In our August issue, we reported on a new study published by ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership titled “The Decision to Volunteer: Why People Give Their Time and How You Can Engage Them.” Authored by Monica Dignam, ASAE’s vice-president of industry and market research, and Beth Gazley, Ph.D., of Indiana University, the study’s findings are based on responses from 26,305 members of 23 co-sponsoring associations.

Last month, we considered the study’s findings that association members volunteer more than most but spend most of their volunteer time working for community organizations. The study also found that members’ values drive their choices, reaffirmed the importance of making direct requests to members to volunteer and revealed that providing meaningful experiences is the best way to retain quality volunteers. This month, we present the remaining major findings of the study:

• The importance of involving the younger generations. According to the ASAE study, Gen-X and Millennial Generation association members are slightly less engaged than older association members and are likely to volunteer differently, but they actually believe more strongly in the importance of volunteering. The challenge for associations then will be in finding meaningful and substantive ways to involve these less experienced but very eager young professionals.

• The professional benefits of volunteerism. Two thirds of the survey respondents said they look for opportunities to connect volunteering to their professional work. In fact, many regard volunteering as a benefit of membership; they see the association volunteer work they have done as something that has made them better professionals. This is a powerful message that associations can use in both member—and volunteer—recruitment strategies.

• Recognizing the “ad hoc” volunteer. While the first people who might come to mind when you think about volunteers are those who fill board and committee seats, the study suggests that most volunteers are performing lower-profile services such as mentoring, membership recruitment or activities that might be even further off the radar screen for association staff. The risk is in assuming that these “ad hoc” volunteers require less attention. Instead, the study suggests finding ways to identify, support and acknowledge all volunteer contributions.

• Organizational strategies can support or discourage volunteering. The study finds that family, work and geography can all limit volunteer participation. But survey respondents also indicated that many of the reasons they did not volunteer for their professional association are within the association’s power to address. In fact, the number one reason they did not volunteer was a lack of information about the opportunities. Other addressable issues revealed in the study include poor communication and follow-through with volunteers, forgetting to thank them, lack of support or training, and unclear or ill-defined roles.

For more information or to order “The Decision To Volunteer,” visit www.asaecenter.org or call (888) 950-2723.

Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company