This document provides information about managing volunteers, including statistics on volunteering in the US, recruiting volunteers, retaining volunteers, and developing volunteer programs. Specifically, it notes that in 2006-2007, 60.8 million people in the US volunteered, amounting to 26.2% of the population. It emphasizes the importance of understanding why people volunteer and matching volunteers to suitable roles based on their motivations. The document also outlines best practices for organizations in developing volunteer infrastructure, setting goals, and assessing volunteer programs.

1. In
the
Name
of
God,
Most
Gracious,
Most
Merciful
MANAGING
VOLUNTEERS
Necva
Ozgur
M.Ed.
MERIT
Muslim
Educators’
Resource,
InformaDon
&
Training
Center
www.meritcenter.org
nozgur@meritcenter.org

2. OUTLINE
PART
I:
RECRUITING
AND
MANAGING
VOLUNTEERS
PART
II:
DOING
GOOD
TOGETHER
BUILDING
STRONG
FAMILIES,
CARING
KIDS,
AND
A
BETTER
WORLD

3. PART
I
RECRUITING
&
MANAGING
VOLUNTEERS

4. Between
September
2006
to
September
2007:
• 60.8
million
people
volunteered
in
the
United
States
• This
amounts
to
26.2%
of
the
en@re
popula@on
of
the
U.S.
Among
these
volunteers:
• 29.3
%
were
women
• 22.9%
were
men
Age
Range
of
Volunteers:
• 30%
of
these
volunteers
were
between
ages
35-­‐54
• 17%
of
these
volunteers
were
in
their
early
20’s

5. RECONNECT
THE
DIVIDED
WORLD
• The
problems
faced
in
today’s
world
are
shared
by
all
of
us:
• Pollu@on
• Poverty
• Crime
• Hunger
• Diseases
• When
one
part
of
world
is
sick,
it
eventually
impacts
the
rest
of
us
• Volunteering
allows
people
to
reach
out
and
connect
with
a
common
mission
of
finding
solu@ons
to
these
problems,
amongst
others.

6. A
BILL
OF
RIGHTS
FOR
VOLUNTEERS
Every
volunteer
has:
1. The
right
to
be
treated
as
a
co-­‐worker
2. The
right
to
a
suitable
assignment
3. The
right
to
know
as
much
about
the
organiza@on
as
everyone
else
4. The
right
to
obtain
training
for
the
job

7. A
BILL
OF
RIGHTS
FOR
VOLUNTEERS
6. The
right
to
sound
guidance
and
direc@on
7. The
right
to
a
decent
designated
place
to
work
8. The
right
to
enhance
skills
and
knowledge
9. The
right
to
be
heard
10. The
right
to
recogni@on

8. VOLUNTEERS
ARE
AN
IMPORTANT
PART
OF
AMERICAN
LIFE
• Many
nonprofit
organiza@ons
are
completely
staffed
by
volunteers
(75%)
• If
all
volunteers
were
to
walk
out
tomorrow,
as
in
a
Na@onal
Volunteer
Strike,
many
of
our
most
important
social
ins@tu@ons
would
either
close
or
be
forced
to
drama@cally
reduce
services.

9. WHERE
DO
VOLUNTEERS
SERVE
?
• Health
and
Human
Services
• Faith-­‐based
groups
• Schools
• Workplace
• Environment
&
Animal
Welfare
• Government
• Arts

10. WHERE
DO
VOLUNTEERS
SERVE?
• Poli@cal
Campaigns
• Board
of
Directors
• Professional
Organiza@ons
• Homeowners
Associa@ons
• Spor@ng
Events
• Disaster
Response
and
Recovery

11. WHY
DO
YOU
VOLUNTEER
?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

12. WHY
PEOPLE
VOLUNTEER
 To
help
others
 To
give
back
to
the
community
 School
requirement
 Corporate
culture
 Peer
pressure
 To
meet
new
people

To
learn
new
skills

To
feel/be
needed

13. WHY
PEOPLE
VOLUNTEER
 To
influence
others
 To
add
to
their
resume
 To
impress
people
 To
Network
 To
be
role
models
 To
deal
with
their
own
losses
 To
change
the
world
 To
win
public
recogni@on
 To
make
a
difference

14. PEOPLE
VOLUNTEER
FOR
MANY
REASONS
• Good
volunteer
management
is
matching
the
right
people
to
the
right
job.
• Gefng
to
know
your
volunteers
as
individuals
is
key
to
understanding
what
they
want
to
get
out
of
their
volunteer
experience.
• Understand
your
volunteers’
mo@va@ons,
whether
they
are
about
people,
achievements,
or
power
you
will
have
a
much
beher
chance
of
giving
them
a
meaningful
assignment,
and
retaining
them.

15. A
FOUR-­‐GOAL
ASSESSMENT
1. Determine
the
current
level
of
volunteer
involvement.
2. Determine
your
poten@al
for
increasing
volunteer
involvement.
3. Iden@fy
which
components
of
your
program
need
to
be
enhanced
or
developed.
4. Adopt
an
ac@on
plan
with
@meline
for
implementa@on.

16. VOLUNTEER
INFRASTRUCTURE
INVENTORY
1. Does
our
volunteer
program
have
its
own
mission
statement
that
explains
why
volunteers
are
an
integral
part
of
your
organiza@on?
2. Have
we
set
goals
for
what
volunteers
will
try
to
accomplish?
3. Do
we
have
a
volunteer
recruitment
plan?
4. Do
we
have
an
applica@on
for
prospec@ve
volunteers
to
complete?
5. Do
all
of
our
new
volunteers
ahend
an
orienta@on
to
learn
more
about
our
organiza@on
and
the
role
of
volunteers?

17. VOLUNTEER
INFRASTRUCTURE
INVENTORY
6. Do
we
have
wrihen
job
descrip@ons
for
each
volunteer
func@on?
7. Have
we
prepared
employees
to
work
effec@vely
with
volunteers?
8. Is
each
volunteer
assigned
a
supervisor
to
ensure
accountability?
9. Do
we
have
a
wrihen
policy
on
confiden@ality?
10. Do
we
have
a
policy
manual
wrihen
down
and
given
to
volunteers?

18. VOLUNTEER
INFRASTRUCTURE
INVENTORY
11. Do
volunteers
have
@me
sheets
so
they
can
track
their
hours?
12. Do
volunteers
who
work
on-­‐site
have
a
personal
work
space?
13. Depending
on
the
volunteer
posi@on,
do
we
provide
appropriate
training?
14. Do
we
have
a
database
to
keep
track
of
our
volunteers?
15. Do
we
have
individual
personnel
files
for
volunteers
to
keep
important
documents?

19. VOLUNTEER
INFRASTRUCTURE
INVENTORY
11. Do
we
provide
annual
evalua@ons
for
each
of
our
volunteers?
12. Are
staff
who
supervise
other
volunteers
given
a
training
on
how
to
be
a
beher
supervisor?
13. Do
we
show
apprecia@on
to
our
volunteers
on
an
ongoing
basis?
14. Do
we
have
an
annual
event
to
honor
volunteers?
15. Are
volunteers
who
leave
given
an
exit
interview?

20. VOLUNTEER
ORIENTATION
• A
good
orienta@on
is
about
giving
new
volunteers
a
thorough
overview
of
your
organiza@on
and
their
role
in
achieving
your
mission.
• It
also
builds
a
sense
of
community
for
new
volunteers
who
all
begin
their
journey
together
at
the
same
orienta@on.

21. ORIENTATION
AGENDA
When
planning
your
orienta@on
agenda,
focus
on
the
following
5
areas:
1. Welcome
&
Introduc@on
2. The
Cause
3. The
Organiza@on
4. The
Volunteer
Program
5. The
Conclusion

22. ORIENTATION
AS
A
SCREENING
TOOL
Things
to
look
for:
• Were
they
on
@me
for
orienta@on?
• How
were
their
communica@on
skills
with
other
people
in
the
room?
• Did
they
ask
good
follow-­‐up
ques@ons?
• Did
they
try
to
dominate
the
presenta@on?
• Did
they
appear
unmo@vated
and
uninvolved?
• Did
they
reaffirm,
through
words
or
body
language,
their
commitment
to
your
cause?

23. FROM
ORIENTATION
TO
TRAINING
• While
an
orienta@on
provides
people
with
all
the
background
informa@on
they
need
to
be
successful
in
your
organiza@on,
training
gives
them
the
informa@on
and
skills
they
need
to
be
successful
doing
their
job.
• One
of
the
quickest
ways
to
lose
volunteers
is
to
throw
them
into
a
situa@on
with
no
training
and
expect
them
to
magically
understand
what
needs
to
be
done
and
how
to
do
it.

24. HOW
ADULTS
LEARN
ANDRAGOGY
1. Adults
have
a
clearer
sense
of
their
own
selves,
and
want
to
feel
like
they
are
ac@ve
par@cipants
in
the
training
process.
2. Adults
bring
life
experience
to
the
classroom.
3. Adults
are
ready
to
learn
prac@cal
things.
4. As
people
mature,
they
change
how
they
approach
learning
from
just
acquiring
knowledge
about
a
subject
to
problem
solving
skills.
5. As
people
mature,
their
desire
to
learn
things
becomes
an
internal
mo@va@on.

25. DIFFERENT
WAYS
OF
LEARNING
• Visual
Learners:
See
it
• Auditory
Learners:
Hear
it
• Kinesthe@c
Learners:
Experience
it

26. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
FOR
VOLUNTEERS
• Professional
development
is
one
of
the
key
reten@on
strategies
that
employers
use
to
keep
paid
staff
mo@vated.
• It
works
great
for
volunteers,
too!
• When
developing
your
training,
be
sure
to
think
of
ongoing
training
opportuni@es
for
volunteers
that
enhance
their
skills,
keep
them
connected,
and
lead
to
promo@ons
with
increased
responsibili@es
and
pres@ge.

27. MANAGE
THE
FLAKE
FACTOR
• 99%
of
the
@me
people
who
commit
to
volunteering
for
an
organiza@on
do
so
with
the
best
of
inten@ons.
• However,
only
10-­‐15%
become
effec@ve
volunteers.
Here
are
some
of
the
reasons:
– It
just
wasn’t
the
right
posi@on.
– The
volunteer
job
descrip@on
didn’t
accurately
describe
the
du@es.
– The
volunteer
got
sick,
or
was
stuck
in
traffic,
or
had
his
car
stolen
or
had
family
problems.

28. UNDERSTAND
DIFFERENT
GENERATIONS
• The
Greatest
Genera+on:
Born
between
1910-­‐1930.
This
group
of
people
lived
through
the
Great
depression
and
then
went
to
WWII.
• The
Silent
Genera+on:
Born
between
1931-­‐1945.
This
post-­‐war
genera@on
is
known
as
one
of
the
most
cau@ous
people,
embarking
on
a
new
world
with
confusion
around
changing
roles.
• The
Baby
Boomers:
Born
between
1946-­‐1964.
This
genera@on
benefited
from
the
economic
prosperity
of
the
post-­‐WWII
economy
and
educa@onal
opportuni@es.
• Genera+on
X:
Born
between
1965-­‐1980.
This
genera@on
is
concerned
more
with
consumerism
than
with
ac@vism.
• Genera+on
Y
(Millennial):
Born
between
1981-­‐2000.
They
tend
to
see
volunteering
as
an
important
social
obliga@on.

29. HOW
DIFFERENT
GENERATIONS
WORK
TOGETHER
• Invite
volunteers
who
represent
the
different
genera@ons
to
discuss
their
life
experiences
and
how
they
view
volunteering.
• If
a
conflict
arises
between
two
individuals
from
different
genera@ons,
talk
to
them
individually
and
ask
them
to
view
the
experience
through
the
other
person’s
eyes.
• Make
sure
your
promo@onal
materials
show
different
genera@ons
working
together.
• Encourage
younger
volunteers
to
be
sensi@ve
to
some
of
the
common
aspects
of
aging,
such
as
hearing
loss,
decreased
vision
and
memory
lapses.

30. HOW
DIFFERENT
GENERATIONS
WORK
TOGETHER
• Encourage
older
volunteers
to
be
pa@ent
with
younger
people,
to
remember
what
it
was
like
to
get
stressed
out
by
lihle
things,
or
be
short
fused.
• When
people
complain,
listen
ahen@vely
and
acknowledge
their
frustra@ons.
Even
if
there
is
nothing
that
can
be
done,
people
will
feel
beher
knowing
they’ve
been
heard.
• Encourage
skill
sharing
outside
of
your
organiza@on,
with
volunteers
offering
training
to
other
volunteers
around
technology,
hobbies,
and
general
life
skills.

31. WHY
PEOPLE
SABOTAGE
VOLUNTEERS
• The
crisis
of
the
control
freak
• “It
is
easier
to
do
it
myself”
• “You
want
my
job”
• “I
am
too
busy”
• Confiden@ality

32. MANAGING
DIFFICULT
PERSONALITIES
• Approximately
98%
of
volunteers
are
truly
remarkable.
Even
if
they
have
some
challenges
they
always
come
through
with
the
spirit
of
working
together.
• The
other
2%,
the
ones
who
constantly
complain,
show
up
late,
break
the
rules,
gossip
constantly,
harass
other
people,
and
think
they
know
all
the
answers.
• This
2%
usually
takes
up
more
than
50%
of
your
@me
and
irritates
other
volunteers

33. THE
EIGHT
MOST
COMMON
DIFFICULT
BEHAVIORS
1.
THE
KNOW-­‐IT-­‐ALLS
• They
can
tell
you
within
a
few
hours
what’s
not
working
and
how
things
should
be
done.
• Don’t
ignore
this
behavior;
it
only
gets
worse
with
@me.
You
might
say:
• “Thank
you,
that’s
an
interes@ng
idea.
Now
let’s
go
around
the
room
and
see
if
people
have
any
other
opinions
or
sugges@ons.”

34. 2.
THE
SABOTEURS
• Saboteurs
feel
best
when
something
fails.
They
begin
to
undermine
other
people’s
efforts,
miss
deadlines,
do
sloppy
work,
and
make
promises
that
they
never
intend
to
honor.
• The
best
way
to
to
deal
with
saboteurs
is
to
make
the
decision
to
release
them
from
your
organiza@on
in
the
first
place.

35. 3.
THE
GOSSIPS
• These
volunteers
thrive
on
spreading
rumors
about
others.
• They
par@cularly
enjoy
it
when
an
organiza@on
is
in
upheaval
and
going
through
changes.
• They
usually
start
their
gossip
with,
“
Did
you
hear
about…?”
• Stop
gossipers
in
their
tracks
by
making
sure
informa@on
flows
freely
from
your
office.
Keep
volunteers
informed
about
changes
in
policies,
personnel,
and
situa@ons
that
may
impact
their
service.
• Another
op@on
is
to
ignore
the
gossip
completely.
People
who
gossip
do
so
to
get
a
reac@on
and
to
make
themselves
feel
more
important.
If
they
don’t
get
the
response
they
want,
they
usually
get
the
message
and
let
it
go.

36. 4.
THE
RULE
BREAKERS
• These
volunteers
think
that
rules
are
for
inexperienced
people.
• They
tend
to
ignore
both
organiza@onal
policies
and
the
du@es
in
their
job
descrip@ons.
• Rule
breakers
need
to
be
dealt
with
directly.
• If
they
are
approached
discreetly,
directly,
and
with
mutual
respect,
they
usually
respond
posi@vely
to
correc@ve
measures.

37. 5.
NEGATIVE
VOLUNTEERS
• Nothing
is
ever
right
with
these
volunteers,
and
no
maher
what
you
do,
it
probably
“won’t
work.”
• Be
careful
about
pufng
these
volunteers
in
public
posi@ons
where
they
are
the
sole
face
of
your
organiza@on.
• Maintain
posi@vity
with
these
personali@es.
Listen
to
them
but
don’t
get
caught
up
in
their
nega@vity.
• As
soon
as
they
start
playing
the
same
old
record,
focus
on
the
future
and
all
the
posi@ve
things
that
are
happening.

38. 6.
THE
SOCIAL
CLIMBERS
• As
a
volunteer,
a
social
climber
most
likely
cares
more
about
her
posi@on
and
what
it
can
do
for
her
status
than
she
does
for
your
cause.
• Clear
job
descrip@ons
combined
with
clear
policies,
including
a
conflict-­‐of-­‐interest
policy
are
important
to
make
sure
these
volunteers
understand
the
limits
of
their
authority
and
don’t
jeopardize
the
integrity
of
your
organiza@on
for
their
own
benefit.

39. 7.
THE
HARASSERS
• Harassers
will
use
everything
in
their
power
to
get
their
way,
from
calling
people
at
home,
invading
personal
space,
to
actually
yelling.
• They
are
quite
aggressive,
and
can
actually
in@midate
other
people
with
their
demands
or
threats.
• The
kind
of
behavior
exhibited
by
harassers
should
never
be
tolerated.
• At
the
first
sign
of
aggressive
behavior,
pull
the
volunteer
aside
and
explain
to
him/her
why
the
behavior
is
inappropriate.

40. 8.
THE
PREJUDICED
PERSONALITIES
• People
can
hold
prejudices
about
many
things:
race,
age,
na@onality,
gender,
social
status,
even
about
the
neighborhood
where
someone
was
born.
• Make
sure
your
organiza@on
has
an
an@discrimina@on
policy
in
place
that
protects
both
your
program
recipients
and
your
volunteers.
• Deal
with
it
directly
and
if
they
say
something
like
“It
was
just
a
joke.
What
is
the
big
deal?”
You
will
most
likely
have
to
explain
why
it
is
a
big
deal
and
why
their
volunteer
service
is
no
longer
needed.

41. THE
LAST
RESORT:
YES,
YOU
CAN
FIRE
A
VOLUNTEER
• Firing
a
volunteer
should
be
a
last
resort.
• You
should
first
exhaust
all
other
possibili@es:
– Talking
to
volunteers
about
the
problem/issues
– Offering
alterna@ve
posi@ons
if
possible
– Providing
addi@onal
training

42. IF
YOU
NEED
TO
FIRE
A
VOLUNTEER:
1. Make
sure
you
have
all
of
your
documenta@on
in
order
including
any
ahempts
you
made
to
offer
correc@ve
feedback
and
counsel
to
the
volunteer.
2. Schedule
a
@me
to
meet
with
volunteer
face-­‐to-­‐face.
To
protect
yourself
from
any
false
claims,
it
is
best
to
have
a
second
person
with
you.
3. Be
clear
and
direct
with
the
volunteer.
Explain
that
because
of
their
behavior,
they
are
being
terminated
as
a
volunteer.
4. If
the
volunteer
has
access
to
any
of
the
organiza@on’s
property,
give
them
a
wrihen
leher
formally
asking
the
property
to
be
returned
within
24
hours.
5. Be
professional
and
respecsul.
If
at
all
possible,
thank
the
volunteer
for
any
posi@ve
contribu@ons
they
may
have
made/wish
them
success

43. 10
WAYS
TO
SAY
THANKS
1. Get
name
badges
for
your
office
volunteers.
2. Have
an
annual
“Design
a
Volunteer
T-­‐Shirt”
contest
and
use
the
winning
design
as
that
year’s
T-­‐shirt.
3. Ask
a
local
company
to
pay
for
having
volunteer
T-­‐shirts
printed
in
exchange.
4. Have
a
“Volunteer
of
the
Month”
sec@on
on
your
website
and
post
his/her
story
on
your
web
page
to
inspire
others.
5. Schedule
a
monthly
potluck
for
volunteers.

44. TEN
WAYS
TO
SAY
THANKS
6. Write
a
leher
to
the
editor
of
your
local
newspaper
making
a
statement
of
gra@tude
to
all
of
your
volunteers.
7. Publish
a
regular
newsleher
and
in
that
acknowledge
individual
volunteers
for
their
outstanding
performance.
8. Plan
for
an
annual
recogni@on
party
to
bring
everyone
in
the
organiza@on
together
and
make
a
formal
statement
as
to
the
importance
of
volunteers.
9. Annual
volunteer
apprecia@on
par@es
are
the
perfect
occasion
to
give
out
awards
to
volunteers
for
outstanding
individual
contribu@ons.
10. If
your
budget
permits,
you
may
also
want
to
consider
handing
out
small
gits
that
honor
your
volunteers.
They
remind
the
volunteers
of
how
much
they
are
appreciated.

45. PART
II
DOING
GOOD
TOGETHER
FAMILY
VOLUNTEERING
BUILDING
STRONG
FAMILIES,
CARING
KIDS,
AND
A
BETTER
WORLD

46. PRESIDENT
OBAMA’S
CALL
• President
Obama
has
called
for
“a
new
era
of
responsibility”,
a
call
to
service
for
all
Americans
to
help
meet
the
difficult
challenges
of
the
21st
century.
• He
was
not
just
speaking
to
adults.
• When
asked
why
he
and
his
wife,
Michelle,
included
their
young
daughters
in
their
volunteer
efforts,
helping
out
at
a
Chicago
food
pantry,
and
assis@ng
American
soldiers.
• He
replied
that
he
wanted
the
girls
"to
learn
the
importance
of
how
fortunate
they
are
and
make
sure
they
are
giving
back.”
• That
is
the
message
of
family
volunteering.

47. • Whether
you
have
five
minutes
or
five
hours
to
give,
• Whether
you
have
an
infant
or
a
teen,
• Whether
you
are
doing
well
or
only
barely
gefng
by,
• In
these
tough
economic
@mes,
your
family
has
a
contribu@on
to
make.
• In
the
process,
you’ll
be
teaching
your
children
that
compassion
mahers,
that
hope
is
alive,
and
that
every
one
of
us
must
be
part
of
the
change
we
want
to
see.

48. MISSION
The
mission
of
“Doing
Good
Together”
is
to
inspire
and
help
families
volunteer.

49. INSPIRE
KIDS
TO
CARE
• In
a
culture
that
so
oten
appears
to
reward
materialism
and
greed,
volunteering
together
at
a
homeless
shelter,
crisis
nursery,
nature
preserve
or
animal
shelter
is
a
powerful
way
to
pass
on
the
values
of
caring,
compassion
and
social
responsibility
to
children.
• Researchers
have
discovered
that
children
whose
parents
model
helping
behaviors
and
provide
opportuni@es
to
volunteer
are
more
likely
to
adopt
healthy
social
values
and
aftudes
and
to
help
others
when
they
grow
up.

50. STRENGTHEN
FAMILIES
• If
you
think
that
with
work,
school,
sports
and
chores,
your
family
doesn’t
have
@me
to
get
involved,
think
again.
• The
@me
crunch
is
actually
a
great
reason
to
volunteer.
• Serving
together
provides
a
posi@ve
way
for
family
members
to
spend
quality
@me
with
one
another,
brings
parents
and
children
closer
by
inspiring
important
conversa@ons
about
values.
• It
encourages
posi@ves
aftudes
and
beliefs,
and
offers
the
git
of
intergenera@onal
connec@ons.

51. BUILD
COMMUNITIES
• When
families
volunteer
together,
communi@es
get
more
support
to
meet
cri@cal
community
needs,
such
as
cleaning
parks
or
delivering
meals.
• Studies
indicate
that
children
who
volunteer
are
twice
as
likely
to
volunteer
as
adults
who
did
not.
• When
parents
nurture
their
child’s
sense
of
compassion
and
commitment
toward
their
community,
we
build
a
beher
world
for
now
and
the
future.

52. TEN
REASONS
TO
START
DOING
GOOD
1.
PEOPLE
CAN
SPEND
TIME
TOGETHER
It’s
a
chance
for
busy
parents
to
spend
@me
with
their
kids
while
giving
back
to
the
community.

53. 2.
PASS
ON
KEY
VALUES
It
enables
parents
to
pass
on
key
values
to
their
children,
such
as
good
ci@zenship,
community
responsibility,
compassion
and
kindness.

54. 3.
HELP
YOUR
KIDS
STAY
OUT
OF
TROUBLE
Studies
show
that
children
who
volunteer
just
one
hour
per
week
are
less
likely
than
other
kids
to
get
involved
in
destruc@ve
behaviors,
such
as
smoking
or
drug
and
alcohol
abuse.
Another
bonus:
Adults
who
volunteer
are
happier
and
healthier
than
those
who
do
not

55. 4.
BRING
FAMILY
MEMBERS
CLOSER
It
brings
family
members
closer,
gets
you
all
talking
to
one
another,
and
can
spark
meaningful
discussions
about
important
personal
and
social
issues.

56. 5.
VOLUNTEERING
MAKES
YOU
SMARTER
Hos@ng
a
foreign
student
can
teach
you
about
another
culture;
working
to
save
the
rainforest
can
teach
you
about
ecology.
Volunteering
also
teaches
you
lessons
in
responsibility
and
team
work.

57. 6.
GRATITUDE
FOR
WHAT
WE
HAVE
Volunteering
makes
us
grateful
for
what
we
have,
especially
if
the
volunteer
job
involves
homeless
families,
lonely
seniors
or
hospitalized
children.
There’s
nothing
like
experiencing
other
situa@ons
to
put
our
own
problems
into
perspec@ve.

58. 7.
VOLUNTEERING
BREEDS
A
GENERATION
OF
FUTURE
VOLUNTEERS
According
to
a
2002
report,
adults
who
volunteered
as
children
were
two
@mes
more
likely
to
be
involved
in
community
service
as
adults
who
didn’t.

59. 8.
HELPS
CHILDREN
APPRECIATE
THEIR
TALENTS
Volunteering
helps
children
appreciate
their
own
talents,
gain
self-­‐confidence,
and
feel
good
about
making
a
contribu@on.

60. 9.
HELPS
BREAK
DOWN
STEREOTYPES
Volunteering
helps
break
down
stereotypes
at
a
young
age,
and
teaches
greater
tolerance
and
understanding.
Through
volunteering,
children
oten
meet
people
from
diverse
cultural
backgrounds,
lifestyles,
ages,
and
income
levels.

61. 10.
GIVING
IS
FUN!
There
can
be
great
joy
in
serving
others,
especially
when
you’re
doing
it
with
the
ones
you
love.

62. RANDOM
ACTS
OF
KINDNESS
“What
wisdom
can
you
find
that
is
greater
than
kindness?”
-­‐Jean
Jacques
Rousseau
• Your
family
can
start
a
chain
of
kindness
beginning
with
one
generous
act.
• Consider
including
these
acts
into
daily
prac@ce.
• Promote
kindness
in
your
home,
school,
community
and
workplace.

63. RANDOM
ACTS
OF
KINDNESS
• Offer
your
mail
carrier
a
refreshing
drink,
a
kind
word,
or
a
thank
you
note.
• Phone
or
e-­‐mail
someone
who
has
been
going
through
a
tough
@me,
just
to
let
them
know
you
care.
• Pick
up
any
liher
you
see
as
you
go
through
the
day.
• Leave
a
bouquet
of
flowers
on
someone’s
front
door
step.
• Buy
a
balloon
bouquet
and
ask
the
nurses
at
a
children’s
hospital
to
deliver
it
to
a
child.

64. RANDOM
ACTS
OF
KINDNESS
• Shovel
the
walk
of
a
neighbor
who
is
elderly,
sick
or
busy
with
small
children.
• Leave
an
extra
large
@p
for
the
waitress
the
next
@me
your
family
goes
out
for
dinner.
• Talk
to
your
children
about
generosity.
• Send
a
“thinking
of
you”
card
to
someone
you
know
who
is
struggling
• Call
a
friend
or
family
member
and
tell
them
why
you
love
them.

65. FAMILY
VOLUNTEERING:
AN
ANTIDOTE
TO
HECTIC
LIVES
• What
if
you
could
find
a
way
to
spend
@me
with
your
children
that
was
free,
fun,
rewarding,
and
helpful
to
others
as
well?
• What
if
that
ac@vity
also
provided
a
powerful
an@dote
to
our
culture's
messages
of
compe@@on,
self-­‐absorp@on,
and
materialism?

66. FAMILY
VOLUNTEERING
MAY
BE
THE
ANSWER
• Researchers
and
parents
agree
that
family
volunteering
gives
you
a
hands-­‐on
way
to
teach
children
the
values
of
kindness,
compassion,
tolerance,
community
responsibility,
and
good
ci@zenship.
• It
may
also
provide
one
of
the
few
opportuni@es
young
people
have
to
interact
with
people
of
other
backgrounds,
breaking
down
stereotypes
of
age,
class,
and
race.
• Children
can
beher
put
their
own
problems
in
perspec@ve
when
they
see
what
others
struggle
with.
• Engaging
together
in
volunteerism
can
also
be
a
valuable
opportunity
for
family
members
to
discuss
important
social
issues
and
to
make
a
real
difference
in
the
community
while
spending
@me
with
loved
ones.

67. “Can
you
imagine
anything
more
energizing,
more
unifying,
more
filled
with
sa8sfac8on
than
working
with
members
of
your
family
to
accomplish
something
that
really
makes
a
difference
in
the
world?”
Stephen
Covey
7
Habits
of
Highly
Effec8ve
Families

68. YOU
CAN
MAKE
A
DIFFERENCE
EVEN
IF
YOU
DON’T
HAVE
MUCH
TIME
• Even
if
you
have
less
than
an
hour,
you
and
your
children
can
create
a
gree@ng
card
for
a
sick
child,
clean
liher
from
your
local
park,
write
a
leher
to
free
a
prisoner,
or
put
together
a
school
supply
kit
or
health
kit
for
a
disaster
survivor.
• You
could
even
volunteer
just
one
day
a
year,
for
example
on
Mar@n
Luther
King
Day,
Family
Volunteer
Day,
or
at
the
holidays.
• Or
you
can
take
an
hour
or
two
once
a
month
or
once
each
week
to
mentor
a
child,
"adopt"
a
grandparent
at
your
local
nursing
home,
serve
a
meal
at
a
homeless
shelter,
or
work
on
an
environmental
project.
• Regardless
of
your
schedule,
children's
ages,
or
family
interests,
there's
a
service
opportunity
you
can
weave
into
your
life.

69. HOW
TO
GET
STARTED
• First,
try
to
involve
all
family
members
in
choosing
the
volunteer
project.
• If
everyone
feels
included,
they
will
be
more
commihed
to
making
it
work.
• Consider
your
family's
skills,
talents,
and
personality
traits,
plus
how
much
@me
you
are
able
to
commit.

70. ENTHUSIASM
IS
CONTAGIOUS
• Once
you
have
picked
a
project,
describe
it
to
your
children
and
make
clear
why
the
job
is
important.
• Everyone
likes
to
know
that
they
are
making
a
difference,
children
included!
• Also
explain
why
you
are
looking
forward
to
the
experience.

71.
REFLECTION
• Make
it
a
point
to
discuss
and
reflect
on
your
experiences.
This
can
be
one
of
the
most
valuable
parts
of
family
service.
• Even
before
you
begin
volunteering,
try
to
read
books
with
your
children
that
focus
on
caring.
• These
books
can
help
you
ini@ate
conversa@ons
about
the
value
of
community
involvement.

72. WHAT
DID
WE
LEARN
FROM
THIS
EXPERIENCE?
Finally,
build
on
the
experience
so
your
family
will
be
further
enriched
by
it.
Ask
ques@ons
about
the
project
you've
completed.
• "What
did
you
learn
that
you
didn't
know
before?”
• "What
would
you
do
differently
next
@me?”

73. WHAT
DID
WE
LEARN
FROM
THIS
EXPERIENCE?
• Your
family
can
create
a
scrapbook
or
photo
album
of
your
service
experience
or
write
a
leher
to
a
friend
or
rela@ve
describing
it.
• Always
emphasize
to
your
child
what
he
or
she
has
accomplished
and
the
difference
it
has
made.
• "The
woman
was
certainly
delighted
when
you
handed
her
the
meal
and
spoke
with
her.
You
may
have
been
the
only
visitor
she
has
had
all
day.”

74. VOLUNTEERING
CAN
BE
A
TREASURED
FAMILY
TRADITION
• Sure,
you're
busy.
• Yes,
life
seems
too
full
for
another
commitment.
• But
if
you
begin
small
and
have
fun,
it
will
not
be
long
before
serving
others
will
be
another
treasured
family
ritual.
• Plus,
you
will
have
started
a
cycle
of
giving
and
sharing
that's
likely
to
extend
for
genera@ons.

75. GOOD
LUCK
WITH
YOUR
PUBLIC
AWARENESS
CAMPAIGN!
Please
contact
us
at:
www.meritcenter.org
nozgur@meritcenter.org