For many organizations, it’s budget time! And we all know what that means. Get out your calculators, begin planning, and get ready to advocate for your needs. Since money is on many people’s minds as you plan for 2018, we decided to “celebrate” by sharing some new — and classic — resources that are available to you for free. And, if you work on a July-June fiscal year and haven’t yet entered the budgeting process, no problem! You can still enjoy these resources.
1. Resources to Make the Case for Volunteer Engagement Funding
As you are budgeting, it is vital to be able to make the case both internally to leadership and externally to potential and current funders about the value of the investing in volunteer engagement infrastructure and resources. Fear not! We are happy to share a new, free resource for funders and nonprofit professionals to help you make this case. Through a partnership with The Leighty Foundation, we revised and updated the Funder’s Guide to Investing in Volunteer Engagement which is available for free download through [The Leighty Foundation]( http://www.leightyfoundation.org/) website (under the Volunteer Engagement tab). The site also includes an online guide for nonprofits to develop a case and prepare to present to a potential funder. As you develop your budgets, use these tools to build a case for your vital resources and to expand those resources through external fundraising! Also, look this week for a new article about these resources with tips and more by JFFixler Group president Beth Steinhorn to be published in e-Volunteerism Journal.
2. Classic Article on Skilled Volunteering
Speaking of e-Volunteerism Journal, this month, e-Volunteerism is sharing free access to a classic and very relevant article on skilled volunteering by the late Jill Friedman Fixler. The article is part of e-Volunteerism archives and contains a series of case studies and tips on engaging skilled volunteers to build your capacity that still ring true today. Don’t miss the free access to this article for September.
3. Free e-Book!
And, in case you missed it, we have a new, FREE e-book! Our new eBook Enhancing the Volunteer Lifecycle (available as a complimentary download through Verified Volunteers) will help you learn how to increase impact through volunteer engagement by managing and supporting them more effectively throughout their entire “lifecycle” with your organization.
You’ll learn how to:
- Better develop and define volunteer positions so both your organization and your volunteers benefit.
- Get the right people in the right volunteer roles, and set volunteers up for success with proper training and support.
- Keep volunteers engaged by clearly communicating volunteer impact and outcomes.
Download it today!
And, in the meantime, happy budgets!
