Amber Smith

In celebration of National Volunteer Month, this is the second of two posts by guest blogger Amber Smith of ME³, a volunteer-matching organization in Wake County, NC. Read Part 1 here.

Roadblocks to volunteer participation, Continued

• Roadblock #3: Lack of Time. A lack of time is often cited as one of the most common reasons not to volunteer. This seems logical in our fast-paced, busy world. But nonprofits who can are adjusting to our schedules, making it easier for busy individuals to still get involved by hosting volunteer opportunities that are one-day-only, short-term, or can even be done virtually from home. Not only that, but a one-day opportunity may be a great chance for a friend who is new to volunteering to get his or her feet wet. Finding these opportunities is as simple as an internet search.
• Roadblock #4: Negative Past Experiences. As an active volunteer, you know that the occasional volunteer misadventure is bound to happen; managers of volunteers and events are only human! But for some, a bad experience can turn off their urge to volunteer altogether. If a friend has had such an experience it may be their reason for non-involvement today. In your self-proclaimed role as Volunteerism Advocate, consider engaging your friend in an open, honest dialogue about their experience. Help them identify what went wrong during their stint as a volunteer. Then, you can relay your own positive experiences and invite them to give it another go.
• Roadblock #5: Nobody has asked them to! One of the major reasons non-volunteers mentioned for not getting involved is simply that no one has asked them to partcipate! Out of current volunteers, nearly half (43.7%) became involved because at some point, a trusted friend or associate approached them and invited them to get started. This issue is easily resolved: Just ask.

Last but not least, make it (even more) fun! A great volunteer experience by itself is sure to be a blast. But there’s nothing wrong with enhancing the fun factor for newly-involved friends. A great added incentive to volunteer is the promise of social interaction, so ice the charitable-cake by inviting a group of friends to join you and your new recruit to volunteer, or make plans to go out to lunch afterward. And later, schedule regular “volunteer dates” and make it a social tradition! You’ve already discovered the joy of volunteering. Now, you can pass it on.
 

Amber Smith is the President of ME³ (Motivate, Educate, Empower, and Engage), a nonprofit organization that promotes volunteerism and community involvement in Wake County, NC and beyond. As an active volunteer, Amber co-founded ME³ in 2005 to help close the gap between those individuals who wanted to help out in the community but didn't know how to start, and those community organizations that needed volunteer support. Amber also works with NC State's Institute for Nonprofits as the Nonprofit Studies Minor coordinator while she works to complete a Masters in Public Administration with a Nonprofit Management focus.