•VOLUNTEERISM

PRESIDENT'S NOTE:

In these challenging economic times, it is imperative for each of us to redouble our efforts to ensure not only our own future but the future of our families, friends, neighbors, colleagues and communities. We are all in this together.

This issue of stay CONNECTed is dedicated to volunteerism. We are thankful for the supporters who continue to support us financially. We also recognize that, as a volunteer-run and -managed organization, we need to continually provide our volunteers with opportunities to make a substantial and satisfying difference in the world. This newsletter will provide you with some of the thinking that goes on when we look at supporting our volunteers, all within the context of ensuring that healthy, strong, productive relationships all of our work.

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

In the Fall 2006 issue of Volunteer Leadership, Nancy Macduff examined a new way to identify and manage volunteers. The author makes a point about changing volunteer patterns that we have always known: for many years, women supported organizations through activities like walk-a-thons, PTA presidencies and clothing drives. Increasingly, and in unprecedented numbers, women are now writing checks to support those same organizations as well as expanding their reach beyond their own families and neighborhoods.

The old refrain, "women give from their hearts, men give from their pocketbooks" no longer holds true. Men have become progressively more active in their communities beyond the traditional role of team coach, now peer mentoring, physically rebuilding neighborhoods, and financially supporting more community-based organizations. Women have expanded their definition of “neighborhood” to understand that they no longer can isolate themselves into geographic communities as conventional boundaries blur.

Offering women and men the opportunity to take on leadership roles and inviting them to bring their personal and professional spheres of influence to bear on the success of A More Perfect Union has been one of the hallmarks of our longevity. People want to be appreciated and to know that what they do is significant. Most would like increased challenges and responsibilities, but they need encouragement and high expectations. Setting the stage for enthusiasm and success allows us to nurture the same in others.

VOLUNTEER RETENTION

Our retention rate is considerably higher than the national average, where one out of three volunteers drops out of service after one year. Forty percent of our volunteers have been working with us for more than three years, ten percent for three to six years and six of the seven founding members are still active after twenty years. Our volunteers stay because we continually engage women, providing satisfying involvement. The Corporation of National and Community Service states: "Volunteer retention rates, similar to volunteer rates, are low for young adults and rise as individuals approach middle age. Interesting, the rates do not decline as individuals become seniors."

One of the goals of our volunteer program is to provide women volunteer opportunities that align with their individual life stages. Women who are in school can volunteer for one-time activities like fundraisers, work with women-at-risk in a facility one evening a month, or stay connected through attending meetings twice a year. Young women often become volunteers immediately upon arriving in New York post-college. Many of these volunteers, through the work of helping women-at-risk envision their potential futures, begin to identify where their own passions lie and embark on graduate education and fulfilling vocations.

Women with young families can participate in governance, writing, and other pursuits that allow them to be home in the evenings or they can attend facility sessions for the opportunity to work with other women outside of the home.