how to be a great skilled volunteer

Topics: • Where to find opportunities • What is in it for you • Orientation • Diagnose and triage • Make a proposal • When to walk away

About MAS Consulting:    

Mission = build capacity in non-profit sector  50+ Volunteer Consultants = Professional Volunteers •  Strategy •  Governance •  HR •  Marketing •  Fundraising

www.masadvise.org                            

About me:  

www.Marke*ngForNonprofits.ca  

Professional Volunteer: •  Projects need expertise •  Management

Volunteer? vs Professional Volunteer?  Drivers Event Coordinators Sports facilitators Docent Social media managers Call centre volunteers

HR Volunteer MBA student Board member

25 1

What areas do you want to volunteer?  

•  HR •  Marketing •  Fundraising •  Strategy + Governance •  Accounting

3 ways - Professional Volunteer

•  Board member + lead subcommittee

•  Subcommittee member

•  Volunteer consultant = One-time project

Typical marketing project Small Large

Rebrand -  Promotion audit -  Write and create website -  Create brochures -  Give tutorials 35 hours my time, 15 hours client time

Analyze revenues Analyze donor churn Gaps in Touch Points 80-150 hours my time

“help us we have nothing” “help us work smarter”

intellectual stimulation intellectual stimulation - creative -analytical sense of accomplishment human connection

What’s in it for you?

Honesty = Ok to trust you

What’s in it for you?

Build your career •  resume? •  learn a new industry? •  learn consulting? •  learn new skills? Stretch intellectually? •  share your expertise? •  sense of accomplishment? •  feel needed and important? Connect with a cause? Meet new people? •  want to give back but fear mundane tasks

What’s in it for you?

•  Build your career? •  Stretch intellectually? •  Connect with a cause? •  Meet new people? •  Other?

What’s in it for nonprofits? •  Expertise that fills a gap •  Short term •  Outside perspective

What attributes will nonprofits look for? •  Expertise •  Listening skills •  Candor •  Language •  Collaboration  

Topics:

✔Where to find opportunities ✔What is in it for you • Orientation • Diagnose and triage • Make a proposal • When to walk away  

Orientation from your nonprofit ✔  about them ? about their cause ✗ facts about the industry ✗ soft stuff  

Source:  Imagine  Canada,  Narra*ve  Tool  Kit  

Other  

Hospitals,  universi*es  

Interna*onal  

Law,  advocacy,  poli*cs  

Environment  

Health  

Business  assoc,  unions  

Educa*on,  research  

Development,  housing  

Arts  and  culture  

Grantmaking  

Social  services  

Religion  

Sports  and  recrea*on  

#  Nonprofits    #  Donors   Dona-on$  

Charity? Non-profit?

Charities are a subset of nonprofits

Non-profit - Exempt from tax

Charities are a subset of nonprofits

Non-profit - Exempt from tax

Charity - Tax receipts

Non-profits have a life cycle

High energy, everyone involved, no formal structure

Formalize mission, small staff, founder burn out

Formal board + committees, staff focus on managing

Professional management, strategic alliances

Stagnating, declining interest, lost funding

Where are you? Transitioning?

There are 2 bottom lines:

Conflicting measures of success:

Speed of decision making:

Hierarchy Consensus building

Partners vs competitors

Alternate providers

Earn credibility:

Expect resistance:

Be sensitive:

?  

Expect to learn:

Expect to feel good:

Topics:

✔Where to find opportunities ✔What is in it for you ✔Orientation • Diagnose and triage • Make a proposal • When to walk away

No commitment yet

Ask questions

Diagnose and triage:

Non-profit asks ... You discover... Facilitate session falling membership

Spokesperson training no clear messages

More donors acquisition or retention

Make a proposal: •  action plan •  benefits •  costs + time •  completion date •  what you need

When to walk away: •  Hesitation about project •  Hesitation about you •  Overwhelming •  Chemistry •  Not right for you •  No project manager assigned      

Topics:

✔Where to find opportunities ✔What is in it for you ✔Orientation ✔Diagnose and triage ✔Make a proposal ✔When to walk away

www.Marke*ngForNonprofits.ca