Better Together: Aligning Fundraising and Volunteer Engagement to Advance Our Missions - Nikki Russell

Better Together: Aligning Fundraising and
 Volunteer Engagement to Advance Our
                Missions

                 Nikki Russell
               The Volunteer Advantage
                nmrussell3@gmail.com

Introductions

Nikki Russell, CVA
• Consultant, The Volunteer Advantage
• 24 years in Volunteer Engagement field
  • Former Volunteer Initiatives Manger at United Way of
    King County, Seattle
  • Former Chair, Volunteer Administrators Network
  • Board Member: CCVA and AL!VE
• 5 Years in Fund Development
  • Director of Development, Olympic Peninsula YMCA
  • Director of Development and Community
    Engagement, United Good Neighbors of Jefferson
    County

Why This Topic?

My Philanthropic Journey

My Big Aha!
 FD and VE are two peas in
   the philanthropic pod!
Philanthropy:

Fundraising:

Volunteer Engagement:

Goal of Workshop
— To recognize the functional
 intersections, connections and natural
 cross-overs between Fund Development
 and Volunteer Engagement
— And explore how we can “blur the lines”
 between the two functional areas to
 build a more “perfect union”

Why do we engage
donors/volunteers with
  our organizations?

To Accomplish…

Volunteer Engagement Vs
   Fund Development

        Donor                    Volunteer?

Are we competing unnecessarily with our Fund
           Development peers?

Are We Operating In Siloes?

                              Volunte
                                      er Engag
              evelo   pment                   ement
    F u n d D

Mind The Gap…

Donors         Volunteers

Fundraising   Volunteer
              Engagement

Are We All That Different?
      Same Core skills:

      — We are both in the engagement
        business

      — Relationship building is key
      — Strong communication essential
      — We empower people to impact
        mission

Two Personas?
   Donor Vs. Volunteer?
Are you a different person as a donor than as a
                   volunteer?

Donors and Volunteers-
the same under the surface
                How do we see/ treat
                volunteers and donors
                differently?

                How do volunteers/
                donors see themselves?

                How do they want to be
                treated?

Collective Volunteering
Collective action through
membership in nonprofits,
clubs, churches, etc.

Reflexive Volunteering
Reflexive (self-referential)
action, based on individual
interests, motivations and
needs.
Hustinx and Lammertyn, 2003

Traditionalists    Boomers        Gen-Xers       Millennials

 1921-1942        1943-1963 1964-1977            1978-1996

   Civic duty,   Suspicious of    Self-reliant Entrepreneurial
   respect for   organizations independent; Self-confident,
    authority,        anti-        question        Strong
  blending in,   authoritarian;    authority,   individuality
following rules, motivated by       respects   and uniqueness
 organizational self-fulfillment competence,
     loyalty                       not titles

                  Increasing focus on personal goals

Donors and Volunteers

Changing Paradigm
                             Organization-       Person-centered
                               centered            engagement
                             management
                           The Machine            Co-creative
                                                     team

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under

And There is an Empirical
           Link…
— Volunteers donate on average 10x more than non-
  volunteers

— 70% people donate to organizations for which they
  volunteer.

Missed Opportunities

In today’s world, lines are blurring between volunteer and donor

  The artificial wall between volunteer engagement and fund
  development limits our relationships and results in missed
                          opportunities

Why Are We Not Working
       Together?

Building Bridges
     How can we reach across the aisle?
     — Meet together to explore the
       relationships and
       interconnections between
       fundraising and volunteer
       engagement.
     — Share information and activities
       and strategies
     — Where can/should we work as a
       team?

Aligning Our Work
                                             — Align and integrate our people,
                                                  processes and technology with
                                                  a single purpose: to build
                                                  healthy relationships

                                             — Work collaboratively to
                                                  empower and inspire
                                                  community members to
                                                  provide the help we need the
                                                  most, turning donors into
                                                  volunteer…into donors
Blurred Lines: Turning Donors into Volunteers…Into Donors, Shari Tishman, Volunteer Match Blog for
Social Change Organizations, Posted in Fundraing, May 16, 2014,
http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/2014/05/16/blurred-lines-turning-donors-into-
volunteersinto-donors/

Plan For Engagement
      Together

                      26

Nurture a Culture of
           Philanthropy

Culture of Philanthropy

A set of organizational values and practices that
support and nurture development within a nonprofit
organization. It's an important part of building
cohesion and teamwork within an organization and
it's imperative that every individual understands how
they contribute to this culture

Set the Tone for Engagement

  Work together to
       establish a
       philosophy
   statement and set
    expectations for
  engaging, nurturing
     and sustaining
    donor/volunteer
      involvement

Philosophy Statement

clarifies why and how
donors/volunteers
  qare valued
  qContribute
  qIntegrated

Food Lifeline’s Volunteer Repack Center
 offers meaningful volunteer opportunities
 to the community while increasing Food
      Lifeline’s capacity to rescue and
 distribute foods requiring extra handling
    which might otherwise go to waste.

  The VRC creates connections with
     individuals, neighborhood and
  community groups and the business
    community. These relationships
 generate additional support and public
 awareness of Food Lifeline’s mission to
      eliminate hunger in Western
              Washington .

Person Centered
  Engagement
      We can work best together “when the
      needs of the individuals engaging with us
      are placed at the center”

      • See engaged individuals (supporters),
        not “donors” or “volunteers” (labels
        limit us)

      • Set collaborative goals that keep the
        individual at the center

      • Create ways for for donors and
        volunteers to interact

      • Bring volunteers and donors together
        to celebrate contributions

Creating a More Perfect
            Union

— Fund Development and Volunteer
 Engagement belong together
   — Align Goals and Priorities
   — Integrate systems and processes
   — Share engagement strategies and successes
   — Celebrate together!
— Be Person Centered – See the whole person

It’s a Wrap