Put Your Money Where Your Hands Work

Kimberly Caldwell recently wrote this piece for Service Nation which they posted on their ChangeWire blog.

Sometimes, I think I know too much to be a good volunteer. I have worked with nonprofits and campaigns for more than four years now, and I’ve seen the inner-workings of volunteer engagement. I’ve seen how hard Volunteer Managers and Coordinators work to synergize the best volunteer experience with accomplishing the organization’s goals.

I also know too much about the need for resources at nonprofits. Not just human energy, but funds to attract and keep the best workers, funds to invest in innovative programming, funds to grow their efforts and reach farther with their mission.

So how does the over-informed volunteer make her impact? By combining these two types of investment in my community. By doing and giving.

I have personally committed to giving $5 for every hour that I volunteer. Think about it – you aren’t at the movies or playing mini-golf, which would cost easily that much when you add in refreshments (which many nonprofits will provide for you for free anyway). So invest your funds where you work with your hands. Show that you support the grassroots, hands-on work of the mission as well as its ability to do more.  People pay all the time to participate in 5Ks and bike races – and even get their friends to give too. Why does the day-to-day work have to be different?

So next time you spend three hours cleaning a creek, preparing meals, reading to kids or folding letters into envelopes, write a check to the nonprofit and hand it to the volunteer manager who has been by your side training you, supplying you with tools and snacks, and answering all your questions. You probably had fun, burned a few calories and felt better about yourself than you did all week – that is totally worth $15. And if that Volunteer Manager is anything like the people I volunteer for, they might even give you a hug!