Today's Volunteers, New Opportunities

What would you say if we told you that your organization had a chance to have breakthroughs in projects or programs, led by an experienced person who donates their time. Surely you’d say, “Sign me up!”

This possibility could be your organization’s reality. Many of today’s volunteers are well-educated, professionally experienced people looking for places to make a difference. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says in their 2010 report that people with higher levels of education are more likely to volunteer than those who are less educated.

With the current economic downturn, many people have retired early, want to build a resume for a career change, or want to meaningful work while they job search. Recent graduates or graduate students want job experience, internships, and references that will distinguish them from other job-seekers.

According to a 2009 study by the Corporation for National and Community Service, about half of all nonprofit organizations expected their reliance on volunteers to increase in 2010. How will your organization take advantage of the terrific new opportunities this new wave of volunteerism represents?

Volunteers can provide just what your group needs right now -- help with marketing, program delivery and support, writing, researching, fundraising, and high-level financial, legal and technical assistance.

The Boston-based nonprofit, New Generation Energy (NGE) is a good example of this shift. It provides investment and donation options to individuals, businesses, and foundations in the areas of renewable energy, conservation, and the environment. From issuing Renewable Energy Investment Notes to growing its Corporate Partners Program, the small organization does it with the help of a cadre of high-level volunteers.

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Online Resources for Finding Volunteers

Knowing exactly where to find great volunteers can be a challenge. Today’s online resources however, provide good places to attract, find, and keep the highly-skilled volunteers that want to be engaged in your organization. Many of the sites can be used for volunteer positions or paid staff positions. Here are a few to check out:

1. Idealist (http://idealist.org/): Idealist is a website that “facilitates connections between individuals and institutions that are interested in improving their communities.” Posting volunteer positions is free on this site, and Idealist receives over 50,000 unique visitors every single day. You can also post jobs on Idealist for a fee of $60. Idealist also has a volunteer management page: http://www.idealist.org/en/vmrc/index.html

2. Opportunity Knocks (http://www.opportunityknocks.org/): 81% of OK’s members have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In addition, Opportunity Knocks has many other resources to help non profits build a successful recruitment and retention program for both paid and non-paid positions.

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