VOLUNTEER IMPACT

The 2009 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey findings are amazing -- 24% of nonprofit executives said they have no plans to use skilled volunteers or pro bono support in any capacity. I love volunteers for many reasons, but especially because their work is for free. Free is my favorite four-letter word! In addition to all of the outstanding Board volunteers I have worked with, there is a special place in my heart for the remarkable, immensely accomplished "office" volunteers who have populated my life: Diane Citrino, Larry Downes, Jerry Lehrman, Dede Pascal, Kathy Roin, Dan Sheridan, Chris Smith, Marge Sondler, Jane Tougas and the list goes on and on.

The Deloitte Survey suggests that the slow embrace of skilled volunteer services has been due in part to a widespread lack of knowledge of how to find volunteers. Some organizations have a hard time balancing need vs. risk. You know the old saying about teaching a man to fish, well, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 65-page "Guidebook for Working with Volunteers" can teach anyone how to recruit, screen, train, supervise, support, evaluate and account for volunteers. Available at www.fws.gov/policy/volunteer_guidebook.pdf, it's valuable currency in this economy!