“Why do this?” Help volunteers know ☺️
Ever had a volunteer ask you why they’re doing something? (Or ever wondered it yourself?)
If we’re working with volunteers or community members, we want them to care and choose to give their time and attention to something. They’ll choose to engage if they get (or expect to get) something they value – being in community, making impact, gaining personal value. And they’ll throw in the towel (or not volunteer next time) if their needs and values aren’t met.
So setting expectations is important, especially around why the community or committee exists: what’s its purpose? From this, volunteers can assess what they might get out of it, the people they might meet, their potential to make a difference, etc.
Define your purpose: “Why should this committee exist?”
Whether the group’s new or not, its purpose should make sense within the context of your organization. You likely already have ideas about what the group’s supposed to do. Get these down on paper!
Now consider how the project flows from (aligns with) the organization’s mission and strategic plan/core activities.
Draw a through-line (metaphorically and, if possible, literally) between:
“Why does the organization exist?”
“How are we enacting the organization’s purpose?”
“Why should this committee or community exist?”
“How are we enacting the group’s purpose? What are we doing?”
“What impact do we have?”
TIP: Get others involved in this process! Co-creating purpose and alignment can make a community stronger and more effective.
If the alignment feels obvious, that makes your job easier. If the connection between the project and the organization’s mission is clear, you can focus on communicating this aligned purpose to the people involved and making sure your activities support it. What are the implications for roles, scope/work, and culture? What expectations do you need to set?
If the connections are unclear or tenuous, you probably have some challenging thinking and conversations ahead. Maybe you don’t have enough information yet to see the alignment. Or maybe your project’s existence surfaces opportunities to clarify the organization’s mission or address omissions in its strategy. Or maybe the organization needs to strategically abandon the project (without abandoning the *people* in your community).
Communicate your purpose clearly & frequently
Now that you have a clear purpose, share it! If those involved don’t know why they’re doing something or why they should care, it’s much harder to stay engaged. (We’ll focus on communication more in the next Drawn to Learning)
What do you find makes it difficult to pinpoint a committee or community’s purpose?
Intentionally,