Tap Into Volunteers’ Strengths for a Successful Charity Event
Everyone must row with the oars he has.
- English Proverb
When it comes to charity events, what’s your strength? Are you a leader who’s good at motivating people, or are you more of a behind-the-scenes person who makes sure everything’s ready for the big day? Are you a salesperson who can ask for donations, or are you a good speaker who can move people with your story?
We all have unique strengths that we bring to charity events; this extends to the volunteers we recruit, as well. When I organized previous Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walks, I found that by tapping into each volunteer’s skills and abilities, my committee was more motivated and effective.
Whether you’re organizing a charity event or you’ve signed up to participate in one as a team captain, you’ll need volunteers to achieve your goals. To find them, first take out a piece of paper and write down all of the tasks with which you’ll need help. For example, if you’re a team captain, your list might include:
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Asking for individual donations
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Asking for donations from businesses
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Creating an email campaign and/or website for your team
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Developing signs, hats, etc. for your team
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Organizing mini-events to meet your fundraising goal, such as car washes or bake sales
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Accounting (collecting and keeping track of team members’ donations)
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Logistical planning (car-pooling to the charity event, etc.)
Once you have your list of tasks, take out another sheet of paper and write down everyone who has volunteered to help you. Think about each person’s unique characteristics and skills. What does she do for a living? What are his hobbies? Jot down anything that might relate to the tasks at hand.
Now start matching up volunteers with the tasks. Is one of your volunteers a member of your city’s chamber of commerce? With her connections, she might be a great person to ask businesses for donations. Do you have a volunteer who is skilled in arts, crafts, or design? He might be the perfect person to create signs and a special hat or shirt for your team members to wear. Someone good with numbers would make a great accountant, while a techie could be in charge of your email campaign and fundraising website.
You get the picture. Figure out what your volunteers’ “oars” are and give them license to row with them. By matching volunteers’ strengths with targeted tasks, you’ll increase motivation and the likelihood that your volunteers will follow through on your requests. If you don’t know a volunteer’s strengths or you’re having trouble matching her strengths to specific tasks, ask her what she’d like to do to help. She might have a great idea that you hadn’t thought of, which will make your team even stronger.
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