Maddie Grant kicked off a Meme, in response to Craig Newmark’s post, asking all association peeps to answer “how are you going to change the world in 2012”.

In 2012, I hope to help associations reinvent the volunteer model. With my intrepid partner, Peter, and a host of very cool peeps (like my fellow ASAE Executive Management Section Council team and good friend Leslie White), my goal is to deconstruct the volunteer model. Then, tapping cool examples from the community-service sector along with innovative ideas coming out of a few associations, we’ll explore lots of options, ideas and possibilities.

We know that volunteers are what make associations unique as organizations and fuel our success. But,  even as we in associations embrace new technologies and – to a more limited degree – new business models, we haven’t addressed the volunteer model. We are still recruiting, developing, managing and rewarding as we did decades ago even though this no longer works. ASAE's Decision To Volunteer study sent out an alarm in 2008 that we can expect a turnover rate in our most active volunteers of up to 28%.  It’s time to change.

We’ll get some help on this journey through ASAE. A group of us from the EMS Council submitted an idea for a think tank project that I understand has been selected for funding in 2012. Also, two of us from the Council have submitted a very cool session for Annual Meeting on the topic (fingers crossed!). And, we have an informal group of association execs who are exploring, through open conversations, new models and sharing their own association’s journey. (We welcome more to the table for those conversations – just contact me for details.)

Lastly, to help inspire people to volunteer for their association and to shine the light on the great contribution association volunteers make, we launched a Facebook page Association Volunteers! Join us there, like it, add your own comments, and celebrate volunteers you know!

Happy to hear from others … join the meme (hint, hint Leslie White, KiKi L’Italien, Cynthia D’Amour, Frank Fortin,  Kerry Stackpole, Kim Howard).

I love all the gift-giving ideas and especially those promising “frugal” and “cheap but classy.”  Here are a few perfect (okay not all cheap!) for your fav volunteer or anyone on your shopping list.

1. An afternoon off to catch up on the holiday to-do’s … call the employer of a valuable volunteer and arrange for them to get a free pass at work (yes this can work!).
2. Extend their membership for a month (or more!).
3. Send a picture of them in action; enclosed in a cardboard photo folder or the like.
4. Send a personal holiday card – through the mail! Visit Poemsource for ideas.
5. A free registration to a professional development activity of their choice in the coming year (bonus points if you underwrite the travel!).  The inspiration for this entry came from “How To Reward your employees when money is tight” which has a number of good ideas.
6. Gift certificate to your association bookstore.
7. Help someone use digital tools (you know the really simple things like setting-up email folder or transfer music) to stay on top of things by offering a free how-to webinar “Everything You Wish Someone Would Show You” (modified idea from Oprah.com – there are more).
8. Buying someone a cool Groupon can be a wonderful, frugal gift. (very cool idea from Greenest Dollar – check out the list).
9. Give an eco-friendly reusable shopping bag (check out BlueQ Bags) with a cool saying – maybe a catchy phrase about the profession or trade or one that toots the volunteer’s horn like “Be somebody, Do something” or “World’s Coolest Volunteer.” Need inspiration, visit Zazzle.com.
10. A personal phone call to say thanks and have a wonderful holiday.
11. A free drink coupon to use at your association’s next mixer. (Hey if it works for Southwest…)
12. A downloadable freebie for volunteers – think out of box though like these printable holiday wine and gift tags. Send volunteers a thank you email with an exclusive link.
13. Establish a new volunteer perk for the coming year such as reimbursing mileage or discounts on registration fees for volunteers. (One of the Decision To Volunteer findings pointed to the cost of volunteering as one deterrent.)

Office Depot has it right - customers want things to be easy. That goes for busy members as well. We need to make it easy to volunteer. ASAE's Decision To Volunteer study and countless others tell us volunteers want to easily be able to find the right opportunity, sign up and do it. What's interesting is that community service volunteering has really taken this to heart and there are countless of new portals that facilitate that. Associations on the other hand still put up barriers like:

Adhocracy is a term for volunteers coined by (some say by Nancy Macduff of Volunteer Today) about the late 80s for a trend towards episodic volunteering – that is volunteering in short, one-up stints.

Yesterday in the closing hours of National Volunteer Week I had a conversation with one of our best volunteers, June Ring, president of the ISES DC, during which she told me how much she and the board appreciated Mainer. Her year is coming to a close and she thanked us. But it is us who should thank her – and her board. They have been extraordinary volunteers!

It reminds me once again that National Volunteer Week shouldn’t be a week. It’s really a 365-day celebration.  In fact there are 365 ways (at least) that we can recognize our volunteers. It begins I believe not with a list of rewards (although this one from Indiana 4-H is packed with ideas – some of which show up below!)

Before the second snowstorm could hit, before ASAE had to cancel, a group of intrepid volunteers were working on Plan B for ASAE's 2010 Technology Conference. This morning #UnTech10 was officially opened to association peeps at a cost you can't beat (free). And it also proves a point  the  Decision to Volunteer study pointed out - if the goal is big, the purpose serves the larger group, and there's flexibility in the how, the volunteer will rise to the occasion!

What if associations looked at volunteerism through the lens of fundraising? Specifically, what if an association set up its reward and recognition program ala fundraising categories? So that we’d track – and report – volunteers based on the number of hours or the “amount” given to the association. There would be the Gold, Silver, Bronze volunteership…

I am prompted to ask this what if question as part of Acronym’s Big Idea Month. This has generated quite a few interesting ideas including these by KiKi L'Italien, Jeffrey Cufaude, Jamie Notter, Eric Lanke, Elizabeth Weaver, Shelly Acorn and, one of my fav’s, this one on Association’s as facilitators on Acronym by Jeffrey.

The Washington Post had two articles celebrating volunteerism in its Sunday edition: one focused on the surge of new volunteers while the other captured the volunteer experience as Travelers Aids at local airports and train stations. Both captured the optimism that can be found in these challenging times if we bother to look. Both also confirm that volunteering is alive and well in the US. That's good news for associations and nonprofits in all sectors.

There's one other message: volunteerism is triggered by the need to be needed. And that's a message that we don't listen to nearly enough.

I said yes. Again. Yes, I would accept the volunteer position and teach the 7th grade religious class for the next 32 Mondays. I said yes, I would write the article and submit by Monday. I said yes, I would write the blog post (well actually I promised a series). I said sure, I'll handle the promo for the event coming in November. Then, my client needed a few additional items done that weren't in my contract. But they needed help and the volunteer couldn't, so I subbed. Then, the gym set a goal to raise $350 for St Jude Children's Research Hospital and needed a spin teacher to cover a class to which I said - yes. The mother's group at Mt. St. Joe stopped me on Back to School Night - join and get involved they said. I said no. The same video played at Meade Middle where I said, take my money but no I'm not available.vilu

Today is my first official day off the ASAE Component Relations Section Council. I’ve spent the last six years working on the council beginning with 3 1-year terms as member then 1-year terms as vice-chair, chair and past chair. I am excited to say this is also my official first day on the Executive Management Section Council.