Back to Basics Volunteers - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

9:06PM Jul 9, 2021

Speakers:

Julie Confer

Becky Endicott

Jonathan McCoy

Keywords:

volunteers

people

mission

rabid fans

organization

event

donors

engage

friends

believers

impact

talk

gift

pro tip

mobilize

cultivation

passion

love

basics

episode

Hey, I'm john. And I'm Becky. And this is the we are for good podcast.

nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.

We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.

So welcome to the good community, where nonprofit professionals, philanthropist, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.

So let's get started. Happy Friday, Becky,

I get with a little help from my friends. That's all I keep thinking of because when we think about volunteers that Beatle song hops into my mind, and that is what I think because these are our friends.

The syncopation of singing Beatles, on top of the weird forget themes is really impressive. And just so deep,

it's like I just kind of ignored it, because I don't think it really went together. Hi, everybody. Glad you're here. Welcome back to back to basics. Yeah.

So back to basics. This is the series we've been unpacking for several weeks, we've taken you through annual giving, and major gifts. We've talked about planned giving, and marketing, and just all these different topics that we feel like are really core to just getting right and your development shop, whether you're small, or whether you're big and you're trying to get back on the tracks after everything that 2020 was, we hope these conversations just kind of recenter you. And we give you a little bit of our secret sauce that we like to throw on things too, that we forget art as what we call it,

you know, we'd like to shake things up. And we're here to kind of evolve as the sector is evolving. So I just have to say this is one of my favorite topics of all time volunteers are our rabid fans. And we are talking about how do you toss a pebble into the hands of someone who doesn't simply want to make a transactional gift? They want to start a movement?

Yeah. And I think aside from your paid staff, their volunteers can be one of your greatest assets. You know, people are looking for purpose right now, after the pandemic, a lot of us are really getting back to the roots, looking at our values, figuring out where do we want to invest our life, the people that are volunteers in your organization, really think about that. I mean, they're investing one of their their greatest assets, which is their time into your organization. And so you really want to honor that treasure that and put it to amazing work and really leverage it.

I'm so glad you talked about the pandemic because, listen, friends, Never before has there been a time where people are primed and ready to volunteer, the pandemic has left people with this sense of gratitude, as you're going to say cabin fever. Well cabin fever, yes to they want to get out they want to do something purposeful, they want to be a part of doing the things that are the greater good. So we're talking about, you need to make a call for volunteers, Now is your time to align with those who share a passion for your mission. And the thing that we sometimes call them is there our mission sighs PTA,

they are like The Mamas who are going to come in doesn't have to be a female. But the metaphorical PTA that's going to come in, they're going to do the behind the scenes work, they're going to help you take your mission to new heights by opening up their network, pouring their passion into it. And we need to make sure that we are identifying them, engaging them and mobilizing them want to like pause because I do feel like we chose the word rabid fans to really describe this base of people that are believers of your mission. But people that want to do they don't want to just give they want to put their talent to use. And we really want you to think about who that is at your organization. Who are you picturing in your mind? Obviously, board members are kind of the default place to go people that have signed up to spend time with you. But who are those people that really sifted to the top at your last crowdfunding effort, or maybe people that you know, offer to help out when you're doing a campaign. Those are really the people that you want to activate in deeper roles. And so get creative with how you're looking for these people, because they're probably around you, even if you've never called them really a volunteer.

Yeah, and we're gonna break it down for you, I would look for these people. We talk about believers, they're the number one the people who are the most passionate about it, donors, their volunteers, their crowdfunders, their petition gatherers. JOHN mentioned board members, but they're also your staff and in your employees. They're social influencers. They're people who love missions and social impact. And at the end of the day, it could be just a community member who believes so much in what you're doing, that they're willing to take their free time to pour into the greater good that you're serving. Yes. So

such a good topic. One of the beliefs that I think you've got to start with from an organizational perspective, we're big on creating culture. You know, if you listen to our employee giving series, it's all about creating this philanthropic culture that's in your employee base and in your organization. another layer of culture you really have to focus on is do you really value your volunteers, and really coming at it with a positioning of these people are showing up on their own time to give up their time, or maybe also giving up their money to participate. And you really have to respect that. And I've seen relationships go wrong, where volunteers feel completely overworked, completely under appreciated, and voluntold. Oh, untold Yeah. And going to the same people over and over and over again. And so you really want to be an agent for change to create a culture that just values and respects volunteers, just from the beginning to lay the groundwork, you know, this threads with our belief that everyone matters, your volunteers matter, you need to see them for what they are and the amazing people that they are.

I mean, this is this is the section of our conversation, we would call the we're for good our con volunteers. And I love that the first one that you mentioned, was creating culture that values these volunteers. I mean, these tenets are all about working smarter, not harder. And so the second one is that everybody has a sphere of influence, whoever you are in the world right now listening, you have a sphere of influence wherever you are. And every believer of your mission has doors that they could open all around them. And so that's where the, to me the pebble comes back. If you can toss that pebble into 10 hands, the ripple is going in 10 different directions that we can maybe never get into leverage that sphere of influence and know that that is a secret sauce, super smart.

Another one is to really be intentional in your annual engagement strategy of volunteers. So you know, don't let's say you're an organization that's heavily reliant on volunteers at an event each year, you don't want to just call them that three weeks before the event that you're going to train. Because what is your ongoing cultivation of them as volunteers? Maybe that's the one time a year that they show up. But it shouldn't be the one time a year that they're hearing from you. How can you steward that relationship, go back to our donor relations episode a few back to basics back, to really listen to just some creative ways to engage people and show the impact and talk about all the amazing work that they've done and show it through that lens throughout the year.

So glad we're having this conversation, because even you just saying that made me think if you had, you know, something like a gala, and you had volunteers that came in and helped, I really have to think back in my memory. And we talked so much to those volunteers in the months leading up to the gala and the night of the gala. And I think what a missed opportunity, that right afterward. Even if we send a thank you note, that's not enough, what if three months after your gala, you circle back with all your volunteers and talked about what the impact the first impact was of the funds that were spent cue imagine how much it would engage them, and it would send a message. It's not about what I need from you right now. It's that I want to keep you threaded in because you're essential to the story that's unfolding in our mission. So true. I know, I wish she would I say not as I do.

But it plays to retention. I mean, that's what you're trying to retain a donor, why are we not doing that with volunteers,

and even just by virtue of sharing that impact, you're cultivating them, it's another cultivation point. So that was a great one. So the fourth one is, volunteers can make your messages more viral, more heard, and more personalized, simply just by virtue of being involved, they're gonna be there. They're on the front lines, they're talking to you all the time, about the strategy about the tactics about what we need, where are the gaps, give them a voice. So you, we've got to find them, we've got to onboard them really well, and mobilize their efforts. And so it's really about how can we pass them a microphone and empower them to take our messages of what we're doing, and spread it in that network again, that again, has a resonance that's far beyond what we could do, if we just threw it on our social media. Or if we put it on our email.

Well, if you listen to our back to basics marketing episode, this is stepping into that bravery, that you're not going to control every narrative, you know, you have to be really comfortable with other people being part of the mouthpiece for the organization, it's only a positive thing, or it's hopefully a positive. I know

the control freaks, including me are like trying to come to grips while we're trying to come to terms with it. And we just need to let go.

Okay, those are some tone setting beliefs. And I would love to transition into where to get started. And sorry, not sorry, we're gonna tell you to start with goals, right? To have a real clear goal. And the best way to do this is start by auditing your programs, understanding where their gaps where could a volunteer really be helpful. And then we can start thinking about how can we direct people's passions in a way that would really help us fulfill our mission. I mean, if you can align that this is cultivation one on one, right? It's always about aligning passion with organizational needs and that sweet spot in the middle with volunteers is really where you want to land.

Okay, then Next one is targeting your audience. Who are the people in your mission? Who have raised their hands before? Who are your social media darlings? Who are the people that like everything on your social channels? Where are your most loyal donors over an extended period of time, this is really going to require you to dig into not only data within your CRM or your database, but it's also going to require you to go back into your memory and say, who came up to me at that event? Who or who said to me, if you ever need anything, let me know. Those are people that are gently trying to raise their hand and get involved. So do a little research, target your audience accordingly, and find these friends and align their talents and abilities accordingly. And I'll give you a little pro tip on this. Think about throughout the year, where you need some volunteers, where could you benefit from having someone come in, it could be somebody to come in and write some thank you letters. It could be for events. It could be for like a testimonial that you need to have someone give it a really important meeting. Flush those channels out, put them in your newsletter, put them on your website, talk about it on your social channels. This is such an easy way to engage and have this here's how you can help our mission. It's just a hand out and somebody will grab it I promise you

super love that pro tip.

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The other step I would say is to be intentional. So this is like with any role, you've got to be really specific of what are you asking somebody to do? Build the engagement plan. So there's intentionality behind that direction. And don't be afraid to ask for what you really need. You know whether that's a gift, or whether that's to step into some kind of a leadership role, or to even just simply share your story like what you're alluding to in the last one.

And that is an incredible transition to the next one, which is tell your story and tell it well. Your mission is worthy of having a passionate story behind it of why it matters and why it's important in this world. If you can tell that well, it will attract believers, and you'll be able to leverage that story best. If you can put it into a multi channel level, you can put it online, you know, some of your people who are rabid fans are going to be on social media, some of them are sitting at home and reading your newsletter. And so make it multi channel and you'll be able to cast your net even further.

Okay, I love this next one because it threads together with telling stories. It's the idea of equipping your believers, your rabid fans with messages and tools and channels to really share the story of your mission in an organic way. So I think we talked about this in the marketing back to basics, but building a voice style guide, really fleshing out your communications strategy is going to give you a lot of those messages. Because again, people just want to know what success looks like know how they can plug in. And so by giving them some things that they can share, if they're going to talk about it at an event, or maybe talk about your mission with friends, they would know what to say and how to talk about it in a really great way.

equipping that is such a smart one so simple, yet so often forgotten. Okay, our last one is the one that I love the most because it's about loving on our volunteers. recognize your volunteers. This is totally the stewardship. The pat on the back the donor relations, like we need to take this moment because someone is truly giving us their time. They're opening doors, they're probably giving financially to our organization. They are checking literally all the boxes of believers and every opportunity. We need to make them feel seen, appreciated, valued and love. So whatever form you can do that in, make sure that you're pausing even in the chaos of event planning or what campaign planning and make sure that you are making your donors and your volunteers feel loved and appreciated.

So we have a resource you could zoom back to Episode 25. We were really just getting started then but we've been talking about cultivating and mobilizing your rabid fans for a while now. So go back and listen there. And we're gonna link up a full playlist of some volunteer episodes at the end of this episode. But I'd love to transition to talk about event volunteers. Yep,

they're a special breed of volunteers

totally. And you really need them. Because your focus as a development professional at the event is to raise money and be available to cultivate those relationships at the event.

Oh, you are so right, I am having memories of going back and trying to clear certain things off of tables run up because there was somebody that needs something at registration, it's like, we need to find a way to mobilize people to do all the tasks that kind of push the white noise out. So we can do what we're great at, and push them into those social areas. We want them mingling talking about our mission. So be intentional with that. Another reason why you need event volunteers, because it allows your volunteers to pour their passion to do something they really believe in. And the end result of that is just deepening the relationship with the organization. And it deepens their connection to the mission. I mean, when you show up for something over and over again, there is no way that you can't feel more invested in what you're saying. And so I really think that this is a way that you can align passions, gifts, expertise, and do it in an event way, I think it can be really beneficial.

Well, I think another powerful thing is that volunteers when they come together, they're forming their own community, you know, that is built around your values your mission. So you want to open yourself up to allowing that community to happen, how can you support those natural connections, it's a really huge driver of people to get involved in your mission that just want to meet other like minded people that care about the things that they care about. So creating a forum for that is a really powerful thing to do.

I agree. And our final one is just that volunteers bring so much positive attention to your organization, it's one thing for us to get up on stage to send an email, when we control the mic and talk about how great we are, that's fine, or why our mission matters. But when somebody endorses you from the outside and says, This is why I believe that I give this is why I'm involved, that is so much more powerful to influencing their friends, or even a stranger to come and want to replicate that feeling

super smart. So those are really targeted at event volunteers, we've got some pro tips, and there's a few here. But I would love to run through these because I think it could really give you some ideas to spur how to just drive engagement with your volunteers. And the first one is having those clearly defined roles and responsibilities. It's great if it's printed, you know, or if it's somewhere that it's visible, that people can understand what a success look like.

The second one is provide a range of volunteer opportunities. So you can engage your volunteers at different levels of commitment. Not everybody can give, you know, two hours a week or not everybody is a social extrovert, where they can go and mingle, we need to really get to know our volunteers. and align. I think we've said this at least three times align their expertise and the things that they're good at, you know, in a way that's very helpful to us. I just think about through the years, some of our volunteers and knowing who they are, allows them to shine in a way that's best for them. I mean, if you're me, and I'm volunteering, put me somewhere where I can definitely interface with people. But I'm perfectly fine writing a million thank you notes, because I just like to ride and I like to love on people. If you can understand your donors motivation at that point, it's going to take your stewardship, your event, whatever they're pouring into to the next level

of that one. Okay, if you remember where we started this conversation, we talked about valuing your volunteers. One way you can tangibly show that is making it really easy for recruits to join, you know, putting up links on your website, updating where your needs are, and then responding being ready to be responsive when someone does reach out someone's offering of their time. So you're putting them into some type of sequencer Is there a follow up protocol that's already in place, you're ready to go when someone raises their hand, you're gonna be so much further down the playing field, if you can get that organized. So

true. Okay, our next one is very disruptive. And I see very few people doing it, which means that this could be something that is your secret sauce, focus on the benefit to the volunteer, rather than to your organization. Can you imagine just flipping the script and saying less? This is what we need, can you help but hey, if you come along, we're building something really special. It's going to move the needle in this way. It's going to help our mission in this way. And we think you have some really incredible gifts that you could bring to it. And it's also going to do X, Y and Z for you personally or professionally. Totally different game changing tactic.

Okay, just give some breaking news that there's a fly that really wants in on this conversation.

You're getting Mike Pence during this conversation. We're keeping it real people We're talking volunteers, but there's a fly circling.

So the next one I would say is volunteers need to be trained and they need to be trained. Well. So we talked about this with the hiring process to what's your onboarding plan? Are you being really specific? Are you getting in there and showing and doing alongside them, so they don't feel like they're just thrown out there to figure it out by themselves.

I love that one too. Okay, don't laugh when I say this, because I'm being entirely serious. But number six is give them swag. Seriously, you will have a walking billboard right there who is happy to talk about your mission, if they're wearing a shirt, if they're carrying something, whatever it is, their passion could be so infectious. And people are curious about, what are you wearing? What is that? Tell me about that mission? You could be getting coffee, this has happened to me before. And it's like, Where is that? Is that in Oklahoma? And it's like, No, actually, that's in the Dominican Republic. And I went because of this and that, what an incredible thing that our missions could bring together total strangers, and cast this awareness of what we're doing walking billboard that cost you nothing.

Okay, you know, we're gonna throw another core value at you, steward relentlessly. And we use this word probably in the incorrect way. But what we mean by that is love on your people love on your volunteers before the event during the event post event, this ties into the whole recognize piece that we talked about already. But are you really showing appreciation for the impact the specific impact that they're having and letting them in to realize the bigger picture, connecting those dots is going to really endear people beyond just the swag they're going to feel really endeared about that shirt, but they're really going to love you if they know the impact to

absolutely and oh, my gosh, the deepening of engagement and cultivation, I would just think that that could just make so many inroads into moving them up to a personal ask, which is awesome. Okay, our final pro tip is calculate volunteer time. And again, I'm being serious. Why would we do this, because volunteers are essential to nonprofits, the time, the value, the manpower, their network, their personal giving, and just the passion that they pour into our missions truly fuel our good work. So we cannot fully execute all the things we need to do in our organization without our volunteers. So we're gonna put a resource in here, it's a tracking volunteer time, sort of accounting guide. So go to the show notes, put it in there. And I just think if you are not on board with how this could impact your organization, think about it. If you have volunteers, and you calculate maybe 500 hours of volunteer time in an event, if you put that even on a minimum wage, it is going to be a massive investment over time when you put together all your volunteer opportunities for the year. And that is the power of what volunteers can bring to your organization. That is what they are saving you and budget and staff time and an outsourcing and there's a really great quote by Dan Cardinale, I hope I said that right. He's the president, CEO of independent sector. And he says one reason we calculate the value of donor time is because it reminds us that volunteering may be priceless. But it isn't free. Volunteers contribute real value. And we need to recognize that when businesses give workers time off for volunteering, they're making a tangible contribution. And whether they're doing it during business time or their own time. It is priceless. But it is not free.

And that's such a great connection point weaving this web between the basics, our corporate giving episode talked about the power of activating the employee base at an organization. So just going for the corporate gift is missing the boat, you could have hundreds of potential volunteers, maybe those hours would translate into a bigger impact than just selling them that gala table that we'd love to pick on.

Oh my gosh, I am drinking that kool aid of which you are pouring right now.

So you know, we have the opportunity to talk to experts all the time on the podcast, and one of them we had in season one was Lindsey Percival, she runs the volunteer program for a huge slice of the pie at Make a wish. And so she really knows how to engage and how to keep volunteers engaged. And so I'd really encourage you to go back and listen to that episode. We're linking it up in the show notes. But this episode, so great at unpacking just how to onboard how to have a training mentality, how to build out an engagement plan and keep your focus on your values. But just an invaluable episode. I remember getting so much feedback when that episode dropped because it's so actionable. And we love that

and I love that she made it a puzzle piece. She called it the four corners and she integrated them. And she basically said you can have onboarding. Without training. You can't have training without an engagement plan. It all needs to work harmoniously to make someone feels truly empowered to do what they can do best which is loving your mission. Okay, have

we convinced you that you need volunteers if you don't have them?

Go find your rabid fans. Go build your mission sighs PTA. These are going to be the people who are your believers and believers translate into major gift donors and to plan giving donors and just loyal fans of your mission.

Okay, friends, you got this

written for you.

Thanks for listening to our back to the basics conversation diving into engaging your volunteers to advance your mission. You probably hear it in our voices, but we love connecting you with the most innovative people to help you achieve more for your mission than ever before. We'd love for you to join our good community. It's free. And you can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode. It's our own social network and you can sign up today at we're for good comm backslash Hello. One more thing if you loved what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast rating and review? It means the world to us and Your support helps more people find our community. Thanks, friends. I'm our producer Julie Confer and our theme song is sunreef i rimborso. Thanks for being here, everyone.