The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently concluded something close to my heart - that nonprofit organizations need to do a better job of recruiting and training volunteers, and keeping them engaged. We have all been there, personally and professionally, no doubt... asked to join a nebulous committee, perform volunteer feats that no mere mortal could be expected to achieve, pester and bully our family and friends into donating their time and money, and stuff envelopes too.

This is not a recipe for long term success. Instead:

• Recruit and orient your volunteers, and staff, carefully and with consideration for the skills and attributes you need. A live body or bum in the chair is not a recruitment goal! A volunteer or staff mismatch only leads to dissatisfaction.
• Once you have the right people on the bus, give them what they need to work and feel great -- tools, information and leadership!
• Keep them informed and engaged, making sure they know how they fit and how their efforts are appreciated.
• And last but not least, listen to them...communication is intended to be two-way!

In marketing terms, a value proposition is a clear statement of what a company or organization offers its clients. Like most things in life, simplicity is the key to clarity. The more focused the value proposition, the more effective the resulting communication.

The most powerful statement in the world will lead nowhere, however, if your value proposition is in direct contrast to your organization's core and culture. Nothing breeds disillusionment among your staff and volunteers (and your donors!) than the rank whiff of disconnect. An organization's culture, sometimes defined as how people behave when they think no one is looking, needs to be authentic and in tune to resonate. Inconsistency is the greatest demoralizer. Organizations that live their values are:

• authentic - act and do as they say they do
• receptive - actively interested in their donors' and staff needs and interests
• giving - focused on the needs of their clients first
• prosperous - attract supporters and partners

Proving life really does come full circle, I have found an interesting parallel between games of childhood and boardrooms across the nations -- the game of Truth or Dare.

If you've played this game, you know that most of the time, given the choice, people pick Dare. This is because it is easier to risk embarrassment, and to gain admiration through an act of courage or daring, than it is to reveal one's personal feelings and Truths. In fact, our culture rewards daring (and stupid acts of daring) above truth, much of the time.

This revelation came about because I have been immersed lately in a lot of "deep thought" and tough conversations, due to a project I am working on with a client on internal culture as well as a presentation I recently delivered on the importance of building internal teams.

In a nutshell, if you are setting out to change your organization's culture, the most important thing you can do for your organization is to frankly agree to the rules you are going to live by, and have consequences for not doing so. If you approach this by asking what you are prepared to accept, and not accept, you will soon get to the hard truth. This will take your mission statement and list of values beyond a piece of paper and will instead tell your staff, volunteers, donors and the world, what you are all about. It becomes what you stand for and how you do things, and makes decision-making clearer and more decisive. Above all, it gets to the truth of your organization. And exposes the less than truthful very quickly, in other words, the disconnects between what your organization says it upholds, and what it actually does.

Don't get me wrong - a certain amount of daring is necessary too! But looking at ourselves in the proverbial mirror is the most difficult, enlightening, and transforming step we can take. So pick Truth!

p.s. another definition of culture - how people act and what they do when no one is looking.

We all know the importance of clarity in our communications. This becomes even moreso when recruiting people into your organization. If you've ever tried to explain your job to someone in an entirely removed field, you understand how difficult it can be to eliminate the insider jargon and to be specific. Try it out on your neighbour, hairdresser or grandmother. If you can't explain it passionately and clearly in terms they can understand, you need to sharpen your pencil.

Here's an example lifted from two advertisements appearing in the local career section:

Example 1:

The Specialist implements, leads and executes communications activities to achieve and maintain services standards, sales goals and other key objectives.

Example 2:

The Communications Officer will help refine and implement a marketing and communications strategy to increase community and public understanding of the work of the Foundation and opportunities for donor participation.

The second example does a better job of explaining how the marketing function supports the important work of the organization. You can bet it will also result in better matched applicants.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of this statement, I feel for you. We'd like to think that staff and volunteers will enthusiastically respond to every request, and perform their best no matter what. However I'd venture a guess that many times there is a disconnect between your assumptions and someone else's regarding responsibilities and priorities. When was the last time you looked at your own job description?

If your own, or others' you have responsibility for, are so vague they could belong to anyone in a generic organization, do yourself a favor and take the time to make it real.

A clearly written list of expectations and functions is really important regardless of the size or structure of your organization, and whether this description is for a staff member or volunteer. The more specific it can be, and the better it describes how the role interacts with others, and in decision-making, will give clarity for all involved. What matters even more though, is ongoing communications and an environment that sorts out the disconnects before they become really sticky issues.

Watch for more about creating this environment in an upcoming article.