7 traits of an effective volunteer: 1. RESULTS DRIVEN You want volunteers with a GSD mindset. They want their causes to generate major positive impact. This means implementing great programs, meaningful fund raising and attracting more amazing volunteers. They are driven by the bottom line: results. At Room To Read, the founder, John Wood, included the number of libraries, schools and girl scholarships created in his sign off email signature. He updated it real time. 2. PASSIONATE PROFESSIONALISM People bring their best to work, so they should bring their best to their volunteer effort. Mix that professionalism with passion and the result is impressive. At Toilet Hackers, we are collaborating with Gensler, the world’s largest design firm. And throughout the organization there are architects and designers, who are now toilet hackers. One of our Gensler champions is Smita Gupta, a director of the Indian operations. Her work ethic, professionalism and passion is expanding Toilet Hacker’s innovation frontier. And she adds that on top of her crazy travel schedule, intense workload and family commitments. 3. COLLABORATIVE TRIBAL MINDSET Most non-profits run on lean budgets. The upside of this is you need to throw open the doors of your organization. You need to invite in others. In fact, you need an entire eco-system of excellence to emerge. And the best volunteers understand this and work with the non-profit’s leadership to identify, cultivate and realize highly value added partnerships. One of the best places to see collaborative tribes is within the Tedx community. I witnessed this first hand in both Costa Rica at TedxJovenPuraVida and in Japan at TedxFukuoka. Creating forums to spread breakthrough ideas is complex and takes tribal levels of commitment. At a global level, the Tedx volunteer community has produced world class events. The results speak for themselves. After 4 years, the Tedx YouTube channel has had over 100 million views. This would only be possible with a vast tribe of amazing volunteers. 4. MAKE NO EXCUSES They stick to their commitments. They have a zero flake factor. If they say they will contribute something specific, they do their absolute best to make it happen. They are problem solvers and hack, tinker and persist till they find a way forward. 5. CONSTANT CHAMPIONS Amazing volunteers have no off switch. They always find a way to spread the word. It may be as simple as asking their friends to follow their organization on Twitter, Facebook or Linked-in. They may find ways to bring visibility to the story in corporate newsletters, local radio shows and newspapers. They create speaking opportunities to demonstrate thought leadership in classrooms. They strengthen the tribe by enlisting their best and brightest friends, family and professional relationships. The purpose and passion for the mission integrates into their daily lives. 6. ENERGIZERS They are the original energy drink. You feel amped when collaborating with these folks. When the different volunteers get together it is magical. Friendships form, fun is present and it feels like family. 7. ITS A MATCH Amazing volunteers think less about what they can get from the experience of volunteering and more about what they can contribute. Sometimes there is a mismatch between what the volunteer wants to contribute and what the organization needs. The best for the organization is to suggest alternate organizations to the volunteer. Volunteers bring a wide range of contributions to the table. It could be seasoned skills or raw energy. It could be fund raising power or field expertise. They could be one-off contributions or on-going commitments. Regardless of the particular contribution or the duration of that volunteer’s presence, if you want take on the super sized challenges, then put a sign on your door that says: AMAZING VOLUNTEERS WELCOMED. You will be glad you did and so will the cause you are championing.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:53:18 +0000
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