Rethinking Volunteers

Channeling talent and making them count

By Denise Olczak
Photos Courtesy Of Mystic Mountain Training Center

Terry was recruited in 2001 to serve as a volunteer camp nurse, and has faithfully returned for 13 summers. Like most volunteers, he also holds a full-time job in the private sector. However, Terry opted to organize his life around his volunteer position by working 12-hour shifts with extended days off and taking vacation time during camp weeks. Over the years, Terry has expanded his area of expertise, becoming a certified shooting-sports instructor. A few years after Terry began volunteering, his wife Beverly volunteered as an art instructor. Under her direction, the program has grown into one of the most popular among campers. Over the years, both of their children have become so involved in the teen-leadership program at camp that even as college students they chose to step into major adult leadership roles rather than seek full-time paying positions elsewhere. Josh has become an expert in challenge-course planning, construction, and instruction, and now serves as the program’s director. Rachael heads the camp’s photography department, and assisted in creating a promotional video for the summer program.

As Beverly and Terry and their family illustrate, volunteering—when channeled correctly—can be one of a camp’s most valuable assets. Sadly, according to a report titled “The New Volunteer Workforce” in the Stanford Social Innovations Review , “of the 61.2 million people who volunteered in 2006, 21.7 million—more than one-third—did not donate any time to a charitable cause the following year. Because these volunteers gave about 1.9 billion hours in 2006, the value of their donated time was about $20 an hour—that calculates to about $38 billion in lost volunteer time in one year.” Volunteers can do much more than stuff envelopes. Unfortunately, most camps are letting this talent slip away like water from a dripping faucet.

As budgets continue to get tighter, camps are being forced to be more creative in carrying out objectives. And it is just not money that is tight. In a 2007 study by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, it was noted that 45 percent of nonprofit workers predict their next job will NOT be at a nonprofit. These young staffers cite burnout as one of the top reasons for leaving.

So what can be done? The economy has been in a tailspin for the past several years. Employers have offered early-retirement packages to many professionals and layoffs to others. But many retired or currently unemployed professionals could mentor camp staff. This is a win-win for everyone. Mentors can teach the young staff skills that will help prevent burnout and improve morale. So what’s in it for the volunteer? There is no greater gift than sharing knowledge and watching a person blossom under one’s tutelage. And for those who are still in the job market, volunteering is an opportunity to keep skills up to date. It is also worth noting on a resume.

New Vision—New Opportunities
In order to retain volunteers, opportunities must be created that are meaningful to this group by tapping into their existing areas of expertise and finding the things they are passionate about. One of the excuses that people offer for not volunteering is they are just too busy. However, many of these same people watch thousands of hours of useless television or spend a great deal of time on video or computer games every year. There must be ways to engage these people and fill them with a drive and passion for the camping mission.

According to the Stanford Social Innovations Review , only 53 percent of volunteers who did “general labor activities or supplied transportation” continued volunteering the following year. By contrast, 74 percent of volunteers performing professional or management activities continued volunteering.

So, how do we improve the connection between camps and volunteers? Take a look:

• Although it might sound odd, small gestures—like providing titles and name tags—make a real difference. Volunteers should never be viewed as less valuable than paid staff members. Both need to know they are appreciated for all they do. One way to address this is to call everyone “staff,” even though some are volunteers and some are paid. Titles provide validity and purpose. The titles don’t even have to be that formal to make a positive impression. How about “Queen of the Kitchen,” or for someone who just seems to know how to fix everything, “Jack of all Trades,” and my favorite: “Mover and Shaker.”
  
  

• An old adage is “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” If volunteers are to play a key role in camps, administration must actively plan for their involvement. By treating volunteers as a valuable resource, camps can creatively delegate challenging work and match volunteers with areas that interest them. And if volunteers are satisfied in the work they are doing, the costs associated with replacing them annually will be reduced.
  
  

• Volunteer labor is currently rated at more than $20 per hour, and should be recognized in a camp’s annual report, as it is a valuable commodity to be celebrated and shared with the community.
  
  

• Volunteers need to be supported in what they do. All staff—paid or volunteer—should participate in orientation and training classes, working together on important projects such as creating curriculum and determining camp policies. Remember—volunteers are the best recruiters for other volunteers; if they are treated as a valuable commodity, they will return.

How To Attract Volunteer Talent
1.) Across the country, many community foundations and some nonprofit agencies have created central location websites where people interested in volunteering can explore different agencies and opportunities. Other social media, such as Facebook and blogs, can also be utilized. These are opportunities for people to provide valuable services to camps without having to leave their home or office. The key is finding the right fit.

2.) Pro bono business services are another emerging pool of talent. These can be anything from accounting to law services and anything in between that is deemed appropriate by the corporate community. Many corporations encourage their employees to volunteer for nonprofits. Camps should actively search out and make these connections.

3.) Baby boomers are now beginning to retire and taking with them a vast wealth of skills. Generally healthier and more educated than their parents, boomers are predicted to live long into their 70s and 80s. Studies have shown that working—whether paid or volunteer—helps keep people connected to social networks and promotes volunteering. At the other end of the spectrum, a recent study showed that 68 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 26 prefer to work for a company that provides professional volunteer opportunities.

4.) An often overlooked avenue for volunteers is America’s youth. With the downturn in the economy, jobs for teens are becoming more difficult to locate. Yet teens have so much positive energy and enthusiasm to offer to camps. We have found that if the bar is raised for excellence in a teen leadership program dedicated to camp volunteer service, the teen, given the right encouragement and supervision, will meet or exceed it every time. Many college-scholarship opportunities are dependent on volunteer service done in high school. Volunteering is an incredible opportunity to build a strong work ethic in youth.

5.) Another avenue often overlooked is the college environment. Many schools mandate as a graduation requirement that students give back to the community. These students can bring to camps a whole new level of expertise and enthusiasm.

A new wave of volunteer talent is sweeping America, and camps need to look at this potential and see what a tremendous gift this can be to the industry.

Denise Olczak is the executive director of MysticMountainTrainingCenter, located in northwest Pennsylvania. Over 50 volunteers are currently involved in the summer-camp program.

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Why do Volunteers Stay?
The MysticMountainTrainingCenter recently surveyed summer-camp volunteers to find what draws them to the organization year after year. Here are the results:

• Ownership of programs and projects

• Service in areas of strength

• Enjoyment, even in some of the necessary dirty work

• A servant leadership style versus top-down dictated management

• Recognition and appreciation

• Speaking blessings into someone else’s life

• Knowledge that one is part of not just a community, but a family

• A feeling that one is involved with something of eternal significance, making a real difference in people’s lives.