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Tony's observations in the nonprofit sector
Tony's observations in the nonprofit sector
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Yes you can teach an old dog new tricks
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

When I talk about online software that enables volunteers to be part of the process, without a doubt, the concern that comes up most often is something along these lines: “My volunteers are too old and couldn’t / wouldn’t do this”. I hear this so often that I fear that these same leaders of volunteers who are overly concerned that their senior volunteers cannot use a website might also be restricting seniors from filling certain volunteer opportunities because it is ‘beyond them’. To me it looks like a lose-lose scenario that is based on three points.

1. It is a myth that seniors are incapable of using a website to help you coordinate their volunteer effort.
2. By encouraging seniors who are unfamiliar the internet to give it a try, you not only strengthen your volunteer pool, but you also help them to discover something that will enrich their lives. It’s a great way to thank them for their volunteer efforts.
3. The belief that seniors are incapable of using a website, may also be an indicator that seniors are steered away from performing some of the more responsible volunteer roles.

So firstly, let’s debunk the myth that seniors who volunteer are not capable of, and/or are unwilling to use a website. This is important to understand because it will allow volunteer coordinators, who use web-based volunteer management software, to streamline their volunteer program and tap into a large percentage of the population.
Seniors appear to be embracing the internet: governments in Canada (http://www.seniors.gc.ca/), the USA (www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml) and Australia (http://www.seniors.gov.au/) for example, have portions of their websites dedicated to seniors. Seniors are dating online through sites such as http://www.seniordatingonline.co.uk/, http://www.seniorfriendfinder.com/ and http://search.date.ca/canada_senior_dating.htm. Seniors are publishing their thoughts online as evidenced by sites such as seniorsguideonline.wordpress.com and blog.seniors-site.com. They are, of course, also blogging through sites that cater to everyone rather than seniors only. Seniors are banking online, investigating worrisome medical symptoms, investigating travel destinations (and looking for last minute deals to save money), shopping online (particularly great when reduced mobility becomes a factor), finding long lost friends, and even keeping up with their grandchildren through Facebook.

A research project conducted in Canada between 2004 and 2007 found that 51 per cent of Canadians above the age of 60 are using the Internet. Given that this data is at least 2 years old and that the 60+ crowd is the fastest growing internet-using demographic, there are likely more of your senior volunteers online than you realize. As stated by the Pew Internet & American Life Project: on a typical day, 69 percent of wired seniors use the Internet, compared with 56 percent of all users. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, seniors use e-mail as much as any other age group. The Media Metrix Report shows that older adults (55+ years) now comprise 13 percent of total online users - outpacing 13 to 17 year olds who trail at 7.6 percent. The report also shows that the older online audience surf the Internet more frequently, stay there longer, and check out more Internet pages than even their teenage counterparts, thereby contradicting the widely held belief that seniors are technology laggards (according to a recent Media Metrix report).I don’t want to make the mistake of suggesting the every senior will now go online. And I certainly would not want a senior volunteer who has been helping your organization for years (perhaps even long before you got there) to feel forced into it. However, I do believe that for just about everyone, there are benefits to be found on the internet; but of course, that does not mean everyone must go online. I also believe that there are benefits to a physical fitness routine, but that does not mean that everyone (including me unfortunately) chooses to have one. Those that do, will reap the benefits, and those that don’t, will not.

Okay, so enough of point number 1. What about the senior volunteers who do not access the internet?

If you think old age means that you can't learn new things, then think again. Research shows that older people can, and do, learn new things. According to Microsoft, seniors recognize the benefits of computers and the internet in the areas of employability (paid and unpaid) and socialization. Non-users, however, cite high levels of intimidation and a general lack of understanding about how a computer and the Internet may benefit them. Seniors who are unfamiliar with using the internet may claim they have no need for it; in many cases this ‘claim’ has more to do with a feeling that they would not be good at using the internet. Take a moment to think of two or three items of equal importance on your to-do list. Now ask yourself, which one of the three tasks would you do first? Most people would choose the ‘most enjoyable’ or ‘easiest’ task first. It is human nature to gravitate toward the tasks that we do well, and avoid tasks that we have difficulty with. Many seniors don’t avoid using the internet because they truly feel they have no use for it. According to Microsoft’s research, many avoid it because they don’t think they could accomplish using it.

So, although the cupcakes at the volunteer reception are truly appreciated, why not embrace the opportunity to offer your senior volunteers a comfortable introduction to the internet? Not only are you giving back to your volunteers in a real and tangible way, you are also providing training, which makes your volunteers more valuable. The UK government's science and technology think tank (Foresight) identified five activities, in their Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing, that play an important role in reducing the natural effect of aging. Among these five activities was to ‘keep learning’. Researchers at Stanford University in the USA, have found that memory loss can be improved by 30 to 50 percent simply by using and stretching our metal capacities. One of the hallmarks of aging well, is maintaining cognitive function. Use it or lose it! As Gandhi put it, "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

There is one organization in particular that I work with, that has a large senior population. In this organization the number of volunteers who access and edit their volunteer information on the internet has grown from 65% to 100%. For many of these volunteers the catalyst was just a matter of seeing their friends use the internet to log their volunteer hours. It sent shivers down my spine when I was told that these senior volunteers were introduced to the internet through our MyVoluneerPage.com, and now are using the internet for a variety of things well beyond accessing their volunteer information.

There is a wide range of benefits for seniors if they learn how to navigate the internet. Volunteer organizations can take the initiative to facilitate an introduction to using the internet, while supporting the goals of their volunteer program. Facilitating this kind of training is a great way to give back to your senior volunteers. For many seniors it’s simply a matter of having the opportunity to learn. If you create an ‘internet tutor’ volunteer position, it would allow your senior volunteers to learn how to use the internet; and in turn your volunteer program would benefit from a more highly trained volunteer pool. Your senior volunteers would benefit from all the ways the internet can make life easier and more enjoyable. It’s a win-win situation.


On to point three…If leaders of volunteers wrongfully assume that seniors are incapable of using a website, what other volunteer opportunities are they consciously or unconsciously keeping senior volunteers from filling?

I don’t have to look very far around me to see examples of seniors doing extraordinary, highly involved volunteer work. Jerry, who retired well over a decade ago, was the bookkeeper for a hospice I‘ve worked with. The financials were completed monthly within days of month end, and donors had thank you cards mailed to them within two days of receiving their donation. He did a stellar job.Joseph, a fellow Rotarian in a club that runs one of the largest ribfests in North America, was organizing the volunteers for the event, largely through email, into his late seventies and now well into his eighties he still organizes the volunteers for part of the major event.Senior volunteers are very capable of learning new skills and when it comes to volunteering they are eager to take on challenging roles.

So what’s with the surfing picture? This is me, at 47 and my first time surfing. No, I could not do as many things as the younger surfers could. They also had a language all of their own, and I had to learn a few new words. Yes it was frustrating when I couldn’t get the board to go where I wanted it to, and yes I fell sometimes. But I was given the opportunity to give it a try, and I discovered that it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I imagined. And now that I have learned how to surf a little, it’s something I can do whenever I get the chance. Not only can you teach old dog new tricks, but more importantly, he’ll be a happier dog for it.

April 5, 2009 | 1:46 AM Comments  0 comments


The consequences of thinking that the management of volunteers is nothing like managing paid staff
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Part 2 of series - Also see part 1 below

1. You could end up doing a less effective job in contributing to your organizations’ mission than you otherwise could
2. You could be contributing the challenges that are holding back the sector as a whole
3.You could be limiting your own career growth


Doing a less effective job in contributing to your organization’s mission than you otherwise could
The goal of a manager of volunteer resources (or anyone who is charged with the management of a volunteer program) can be expressed as to create an environment where the organization’s volunteers contribute the maximum amount that they are willing and happy to toward the attainment of the organization’s goals. This compares very closely to how a well managed staff is led. Would you not agree that the job of a manager (of paid staff) can most basically be stated as to create an environment where the business’s staff contribute the maximum amount that they are willing and happy to toward the attainment of the business’s goals. Just like unsatisfied staff might be profitable in the short term but not in the long term, unsatisfied volunteers won’t stay around, won’t work as hard and won’t put as much care into their work as satisfied volunteers. Whether it is related to volunteers or paid staff, a manager’s job is to get the most out of the people they are responsible for managing.

Leaders of volunteers who lose sight of this core purpose can end up creating volunteer programs that are more focused on the needs of the volunteers than on the needs of the organization. In some cases this manifests itself in a volunteer program that is more of a social circle than an effective input of human energy.

Leaders of volunteers who lose sight of this core purpose can end up keeping volunteers around even though their presence detracts from the accomplishment of the organization goals. This could be in obvious ways such as poorly representing the organization or faulty work. It could be more subtle ways such as wasting some of a manager’s time which could have been applied to mission attainment tasks.

Leaders of volunteers who lose sight of this core purpose can end up holding volunteers back from contributing at their highest level. Too often the line that is drawn between what a volunteer can and cannot do is not drawn in the best interest of the organization. When it comes to the management of paid staff there is an obvious benefit to creating an environment that does not limit the significance of contribution an employee makes. That the volunteer is deprived of having a more meaningful experience is only part of the problem here. The organization also loses potential volunteer contributions.

You could be contributing the challenges that are holding back the sector as a whole
Unfortunately we have all heard an expression along the lines of “they’re just volunteers”. The more that this phase mirrors the way Managers of Volunteer resources lead their volunteers, the more the job becomes Manger of “just volunteers”. As long as that is the case, there will be challenges in becoming included strategically in management circles, there will be challenges in attracting the brightest new talent and there will be challenges getting the resources to best to the job.

You Could Be Limiting Your Own Career Growth
The accomplishments of your volunteers are your accomplishments when it comes to your annual review or next job. One look at the resume of anyone whose has had a successful record of managing people makes this very obvious. It is filled with phases such as “led a team that …”. The team’s successes become the team manager’s successes. The more your team accomplishes toward the organization’s mission, the better you have done your job and the better you look on paper when it comes time to ask for a raise or look for new job.

October 27, 2008 | 9:32 PM Comments  0 comments
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The Difference between Managing Paid Staff and Volunteers
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I believe that the management of people-based resources is at its core, the same regardless of whether the people involved are paid or unpaid. I know that many will disagree adamantly with me on this point but please read on to consider the experience I just had that supported this view. Later this month I’ll delve into the negative results of not recognizing this important aspect of the management of volunteers.

I was at the AMVR conference in Binghamton N.Y. last week and in one of the sessions, participants were asked what attributes they associated with an effective manager of volunteer resources. The following is the compilation of the responses.

· Able to assess the needs of the organization (what needs to get done)
· Time management skills
· Matching skills (person to task)
· Good listener
· Good communicator
· Multitasker
· Educator
· Diplomatic
· Technical skills (ability to make use of current software)
· Trainer and delegator
· Able to meet organizational goals
· Able to pull together a variety of resource
· Work in concert with the organizations mission
· Motivator
· Team player
· Open minded
· Flexible
· Positive
· Approachable
· Confident in the organization’s mission
· Confident in one’s self
· Creative
· Relationship builder
· Recognize trends
· Empathetic
· Inclusive
· Critical thinker
· Able to keep volunteers satisfied

Nobody can be great at all of the attributes listed above but does the list describe what you think would make an effective manager volunteer resources?

In considering the list while we began to discuss it I couldn’t help but wonder, “If a group of people walked into the seminar room right now and looked at the list without knowing what conference was going on, would they be able to figure out that we were discussing volunteer management? Or, would they conclude that we are discussing people management in general? Or to put it another way, would they conclude that we are discussing the management of paid staff?”

With the exception of the specific mention of volunteers in the last bullet I doubt anyone would conclude that the list pertained exclusively to managers of volunteer recourses, or unpaid staff.

Think of the position of your boss, not your boss specifically but your boss’s position. Would the list above not just as easily have been developed if the exercise was to list the attributes of an effective nonprofit CEO or executive director, or the attributes you would like to see in your next boss?

Every organization and every sector has its own culture, from which stems various styles of people management. When you think of sector here, think entertainment vs. health care for example rather than volunteer vs. corporate.

How would you group the following together into two pairs if you are trying to group those that are most similar in workplace culture?
1. A hospice where volunteers visit people in their homes
2. A not-for-profit group of volunteers that builds websites for other not-for-profits for free
3. A software company that builds video games.
4. The nursing department (paid) in a hospital
It is not volunteer vs. corporate that should define differences in management style. It is the mission. The culture of working in technology is not the same culture as working in health care. These different cultures generally attract different volunteers for different reasons and the maximum effectiveness in each area will be derived with different management approaches. The bigger differences are not based on not-for-profit vs. corporate but rather they are based on the types of products and services provided by the organization.

Many of you might be thinking that the management of volunteers is far different than the management of paid staff because paid staff have to show up. “It is their job and if they don’t show up, they won’t get paid. MVRs don’t have the luxury of money to motivate people.” Ask the manager of any restaurant, a school principal, a retail store manager or a call center manager etc. if payday is the only tool a manager needs to keep things running smooth.

At the conference last week , Martin Cowling told the story of while crossing the border into the United States, the border guard had trouble believing his explanation that he was on his way to speak at a conference for managers of volunteer resources. The guard’s comments went something like “They have conference for volunteer management? Why do they need that? You call the volunteers and they show up.” It’s not like that for volunteers and it’s not that easy in a paid staff environment either. Do you know of someone who used a sick day when they felt fine? Apparently not even paid staff just “show up” every time.

I own a small company and manage a small salaried staff. Like everyone else I am not strong in every attribute listed above but I can assure you they are all very import elements that contribute to whether or not I am an effective manager. Motivating my staff helps them bring out the best in themselves. I have to be open minded to their ideas. I can make similar comments about each item in the list. The only change required from the list above compiled by MVRs about MVR is the substitution of ‘paid staff’ for ‘volunteer’ in the last bullet.

The similarities of management styles related to paid and unpaid people are becoming even more important as our volunteers, like our staff, are coming (or are hopefully coming but that’s another topic all together) from a younger generation. Younger generations want a greater sense of community and self fulfillment out of their work, paid and unpaid.

I think that when MVRs don’t recognize their role as staff managers in general, the MVR him/herself, the volunteer sector, the organization and the volunteers themselves all suffer. Check back in the middle of the month and we’ll look at the consequences of thinking that the management of volunteers is nothing like managing paid staff.

October 10, 2008 | 7:48 PM Comments  0 comments
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How Important Are The Volunteers At Your Organization? Does it Show?

There is no question that the proper use of technology can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of how assets (such as money or people) are managed an organization. At times it can even make those involved with the organization more loyal and happier to be involved with them. Consider how much banks save by reducing the number of branches they open because their clients bank online (efficiency). Consider how the banks’ online service improve the communication flow from themselves and their customers and their customers back to them (effectiveness). Ask anyone who banks online if they would ever consider switching to a bank that does not allow them to bank online (loyalty).

Nonprofits trying to integrate the use of technology are faced with burdens that they need to overcome. Barriers include cost, training and time. Professional grade software programs are often considered a luxury that the volunteers and the volunteer program don’t need. Despite the decrees made by most organizations that “our volunteers are our most important asset”, new investments in technology go first to the fundraisers and often run out before volunteer management is supported.

I am not so naive to not comprehend the importance of fundraising. The staff salaries, rent, phone lines and the means in which services are delivered are in most cases funded by the work of the fundraiser(s). If we are going to tell volunteers that they are important to the organization however, then the organization ought to actually treat them as important and reduce the amount of lip-service given. Organizations need to ensure that they have a qualified Manager of Volunteers running their volunteer program and that manager needs access to the right resources to do her job effectively and efficiently. This includes funds for training, books, recognition and technology and the time to engage all of these. If the volunteers are one of your organizations most important assets, treat them that way. This doesn’t mean just being nice to them. It means that you take the management of the volunteers’ contributions of their time as seriously as you manage the financial contributions to the organization.

May 31, 2007 | 5:25 PM Comments  0 comments
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Business Techniques and the World of Nonprofits

The article below is reprinted from Charity Channel. I have chosen it as a topic here for a variety of reasons;

A. Far too often I hear intelligent people assume that when I speak of nonprofits adopting a business-like approach, they assume that I mean that bottom line is the only important consideration. Martin's views help explain how a business-like approach can help a nonprofit.

B. I am concerned by the number of times I hear, "But that's not how we do things here," as though the organization must feel it has no room for organizational improvement.

C. The world is changing at an ever-quickening pace and the nonprofit sector is no absolved from this pace. In the absence of the ability to change nimbly, organizations become outdated. This caused poorer service deliver than desirable and even complete closure.

(Also see 'Nonprofits Need to Think More Like For-Profits' for some of my own thought on the topic. http://tonygoodrow.tigblog.org/post/36494)

The Business of Volunteer Resources Management: A Conversation
by Celeste Sauls-Marks

Recently, Volunteer Management Review talked with Martin Cowling, the CEO of People First-Total Solutions in Melbourne, Australia, about his views on the application of business techniques and entrepreneurialism in the field of volunteer resources management. His responses to our questions follow.

1. You have said that volunteer resources managers should use a business-like approach to their programs. Why do you feel this is becoming more important?

On one level I am not sure it is becoming more important as this has always been my view…the mission of the VRM is to ensure the organisation’s mission is met whilst providing volunteers with the best possible experience.

To do this within the limited resources and budgets we have requires us to employ a business like approach. Having said that the following changes are impacting on our field:
In many places the resources available in the non-profit sector for volunteer development are being frozen or reduced…we need to do more with the same budgets we had …or less.
Funders are demanding that we demonstrate we are targeted, efficient and responsible. They are looking for “returns” that match the funds they are investing.

“Baby boomers and Generation X” are looking for programs that meet their needs to give in particular ways within their specific time fames.

We need take a business like approach to how and whom we target in recruitment. The “scattergun” advertising approach if it ever worked is not an efficient way to harness the community in our work.

My only caveat is we must not let the “business” of doing the work squeeze out the human element of volunteering. Business techniques should be about enhancing the human element not minimizing it.

2. What role does entrepreneurialism play in volunteer resources management?

I believe it is imperative for Managers of Volunteers whether paid or unpaid need to see themselves as “social entrepreneurs” marrying innovative approaches and standard business skills to impact on social issues. This is a very different role to the traditional volunteer manager who in some organizations is seen as a babysitter or entertainer.

3. How can volunteer resources managers be more entrepreneurial?

We need to be clear about what our own personal vision is for the volunteer program. This requires us to take the time to articulate it…planning time is something volunteer managers neglect in their haste to be maintaining programs.
We need to measure the effectiveness of what we do: e.g.… How does this program impact on the mission of our organisation?

We need to tell the organisation what the impact of our work and approach is. Organisational and government resources will only be available to us if we can demonstrate the return we make.

VRMS could recruit volunteers from the community who are entrepreneurial in their views and work to work with us in a “senior volunteer administration or management” role. This means exposure to entrepreneurial ideas and influences, the ability to multiply personal workload through deploying innovative thinkers and openness to developing or expanding entrepreneurial programs.

We also need to communicate what the impact of our work is on the organisation in terms people understand.

4. The work that volunteers engage in is changing. For instance, we are seeing an increase in episodic volunteering and youth engagement. How does this impact volunteer resources managers?

The not for profit sector is facing one of our biggest challenges. The people who founded many of our institutions and have kept them going in the west are aging, and retiring form volunteer work. The attitudes being brought in by younger people who are living in a 7 day a week work environment, with more entertainment and study options than at any other time in history and the most incredible communication technologies ever seen have a completely different attitude to how they want to volunteer. How non-profits will delver services in this new environment needs to be considered urgently as it will not be the same in the 21 st Century.

The key thing is we need to understand that our community is as passionate about the world as any other generation has ever been but they want to engage in a very different way. For example, kids under 25 in Australia are passionately concerned about the environment yet membership of conservation organizations in that country is at low ebb. We have to find a way to bridge this disconnect. For example in the wake of Katrina in the US and the Tsunami in Asia, millions of people sought to find ways to engage with helping people in need. How do we harness this passion?

We have been talking about episodic volunteering and corporate volunteering since Nancy Macduff coined the phrase in the early 1990s but we are acting as if it’s a new trend now.


5. If volunteer resources managers change their approach to their programs, what results do you anticipate they will see?

They will be seen as the lead part of their agency and a powerhouse.
They will have a more rewarding job.
They will not have a shortage of volunteers
"Copyright © 2005 Celeste Sauls. All rights reserved.
This article is reprinted with permission from CharityChannel.com and the author of this article. The author holds the copyright to the article. To receive the entire issue by email each week, visit http://charitychannel.com/enewsletters and use the subscription form. To seek permission for reprints, visit http://charitychannel.com/enewsletters/reprints. For more information, contact CharityChannel at http://charitychannel.com/rapid-reply."

February 18, 2007 | 2:37 AM Comments  0 comments
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