Nonprofit Spark Radio Interview Makes Great Advocacy Tool for Volunteer Resource Managers

In the first part of the 55-minute podcast, Nonprofit Spark’s host, Renee McGovern, speaks with Energize, Inc. President Susan J. Ellis to flush out why nonprofit executives should pay more attention to the engagement of volunteers. They talk about how changing the way an organization perceives volunteers (more than just “hearts and hands”) can lead to greater impact on services and mission.    

Don’t stop there! The second part of the show, in which McGovern interviews United Way of King County’s Volunteer Initiatives Manager, Nikki Russell, highlights real results from thinking strategically about volunteers. Russell describes the Volunteer Impact Program (VIP), designed to strengthen local nonprofits’ volunteer involvement practices and thus their abilities to deliver services. She shares concise success stories of various King County nonprofits after going through VIP’s in-depth assessment and planning process about the way they involve volunteers.

How can volunteer managers use this recording? Here are some ideas:

• Listen to the radio episode yourself and take notes about ideas and suggestions. Ask your supervisor to meet with you so you can share some of the ideas you learned. You can cite the radio show as your source.
• Snag a quote from the episode and send it in an e-mail to your supervisor or executive director with the link to entire episode. Here’s an example to illustrate the idea:

  Hi Jill,

  Just heard an amazing report on a nonprofit radio show this morning.  United Way of King County’s Volunteer Initiatives Manager Nikki Russell said, “One food bank doubled the number of food drives they were able to give…” by assessing volunteer involvement and create a strategic plan in their organizations. Here’s the complete episode. Could you listen to it and meet with me about some ideas I have for improving what we do by involving volunteers?

  Choose a quote that you think would resonate best with your decision-makers, even if it’s not what you personally think is the most important point. The goal is to get your boss to listen to the whole thing!

• Share the radio episode with other colleagues and friends in your organization, no matter their department. Create a buzz about a different way your organization can think about the volunteers already contributing. Don’t forget to tell your current volunteers, too, especially those in leadership roles – they can advocate for more support for the volunteer program as well!