The Volunteer’s Perspective
Add Value By Considering
The Volunteer’s Contribution

By Jennifer Furla, Executive Vice President
Midwest Region

We’d been working for several months to get to this point. We were past the benchmark for fundraising on Phase I of the renovation project and, as luck would have it, were now in a rush to capitalize on a “groundbreaking” (a dry-wall breaking, in reality) for the renovation. The small nonprofit had worked hard over the winter to raise the money and had learned that if they could start construction in the next several weeks, they could still capitalize on critical cost-savings from construction bids that had been priced out late last year.

Everyone agreed that, even though we were still in the throes of community fundraising, a “golden sledgehammer” ceremony would be a great awareness opportunity for the remainder of the project. Two energetic and capable volunteers had been enlisted to help with awareness and they readily agreed to help with this important occasion.

Concerned about meeting deadlines to pull the event together, plans were set in motion to gather the guest list, plan the program, decide on hospitality, and compose and design the invitations. The volunteers were called to meet about specifics, with the meeting to occur just as the invitations were being prepared. Arriving at the meeting, we explained all that had been accomplished and what the volunteers would need to do.

“So, are the letters ready for us to sign?” the volunteer asked.

Thud!

In a split-second, we were reminded of the Golden Rule that “People give to people,” and its corollary: “People attend events because someone invited them.”

Fortunately, in this case, we were quickly able to regroup and issue the invitations to the rather large guest list with personal notes expressing appreciation for the guests’ interest in the organization and the project.

The lesson was simple: Often, as development professionals, with competing demands, constraints on our time, and managing multiple agendas, we risk becoming myopic in completing the task. Volunteers, with a single perspective from outside our work-a-day-world, can help us keep our focus on the important tasks that we may neglect in our ordinary realm.

As you consider the opportunities your organization offers for volunteers, consider the following:

• Invite them into the earliest planning stages. Be open to  their suggestions and how those suggestions can improve upon your original concept;
• Seek to understand how their input and participation can enhance your program and how you can incorporate their ideas;
• Capitalize on their experience and contacts in encouraging others to become involved;
• Understand how the volunteer wishes to contribute in ways that are most comfortable to them and which they believe will be most effective; and
• Be open to “detours” from the original plan that will offer opportunities to increase effectiveness in your fund development activities.

As development professionals, we risk falling into a mindset that we “hold all the cards” when it comes to the discipline of fundraising. If we take the time – and listen – the “Volunteer Perspective” can offer us important insight into effective ways to connect with our donors and constituents.