By Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
CAPITAL VENTURE CEO/President
You're in a small development shop, trying to manage grant seeking, coordinate special events, build your major giving program and start a
planned giving program, all while maintaining a strong annual fund. So, how do you keep all the balls in the air and show the results your
executive director and board are asking for (or maybe demanding!)? You'd love to hire more staff but your budget does not allow for any staff
increases. Wouldn't it be great to have some "unpaid staff?"
Building a good volunteer base is one way to meet the growing demands of your development office. No, volunteers will not replace staff but they can
be a terrific source of added "person-power." There are also some distinct advantages of having volunteers involved with your development program even
if you have an adequate staff. Volunteers are often the best source of identifying, cultivating and soliciting donors. Volunteers will be more likely
to have the connections to businesses and individuals that have affluence than your staff has. A volunteer can approach the "ask" from the standpoint
of not being a paid employee and should always tell the prospect about their own commitment to the organization. Volunteers can also be asked to help
with specific areas of expertise, such as planned giving, public relations or strategic planning. Board members, of course, are the chief volunteers
for your organization, but I would invite you to think about other volunteers you can enlist to work alongside board and staff members in your
development program. Read more
