Count Down to National Volunteer Week April 21-27, 2013

National Volunteer Week is just around the corner (April 21st)! You can use this week at least three different ways …

Opportunity to personally – and publicly – thank your volunteers. Added bonus, it highlights the value of volunteering for the organization and promotes the “get involved” message. Here are some ideas we posted last year in case you’re looking for a last minute option.

Opportunity to reflect on what volunteering means to your organization. As you do this, examine your volunteer management program. How is it working – for your organization, for you as a volunteer manager, for your volunteers, for your mission? What needs to be changed? What can be changed? As you do, check Revisting the Seven Deadly Sins of Directing Volunteers.

As part of this reflection, take the time to read a few items to learn more about volunteers. Two I’d recommend are Meet The First Digital Generation. Now Get Ready To Play By Their Rules and Why So Few Baby Boomers Are Volunteering. Plus, there’s the research bible Decision To Volunteer by ASAE.

Opportunity to consider your own volunteering … and perhaps recommit to being a volunteer. This self-examination can also feed your assessment of the volunteer program you run or the volunteers you manage.