On my New Year’s resolution list is a simple item – thank my volunteers in a more personal way. Here’s a working list for making that happen ...

All chapters need them, most say they don’t have enough, and few talk about a growing number. We’re talking about volunteers. And we had an opportunity recently to talk with a chapter which has seen an increase in volunteers this past year: the Silicon Valley Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Here are a couple of suggestions from them ...

Volunteer-managed chapters often struggle with the question, “At what
point do we need to hire outside help?” The answer depends on several
factors...

Join in on a great conversation over on Acronym on volunteer management! Nick Senzee got us started with his question Is there a volunteer problem?, then I asked if the Volunteer Program has No Clothes, and Katie Paffhouse asked Can Policies and Volunteer Enthusiasm Get Along?.

The start of a great conversation going on over at Acronym about Creating Cheap Member Benefits which focuses on ways to help volunteers work effectively within shrinking budgets ... I just found another "cheap" Inspiration on Demand - Create a Swipe File that could help boards and volunteers and you collect and share ideas. 

The question of finding great tools is relevant regardless of the economy ... got any to add?

CTAM To Honor Local Chapters With Chairman's Award – this seemingly mild twitter from Shelly Good-Cook, Sr. Dir. Membership Marketing & Chapter Relations for CTAM: Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing is anything but.

Peter and I recently came back from a very exciting session with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America leadership where we heard from passionate volunteers who, like most our chapter leaders, are determined to have effective chapters but are struggling with how to do that within the challenges of today.

Kevin Holland hits the nail on the head: "A committee should not exist solely because it existed last year." That's unspoken truth #7 ... check the rest out here.

On the Happiness Project blog, Gretchen Rubin challenges readers to take the quiz: Are you a likely exercise drop-out? How many of these statement fit you?

We just completed a series of interviews with chapter leaders from the American Association of Diabetes Educators (who by the way are an incredibly passionate and caring group of people!) and heard a very similar lament: its harder and harder to find volunteers who will serve on the local board. One leader indicated that her chapter had recently changed the term from 2 to 1 years in response. Another said that they tell members its one position – you don’t have to go through all positions. These steps have helped. Are these reassurances enough? No.