Meridian Swift has a terrific blog about the impression our volunteers-in-action photos might give, unintentionally. She imagines this scenario:
Yvonne took in the photos of volunteers working together, triumphant smiles on their busy faces. She imagined how dynamic these volunteers must be, and here she was, shy, insecure, and full of doubts. She wasn’t like them. They were so…amazing and who was she kidding, she was just stumbling through life. With a wistful sigh, Yvonne closed the tab and moved on.
She’s right, and not just about photos: when we celebrate volunteers on the organization web site or in a press release or at a ceremony, we celebrate things most people cannot do: volunteer for more than a decade at the same organization, in the same role, or volunteer 100 hours or more in a year. That isn’t to say that those volunteers shouldn’t be honored, but what about honors for the most tenacious volunteer, or the volunteer who made a big impact with a small project?
As Meridian says in her response to volunteers who may be thinking they aren’t perfect enough to volunteer, per the perfect-volunteers imagery:
You may think we want you to be perfect. What do we want? We want to do some good in this crazy world and we don’t have all the answers. We’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for you.
It’s something to keep in mind as you recruit and welcome new volunteers at your organization.
Also see:
- Making certain volunteers feel unwelcomed because of your language
- Do you welcome people with your language?
- Welcoming immigrants as volunteers at your organization
- “If no one is complaining, we don’t have to change how we do things”
- Recruiting Local Volunteers To Increase Diversity Among the Ranks
- Screening Volunteers for Attitude
- Screening applicants by reviewing their online activities
- My consulting services