8 Tips for Writing the Perfect Thank You Note

From the HandsOn Network Blog

You’ve thanked the volunteers that serve with your organization, right? Thanking them when they’re serving is important, but it’s also important to show them that their service is important even when they’re not serving. A thank you note sent to a volunteer at their home is a great reminder that they’re an important part of the organization. Here are eight tips for writing personal thank you notes to your volunteers:

1) Focus on the volunteer.

Before you write the thank you note, try writing the volunteer’s address on the envelope and write it out by hand. As you’re writing their address, think about your relationship to the volunteer; think about where they’re living and how they’re serving. It will help you to write an individual message for that volunteer

2) Write the note by hand.

Unless the number of volunteers your organization has makes writing a thank you note by hand unfeasible, take the extra time to write the note out by hand. A hand written note will mean more to your volunteers and shows that you’ve taken the time to focus on each volunteer specifically.

3) Talk about the volunteer’s service directly.

When you’re thanking your volunteer for their service, include a note about something that the volunteer has done. Whether it’s figuring out a new way to do something, making sure that the people they work with are always smiling, or being the only one that can figure out how to make the copier stop squeaking, be sure to draw attention to it.

4) Talk about how the volunteer’s service is changing or improving the organization

If the new way of doing something improves the office work flow, tell the volunteer how many hours the improvement saves over the course of a year. If the volunteer helps to buoy everyone’s spirits, tell the volunteer how their presence makes everyone’s day a little easier to get through.

5) Try writing a draft before writing out a thank you card.

Your writing will get a little bit better with each draft. You can keep an early version of the thank you note in the volunteer’s file where it can serve as a reminder of the great work they’ve done for your organization.

6) Keep it simple.

Your thank you note doesn’t have to be a complicated and involved. It doesn’t have to be a Presidential address. It can be two or three lines, simply written that come from the heart. Pretty words are great when you’re trying to charm someone, but meaningful words are more important when you’re trying to thank them.

7) Think of how your organization can serve the volunteer better.

If there is something that your organization can do to make the volunteer’s work easier to do, mention that you’re trying to make those things happen. Whether it’s a brighter desk lamp, more thorough trainings, or simply involving the volunteers more in the day-to-day operation of your organization, let the volunteers know that you’re willing to support them and the work that they do as much as they support you and your organization.

8) Write a lot of thank you notes.

If you’re not used to writing thank you notes to your volunteers, write a lot of them. It will get easier, and you’ll get better at it. Remember, you can never say thank you too many times.

What are some of the ways that you’ve said thank you to the volunteers you work with? Let us know about the awesome ways of showing your volunteers that you appreciate them – whether it’s high fives in the hallways or winter wellness kits full of tissues and vitamin c. Let us know in the comments!

A Proof-Reader Looking for Something to Read

A wonderful volunteer contacted us looking for a specific opportunity. She has an eye for editing and would love to proof-read any of your marketing materials, press releases, etc. Her only request is the material be emailed to her since she doesn't have a lot of extra cash for gas. Please email Melissa if you would like to connect with this volunteer.

Money for Good Study: Sharing Information About Your Org’s Results Can Attract More Donors

From Beth Kanter's Blog

GuideStar and Hope Consulting have released the results of new study, Money for Good II (MFGII).

The findings suggest that if nonprofits are more transparent in sharing information about their results online that they could attract more donors. The research found that two-thirds of individuals do not typically research the organizations they donate to compared those that advise donors and foundation grant-makers do due dilligence on every dollar they contribute. Despite these different approaches – giving from the heart versus the head – both groups want a broad range of information on the nonprofits’ impact, financials, anad legitimacy.

The study also states that donors want to be able to obtain this information from third-party portals and 53 percent of donors survyed want to use such sites. There is a high demand for data that shows how the nonprofit has been effective and made an impact. The research also suggests that if donors had better information to make their decisions and 5% used it to donate to the most effective nonprofits, this could lead to shift of $15 billion in contributed income to be invested in high performing nonprofits.

The study states that these findings offer an opportunity for nonprofits to better connect with donors by providing more detailed information about their performance and it is also an opportunity to educate donors about the need to research before donating.

The study points out that nonprofits can increase their fundraising and improve operations through an intentional focus on measurement – that helps them determine impact, effectiveness, and efficiency. After financial information, individual donors want information about how nonprofits are getting their results. (See above).

Does your nonprofit have a measurement system in place so that you can communicate results to potential donors?

Important Update to the Partner Portal. ACTION REQUIRED!

HandsOn Connect is updating this month to improve functionality. As a part of the HandsOn training for this, we realized that there is confusion about what type of volunteer opportunity to post. As we promised in HandsOn Connect training, we will continue to teach you more as we learn more. We have updated our training manual to increase the clarity and hopefully improve your posting experience. The updated training materials are live right now in HandsOn Connect, in the Documents tab. For many of you, this means you need to login to your account and make a few changes to your active opportunities. We understand this is a hassle. We really appreciate your willingness to work with us in this new system. We also promise this extra effort will be worth it in the long run! This resource to the community becomes more popular with volunteers everyday.

The main issue we have encountered is the difference between occurrences and recurrences. Please see the edited definitions below for clarification.

A Few Tips to Optimize your "Searchability" on HandsOn Connect

Would you like to help volunteers find your organization on HandsOn Connect, HandsOn's new volunteer database? We have a few helpful tips that will ensure volunteers can find you based on interest and impact area.

1. Select Your Impact Area and Population Served. If you are the primary contact on our account, login and take a look at the My Organization tab. You will see drop down menus for both impact area and population served. If your organization would like to select more than one item from these lists, send what you would like selected to Melissa. Unfortunately, partners can only select one of each at this time. We hope that will change in the future.

2. Beef up your Organization Description. On top of ensuring volunteers know the population you serve and the impact area you work in, you can also add key works to your organizational description. This section is again under the My Organization tab. It is labeled Mission Statement in the Partner Portal but it is not labeled on the public site so you can put anything you want in there. Include common search words like literacy, environment, at risk youth, etc. This will help volunteers find you when they conduct basic searches on the database.

3. Make sure you have an active opportunity available for sign up. Like many of us, volunteers hate running into a dead end! Imagine finding an organization that fits your values and interests only for it to appear that the organization isn't currently seeking volunteers. Even if you do not have a specific need available, always have at least one general opportunity active. Remember the goal is to make it easy for volunteers to engage with you. Also, organizations who are not active on the database are sometimes hidden from searches. Don't miss out on meeting a great volunteer!

Kids of the World! Pledge it UP! Worth a 100,000 Toys!

Hey Kids! Pledge to volunteer and up to 100,000 toys will be donated through Toys for Tots!

 

Giving back during the holidays doesn't have to be complicated. Despite the hectic nature of the season, we have the perfect solution to engage the kids and teens in your life in meaningful service.

Turn the spirit of giving into action with the generationOn Holiday Gift Campaign. From Nov. 29 through Dec. 13, for each pledge made to volunteer during the holidays or in the new year, Hasbro will donate a toy to a child in need through Toys for Tots - up to 100,000 toys. 

Need ideas for projects? We've got you covered. Already have a volunteer activity planned in the new year? Great - you can pledge that, too. Each pledge to serve puts a toy in the hands of a child in need.  Double your giving and take action during the holidays at our website.

Strategies for Dealing with Unreliable Volunteers

Written by Shawn Kendrick, VolunteerHub.com

As much as we appreciate volunteers, there are always a few, however, that throw a wrench into our plans due to their unreliability. Managing Volunteers You know the ones.... The "over-scheduler" who calls at the last minute to let you know he has a conflict and won't be able to make it. Or the "amnesia victim" whose scheduled time just slipped her mind. The intentions may be good, but these unreliable helpers can really impact the effectiveness of your event or program. The question is how to deal with them. Again, the answer lies in treating volunteers similarly to the way you treat paid employees. There's very little research specific to handling troublesome volunteers, but there is a wealth of human resource data aimed at dealing with regular employees who may be problematic. This can serve as our guiding light in dealing with volunteers. When addressing problems such as unreliability, Dr. Joanne Sujansky, founder of the management consulting firm KeyGroup, suggests the following approach. (Note: where Dr. Sujansky refers to employees in her article, we modify it here to specify volunteers.)

Be specific - Don't exaggerate or make generalized statements statements like "you're never on time." Stick to exact accounts, such as "you've had to cancel the last two times you've been scheduled."

Focus on the requirements of the job - Be clear in explaining how the unreliability affects everyone. It's quite possible that your volunteers don't understand how integral their roles are. With some clarity, they may take matters more seriously.

Consider the needs of the volunteer - Always try to address the situation in the manner you think will get the best results from that volunteer. Keep in mind that some are straight shooters and would prefer you get to the point, while others may seem crushed to hear they aren't doing well. With this in mind, strongly consider how you are going to deliver the message.

Give timely feedback- Don't wait a long time to address a problem situation. Of course, if there is a highly emotional or stressful environment at the time of the poor performance, wait until it has subsided.

Make sure the volunteer understands - Don't ask a bunch of closed-ended questions. If you ask the volunteer if s/he understands, the answer is likely to be yes, whether your point came across or not. So, at the end of the discussion, it's a good idea to ask your volunteer to paraphrase what you just said. From there, you can see if s/he truly gets what you are saying.

Document - Always create a paper trail of your conversations, as well as the behaviors before and after them. The trick here is to be objective and document both good and bad. Many managers fall into the trap of only documenting problematic behavior.

As Dr. Sujansky points out, most people in positions of authority hesitate to confront individuals about poor performance. However, if you do, one of two things will probably happen:

1) the volunteer's track record will improve.

2) the individual will deselect himself/herself from your volunteer pool.

In the long run, either of these two outcomes is likely to result in a more dedicated, cohesive, and productive group of volunteers for your organization.

Tools and Tips for Interviewing

From ServiceLeader.org

An interview is a conversation with a purpose. This conversation provides a framework for you to get to know the prospective volunteer and for the volunteer to get to know you and your organization. Information garnered in the interview is invaluable as you look for service placements that fit your volunteers and as you find ways to maximize the volunteer opportunity for all concerned.

Interviews vary based on the complexity of the opportunity. As the service opportunity grows in complexity so too does the interview. As a rule of thumb, interviewing protocols for volunteers parallel those utilized for salaried positions, including securing personal and background reference checks for positions that require this level of scrutiny. Less intensive service opportunities and group projects are generally handled more informally often involving simple record keeping so that you are able to follow-up with volunteers and invite them back for additional service opportunities.

Read More and View other Helpful Resources!

How Will the Public See you on the HandsOn Website?

The new HandsOn Connect Database continues to grow in popularity with volunteers throughout the community. Have you considered what people might see when they look up your organization on the database?

Remember the content about your organization in Connect is completely controlled by you! We know that some struggle with using the site or prefer to remain less active. However, consider the message you send when volunteers hit a dead end. Even if you do not have or wish to share specific needs on HandsOn Connect please consider maintaining a general volunteer posting so people have a easy way to contact you. You could update that posting as little as once a year. You never know who you might encounter!

Be Loud! Demand Training!

Our annual partner services survey has been open and available since 8.23.11. Only 6% of our total partner agencies have completed this survey, which informs how we communicate with you and which services we provide. At this point it looks like there is not a need to offer volunteer management trainings as a series for this fiscal year. We will leave the survey open until 11.09.11 to give you an opportunity to have your voice heard if you want specific trainings to be offered. The survey is available on this link.

Volunteer Management Advocacy Kit

As a member of the Oregon state Committee on Volunteerism, the HandsOn team had the opportunity to help craft a Volunteer Management Advocacy Kit.  This kit serves to equip volunteer managers to advocate for their profession, offering strategies, tools, resources and connections.

In addition, there are great resource at Reimagining Service, a national coalition of multi-sector representatives whose aim is to convert good intentions into greater impact.

6 Tips for Recruiting Boomer Volunteers

From the HandsOn Network Blog

Why are boomers the future of volunteering? First, because of their sheer size: boomers represent about 77 million potential volunteers. They also have longevity on their side; this group has an average life expectancy of 83 years. That, coupled with higher levels of income and savings than earlier waves of retirees, suggest they have both the time and resources for volunteering.

Could you benefit from boomer volunteers? Here are some tips to help recruit them:

• Boomers may be highly resistant to a group that includes the previous generation. They may be highly resistant to words like “senior”, “older adult”, “golden years”, “mature adult”, etc. Be creative – anecdotal evidence shows that “experienced” may appeal to this demographic. “Experienced” avoids negative connotations associated with aging and highlights the fact that you value their experience and skills.
• Be highly aware of the images used in materials targeted towards boomers. According to the Boomer Project national survey, boomers see themselves as being
• at least 12 years younger than their chronological age. Images of individuals they perceive as “elderly” may be unappealing to boomers – they want to see people who reflect their own self-image.
• Consider using words other than “volunteer” which is often associated with negative images of PTA lunches or menial tasks unappealing to boomers. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center came up with the name “Pro-Bono Consultants” after several volunteers felt as if they were continuing their professional work – but in an unpaid capacity.
• According to the Harvard study, Reinventing Aging, boomers are less likely to volunteer out of a response to civic duty or obligation. For goal-oriented boomers, a message shows how they can make a difference in their community is more effective.
• Boomers may need to have a sense of “what’s in it for me?” Recent studies have shown the health benefits of volunteering, as well as the social benefits that may be important as boomers leave the workplace.
• Bear in mind that boomers may never fully “retire” – they express a strong interest in continuing part-time work or self-employment. Even a boomer who works a few hours a year may not consider themselves “retired” – tailor you messages, as well as your opportunities, accordingly.

Calling all MLK Day 2012 Projects!

I know Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2012 (January 16, 2012) seems so far away. However, it will come up fast!

HandsOn is happy to announce we will be engaging at least 500 volunteers from many groups including Willamette and Corban Universities. You all know what that means! We need your projects. Because of school schedules and the holiday break we need to send projects to groups for sign up before Thanksgiving. Please note you do not need to give us the exact details of what a group would be doing. We just need to know a general idea of what you might have them do (ex. landscaping, cleaning, sorting, etc.) and the minimum and maximum number of volunteers you can accommodate. All projects will need to take place on King Day. However,

Again we need to a rough list of projects by Thanksgiving. Please submit your ideas and needs to Melissa.

We will, of course, also highlight all projects posted on HandsOn Connect after the Thanksgiving deadline. However, if you would like to tap into an almost guaranteed group of volunteers, the sooner we know the details, the better.

Statistics: The dementors of your nonprofit’s story

From Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog, www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com

The most important advice I can give you as a storyteller for your cause is to put a single living creature - not a statistic - at the heart of your story.

To borrow an image from a very accomplished storyteller - JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame - statistics are the dementors of your nonprofit’s story. For those of you who haven’t read the books or seen the movies, dementors are the horrific monsters that suck the souls and happy emotion out of people with a deathly kiss.

If your story stars a statistic, it will suck out the soul of your cause and wring the emotion out of your story. All that will be left is a dry, depressing shell with no heartbeat.

After making this point in a speech last week, a lovely person from a DC-based nonprofit came up to me and said: “But our statistics are so convincing! A third of children in Washington live in poverty. That’s surely the best place to begin a story.”

I said something like this: That is a very sad statistic, but it’s not a story. It’s a fact looking for a person. I encouraged her to tell the story of one child they have helped. Let’s call him Peter. Paint a vivid portrait of all Peter has faced and how the organization has given him the gift of reading and a shot at a future that wasn’t possible before. Then make the point that for every group of three children in Washington, there is one Peter. People will feel that in a way they will never feel 36%.

Numbers aren’t inherently bad, but they aren’t the place to start or end your story. You have to bring forward the living beings behind the stats to forge a true connection. Tell a good story so the facts truly matter.

Holiday Volunteer Opportunities

I know what you are thinking...HandsOn is worse than department stores. It isn't even Halloween yet and we are already talking about the holidays.

Well the truth is people are already thinking about what kind of service they will do this holiday season. I can't tell you how many inquiries HandsOn received last year from people desperate to spread holiday cheer. While many volunteers call us expecting to connect with an opportunity to serve meals to those experiencing homelessness, they are not unwilling to look at other options. So please share your holiday volunteer needs with us! Post your volunteer opportunities on the database. Are you hosting a gift, food or clothing drive? Let us know! Each Holiday Season we dedicate a page on our website to opportunities like these that are wonderful deeds but aren't volunteer opportunities.

Bring Reflection to your Volunteering Programs!

Reflection is a very important aspect of service that is so often forgotten. Check out some tips for incorporating reflection into your programs from the HandsOn Network.

Reflection doesn’t have to be a structured activity – be creative in how you include reflection into service projects!

When you’re planning how to include reflection into service, be sure to remember the following:

• Allow time for reflection. Blocking out some time at the end of a service project for reflection is important. Not just because it’s including reflection in the project, but because allows volunteers to organize their thoughts about the day.
• Directly relate reflection to the service being done. When you’re guiding volunteer reflection, try to keep it focused on the work that was done on that day and the impact that the volunteers’ service had.
• Plan for reflection from the beginning. Be intentional about including reflection from the start of the project planning process.
• Reflection is about learning. The goal of reflection is to learn more about the service that volunteers did and the impact that they have. Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to share anything they’re not comfortable sharing.
• The best reflection isn’t always planned. Be flexible and be prepared to capitalize on teachable moments that may pop up during the day. Reflection doesn’t have to happen at the end of the project.

Not sure how to include reflection into your service projects? Try these easy activities:

• Evaluation: Add a few reflection questions to your written evaluation form, like “How did people respond to you?” or “How does what you did today compare with anything you’ve done in the past?” or “What advice would you give to someone doing this project for the first time?”
• Guest Book: Ask volunteers to sign your organization’s guest book before they leave. Let them know they are free to write anything they would like about their service experience.
• Contribution Cards: Prepare a small card for each volunteer that includes information on how their service contributes to the mission of the organization and how they’ve helped the community. Link their work to broader community issues.
• Lunch Break: Provide a reflection opportunity during a meal break. Provide background material on the social issues your organization addresses on the lunch tables. Provide some sample discussion questions for volunteers to discuss as they eat.

So Who is Volunteering Anyway?

The HandsOn Network has developed a fun and easy to read graphic to sum up the Corporation for National and Community Service's report, Volunteering in America.

Click here to check it out!

*Fun Fact: Did you know Salem jumped 8 spots to be 15th in the nation for volunteerism in mid-sized cities? Pretty awesome, huh?

Make a Difference-Oregon

Make a Difference Oregon

Saturday, October 22nd

HandsOn has teamed up with HandsOn Greater Portland, Volunteer Connect in Central Oregon and HandsOn Linn Benton to promote all of the great service projects offered during Make a Difference Day. Do you have a project taking place on October 22nd or the week leading up to Make a Difference Day? Be sure to post it! We are leveraging marketing resources across the state. You never know who might recruit!

HandsOn Connect Skill Options

It was brought to our attention during HandsOn Connect Training that it is very diffcult to select skills you would like to be listed on your opportunities. We have requested that the HandsOn Network make this field a drop down menu so you can choose from a list of possible options. Until that request is filled, we have attached a list of all the possible skills you can choose from. Type the skill in and then type a * at the end of the word. That should make it easier to look up options.

HandsOn Connect Volunteer Skills List

HandsOn Connect Partner Portal Assistance

The HandsOn Network has unveiled a very special website for all of you, the partners! The HandsOn Connect Partner Portal training website contains everything you would ever need or want to know about HandsOn Connect. It offers basic, easy to follow directions for everything from posting a volunteer opportunity to extracting volunteer data. The how to's cover everything from the bare bones approach to using the database to the fancy extra features for those who are ready to learn them.

As always, remember HandsOn staff is here for you if you need help using HandsOn Connect. However, take a few minutes to check out this website as well. We hope you find it helpful!

partners.handsonconnect.com