potted plants (purchased at a discount) to brighten a volunteer reception one year.  At the end of the event, each plant went home with a happy volunteer.  Months later, a volunteer with a not-so-green thumb went out of her way to let me know her plant was still thriving.

7. Shop the after-holiday sales and clearance racks.  Plan ahead.  The volunteers will never know that the New Year’s greeting was printed on holiday paper purchased at last year’s after-Christmas sale at 75% off.  Look for candy (always a favorite) that gets marked down quickly after a holiday.  The off-season red, green, or pastel wrappers can easily be worked into a volunteer appreciation theme with real savings to your program.

8. Check out what is in stock at the dollar store.  The dollar store has a lot to offer to the cash-strapped volunteer coordinator.  You can pick up tablecloths, napkins, or plates in an assortment of colors for only a dollar per package, leaving you with money to purchase refreshments!  Dollar store gift items, like candles, flower pots, or lotions look inviting wrapped in cellophane or nestled inside a gift bag.

9. Honor your volunteers with certificates.  This is an inexpensive way to make sure you can afford to recognize each of your volunteers.  Create personalized certificates for an annual recognition event or to honor the volunteer of the month.  Using your agency’s second page letterhead (think, free paper) will coordinate the look of the certificate with other agency materials.

10. Do it yourself.  Preparing vegetable and cheese trays (with food purchased at sale prices) is a lot less expensive than hiring a caterer for a reception.  Be sure to use proper food handling techniques and storage if you do it on your own.

11. Use the postage meter.  When you send cards and invitations to volunteers, remember the postage meter.  Depending on your agency’s accounting practices, using the meter (instead of stamps) may count as an indirect cost to the agency, rather than coming out of your budget.

12. When you do have money to spend, look for gifts that promote your cause.

Give volunteers a practical gift imprinted with a logo or message that will show their affiliation with your program and serve as a marketing tool.  Mugs in my kitchen cupboard remind me of organizations where once I volunteered.  A tote bag or pen with your organization’s logo will be useful to volunteers and may spark a conversation with others about the work they do for you.

You do not have to spend a lot to make a volunteer happy.  One of the volunteer appreciation gifts I treasure most from my 12 years as a school board trustee is a green clay pinch pot created by an anonymous elementary school student.  I keep loose change and spare keys in that unique clay dish.  Every time I see it, it makes me smile.

Have You Reserved Your Day with Nancy MacDuff and MDVAN?

Have you Invested in Your Professional Development?

All-Day Volunteer Management Training “NEW VITALITY 2009″
Co-sponsored by MDVAN

Growing Volunteer Service in Challenging Times

Presented by national expert NANCY MACDUFF

Thursday, November 12, 2009
8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Cost $50

Location: Hospice of Michigan, 400 Mack Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201 , (313) 578-6200
Lunch included
Free, secure parking

Click here to register

Nancy is the author of numerous books and chapters in The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, The Volunteer Management Handbook, and Managing Volunteer Diversity.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from her expertise and invest in this opportunity to grow in your profession.

Need Some Inspiration

Need some inspiration?  Here are a few wonderful movies at Simple Truths which have concepts for leadership and helping others:

Every Monday Matters – “This “involvement” guide book provides a straightforward, uncomplicated, and down-to-earth process for getting YOU involved and to help you get OTHERS involved.”

The Essence of Leadership

Rock Solid Leadership

The Dash – “When Linda Ellis wrote her poem, The Dash, in one afternoon 12 years ago, it would change her life forever. In 239 words, she captured the ‘Simple Truths’ of why we were put on this earth.”

Do you have a website, book or poem that provides inspirational or leadership ideas?  We’d like to hear from you – post your ideas and share!

If You Want Volunteers, Ask

By Merle Benny

Now is the perfect time to recruit volunteers. Many people are out of work or working fewer hours. They may want to use their extra hours to do something they care about or to explore a career change. Others may want to volunteer because they are concerned about those suffering in these difficult economic times.

I’ve been a volunteer chef making dinner for 50 once a week. I’ve slept in more churches and synagogues than I can count. I’ve organized fundraisers, planned trips, made phone calls and cleaned bathrooms. Why? Because someone asked.

There are several fundamental reasons that people volunteer. Generally they get and stay involved because:
· They know you
· They understand and believe in your mission
· They have a connected to you or someone in the organization

But you will seldom get volunteers without asking for them. When you care about your mission and ask people to join you, you generally get just what you need – and then some. Your “ask” could be a general call for volunteers, like an announcement in a newsletter. Or it could be more specific, like asking a friend to help you out. Not surprisingly, the closer you get to the one-on-one ask the better results you will have.

Another key to success in recruitment to be specific about what you want. The more specific the request the better the results. When we want something we tend to downplay it. You need someone to cover the phones for three hours every Tuesday but you ask. “Do you think you could spare an hour or two, just this once?” We all do it, but the truth is, asking for exactly want you need works best.

Here’s a great example of this. Good Grief is a new organization providing services to children who have lost a parent. They need facilitators to work with the children. In the past year and a half they have trained about 80 facilitators and each one of them made a big commitment: they paid for their training, gave up four full days to be trained and they agreed to serve for one full year. That’s a lot to ask but the organization has had no trouble getting volunteers because their mission and the need have been clearly defined and communicated.

Find Volunteers

Potential volunteers are all around you. Hopefully, you are continually building your circle and sharing your mission so you have a large pool of possibilities. I suggest a regular Tour to build your circle of friends. Be sure you are keeping track and encourage (and make it easy for) everyone else in your organization to keep a list of volunteer candidates.

When you have a volunteer use him! There is nothing worse than asking for volunteers and not using them. Be sure the need is established and you are ready to go before you ask. Having a regularly scheduled volunteer training will help! The training could start with a Tour so everyone shares the same understanding of your mission and goals, then do the job specific training.

Here’s another insight: Volunteers tend to look like the recruiter. Well, not exactly but if you want young volunteers, train a young recruiter. If you want diversity, have diverse recruiters. Want upbeat; make sure your recruiters are enthusiastic.

To summarize, the key points to remember when you are recruiting are:

1. Know precisely what you want
2. Identify potentials volunteers
3. Ask!

In addition to cleaning toilets I have also had the honor of serving on selection committees and facilitating training. I was pleased to be asked to do these jobs. To be asked can be an honor. Think of the times you have felt honored to be included in something, even if it meant a commitment on your part. Everybody likes their talents to be appreciated – if you are asking the right person to do the right job than you are showing your appreciation and respect when you ask for their help.

Once you have a volunteer, take good care of her. Show appreciation, celebrate and give her more opportunities! Turn all your volunteers into ambassadors for your organization. That’s how you grow and succeed, even in tough economic time.

Merle Benny is a published author and has recently released The Winner’s Circle, a practical, easy-to-use program for nonprofit success and growth. It can be found at Nonprofit-Champion.com.

With over 25 years marketing and management experience, as well as being a lifelong volunteer, Merle now works exclusively with nonprofits to help them grow and succeed. Her creative solutions for nonprofit organizations have included events, websites, videos, branding, annual reports, brochures and development. She provides free ideas, tips and tools for nonprofit leaders at: http://www.Nonprofit-Champion.com

This article may be freely distributed if the author information stays attached.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Merle_Benny
http://EzineArticles.com/?If-You-Want-Volunteers,-Ask&id=1971906

Giving is Good for Your Health

(ARA) – During times of economic downturn, you may have to dig a bit deeper into your pockets to make charitable contributions. However, you can still end up better off. In addition to the tax breaks giving can bring, as it turns out, giving is also good for your health.

“Several studies over the years have found links between altruistic behavior and improved physical and psychological health,” says Dr. Ann Vincent, an internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic who researches the mind-body connection. “In general, I think altruism makes people feel better about themselves, which often translates into improved physical health. Other benefits that have been attributed to positive emotions include: enhanced creativity and ability to cope with stress and broadened cognition. In essence, thinking positively about ourselves is good for our physical and mental health.”

But the benefits of giving, whether in the form of volunteerism or making a donation, aren’t just a one-time deal. The more you give, the better you may feel, and that means finding ways to give back throughout the year. Generosity is also a wonderful survival skill to help you get through difficult times in your life.

“Recent studies have examined individuals who have survived trauma, natural disasters and being prisoners of war,” says Dr. Edward T. Creagan, an oncologist at Mayo Clinic. According to Creagan, people who seem to thrive in adversity have many characteristics in common, but especially a few:

* A sense of connectedness. The recognition that family and community are crucial to survival.

* A sense of altruism, somehow sharing of themselves to make the lives of others a little bit better.

* An optimistic attitude and sense of humor.

If you have trouble motivating yourself to give time, money or goods, focus on how giving back can benefit you. “There is a ‘helper’s high’ that people sometimes say they feel in connection with altruism/philanthropy,” says Vincent. “But that initial euphoria is also sometimes followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.”

Philanthropy can also have positive effects that help people maintain or improve their physical and mental health. It often creates broader social networks, which can help people cope with stress and anxiety, and it can provide a sense of purpose and empowerment.

The emotional and physical benefits of philanthropy may be even more significant right now. Nonprofit organizations everywhere are increasingly looking for charitable individuals to partner with them in their goals for the future. Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit organization, is one of the world’s premier medical treatment and research facilities and is currently conducting a campaign to transform patient care, research and education. The gifts Mayo Clinic receives now will help people today, as well as benefit future generations of patients and medical professionals.

For more information on how giving can make a life-changing impact, visit www.mayoclinic.org/campaign.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Volunteering Together Brings Families Closer

(ARA) – From rising energy costs to escalating prices at the grocery store, Americans are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks. Many individuals and families like to set aside money every year to donate to charities, yet some may find it more viable to give of their time right now.

Just 13 percent of Americans who donate to charitable causes expect to increase their giving at the end of the year, according to a recent survey by Grizzard Communications Group. Whether you can make a financial donation or not, there are many opportunities to give from the heart and help those in need.

“For our family, it started with a party we organized for our local nursing home two years ago,” explains John Henris of Washington DC, a volunteer for Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly. “We wanted our children to be aware of people in their community in need and in turn we created a rewarding volunteer experience for our whole family.”

It is important for parents to set an example for their children in making community service a part of their everyday life. Children can see firsthand what it means to take action and learn how satisfying such an experience can be.  In the case of the Henris family, 11-year old Madeline has even involved her friends in their family volunteering activities and they like to brag about how “cool” it is.

Volunteering actually brought Bill and Charron Andrews of North Carolina together more than 25 years ago when they each started providing support at the Chicago chapter of Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly.  They subsequently married and their now-grown daughter recently gave a concert and donated the proceeds to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly.  Dave and Linda Rulison helped organize a holiday party for elders in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula back in the 1980s and have been volunteering ever since, recruiting both their sons and extended family members to assist.

Here are some tips on how to create a worthwhile volunteering experience for your family:

1. Look for organizations and opportunities which will allow you to involve your whole family in the volunteer effort. You can look at it as your “gift” of community service, as well as an opportunity for extended family to bond in a common activity.

2. Don’t rule out volunteer opportunities because you think you are too busy with your own family commitments. There are many social service agencies, like Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, where you can make a difference just through weekly phone calls to a senior or that have activities you can share with other family members or friends. For more information, visit www.littlebrothers.org

3. Use a one-time event, like an annual visit to a shelter or soup kitchen, to investigate other programs that the organization sponsors throughout the year where you can extend your support.

4. Consider creating or tapping into an existing intergenerational program that allows children to interact with seniors in your community. John Henris and his family created a program called “Life Stories” in which they organize a small group of seniors to visit a local school to be interviewed by students in a history class.

5.  Be sure to ask the intended organization about the volunteer opportunities available for all age groups in your family.  Even if there is a recommended age restriction for on-site participation, you might be able to prepare some of the items at home with the help of your children or have them assist in other aspects of the volunteer effort.

Giving the gift of time not only gives to those in need, but it can be a powerful bonding experience for the whole family.

Courtesy of ARAcontent