I agree with Steve.
When/where I coordinated volunteers, I “encouraged membership” (actual wording included in advertisements and flyers to recruit volunteers). But we never “required” membership. Students who are volunteering in exchange for gaining experience/skills, seniors on limited incomes, those who give time for lack of ability/desire to give money . . . Their volunteer time is valuable and, odds are, they end up volunteering more time than paying members who volunteer. (I’d estimate, where I worked, non-member/volunteers were there at least two times the number of hours as member/volunteers — if not more!)
Sending an occasional newsletter to those folks will not cost you much, but will keep a skilled resource informed and excited to continue volunteering. You know the lesson “Don’t burn bridges”? Mistreating volunteers can have negative results as you don’t know who your volunteers know . . .
Best wishes, sincerely,
Jay
Jay Heuman, Curator of Education
Salt Lake Art Center
20 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
T 801-328-4201
F 801-322-4323
E [log in to unmask]
W www.slartcenter.org
On 3/24/05 3:18 PM, "Stephen C. Shisler" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Trying to convert all volunteers could result in losing some potential volunteers or members. Some people want to give only their time, and some people only want to give money. Some people may want to give both, but aren't able to give both for any number of reasons. If you try to insist that people can't give your organization one without the other, you'll probably have people walking away instead of giving you their time and money. That's how I am -- every place I've ever volunteered I've only been interested in being a volunteer, and having something to do. About twenty years ago I asked one museum about becoming a volunteer, and I was giving a brochure about becoming a member. My reaction was "you mean I have to pay this place, for the chance to volunteer?" and I walked off instead of volunteering. I refuse to pay for the chance to donate my time. If any money is going to change hands, I'm going to be on the receiving end -- not the person paying the money. I imagine that many people feel the same way, about an organization refusing to take only time or only money.
Steve Shisler