Leading with Your Heart: Your Volunteer Leadership Role
Your volunteer leadership role may feel less certain than before. And, it’s no surprise.
When we experience massive change, particularly when it’s unwelcome or unexpected, it may feel like the best thing to do is crawl under a rock and wait for the storm to pass. But that couldn’t be any farther from what we have actually done recently; especially when it comes to volunteer leadership roles during trying times like this.
We’ve all done our best during the current pandemic. We’re rolling with the punches. We’re adapting to new ways of doing things. We’re doing what we can, but changes will certainly keep coming.
In this post, we share some of our best advice for leading through uncertainty and keeping yourself healthy in the process.
Take Care of Yourself
It’s important to take care of yourself so that you can then lead volunteers from your role with confidence, compassion, and resiliency during these uncertain times.
Know that you have the appreciation, love, and support of so many people including those of us here at VolunteerPro. Know that your work and the work of your volunteer colleagues will continue to be vital. Know that you have the skills, talent, and passion to continue the journey.
Know that, yes, you will rise.
Renew and Refresh
We know that you’re tired. Maybe even feeling uninspired or listless.
That’s why last year I put together a few exercises to help uplift volunteer management professionals.
In 2020, we shared a 5-Day challenge in our free VolunteerPro Insiders Facebook group with helpful tips and resources during daily lessons.
We invite you to enjoy the replays for focus & rejuvenation.
Make no mistake, volunteers are needed now more than ever. And, as a leader of volunteers, you are essential to mobilizing volunteers and creating community connections that work.
At the end of the challenge, you’ll feel more ready than ever to show up with confidence and clarity of purpose, ready to tackle any obstacle ahead with courage and compassion.
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No matter if you’re still working full-stop, have paused your volunteer initiatives, or are transitioning between jobs, this is a great time to re-charge your batteries and reinvigorate your passionate for volunteerism.
At the end of the Challenge, you’ll feel more ready than ever to show up with confidence and clarity of purpose, ready to tackle any obstacle ahead with courage and compassion as a volunteer leadership role.
How to Lead Volunteers Successfully in Times of Change
1) Focus on Your Mission, Not Politics — Many organizations have volunteers from different sides of the aisle. It’s important to remind them of your shared, common purpose. Ask them to re-dedicate themselves to moving forward.
2) Provide Simple Talking Points — Volunteers and supporters will no doubt inquire, and be asked, how future changes might affect your organization. While you may not have all the answers now, provide what you can, and keep it positive, proactive, and laser-focused on furthering your mission.
3) Keep Volunteers in the Loop — Be upfront about challenges without being alarmist. Get volunteers involved now in contingency planning. Update your talking points as new information or strategy is developed.
4) Reinforce Your Team’s Norms of Behavior — No matter what happens out in the world, your team needs to be assured that they will be safe and protected from incivility in your workplace. Make sure everyone agrees that everyone is expected to respect differences of opinion, disagree without being disagreeable, and act in ways that best support each other and the mission.
5) Help Volunteers Discover Commonalities — People with wildly different political views still can find something in common — whether it be life experience or a favorite food — if they keep the dialog open. Certainly, your cause is a common bond for your supporters. It’s important that you continue to bring people together, not drive them apart. Discovering these things can break down walls.
6) Reach Out and Connect with Allies — Work with your volunteers to seek out other organizations, gatekeepers, communities, etc. that share a similar purpose. Look beyond the usual suspects. Begin conversations about how you can build a strong coalition locally, regionally, and nationally to advocate for your needs.
7) Practice Relentless Self-Care — Take care of yourself and encourage others to do so in all the ways you can. The journey may take some time. You need to stick with it, persist, keep doing your important work. Your health and well-being will be what fuels your fire.
Finally, Keep the Faith — We are on a journey in a long arc of history. As a people, and as causes, we have survived many things. And, yet we keep on going, moving toward the sun and the light.
Remember: there is no greater purpose than to help our fellow beings grow and thrive.
Keep Inspiring Volunteers to Deep Commitment to Your Cause
From time to time, I like to reflect on how well (or poorly) we dare to dream and have the courage to share our deepest aspirations.
Whatever comes from our decisions and actions today, volunteers are going to be needed more than ever to help us enact change. As someone in the role of volunteer leadership, you are essential to mobilizing volunteers and creating community connections that work. So, you need to be ready. But do our volunteer recruitment and training efforts inspire volunteers and deepen their commitment to our communities?
The Genius of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When describing the vision for his movement, Dr. King was one of the most eloquent spokespeople in history:
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality … I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
This captivating vision resonated with thousands of community volunteers, from all walks of life, who were ready to join a cause that was dangerous, unpopular with the majority public, and held very real risk for those involved. And yet, they joined.
Imagine if Dr. King’s vision would have gone something like this instead — “I have a dream that, working in partnership with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, community volunteers will have the opportunity to join local organizing groups to mount local canvassing campaigns and participate in local marches to raise community awareness about racial inequality. Snacks and bus transportation provided!” Hmmmmm…. not so much.
Inspire Volunteers with an Aspirational Exercise from Your Volunteer Leadership Role
Through the act of civic duty and service, human beings strive to become better people. It’s an almost unconscious drive. Ask any group of volunteers and they’ll tell you the main reasons they volunteer — to make a difference, to give back, to help people, etc. They do it out of a sense of obligation, duty, purpose, and self-fulfillment.
So, why do we reduce the communications about our leadership roles to a lackluster laundry list description about what’s being done? It’s time to infuse more soul back into our calls to action. We need to touch people from heart to heart. And, you don’t need a highly skilled orator to make a powerful connection.
Inspiring Vision in Motion
Here’s a great example of how one organization, Mozilla, communicates its vision and values to the public in its manifesto. Admittedly, their goals may not be as ambitious or highly visible as ending oppression. But, imagine if Mozilla were recruiting volunteers. Wouldn’t you want to join?
What I Like About How They Share Their Dream
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- They use video and posted it on YouTube; it’s easy to view and share from anywhere.
- It’s short; a lot of info is shared in only two minutes.
- There are lots of photos of smiling people, showing you just who’s behind the logo.
- There are more photos than text, and the text is limited.
- They’re not afraid to be a little quirky and real.
- They’re not shy about sharing a big vision.
- They don’t waste a lot of time describing the behind the scenes of how they realize their dream; people can learn more later if they want.
- They connect their vision by making the world a better place.
What Would Make It Even Better?
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- Add more about how people benefit from their service directly.
- Focus on a compelling story of one person. Include the voices of their end-users and customers.
- Place the video front and center on their home page.
Leadership that Inspires Volunteer Commitment
In our roles of volunteer leadership, we spend a fair amount of time in the business of persuasion – inspiring others to join our cause, recognizing volunteers for their efforts, and cajoling volunteers to take on just one more task, instead of cultivating compassion. In volunteer recruitment ads we seek to answer for volunteers “What’s in it for me?” For volunteer appreciation, we offer perks like gift cards and pins, to show our gratitude. But, by focusing on the self-interests of volunteers, are we missing the boat on fostering deeper commitment?
By appealing to extrinsic motivators, many volunteer management approaches reflect traditional views of human nature as egocentric, motivated by self-interest and the will to survive. New research, however, shows the opposite may be true and that by actively cultivating compassion in volunteers we can inspire them to do more to benefit their community.
Altruism vs. Empathy vs. Compassion
Compassion is often confused with altruism, but it is different. Altruism is an action that helps someone else, and it may or may not be accompanied by compassion. Consider, for example, donated clothing or furniture. Does the donor feel compassion, or do they just need to clean out their closets?
Compassion is defined as the emotional response when suffering in others is recognized and results in an authentic desire to help.
Compassion, therefore, can be a key driver of altruism but is not a necessary element.
Similarly, empathy is defined as the emotional experience of another person’s feelings, but may not result in compassion. For example, we may tear up while watching a documentary about needy foster children, but may not feel a need to help.
The Compassionate Instinct
Scientists have discovered that we are born with the instinctual urge to help others – some call it the “compassionate instinct.” It has helped us survive as a species. Researcher Dacher Keltner, a leader in the field, asserts that “compassion and benevolence…are an evolved part of human nature, rooted in our brain and biology, and ready to be cultivated for the greater good.”
For more of his views on compassion and evolution see his talk below: Although cooperation has helped us survive as a group, we each individually benefit as well. Studies show that connecting with others helps us enjoy better emotional and physical health. The act of giving is also pleasurable, as much (if not more) than the act of receiving. And, people who give regularly are happier than those who do not, regardless of social status.
In short, giving makes us feel good. So good, in fact, that when we perform behaviors associated with compassion, our bodies produce oxytocin, which leads to a feeling of warmth and connection. This chemical reaction motivates us to be even more compassionate, thus creating a self-perpetuating cycle.
Cultivate Compassion to Promote Altruism
We know that altruistic acts often rub off on others around us. Consider many of the “random acts of kindness” that ignite a chain reaction of giving. In addition, research has shown that compassion is a vital part of the social contract and can motivate helping behavior, even to our own detriment.
By the same token, worrying that others will see our altruistic acts as self-involved will prevent some adults from offering aid at all. Researchers have also found that compassion can be learned by example — not surprisingly, compassionate parents are more likely to raise altruistic children.
Four Takeaways for Volunteer Leaders
Given this new take on human nature and the power of compassion over self-interest, here are a few things you might consider from your volunteer leadership role:
- Instead of focusing your recruitment messages on what volunteers can get out of an experience with your organization, share stories that elicit compassion – both that vividly show the needs of those you serve and that depict altruistic volunteers in action.
- Rather than offering extrinsic rewards as part of recognition activities, help volunteers feel even more compassionate – recruit donors to contribute to your organization in recognition of your volunteers’ efforts.
- Lead by example. Find ways to cultivate compassion and altruism to volunteers and staff at the office on a regular basis. Check out the Greater Good at UC Berkeley for ideas.
- Finally, assume the best and be a champion of service — we’re hard-wired to help, so make the most of it by helping others get connected, make an impact, and feel good about giving.
So, to answer my question — does self-interest trump compassion? Smile Train co-founder Brian Mullaney, quoted in a 2010 New York Times article, asserts “The most selfish thing you can do is help others.”
Keep Doing Your Important Work
During times of upheaval, it is essential that nonprofits and public sector organizations reinforce their current network of support, seek to find new partners, and prepare to take the lead on advocating for their causes and communities.
Having experienced past upheavals, we know they can have significant impacts on our sector and those wonderful, diverse, and at times vulnerable communities we serve.
In the future, we may experience changes in our mandates, funding, and support. Your preparation will be the key to your survival and success.
There’s no time like the present to get started. Volunteers and community allies will be central to your efforts to maintain and even grow your efforts. Your ability to stay strategic, inspire others, and lead from your truth will be absolutely critical.
