âThe future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.â1
Fifteen years ago, I was given the opportunity to build my first nonprofit program from scratch. At the time, I was short on experience but had enthusiasm and ideas to spare. Fortunately, the leadership team at Larkin Street Youth Center decided to take a chance. Founded in 1984, Larkin Street had already grown an impressive continuum of services and a solid reputation with San Francisco's street youth. The link between housing, support services, and lasting employment, however, was yet to be made. So, I set about developing a workforce-development program for homeless youth.
Larkin Street's team of dedicated social workers created a culture of youth empowerment through acceptance, encouragement, and a little bit of tough love. The youth responded in kind, some so committed they returned to job readiness class every morning even when they slept in Golden Gate Park the night before. It was truly inspiring, but we also needed to reach outside our walls for support. Our clients needed additional champions to believe in their potential.
When we asked, people helped. A team of volunteer attorneys from the San Francisco Bar Association became our first group of mentors. Employee volunteers from Bain & Company organized a job readiness fair. Employers like Macy's hosted informational interviews and hired youth for internships. Community volunteers helped as tutors in our GED and college-prep classrooms. Because of the first year of successâimpossible without this level of volunteer and community involvementâour primary funder committed to multiyear support.
Fifteen years later, Hire Up continues to help homeless youth find a way off the streets. A lot has changed since then, but in some respects, much remains the same. The help that communities can offer remains critical to nonprofit success, and volunteers still willingly contribute their skills and talents to good causes. At the same time, the world has changed dramatically. Some might view the complexity of today's era as a liability. I see new advances as opportunities to forge even deeper connections with supporters who can offer so much value, helping lift programs, such as Hire Up, off the ground and keep them running.
Today, I help my consulting clients strengthen their own volunteer programs. Over the years, the social sector has experienced an evolution in the needs of volunteers, and our responses to those needs are transforming our practice.
Today's Consumer Is Tomorrow's Volunteer
We live in a complex era. Paradoxical themes of anxiety, self-help, rebellion, and collaboration are crosscurrents that embody today's experience. Futurists highlight many trends that may seem contradictory, such as:
- Superpersonalization versus âclanningâ and tribes
- Indulgence and luxury versus environmentalism
- Focus on self- versus social awareness
- Escapism versus wellness and health consciousness
- Hyperconnectivity and multitasking versus simplification and mindfulness2
In spite of these tensions, or perhaps because of them, a âsocially conscious consumerâ has emerged. Ideas like fair trade, sustainable consumption, farm-to-table, and ethical fashion are gaining popularity, as the public strives to express their values and perhaps reconcile conflicting emotions. In turn, this trend has stimulated increased interest in corporate social responsibility and cause marketing, which offer even more choices to act on one's ideals.
We are in the midst of other big shifts in business, technology, psychology, and communities as well. Although consumers present a range of reactions to the speed and breadth of changeâfrom joyous early adopters to anxious resistersâall have increasingly sophisticated expectations from the world around them. This extends to the nonprofits they choose to support. In this environment, volunteer programs are particularly vulnerable.
This chapter is intended to inspire deeper thinking about the current and future contexts of volunteer engagement and community involvement. By examining and capitalizing on new trends and recent discoveries across a wide range of disciplines, we can collectively revamp and refresh the field of volunteerism for the better. Each big trend that follows is accompanied by several ideas for action. Is your organization ready to harness the power of tomorrow's social citizens?
What Can Volunteerism Lose to Win?
Although there has been substantial growth in new nonprofits in the United States, expanding from 1.32 million to 1.44 million from 2002 to 2012 (an increase of 8.6 percent), volunteer involvement in organizations has decreased slightly and is at its lowest since 2002 (at 25.4 percent), and annual volunteer hours have been declining slightly.3
Altruism, on the other hand, appears to be on the rise. In 2011, over 65 percent of citizens said they helped their friends and neighbors (an increase of 9.5 percent over the previous year).4 Although it is not entirely clear what is driving this trend, it may indicate that community participation is alive and well, but that current offers to volunteers by nonprofits lack appeal. It also suggests that informal, self-directed volunteering (âfreelance philanthropyâ) and the flexibility and autonomy it allows may be preferred.
As society evolves, so, too, must volunteerism. Old habits die hard, but letting go helps make way for new ideas and unforeseen discoveries. Legacy mindsets may be obstacles to progress and bear examining, such as:
- Focus on individual volunteers versus team approaches
- Over-reliance on long-term volunteer placements over project-based work
- Increasing rigidity versus flexible, nimble management
- Reluctance to accept risks inherent in innovation
- Unequal power dynamics between organizations and citizens in planning and implementation of community solutions
- Assumption that answers to challenges must (or will) come from within our sector
The world will continue to revolutionize and renew itself, and we must heed the call for transformation. To break new ground, cross-disciplinary thinking is useful, along with a willingness to experiment and learn from failure.
Big Trend: New Insights from Brain Science
With the advent of imaging technology, scientists have made monumental leaps in what we understand about how our brains work. In the growing field of neuroscience, researchers have only scratched the surface, but several recent discoveries hold promise for volunteer organizations.
All human brains, not affected by trauma or illness, operate in the same way, regardless of culture, language, geography, or any other trait. Over 95 percent of our emotions, learning, and decision making occurs on the subconscious, rather than on the rational, level. Organizations are using these discoveries to their advantage, paying close attention to the âecology of experienceâ that workers and customers encounter. Some have been deliberately designed for behavior change, working to create brain-friendly workplaces and using brain science to help guide marketing decisions and generate more persuasive ad copy.
The Compassionate Instinct5
Despite being characterized as selfish in nature, new findings show that humans actually have a âcompassionate instinct.â Compassion is an emotional response to suffering and involves an authentic desire to help. When we alleviate another's pain, or even watch someone else assist, the brain's reward center lights up.
The adage âgiving is better than receivingâ applies anywhere the world, regardless of country or socioeconomic status. Scientists argue that compassion is deeply imbedded in human nature and has helped us survive as a species. Compassion is also contagious. When we perform compassionate acts, our heart rate slows and hormones are released that promote bonding and a feeling of âelevation.â The more one experiences or witnesses compassion, the more likely they are to act compassionately.
With the rise of the socially conscious consumer, our compassionate instinct now manifests itself in society. Volunteer programs can also inspire and channel our natural inclinations to help by making examples of their benefits to the community even more public.
Neuroleadership Models6
Neuroleadership is an emerging field that uses brain science to better understand how to motivate, influence, and lead others. Researchers argue that minimizing danger and maximizing reward is a key organizing principle of the brain. The urge to approach possible rewards and avoid potential threats is deeply ingrained.
The SCARF Model, developed by neuroleadership theorists, is based on addressing the threats an...
