For many today is simply a day-off. For others, Martin Luther King Day is about service. In thinking about how I wanted honor this day, I began to look at how I have tried to honor this call to service and for open-mindedness thoughout the year. I figured that looking back and assessing my performance could help me set new goals for 2011.

Robert J. Rosenthal, Director of Communications for VolunteerMatch, wrote an inspiring post on Beth Kanter's blog following the June 2010  National Conference on Volunteering and Service. He wrote about how volunteer coordinators could help their organizations become nettworked nonprofits.

He made several thoughtful observations, the richest of which was captured in his quote:

"Yet I think it’s another fear [beyond fear of failure] – fear of the unknown – that’s one of the biggest limits. When things are unknown, they can’t be envisioned at all. The earth remains flat, and it’s hard to eliminate the barriers that stand in the way of exploration."

Taggies is the nickname for the 2010 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards & Report created by Nancy Schwartz, who works with nonprofits and publishes Getting Attention blog and e-newsletter. This year the awards added a new category for programs – like your volunteer program.

As a ballerina wannabe, it was natural that the headline in the Stillwater Gazette would catch my eye: "More than roles for ballerinas." It came to be through my Google Alerts for association + volunteer. The teaser simply said "Every year the parents of "Nutcracker" ballerinas and cavaliers are asked to log at least a couple of volunteer hours to support their children. ..."

Look at that teaser again and notice the phrase "asked to log at least a couple of volunteer hours to support...." Parents respond to this graciously because (1) it's expected, (2) the expectation is fairly minimal and there are plenty of quick jobs like poster-hangers and greeters, and (3) they are asked. There's a great lesson here for associations. What if we presented volunteering as an expectation? And backed up that expectation with a host of short-term, ad-hoc positions, and then simply asked?

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

This September 11th is a bit different for yet another reason: it is the inaugural National Day of Service and Remembrance. The connection to the world of association volunteerism may be overshadowed by the thundering call for community service. It's natural that the focus is on community service but it does keep association volunteering in a "best-kept secret" category.