#lovols

Gig Volunteering and Intellectual Property: Do We Own Volunteer Work?

How much do we “own” volunteer work? Is it all about the legal (and don’t we know, when it comes to anything bad happening on a volunteer’s watch, legal becomes oh-so important). But what of the talents and abilities a volunteer brings? This viral story on TikTok about a woman who watermarked her work (because her boss kept stealing it) has a different lesson, hidden under the obvious one:…

If impact is the heart of a mission, then connections are the circulatory system's arteries. Arteries carry the mission goal out and return with the resources the mission needs to grow, thrive and meet objectives.

How do we show volunteer value? In the old days, (way before Covid) we, volunteer engagement professionals, used three basic value indicators: touting number of volunteer hours given listing number of active volunteers calculating money “saved” by incorporating volunteer help Since these methods were basically a bunch of numbers without any causality, they never showed: how those volunteer…

Photo courtesy of Gratisography Lip service. Gotta admit, I’ve been guilty of patting myself on the back by parroting all the great things I believed in to further volunteerism and volunteer management. But, was some of it lip service? Did I just spout stuff without backing it up with actions? For instance: I believe in the glorious future of volunteering: Well, give me a medal. But what about…

It’s Time for Volunteer Fresh

Is there a soft bias towards volunteers because they only volunteer once a week or month? Volunteers can’t be as committed, as knowledgeable, as valuable or impactful as staff who labor 40 (wait, who are we kidding, like 60-80, most uncounted) hours a week? But in reality, less time spent by volunteers is a gift.  Volunteers are not burdened by the stress of working for us full-time. Volunteers…

The Invisible Lines of Connection

Electric Waves Trio On a trip, mesmerized by the pure sounds of a trio of musicians, I approached them, telling them how much I enjoyed their haunting music. We struck up a conversation that wove in and out of days. I learned about their lives which made me appreciate them more. During their performances, I was riveted, connected to their music. Why? What was it about them? This makes me think…

#LoVols, A Resilience Worksheet: Free Download #volmgmt #volunteering

Dare we ask volunteers, “how resilient are you?” Does nurturing a resilient mindset belong in volunteer meetings or in orientation? Is resilience in the face of change as crucial as policies, ethics, and the most valuable, urgent, significant, important phrase to throw at new volunteers; “by the way, we welcome donations too! And, here’s an envelope to take with you!” Discussing resilience and…

#LoVols, You Are Growing Branches #volmgmt #volunteering

I’m guessing you don’t own the 32,000 page book, “Everything You Must Know About Engaging Volunteers, Part 1.” I have a copy, but I’m only on Chapter 73, “Volunteers who ask questions that are not really questions and how to address the criticisms hidden within.” (for my take on this thorny issue, see when a question is not a question) How do you describe our jobs? Engaging volunteers is in…

Happy Holidays, #LoVols

-Meridian