Making the Most of Volunteers

Tuesday, June 3, at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern time

Darian Rodriguez Heyman is the executive director of the Craigslist Foundation in San Francisco, which helps nonprofit groups utilize their resources -- including volunteers -- more effectively.

Gary Bagley is the associate executive director of New York Cares, a charity that matches more than 36,000 volunteers with hands-on projects in New York schools, social service agencies, homeless shelters, and other charities. These volunteers helped more than 400,000 people in 2007.

Mary Roben is the executive director of SmartVolunteer, a New York organization that runs a national Web site that pairs charities with volunteers who have a particular skill.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Welcome to today's live discussion. Today we're covering a topic that is important to just about every nonprofit group in the United States -- volunteers. Most organizations rely heavily on volunteers to help carry out their missions. But many charities have a hard time getting the most out of their volunteers. Today's discussion will allow you to ask some experts on the topic about how they engage their volunteers -- and how your organization can better utilize this valuable resource.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    So let's get started. To ask a question to one of our guests, simply click on the "ask a question" link on this page.

Question from Kristine, Chicago Cares:
    How do you effectively turn volunteers into donors without losing them as volunteers? We find most of our donors have either never volunteered or once volunteered and no longer do.

Gary Bagley:
    Hi Kris, We've been working at this issue from two directions. First, we are inviting long-time volunteers and volunteers who have donated a bit to events that we call "Dare to Cares." These events are a chance to learn from our Executive Director and me more about our work. We find that many volunteers know their "corner" of our work, but not the full breadth or depth. In addition, we've started creating projects that we invite donors to volunteer on. These have been enormously successful. To ensure that they are well-attended, we have had to develop a family friendly model. We're finding that these projects are "hooking" our donors tremendously. Either way, it appears that maintaining contact with the "volunteer turned donor" or "donor turned volunteer" is the key. Our individual giving team manages these relationships.

Question from Dee, non-profit:
    With today's high prices of gasoline, volunteers do not want to travel very far. What incentives can we give volunteers to encourage them to tutor at centers that are 15 miles or more from their homes?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Ultimately, the greatest incentive for a volunteer is a connection with your mission and the community you serve. Instead of looking at subsidies and the like, I suggest putting some time into refining your messaging and being able to drive home the impact you make. Stories of individual lives affected is usually the most effective way to do this from my experience- let your clients tell the story for you.

Beyond that, there are tools out there that facilitate car pooling- in San Francisco we have SpaceShare.com and, of course, craigslist.org. :)

Question from Debra Conner:
    My organization is looking at the issue of background checks for volunteers for our adult and family literacy program. What affect does asking for a backgound check have on recruiting and retaining volunteers?

Gary Bagley:
    We started asking our Team Leaders (the volunteers who lead our projects at the agency) for background checks in July of 2004. There was only slight attrition. A few of our 450 team leaders used this as a reason to exit projects. I suspect burn out was the real issue.

New team leaders apply, go through an interview, and then attend a 3 hour training session. We have seen no dip in interest. As a matter of fact, our Team Leader base has grown to 750! The one small challenge we've run into is having applicants who are foreign born and not yet U.S. citizens. Our background check is based on the social security number (which, of course, these individuals don't have). We made the decision to require the background check and, therefore, find other ways these volunteers could be involved in our work.

Question from Jennifer Wojcikowski, Campagna Academy, social services non-profit helping at risk teens:
    At what point in the relationship (if at all) do you recommend soliciting volunteers for financial donations (for example, to give to your annual fund)?

Gary Bagley:
    We deal with many volunteers (about 12,000 volunteers are active on our ongoing projects - another 28,000 in our days of service, corporate projects, and letters to Santa programs). So, we start asking as soon as they are in our active group (folks who've done at least one project). For the large number of solicitations we send, we get almost no complaints from our volunteers. Certainly a few folks de-register (opt out) from the solicitations. On occasion, we have a volunteer who expresses shock that we would ask for money ("If I had money, I wouldn't volunteer" is a classic response). We send a nice note thanking them for their service and explaining why asking for donations is so key to our ability to grown our program offerings.

Question from hsien hong lin, Kent State University:
    Hi, three charity experts. In my opinion, charity organizations need to guide their volunteers, not lead them because their willingness to be volunteers comes from one spirit or value of organizations or activities to attract them, not the leadership of an organization. How do you figure out core values of your charity organizations? And how do you transfer these values to be accepted by new generations? As if there is a good transition of core values to fit new generations, the leaky bucket is going to improve, is not it?

Gary Bagley:
    Interesting question. A volunteer board leading the the nonprofit is (should be) at the center of identifying core values in partnership with the staff. The Board and senior leadership are responsible for ensuring longevity as well as remaining responsive to changes in the the environment.

A good board includes staff and volunteers (or other key stakeholders) in the identification of those values. Here at New York Cares, several Board members are also active volunteers and Team Leaders. They are able to make contributions to the organization on many levels.

Question from Courtenay Barton, New Heights Academy Charter School:
    I am the development manager at a charter school in New York City, and we are fortunate enough to have a corporate supporter that very much wants to get involved in the school, particularly with our high school students. We've had some of their employees speak at Career Day, and taken our kids for a tour and panel discussion at their offices. But we still have quite some time left in our partnership, and I am trying to develop innovative opportunities that will create a meaningful interaction/connection between their employees and our students. But I'm not sure we have the capacity, at the moment, to run a full-on mentorship program. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Courtenay, Thanks so much for your question and your good work in the community.

Corporate partnerships can add huge value and much needed resources to the nonprofit community- glad to hear it's something you're working on.

A few ideas for you:

First of all, there are platforms out there than can facilitate an actual mentorship program if that's something that you see value in, but lack capacity for. Check out iMentor.org for example, and note that youth don't necessarily need mentors to be like Big Brothers/Sisters, and instead can benefit hugely through virtual support with platforms like this. I also see potential to get more hands on vs. traditional career days. What I mean by this is, depending on the type of company and employees, perhaps the volunteers can lead interactive classes. Maybe the students can actually be given the opportunity to do the employees job, or wrestle with similar problems. The wisdom of a child can be very insightful- it'd be rewarding for everyone if employees could bring work problems or marketing language to youth and use them as a sounding board.

I wonder if it'd be appropriate to also have the employee volunteers teach an actual class. Obviously, you'd have to match the curriculum for that specefic class with their area of expertise, but for example, engineers could be great at teaching physics or math, especially if they're experienced public speakers. You can call it VolunTeach! :)

Finally, if you've ever heard of http://www.kaboom.org/, they do great work enlisting volunteers in a Habitat for Humanity type model, but instead of building houses, they build playgrounds. The company could underwrite the cost and provide labor. In return, they enjoy the marketing benefits and a huge spike in employee morale and comaradarie.

Hope these help!

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    We've received some great questions so far. For those who have submitted questions, please stay tuned while our guests work to answer them. For those who would like to ask a question or share a comment, please feel free to click on the "ask a question" link at any time during the next 45 minutes.

Question from Ian Wilhelm, Chronicle of Philanthropy:
    Hello, in your opinions, what effect -- if any -- has President Bush's call to service had on volunteering? What do you think the next president can do to promote service in America? Thanks for your thoughts.

Gary Bagley:
    Volunteer rates have increased in prior years. The question of what motivated that increase is a difficult one. Certainly a national call to service provides a unifying message that I imagine provided some influence. Major national events (such as 9/11) also impel citizens to give back and understand the critical need to do so. I believe some of the recent dip that we're seeing in the rates in certain areas may be a result of our being further away from the sense of immediacy that the events of September 11 fostered.

There are two ways that I see a future President helping increase the rates. The first is providing a unifying call to action around a specific issue area (or two). Volunteers respond to need (as in the example of September 11); they need to know what the need is as clearly as possible. The second is providing more funding for national service programs and volunteer support services. As we are all well aware, inspiration needs to be backed up with funding for programs that make a real difference.

Question from Virginia Edelstein, Volunteer Vancouver:
    What has been the biggest obstacle to engaging the Smart Volunteers Mary supports?

Mary Roben:
    The biggest obstacle thus far has been getting the nonprofits to re-think how they utlize volunteers. Historically, organizations have focused on bringing volunteers and nonprofits together without regard to the volunteer’s skill set or professional experiences. Many times this has resulted in non-optimal matching of skills and projects, which in turn leads to poor allocation of volunteers’ time, lower project success rates and often generally unfulfilling experiences for the volunteers.

In contrast, SmartVolunteer’s matches the workplace skills and professional experiences of the volunteers with the specific skill requirements of the nonprofit project - what we like to call “skill-based giving.” Not only does this approach to volunteer matching provide a more satisfying and productive experience for the volunteer, it also significantly reduces the nonprofit’s operating expenditures by utilizing volunteers to fill critical staffing and task needs.

Question from Peter Panepento:
    Hi Darian: How are online tools and social networks making it easier for nonprofits to connect with volunteers? Are there examples you have seen that are good case studies for other groups?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Great question. There's a huge number of platforms out there, and we're actually looking to aggregate them through CraigslistFoundation.org/entrypoint (our upcoming website redesign). The idea isn't to replace them, but to connect people to the resources that already exist. Some groups doing great work in this area include Idealist.org, Change.org, WiserEarth.org, VolunteerMatch.org, the Hands On Network (which just merged with Points of Light Foundation/1-800-Volunteer), and there's more on the way every day. Note the first three are more of online communities, whereas the two latter are more online matching platforms.

Also, one of the TechSoup NetSquared projects that's in Beta has combined listings from 29 (and growing) platforms- www.SocialActions.org

Question from Donna, Susan G. Komen for the Cure:
    we have many volunteers who help us sustain our daily activities, along with the many events and races that occur. 2 questions:

1. how do you keep them engaged from event to event, year to year and 2. how do you say thank you to them for all they do, without it appearing "shallow"?

Gary Bagley:
    1. There are many ways to keep folks involved. It's important to identify what your volunteers respond to. I often say that volunteers are employees who work for something other than a salary. Figuring out what the "pay" is that they are getting is the key to keeping them engaged. We find that including volunteers in the planning of major events throughout the year keeps them engaged. Also, recognition events where volunteer leaders can meet each other and exchange ideas has helping our retention tremendously.

2. This is an interesting question. I think it's a matter of making sure that you allocate time and resource to the "thank you," whatever form that takes. Volunteers (and staff!) are aware when your thanks are an obligatory chore or, worse, an afterthought. Devote the time, money, and energy to a thank you. I believe it will be recognized.

Question from Ann, law school development:
    My challenge is making sure my volunteers (who are alumni) are doing the work they signed up for. It's a challenge because they do the work on their own time (ie. calling classmate to ask for reunion gifts). Because they are alumni, I want to tread lightly to maintain a positive relationship. Advice?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    This is a tough one for all the reasons you mention.

The two mechanisms that I think will be most helpful for you are makings sure you clearly convey the impact of their support and your work to the volunteers, and checking up on them as their deadline approaches. Definitely use encouraging language, be incredibly thankful, and just keep reminding them that you're counting on their support.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    We're approaching the halfway point in today's discussion. Please feel free to join the conversation by posting a comment or asking a question to one of our guests. Click on the "ask a question" link to add your perspective.

Question from alex, a growing organization:
    We have people interested in volunteering, but don't have the infrastructure (yet) to effectively utilize them. How can I keep these people interested in our organization when i don't have a "job" for them? we are working toward figuring this out--but in the meantime do you have any suggestions on ways to keep them interested?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    It's all about communication. Let them know what you are up to, and what's keeping you so busy that is inhibiting you from utilizing them. Also, bear in mind that volunteers can do more than pour soup or lick stamps. Perhaps some of those volunteers have skills and expertise that you could leverage to actually build out the infrastructure for those who follow. Let them know what your needs are (accounting, carpentry, legal, etc.) and you never know- they may be able to help with that, or may know of someone who can!

SmartVolunteer.org is a great resource for this and can match you to skills-based volunteers. In general, all the research shows this is a field that's going to explode in the next 10-20 years as the Baby Boomers retire- the data shows they want to volunteer, but they want to do more than just donate their time- they also want to contribute their intellectual and social capital.

Question from Kathleen Novak, LaBauch Method Triton College Adult Literacy:
    I hae had training twice to teach Basic Literacy to Adults and ESL older students. I never received any matchups from the first course and have only had one from the second. Working with her has been rewarding but we did not use the LaBauch method I was taught because it was too confusing to me and she was way beyond the material. I rally have a passion for teaching Adult Literacy because I can't imagine not being able to read. Why are these traing sessions set up and then the Volunteers are not utilized?

Mary Roben:
    Skill-based volunteering is fairly new to the industry. Nonprofits are generally not used to utilizing volunteers based on skills. Once the nonprofits see the benifits of skill-based volunteering, they will be more willing to accept it and utilize it.

Question from Lee Jewett, Literacy NOW - Tacoma Community House:
    What does the demographic look like for volunteers currently?

Gary Bagley:
    I keep track of NYC, mainly. We are engaged in an initiative to diversify the base in terms of race/ethnicity and age. Right now, we're about 48% caucasian, 7.5% Black/African American, 7.5% Latino/Hispanic, and 14% Asian. The remainder do not report their race/ethnicity. By the way, these numbers represent a significant improvment for us (even though we're just getting started!).

As to age, about 50% of our volunteers are between 25 and 34. which is very different from the national average. We're working to add more older adults now.

Question from Lindsay Doyle, The Pediatric Dental Initiative:
    What is your opinion on engaging volunteers with varying sources of motivation - for example, some volunteers are trying to build up career experience while some have an hourly community service requirement to fill, and others are just looking for something to do. I have found that it is more challenging to work with volunteers just looking to fill an hourly requirement, but I wonder if that is just me and my outlook.

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Great question. I definitely think factoring in their motivation for volunteering is a key concern when deciding what tasks to dole out, especially when you're dealing with people who may not be connected to your mission. For that particular population, it's really helpful to set expectations, and to base those on what is reasonable given your past experience. That said, be generous- i.e. "it typically takes a volunteer or staffer an hour to sort through this many recyclables, so we can give you up to 90 minutes, after which we'll move you onto another project." And of course, don't forget... "and thanks for your help with this!"

Question from Rebecca Brenowitz, University Art Museum:
    What is the best and yet most sensitive way how to still utilize your aging volunteers but allowing for flexibility (time, accuracy, etc)? Is it advisable to have a Advisory or Emeritus board created with limited responsibilities and if so, how does one communicate this gently to these individuals? Thank you!

Gary Bagley:
    Tough one!

Like with any employee, it's good to check in to see how the volunteer is feeling about her/his reponsibilities and performance. Often, the volunteer is feeling the need for a change as well. Hearing their perspective can start the conversation.

If that doesn't work, a gentle (but frank) discussion is necessary about how to ensure accuracy (perhaps through shared duties). An emeritus board is a fine idea.

Question from Lindsay Doyle, The Pediatric Dental Initiative:
    My question is regarding burnout and self-assessment. As a volunteer coordinator, it is hard to discern between when an approach is not working and needs to be revamped, and when we are just feeling disappointed with individuals who have not followed through on a promise (which, if it happens often enough) can eventually lead to burnout). At times I find myself shooting down my co-workers ideas for recruitment, etc., saying "nope, tried that, didn't work," and while I want to be realistic, I don't want to be the naysayer of the group either. Any suggestions on finding that balance?

Mary Roben:
    The job of a volunteer coordinator is not an easy one. My best advice is to continue to try every avenue you can to recruit volunteers and be very specific about the type of volunteer you need, the minimum committment and the desired skill-set. Once you have found a committed volunteer, try to utlize them as much as you can or ask that volunteer for another volunteer recommendation. Chances are, they may know of another volunteer that is as dedicated as they are.

Try to stay positive and remeber the good things you are accomplishing!!!

Question from Erin, RightRides:
    I'm the program manager of an extremely small volunteer based non-profit. Currently we have about 105 active volunteers, but it seems that for each new volunteer we gain someone else stops volunteering... we've been stuck around 100 volunteers for a while now and I'd love to hear opinions on how we might be able to increase our volunteer retention without coming off too needy.

Gary Bagley:
    I'm not sure there's a way to do this without appearing needy. Volunteers respond to need!

I highly recommend offering volunteers periodic time off from a project or ongoing inolvement. Just like with an employee, it's a matter of watching for signs of burn out and then proactively addressing the issue. Many volunteers who leave don't come back because they leave at a point of total burn out. You may raise your retention by letting folks go for a few months and then bringing them back.

Secondly, if you can ever raise funds to hire someone to oversee the volunteers, your retention will improve dramatically. People require constant, focused care.

By the way, you are not alone in having this problem!

Question from Sandy - ABC:
    How would you recommend getting corporate volunteers for individual vol. opps rather than 1 day activities. I always need volunteers, and I can't access the corporations.

Gary Bagley:
    We work with our corporate sponsors to offer volunteer orientations to their employees, separate from the single day of service events. Most companies are eager to provide this additional opportunity.

It all comes back to volunteer motivation - some will be motivated by a sense of teamwork with their co-workers. You probably won't make much headway with them. Others express a need to do more than the single day. Finding those folks (the champion of your work) and using them as an entry point to other volunteers in the company is great.

Question from Sandy - ABC:
    How would you recommend getting corporate volunteers for individual vol. opps rather than 1 day activities. I always need volunteers, and I can't access the corporations.

Mary Roben:
    SmartVolunteer recruits a good portion of thier volunteers from corproations and professional associations.

My honest recommendation is to post your volunteer opportunties on our site (www.smartvolunteer.org) and be very specific about the desired skill-set.

We have thousands of highly skilled volunteers from corporations around the country that ready to donate thier time and skills to nonprofit organizations.

Question from Peter Panepento, moderator :
    Mary: You mentioned the practice of skill-based volunteering. Can you describe what this is and how it is working for some charities already? Is this a trend we should expect to see more of?

Mary Roben:
    Skill-based volunteering matches the workplace skills and professional experiences of the volunteers with the specific skill requirements of the nonprofit project. Not only does this approach to volunteer matching provide a more satisfying and productive experience for the volunteer, it also significantly reduces the nonprofit’s operating expenditures by utilizing volunteers to fill critical staffing and task needs. By saving money on hiring expensive professional services, contractors or consultants, nonprofits will have more money to allocate to their charitable causes and programs.

An abundance of articles and studies are currently making the case for skills-based volunteering - it has become one of the industry's biggest buzz words. If fact, many corporations are currently gearing thier employee volunteer programs toward skill-based volunteering.

The hope is that we can train nonprofits to utilize their volunteers based on skill-set so that the sector as a whole can become more productive. In short - yes...this is a trend we should expect to see more of.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    We've covered a lot of ground today, but we do have time for more questions. Please feel free to submit them now while we still have some time left. Thanks.

Question from Sharon Landry, small nonprofit:
    I am relatively new to my position, and my volunteers are already in place, but have not been utilized to their fullest potential. What's the best way to reconnect to volunteers who may have lost interest?

Gary Bagley:
    It depends on the number of volunteers and your capacity. For small numbers, I recommend a phone call and an in-person meeting (if possible). Your show of concern and commitment will often reinvigorate a volunteer. Often the lack of interest is an indicator of a lack of attention and/or appreciation.

If there's a way to bring the volunteers together (an informal gathering of some kind), you can also meet more of them at once. In addition, they can draw energy from a sense of community. Most volunteers love meeting other volunteers.

By the way, some folks use transitions as s time to bow out gracefully. A volunteer may have had trouble "quitting" and the turnover in your staff, Sharon, is their opportunity to leave without hurting anyone's feelings. Make your best effort, but don't beat yourself up if people need to move on.

Question from Peter Panepento:
    Do you know of any resources that can help people more effectively reach and engage corporate volunteers?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Our friends at the Volunteer Center of San Francisco & San Mateo Counties (www.thevolunteercenter.net) have done some amazing work in this field. Definitely recommend checking their site out or giving them a call if you're a company looking to wrap your head around this.

Also, I would assume VolunteerMatch.org and UniversalGiving.org also offer content around this crucial topic, but I don't know enough about that particular component of their work off hand.

Question from Ashley Bertrand, LARC (medium nonprofit):
    My organization provides services for adults with developmental disabilities. We have a major fundraiser each year that lasts 23 nights every December. It is a huge event that is run by 20-30 volunteers each night. I am the Director of Marketing for LARC, but will also be wearing the hat of Volunteer Coordinator of this event for the first time. What is the best approach to working with “seasoned” or what we call veteran volunteers that have in the past run the event? How can I show them how much we need and appreciate them, but also show them more effective and efficient ways of doing what they have been doing for years? Many of these veteran volunteers show up every night. What is the best way to “force” rotations to prevent grumpiness and burnout at the same time encouraging “passing of the torch” to a new generation of volunteers?

Gary Bagley:
    The best way to make this happen is to make it their idea! I say that only half facetiously. I recommend an evaluation meeting with volunteers where you ask what might work better. Someone will likely suggest what you want to happen. If not, insert your ideas by jumping off one of theirs. If someone mentions burnout, suggest rotations and then see if they have other ideas that might help. You may come up with an idea even better than the one you propose. You will honor them by making them part of the solution. This isn't a time to "own" the solution. Give it back to the group!

Comment from Ashley Bertrand, LARC (medium nonprofit):
    Comment on Skill based volunteering: Our local United Way has "Day of Caring" each summer that matches up organizations with volunteer groups and companies. It really is a successful event. This year we are matched with two wonderful companies in our community that will be building a gazebo on our grounds and doing much needed landscaping. I suggest you check out your local United Way chapters to get involved in this organized skill/interest based volunteer project.

Question from Jakita Allen, Adult Literacy League, Inc.:
    It seems that there are many people who consider volunteering, but don't because they don't have a schedule that supports a specific free block of time on a continual basis. I think creating project-based opportunities could be a solution for this. Has this idea been tested? What other ways are organizations evolving for the 21st century volunteer?

Gary Bagley:
    Jakita, Please check out our website or one of our affiliates in the Hands On Network! You just described New York Cares and why it was founded back in 1987. We offer team-based, project-based volunteering. Our projects are led by a volunteer team leader at the agency. We offer a full range of opportunities from full-year commitments to one-time opportunities. This year, we will fill 68,000 volunteer slots using that model.

Question from Jakita Allen, Adult Literacy League, Inc.:
    It seems that there are many people who consider volunteering, but don't because they don't have a schedule that supports a specific free block of time on a continual basis. I think creating project-based opportunities could be a solution for this. Has this idea been tested? What other ways are organizations evolving for the 21st century volunteer?

Mary Roben:
    Very good question.

Skill-based volunteering and "virtual volunteering" is the answer. They eliminate two of the primary limiting factors in volunteering....time and location.

Professionals are typically glued to their office chair making it difficult to attend a volunteer event or to allocate business hours to a nonprofit. However, skill-based projects, such as drafting a press release, programming a website, or reconciling the finances of a nonprofit can be done remotely, or “virtually,” from the volunteer’s office or home, or even on the commute home. “Virtual volunteering” makes donating skills more convenient for the volunteer, enabling more professionals to volunteer and more nonprofits to utilize invaluable talent to meet their goals.

Question from Elizabeth,Fresno County Public Library:
    Often individuals and groups volunteering become donors, advocates and resources for an organization. Please suggest tips to use w/staff reluctant to 1. utilizing volunteers in more meaningful ways

2. see the value in cultivating and sustaining volunteer support

Mary Roben:
    Utilizing volunteers in a more meaningful way is easy to do if you focus the volunteer recruitment and engagement effort on the professional skills of the volunteer. Not only does this approach provide a more satisfying and productive experience for the volunteer, it also significantly reduces the nonprofit’s operating expenditures by utilizing volunteers to fill critical staffing and task needs. Think of how much time can be saved if your organization found an accountant that would be willing to volunteer thier time to manage your Quickbooks account on a monthly basis. Perhaphs showing the staff how much more time they will have to do other things will help.

Cultivating and sustaining volunteer support is critical. A good deal of time is spent by nonprofits training volunteers. By nurturing and sustaining relationships with existing volunteers, the need to continually train new volunteers is eliminated - making your organization more productive and efficient.

Question from Heather, Teachers Without Borders:
    As our organization grows, we would like to keep a local grassroots feel to communicating with our members and specifically volunteers. Are there any organizations you feel do an excellent job reaching out on a global scale but have kept this commitment to a personalized cause?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Heather- First of all, just let me say my Mom is a teacher of 20+ years and I value teachers as a lynchpin in our society.

As for your question, I don't think you should limit your search to nonprofits. For example, Flickr has become a huge website, but still has a very strong community vibe. A big component of that is that it's personalized- there's a person (not sure if he's real or imagined) that functions as their "voice". This is a huge component- call it the Craig factor. ;)

Idealist.org also does a great job of this- Ami Dar, the Founder and E.D. personally sends out emails to the broader community with big picture updates of what their up to, and with a clear call to action and support.

The One Campaign also did a great job of leveraging Bono and his name to the end of supporting a sense of community and personal connection. Emails would come from him personally, and I think that sustained presence is part of what allowed them to scale the way they did.

Certainly one key component of keeping it grassroots and personal when emailing a large and growing number of volunteers (or donors, for that matter) is having a software tool in place that allows you to start bulk messages with the person's actual name, vs. something more generic. We use Convio for this, but Topica, Vertical Response, Kintera, and a bunch more can offer this simple functionality.

Question from Peter Panepento:
    Do charities do enough to make sure they are engaging their volunteers with meaningful tasks? Are there key areas of their operations that could be helped through the use of volunteers that aren't?

Gary Bagley:
    I believe that offering meaningful tasks (that consider the time needs and talents of the volunteer) are the key to engagement. Most charities do not take the time to identify their authentic needs (nobody likes volunteering on a "made up" task) and then allot time to manage the volunteer. Remember, volunteers are staff; they require ongoing management and support.

In terms of key areas of operations, it would seem that any area could use volunteer who are properly trained and managed. Some groups have begun working with professional volunteers for that reason.

More and more, volunteers are expressing dissatisfaction with tasks like stuffing envelopes (we don't take those projects on anymore). The baby boomers (and pretty much every generation following them in my estimation) is looking to make an authentic contribution to the organization.

Question from Anne Mazzotta:
    I work for a not for profit and must contact volunteers to collect and document their hours. Volunteers, who may be doing a great job, may also be very neglectful in this task. I don't like to appear to be overbearing but sometimes I contact them several times before I receive the informaiton. I don't want to annoy them and consequently losing them.

Gary Bagley:
    Deciding when you've asked enough is a very hard task. Have you lost folks over this? I don't lose volunteers often over asking them for what they've promised to do when volunteering. More often, they are sheepish about being late.

I assume that you have a volunteer job description and that this responsibility is listed in that description. If not, that's a great place to start. During volunteer interviews and trainings, stressing this expectation will also help.

That being said, some volunteers (and staff members) have a weakness in the area of administration. Offering whatever support you can while firmly (and kindly) requesting the information is necessary to keep you program running. So, keep asking!

Question from Peter Panepento, moderator:
    I'm throwing this question out to all of you. Much has been made of the fact that younger people are doing more community service as part of their high school and college experience. Is there anything that indicates that programs aimed at getting young people involved as volunteers makes them more likely to volunteer later in life? What can nonprofit leaders do to make sure these young volunteers continue to help once they become adults?

Mary Roben:
    You are correct, much focus has been placed on younger people doing more community service as part of thier highschool and college experience. Studies show that volunteering builds critical workplace skills such as leadership and strategic thinking - all excellent skills that will be used later in life. Studies also show that volunteering later in life does promote continued volunteering in later years - something the industry needs.

Nonprofit leaders should look at younger volunteers based on the skills they are looking to aquire or the studies they are involved in. Not only will this increase participation in younger volunteers, it will help build those skills and increase the nonprofit's efficiencies by using volunteers based on desired skill set.

Question from Peter Panepento:
    Much has been made of the fact that younger people are doing more community service as part of their high school and college experience. Is there anything that indicates that programs aimed at getting young people involved as volunteers makes them more likely to volunteer later in life? What can nonprofit leaders do to make sure these young volunteers continue to help once they become adults?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    People form their habits when they're young- that's true in all aspects of life.

Research compellingly shows that youth who volunteer, just as young people who are engaged in philanthropy, do so throughout their lives at much higher rates.

YouthVenture.org, which was launched by Bill Drayton at Ashoka, has published some info on this, at least on the philanthropy side, as does YouthGive.org.

I know I've read research along these lines specific to volunteerism, but off hand I'm not sure where I'd look for that other than Google.

Comment from Linda Stevenson, Peace Corps Volunteer:
    Some people use volunteering as a route for learning a new skill or using one that they do not use professionally in order to get balance into their life. Also, as a way to support values that perhaps are not an essential part of their paid work. Finding the people that fit with your mission can at times be more of an issue than skill-set.

Question from A. Leyva, Corporate Foundation:
    Our Company has a Employee Volunteer Program and we want to grow this program, but in our current economic conditions are company is shrinking - downsizing, leaving those behind with many hats to fill, feeling overwhelmed with no time to volunteer - this is a very challenging time. Suggestions on how we keep our shrinking employee base engaged in volunteerism?

Darian Rodriguez Heyman:
    Great question, especially as the economy and the housing market continues to dip.

I think in tough times like this it's more important than ever for companies to promote volunteerism- it boosts morale and a sense of team, which is obviously undermined by layoffs. In terms of how to get folks to actually show up, I strongly suggest having top brass roll up their sleeves and join with employees in the volunteer activity, or even doing it at the office- that way, it's viewed as a group activity, vs. something that just a few employees are doing on the side.

This can also promote the idea of being a "double" or "triple bottom line" company- where you're focused not only on financial profit, but also on providing social and environmental benefit to the community. As the field of social entrepreneurship continues to explode, more and more Gen Xers and Yers are looking to work in companies that exist to do more than just make money. Volunteerism is a very visible way to promote corporate social responsibility, and we can all learn much from examples like Salesforce.com and their 1% model- the idea of giving back is engrained in the DNA of that company.

Some companies do volunteer matching, which is great- for example, if you volunteer at a nonprofit, they'll match your time with a cash gift (i.e. $10/hour, up to $500/year). eBay Foundation does that and we've benefited from their support. This can further incentivize staff.

Question from A. Leyva, corporate foundation:
    Our Company has a Employee Volunteer Program and we want to grow this program, but in our current economic conditions are company is shrinking - downsizing, leaving those behind with many hats to fill, feeling overwhelmed with no time to volunteer - this is a very challenging time. Suggestions on how we keep our shrinking employee base engaged in volunteerism?

Mary Roben:
    This is a problem several corporations are facing today given the down-turn in the economy but one that you can surpass. My first suggestion (to motivate employees) is to show them the benefits of volunteering thier time (and most importantly thier skills). Not only will they have a satisfying expereince, they will also develop critical workplace skills such as leadership, strategic planning, and management. Many studies have been performed supporting this notion.

The next thing you might want to do is structure your EVP around your HR department. Since there are so many intrinsic benifits to skill-based volunteering, use your EVP as a "training tool" for employees. As opposed to spending money on outside consultants or training classes, arrange you volunteer initatives around the training and development needs of the employees. Not only will you save money, but the employees will develop critical workplace skills - all while helping nonprofits save money. It's a win-win situation.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Our time is up. Thank you to everyone who took the time to join us today. A special thank you to our three excellent guests -- Darian Rodriguez Heyman, Gary Bagley, and Mary Roben -- for their expertise.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Please join us next Tuesday at noon Eastern time for our next discussion. Our topic will be using the Web and e-mail for major gifts campaigns. Check out http://philanthropy.com/live for more information on our upcoming discussions and for transcripts of all of our previous talks. Thanks.

Gary Bagley:
    Thanks everyone!

Comment from Heather, TWB:
    Thank you! This has been extremely helpful.