Skilled volunteers are volunteers who work on projects that require specific expertise, usually related to the management of a nonprofit organization. They might assist an organization with human resources, marketing, strategy or other high-level projects. Why become a skilled volunteer? The reasons are many - you might want to: build your resume, learn new skills, stretch intellectually, apply your education in a new industry, and/or volunteer your time without being stuck with mundane tasks. Watch the full recorded webinar here: http://charityvillage.com/elearning/webinars/past-webinars/how-to-be-a-great-skilled-volunteer.aspx.

2. Topics:
• Where to find opportunities
• What is in it for you
• Orientation
• Diagnose and triage
• Make a proposal
• When to walk away

3. About MAS Consulting:
Mission = build capacity in non-profit sector
50+ Volunteer Consultants = Professional Volunteers
• Strategy
• Governance
• HR
• Marketing
• Fundraising
www.masadvise.org

4. About me:
www.Marke*ngForNonprofits.ca

5. Professional Volunteer:
• Projects need expertise
• Management

6. Volunteer? vs Professional
Volunteer?
Drivers
Event Coordinators
Sports facilitators
Docent
Social media managers
Call centre volunteers
HR Volunteer
MBA student
Board member
25 1

7. What areas do you want
to volunteer?
• HR
• Marketing
• Fundraising
• Strategy + Governance
• Accounting

8. 3 ways - Professional Volunteer
• Board member + lead subcommittee
• Subcommittee member
• Volunteer consultant = One-time
project

9. Typical marketing project
Small Large
Rebrand
- Promotion audit
- Write and create website
- Create brochures
- Give tutorials
35 hours my time, 15 hours client time
Analyze revenues
Analyze donor churn
Gaps in Touch Points
80-150 hours my time
“help us we have nothing” “help us work smarter”
intellectual stimulation intellectual stimulation
- creative -analytical
sense of accomplishment human connection

10. What’s in it for you?
Honesty = Ok
to trust you

11. What’s in it for you?
Build your career
• resume?
• learn a new industry?
• learn consulting?
• learn new skills?
Stretch intellectually?
• share your expertise?
• sense of accomplishment?
• feel needed and important?
Connect with a cause?
Meet new people?
• want to give back but fear mundane tasks

12.
What’s in it for you?
• Build your career?
• Stretch intellectually?
• Connect with a cause?
• Meet new people?
• Other?

13. What’s in it for nonprofits?
• Expertise that fills a gap
• Short term
• Outside perspective

14. What attributes will nonprofits
look for?
• Expertise
• Listening skills
• Candor
• Language
• Collaboration

15. Topics:
✔Where to find opportunities
✔What is in it for you
• Orientation
• Diagnose and triage
• Make a proposal
• When to walk away

16. Orientation from your nonprofit
✔ about them
? about their cause
✗ facts about the industry
✗ soft stuff

17. Source:
Imagine
Canada,
Narra*ve
Tool
Kit
Other
Hospitals,
universi*es
Interna*onal
Law,
advocacy,
poli*cs
Environment
Health
Business
assoc,
unions
Educa*on,
research
Development,
housing
Arts
and
culture
Grantmaking
Social
services
Religion
Sports
and
recrea*on
#
Nonprofits
#
Donors
Dona-on$

18. Charity? Non-profit?

19. Charities are a subset of nonprofits
Non-profit
- Exempt from tax

20. Charities are a subset of nonprofits
Non-profit
- Exempt from tax
Charity
- Tax receipts

21. Non-profits have a life cycle
High energy, everyone involved, no formal structure
Formalize mission, small staff, founder burn out
Formal board + committees, staff focus on managing
Professional management, strategic alliances
Stagnating, declining interest, lost funding
Where are you?
Transitioning?

22. There are 2 bottom lines:

23. Conflicting measures of success:

24. Speed of decision making:
HierarchyConsensus building

25. Partners vs competitors
Alternate providers

26. Earn credibility:

27. Expect resistance:

28. Be sensitive:
?

29. Expect to learn:

30. Expect to feel good:

31. Topics:
✔Where to find opportunities
✔What is in it for you
✔Orientation
• Diagnose and triage
• Make a proposal
• When to walk away

32. No commitment yet

33. Ask questions

34. Diagnose and triage:

35. Non-profit asks ... You discover...
Facilitate session falling membership
Spokesperson training no clear messages
More donors acquisition or retention

36. Make a proposal:
• action plan
• benefits
• costs + time
• completion date
• what you need

38. When to walk away:
• Hesitation about project
• Hesitation about you
• Overwhelming
• Chemistry
• Not right for you
• No project manager assigned

39. Topics:
✔Where to find opportunities
✔What is in it for you
✔Orientation
✔Diagnose and triage
✔Make a proposal
✔When to walk away

40. www.Marke*ngForNonprofits.ca