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August 20, 2008
How Volunteering Can Lead To A Successful Business
I've been very fortunate to have been involved with volunteer programs that have had many good volunteer managers.
I also think having been a volunteer manager myself in the early 90s for the Erie Lakeside Branch of the Red Cross that I have learned many transferable skills and I now know what works and what doesn't when it comes to volunteer management and volunteer programs.
Volunteer managers have to juggle the different motivations their volunteers have as well as the various personalities, expertise, skills and undiscovered talents. A good volunteer managers must learn how to motivate each in a manner that honors each volunteer.
Many volunteers begin by making demands concerning their schedule and expect the volunteer manager to adapt to their requests rather than the other way around.
Volunteer managers often have to balance out what the agency needs and what your needs are and make them as perfect a fit as they can. Not all agencies or non profit groups can always do that. But most volunteer managers will do the best they can to accommodate their volunteers and their needs, whether they are able-bodied or disabled.
James Elekes describes the practices of well managed volunteer programs and identifies the following as being important:
- "Challenge individuals to explore and find their niche to optimize their contributions.
- "Are willing to allow the individual to explore their service options to optimize their experience and contributions.
- "Coach/mentor the individual to provide a 'Learning Experience' that challenges their knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's).
James concludes by saying "Ideally, the gains one receives from 'Community/Volunteer Service' gives the individual a sense of value added to their life once they've completed their interaction with the organization/entity."
While you are researching what volunteer position you want, don't be afraid to check out the volunteer program itself. Interview the volunteers, the volunteer manager, even the Executive Director or a Board Member to get a "feel" for the agency to see if you'd make a good fit. Seize the opportunity to look at leadership styles and how an effective volunteer manager may play an important role in what you learn in being a leader in school, in your church, at home or at your place of work.
You may even find that your experiences as a volunteer can create a niche that you might fill as an entrepreneur.
Read this eSight resource:
How Volunteering Can Lead To A Successful Business
Then join in our conversation this week and let's explore,
"How can volunteering help you
learn entrepreneurial skills?"
Add your comments to this posting
Posted by Liz Seger at August 20, 2008 06:06 PM
Comments
My wife has a problem reading small print ,can you make it LARGER ?
Posted by: ED KOSCIC at August 20, 2008 07:05 PM
Timely question. Have several SCORE (Sr. Corp of Retired Executives) working with our Office this week to assist those who are exploring alternatives to traditional "brick and morter" employment. i'm providing their most significant comments, specifically:
1) Time Management is critical. If you're starting a business, the old adage, "Time is money" is absolutely true. Every wasted minute, motion or excuse means you have to work twice as hard to restore the momentum lost in the pursuit.
2) "Plan" then, "execute". If you execute without a plan, you cannot achieve. When you set out a plan, it has logical, sequential steps and, most important, an outcome. Whether it be a specified number of contacts that week or, a specified number of sales, the plan and its steps should be the driving force to execute and arrive at the desired outcomes.
3) Add "Value" to whatever you do. Don't be satisfied with good enough, if you're in business, you've got to impress the client/customer. Good enough isn't going to cut it when there are 100 more out there just like you. "WOW" is the impression you need leave with a perspective employer, client or consumer of your service.
4) "no" means you didn't make the effort. If, you're in sales or a service industry, "No" means you didn't try hard enough. Chances are you didn't put yourself in the other individual's position and evaluate from his/her perspective what you were asking them to consider. It's not about "you", it's absolutely about "What can you do to make their job easier or organization better".
5) Sincere "Thank You". After you've done everything you can humanly do to make the sale, provide the service or, improve the organization's efficiency, it's not about blowing your own horn! "Thank you" is the most often forgotten phrase that links you to a second purchase of your product or service. It says in two simple words "I appreciate your business" and, "I value you as a client/contact/professional". It's the "Thank you" that secures the connection made and reinforces the value placed in the individual/entity.
Posted by: James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM at August 20, 2008 07:18 PM
Ed, If your wife is having issues with "print size", you may want to explore the Operating systems (O/S) self-contained accessibility features. Both MicroSoft and Apple have built-in features to adjust contrast, print font and, its size to make viewing easier. If interested, send me an "E-Mail with a blank Subject Line and, I'll return the info for contacting MicroSoft or Apple Accessibility Group to obtain additional information.
Posted by: James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM at August 20, 2008 07:29 PM
In 1998, I still felt uncomfortable in an online environment, particularly as a marketer and publicist.
I then met George Buys, founder of Talking Communities, through an e-mail list and was captivated by his vision of what the Internet could be for people with visual impairments.
I worked with George as a volunteer for a couple of months in getting the word out about the first forerunner of Talking Communities, and he really showed me how to carry out online publicity.
That set the stage for my career (almost 10 years) with eSight (both as an independent contractor and employee) and the eventual formation of my online small business, which specializes in offering baby boomers with acquired disabilities the opportunity to grow in their perceptions about what it means to be personally vulnerable.
Posted by: Jim Hasse at August 21, 2008 10:26 AM
Ed,
Thank you for writing to the eSight Networking Forum. Here are some suggestions on how to increase the text size in your browser.
Depending on what browser you are using you can change the text size in different ways.
In FireFox, a browser that I use all the time, just hold down the control key and press + (plus) to increase or - (minus) to decrease text size.
In Internet Explorer do one of the following:
1. If you are using the mouse
On the Internet Explorer menu bar:
* Select View.
* Point to Text Size.
In the Text Size list:
* Select the text size that best meets your needs.
2. If you are using the keyboard
On the Internet Explorer menu bar:
* Open the View menu by pressing ALT+V.
* Select Text Size by pressing X.
In the Text Size list:
* Move to the text size option that best meets your needs by pressing the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW key.
* Press ENTER.
Hope this helps,
Marten Tegnestam
eSight Careers Network
Posted by: Marten at August 21, 2008 02:24 PM