Absolutely not! Volunteers are pure gold and the horsepower
of much that is done in America
that is good. Think PTA, local governing boards and commissions, as well as
government bodies. All are dependent on
volunteers. People stepping forward to make a difference. People interested in
a specific arena of public life willing to get involved. People who care about
other people – and issues that shape and enrich those same people!
Several years ago I had an idea that focused on supporting
local artists in their growth, nurture, expression and educational value to
others in the community. The idea grew and became the Warrenville Arts Council.
A tax exempt organization dedicated to both performing and visual arts, WAC
presented concert series and art exhibits for the local community. Six
successful seasons were completed. One season was spent investing in and
creating the following six seasons. And the germination of the organization
itself took three years to get off the ground.
Nine years of commitment and vision dedicated to local
arts. A good thing. But in the end it
died for lack of adequate volunteer support.
I suppose most people think volunteers grow on trees. They
don’t. They come out of the woodwork in response to attractive opportunities to
serve and be a part of something bigger than themselves. Their work is a
complement to their interests as well as to their sense of community.
Ignoring or misunderstanding volunteers is a dangerous
thing. They need to be nurtured, appreciated and thanked! They also need to be
asked to get involved, to do a specific task, or to stretch themselves to
acquire a skill needed to make the organization more successful. Organizations
which do not attend to these niceties soon will lose their ability to get
things done.
I witnessed that happen locally. Just this week. WAC
succumbed to dwindling support among its volunteers. At the end only three
board member remained and the resignation of one of them collapsed the house of
cards. Could the organization be saved0?
Maybe. Truth be told it had been saved in recent years as stalwarts
continued to stand up and take on new work loads as others disappeared.
Temporarily this can prolong an organization’s life; permanence, however, is
gravely in doubt unless significant repairs to voluntarism are made. That was
the fate of WAC. In the end there simply were too few people willing to do the
work of the organization.
I am 70 years old. I have been a member of countless
organizations, served on countless boards of directors, and spent much of my
professional career in organizational development. The latter does not refer to
fund raising but rather forming organizations, helping them survive and
motivating volunteer assets so the mission and vision of the organization
succeeds over the long term. There is much more to organizational development
than volunteers, but volunteers form the base of the pyramid of every
organization. This is true also of for profit organizations. We just don’t pay
much attention to that part very much.
Gloria Steinem said a while back:
“Dreaming,
after all, is a form of planning.”
How true. Supporting a goal is one thing. Envisioning the
goal is another. And vision itself is a form of dream. ‘What do we want to be when we grow up?’
‘What do I hope results from all of our efforts together over time?’ Fulfilling
a purpose or mission is one thing; determining where we want that mission to
wind up several years hence is another matter entirely.
Volunteers are the very people who keep us on target of our
purpose. They serve because it matters to them. We need to understand that
intimately. And we need to nurture those sentiments and meanings carefully and
intentionally if we are to retain the volunteers we need to fulfill our
mission.
Whether a church, a charity, a commission, board or
government unit, volunteers are a huge part of our organizational life. We
ignore them at our peril.
A dime a dozen? No sirree! They are worth their weight in
gold!
April 10, 2014
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