Put Some Spark in Your Volunteer Program!

For many people, July is the time of year for  fireworks and camping. For many volunteer program managers, it can also be the time of year when needs and programs increase, and volunteers go on vacation.

When I worked at a wildlife hospital, the 4^th of July was always super hectic – the height of busy animal season – but not a day most people think about volunteers. For others, things slow down a little – school programs are on hiatus, staff on vacation. Whether your July is a volunteer vacation or your busy season, think about spending an hour (or two) on one of the upcoming VolunteerMatch webinars posted on our Learning Center.

I’m kicking off the month with a session on Single Days of Service on July 14th. So many individuals and groups want done-in-a-day projects that have real impact. It can be tricky to create single day opportunities that are both meaningful and impactful. I’ll share some ideas and how to start working with others – volunteer leaders, paid staff, and corporate partners – to make this a reality. Perfect timing to get your opportunities posted for 9/11 Day of Service!

Speaking of impact, I’ll be discussing how to talk about the real impact of volunteering in your organization, and how to tell that story on July 16^th. Telling the Story of Volunteer Impact is one of my favorite topics. So often, when we talk about volunteers, we leave out the good stuff. I’ll share some best practices for telling your story, and show you a video from an organization that’s getting it right. (You might want to have a Kleenex handy…)

Too often, we don’t think about how volunteers can help us run our programs, better engage volunteers, or help us develop opportunities. So on July 21^st, I’ll be asking you to Walk the Walk: Engage Volunteers in your Volunteer Engagement Program. We can model the type of meaning volunteer engagement we’d like to see from other departments in our organization, as well as get off the hamster wheel of daily activities.

Any time you make a change, whether it’s including a done in a day opportunity or engaging volunteers in the recruitment, screening, or training of other volunteers, it can be challenging. However, not many people are comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with change. On July 23^rd I’ll be talking about Managing Difficult Volunteer Transitions, including what to do when it’s time to ask a volunteer to leave your organization.

You can find the complete list of all of our webinars here. I hope you’ll join me at one of these always free online trainings this summer!