Volunteers can be a huge asset to your organization! Not only are they committing their time but they are witnessing your organization fulfill its mission. Their experience can translate into more clients, volunteers or even donors if they feel valued and enjoy their time.  

In this Tulsa World article, Volunteer Tulsa Director Brenda Michael-Haggard explains the monetary value of volunteers in our community:

"Oklahoma ranks 26th in volunteer rates at 27.7 percent and 27th with 35.3 volunteer hours per resident annually. In 2012, Tulsa had an average volunteer rate of 28.4 percent compared to 28.1 percent in Oklahoma City and better than the national average of 26.5, according to the latest statistics from Volunteering and Civic Life in America, a detailed report on volunteering trends, civic life and demographics in all 50 states.

Last year volunteers logged in an estimated 200,000 hours of service locally. At the estimated hourly rate of $18.28 in Oklahoma, that equates to more than $3.6 million in volunteer services, said Brenda Michael-Haggard, executive director of Volunteer Tulsa." 

Read More at Tulsa World

This post brought to you by

The Harvard Business Review recently posted an article titled "You're Probably Wrong About Millennials" on their blog, written by Dan Schawbel, Gen Y career and workplace expert.   

The article gets right to its point, stating that "managers routinely complain about their Gen Y employees as entitled, disloyal, and lazy- and as a result, conflicts arise." 

These stereotypes of the younger workforce cause a lack of collaboration and lead to high employee turnover, which is expensive for for-profit and non-profit businesses alike. 

Schawbel says "the first step is to drop generational stereotypes and give Gen Y employees a chance to prove themselves," and that "Gen Ys are work horses and have a persistent hunger to discover new experiences, take advantage of opportunities and push the boundaries." 

If we think back to our December luncheon about volunteers, this is precisely in line with what TYPROs' Executive Director Shagah Zakerion said about millennials wanting to jump in and be actively involved in projects.

Schawbel goes on to explain that "the real opportunity to bring both generations together is mentoring programs that connect Gen Y talent to senior leaders." Our chapter mentoring program wants to do just that. Many mentoring pairs in our chapter have mutually benefitted from the mentoring program over the past year, and it's not too late to get involved. 

Contact Kate Davis today if you are interested in this fantastic opportunity our chapter offers!

Every month the AFP chapter will feature a real-life experience of an AFP member that speaks to the value and authenticity of mentorship. If you're interested in participating in the mentorship program as a mentor or a mentee, please contact Kate Davis. 

This post brought to you by

Critical Issues in Fundraising, edited by Dwight F. Burlingame

In this book, nonprofit practitioners and researchers discuss topics such as donor motivation, donor diversity, ethics, cost effectiveness, government regulation, and more. 

While this book was published more than a decade ago, its content is futuristic and still very relevant today.