Four steps for nonprofits to increase volunteering and giving
Original Medium Post HERE
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How we can strengthen collective purpose and relationships. How other sectors and individuals can help
“Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds constantly unite. Not only do they have commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but they also have a thousand other kinds . . . Americans use associations to give fêtes, to found seminaries, to build inns, to raise churches, to distribute books, to send missionaries to the antipodes . . .” — Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
If you volunteer or donate, how did you start? Did you search out the opportunity, or did someone find you?
I serve on several boards/ advisory boards and my wife and I are mentors. I joined every board because I was asked. I am a mentor because I founded the organization — so I kind of asked myself.
Our last post answered why nonprofits should increase collective joy and purpose, and engage more diverse volunteers and donors. This post examines how to make it happen (including how to ask), and the role government, philanthropy, and individuals must play.
How can nonprofits (and government) increase engagement of diverse community members, particularly those who have had fewer opportunities?
First, ask: how does engaging more members of your community align with your mission? What future do you envision? How will engaging those who often haven’t been engaged in volunteering and giving help you realize that vision?
After you[1] confirm the importance of this expanded engagement, you can increase that engagement by 1) asking; 2) building trust; 3) letting people know they can make a difference; and 4) redesigning volunteer and donation opportunities to make them more accessible.[2]
Some who are ready to volunteer or give haven’t been asked. You can reach them in a snowball fashion, slowly building your reach. First, connect with several diverse members of your community, as East Boston Social Centers has done in building the Family Engagement Network Parent Partners and Every Child Shines Family Champions programs (these parent leaders collectively speak more than five countries and hail from at least 8 countries of origin). Then, engage them as ambassadors in reaching others. An individual ask is always most effective — and could be even more needed when engaging those who haven’t been asked before, and who might not see themselves as potential donors or volunteers.
Before engaging some people, you will need to build trust. Trust in a variety of governmental and nongovernmental institutions has been declining in our country for fifty years,[3] and we can’t reverse that overnight — but we can start today. Proximity is the best way to build trust.[4] As you follow step 1, engaged friends and neighbors will spread the word and help build trust in your organization — and maybe our sector too.
Help people know they can make a difference. There has been a mutually reinforcing negative cycle: reduced focus on engaging diverse community members in service and donating leads to people believing they can’t make a difference, which leads them not to engage, etc. You can reverse that cycle by creating meaningful opportunities for more people. Steps 1 and 2 will help. The next step will too . . .
Redesign volunteer and donation opportunities to improve engagement. As you engage more diverse constituents, you can start a positive snowball effect here too — learning from them about how to better reach others.
Start with what you know; for example, many families with more modest incomes might be working longer/ less flexible hours and have less support for child care and other needs. You can identify more ways to engage outside work hours; ways to help families and others meet transportation, child care, and other needs so they can engage; and ways for people with a range of hours available to meaningfully contribute.
You can design a mix of fundraising events including some with very low entry costs, so more people can join.
Government and funders must help
Some traditional metrics of nonprofit impact must change. One frequently used measure of nonprofit and fundraising effectiveness is fundraising “efficiency.” Major gift fundraising is among the most “efficient” investments; this post estimates it costs $.05 to $.10 to raise $1 through major gift fundraising vs. $.20 to $1.25 to raise $1 through direct mail acquisition or renewal (often used for smaller dollar donations).
However, if we shift our point of view — and see the ways in which building a community coalition of donors and volunteers is part of our mission, we can think very differently about those ratios and about the role of those donors and volunteers.
Funders and government should recognize the importance of this work of connecting people with purpose (and thereby strengthening social capital). They can ask nonprofits, for example, how many donors (of any dollar amount) we have — as a measure of community engagement. They can directly fund capacity building focused on expanding volunteer and giving opportunities.
Government and philanthropy have faced a decline in trust in recent years too. They too can implement recommendations from this article to increase engagement of diverse stakeholders in their work — to rebuild trust.
Individuals
This, and the last, post have focused on volunteering and donating, but there are many powerful ways to pursue purpose in community. Individuals can help other individuals in community — through Mutual Aid organizations or our own efforts. We can support family members in need. We can support loved ones in their journey to purpose.
Those who are socially isolated can connect with people and with purpose through mentoring, intergenerational connection, and group volunteering.
When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States more than 190 years ago, he found people building associations and finding purpose together. We continue to have that spirit, but it has waned and we can strengthen it. We can build communities of purpose: communities of joy, together.
This is the 42nd post about boosting joy the only way we can: in community. Please share, subscribe, and join our movement by emailing me or supporting East Boston Social Centers. Stay joyful, East Boston.
East Boston Social Centers Parent Partners and staff recently gathered to celebrate each other and their great work together!
[1] Although I say “you” here, I am addressing this to myself too. I recognize I (and we) have much more work to do — and I appreciate the support of our board, staff, funders — and you, toward these goals!
[2] These steps need not be sequential. All should be repeated to continue to engage more community members.
[4] That is why trust in the nonprofit sector remains relatively high — but could decreased engagement with nonprofits be a factor underlying decreasing levels of trust in this sector?