Interesting! Valuing volunteers as much as donors. I feel recently a lot of orgs have started seeing volunteering opportunities as their way of contributing to people’s skills and fewer of them (volunteers) contributing to the organization. They think a certificate and an opportunity to lead a program or event is a BIG favour they are doing on volunteers’ skill building.
Very intersting one Venkar. Sharing a summary of this article:
The article starts off with the author vacationing in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and stumbling upon a vegan banh mi stand. The delicious sandwich becomes a metaphor for the complex ingredients needed in the nonprofit sector, especially volunteers.
The author argues that volunteers are a critical but often underappreciated aspect of nonprofit work. In the U.S., volunteers contribute around 8 billion hours of service each year, equivalent to $173 billion. But despite this, many nonprofits don’t have a dedicated role for volunteer management like they do for fundraising.
The article highlights the disparity in how volunteers and donors are treated. Donors often receive handwritten notes and calls, while volunteers, who donate their valuable time, may not get the same level of acknowledgment. The author argues that this discrepancy stems from the unconscious societal belief that money is more valuable than time.
Some recommendations are:
- Have a full-time volunteer engagement professional.
- Recognize the role of volunteers in marginalized communities.
- Treat volunteers like donors, valuing their time as you would a monetary donation.
- Make volunteer appreciation a regular part of the work.
The author likens an effective nonprofit to a well-made banh mi sandwich, where each ingredient (staff, board, donors, volunteers) is important. In this metaphor, volunteers are like the “pickled daikon,” often overlooked but absolutely crucial for the whole thing to come together.