August 1999
25 Tips for Building a Volunteer Organization
by Lucy Hayden
The Public
1. Meet in a public building, such as a town hall or community center, at time convenient for most people.
2. Check dates and times of other local meetings to avoid conflicts. Those who volunteer in one area usually are active in several.
3. Send press releases to the local newspapers at least five days in advance of meetings or events. Provide enough information for a short article. Provide a contact number so the press can call you with questions.
4. Be prepared to answer questions from the press and other people interested in attending. Work out particular phrases that best express your thoughts. Write down the most important ideas you wish to convey and keep that list near the phone.
5. Discuss the issues in positive terms. For example, protecting open space is positive; blocking development is negative. Avoid "anti" language — it turns people off.
The Meeting Room
6. The room should be comfortable and well lit and not overly large. Physical closeness usually encourages conversation and courtesy.
7. Seat everyone on one level. Arrange chairs in a circle or concentric circles, close together.
8. Provide refreshments and allow people to socialize for a few minutes. Social small talk encourages agreement on important issues.
9. Hang or tape large pieces of paper to the walls around the room. These will be used to record everyone’s ideas. It is vital that all ideas be recorded.
A Good First Meeting
10. Frame the issue in terms of a broad, positive question. For example, How can we support local farms?
11. Write every idea down. Designate a person to record everyone’s ideas. The person should have neat handwriting, listen carefully, and not censure comments. The writing should be visible to everyone.
12. Give everyone a chance to speak. Call on those who haven’t spoken to see if they have anything to add.
13. Insist that all who participate stick to addressing the question. Don’t allow anyone to hijack the meeting.
14. Point out complementary ideas to stimulate agreement.
15. Openly invite creative thoughts, no matter how impractical they may seem.
16. Turn negative comments into positive contributions. For example, a person may say, "We can’t do that because we’re not insured." Respond with, "So are you suggesting that we should reevaluate our insurance and look at covering this activity?"
17. If a person is genuinely upset, allow him or her to vent, then look for the positive idea.
Putting Ideas to Work
18. Spread the ideas you’ve gathered through the community. There are many ways to do this. Here are a few:
• Speak to any members of the press who attend the meeting.
• Write a column for the local paper reporting on the meeting.
• Publish a newsletter.
• Send letters to the papers.
• Start an e-mail mailing list to everyone who wants it.
• Put up a web site.
19. Continue to keep the press informed. Send press releases for everything you do. Cultivate a relationship with a reporter whose work you respect.
20. Always publicly attribute ideas to their owners, so that they are encouraged to act on them. Publicly congratulate those who are doing good work.
21. Gather information on what others are doing to resolve similar issues, and get that information out to the community.
Long-Term Volunteerism
22. Encourage those you are working with to connect with other volunteer groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, the PTA, or the local historical society. Many of those people have a habit of volunteering. Many of those organizations can co-sponsor events, sponsor your organization as a non-profit when you apply for grants, write letters of recommendation for financial support, or give advice on how to get things done locally.
23. Attend town or village government meetings to find out how business is done and what your officials care about. Encourage people you respect to run for public office.
24. Broadcast information to the entire community, including town officials, school kids, tourists, reporters, elderly folks, etc. Keep it positive, so that people will want to be associated with you.
25. Build the leadership skills of active participants by asking them to lead meetings, make contacts, and talk to the press.
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