Volunteers

I now see the beauty in finishing second, as many teams never receive a plaque or trophy for their efforts. The goal of sports should be to teach good sportsmanship. Children and adults like to be recognized for their efforts, regardless of outcome. The coaches, umpires, parents of players, fans and others volunteer their time to promote a spirit of good will and enjoyment so all can enjoy. As for the young players, by promoting a fun environment for them to enjoy, they might grow up to be future volunteers and donors for many organizations. We need to make baseball and any activity fun for children. The future of philanthropy depends on it.

Tara Morgan, chief relationship officer at the George Pocock Rowing Foundation, found herself needing to personally connect with thousands of donors while working for the Seattle International Film Festival. And she needed to do it in a span of 25 days.

As you’ll see in the video, there was no way she would be able to personally touch every donor, so she had to bring in help. You’ll learn how she created a small army of ambassadors to help her.

Marketing agency Achieve and the Case Foundation developed a study on millennials. They thoroughly analyzed this generation’s participation in and connection to causes and nonprofit organizations. Based on the findings from this fantastic report, I came up with eight ways that nonprofits can engage millennial donors and volunteers. 1. Keep your information updated. 2. Make everything mobile-friendly. 3. Use social media and make your content shareable. 4. Don't forget email. 5. Provide multiple donation options. 6. Be authentic. 7. Provide unique ways to get involved. 8. Treat millennials like your other donors and volunteers.

Here are a few things today's volunteer has a right to expect from you — master these and you will have happy volunteers. Volunteers want you to be prepared for them, to feel welcomed, good training, to do interesting work, to know up front how much time the job will take, to be appreciated, you to communicate with them well and often, to know that they are helping to make the world a better place, to be socially connected, and to learn something.

Recent reports indicate good signs for 2014 fundraising. Despite the collective optimism for fundraising success, nonprofits must overcome a number of hurdles to get there. Here are some stats and three ways your nonprofit can drive giving gains this year.

Volunteering in the U.S. hit a new low last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. As of September 2013, 25.4 percent of all Americans 16 and older had volunteered with an organization at least once in the prior year, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the lowest rate of volunteering the annual report has found since it was first conducted in 2002, and the latest year-over-year change is statistically significant, according to a BLS economist.

The truly unsung heroes of nonprofits are the volunteers. These caring and generous souls do not get paid for their work. In fact, they often give not just time but money to the nonprofit. So why are volunteers taken for granted by so many nonprofits? Here is my answer, via my experience as a volunteer coordinator, and I hope that it creates an “Aha!” moment for those who are in a position to make a change for the good.

Volunteers and staff usually need warming so that they can effectively make a gift request. They need baby steps. We all need to understand what we are doing and why we are doing it. One step at a time. One win at a time. Building confidence and growing to even greater things. Here are some steps to warm up staff and volunteers to effectively secure gifts.

While we won’t solve all the problems volunteers face in 2014, there are things we can all do — for volunteers at our organization or if we want to volunteer — to make the experience more fulfilling for the volunteer and more beneficial for the organization. While there are many good resources available for learning the secrets of volunteer management, following are just a few that have been most elusive in my own experience.

Celebrate any opportunity that allows people to experience the joy and life-changing benefits of giving and to help meet vital needs! And let’s be sure to focus on nurturing giving as a way of life, not just an event!