Volunteers are backbone of charity

San Antonio Business Journal - by Jim Eskin

Like others in the field, I’m proud to make my living as a fundraiser. It’s very satisfying to blend art and science, embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and be front and center when the synergy of generous donor, artful solicitor and grateful recipient comes to fruition.

But I’ll be the first to admit that the real heroes of American philanthropy are the legions of volunteers. Unpaid and typically unheralded, they tirelessly devote themselves to favorite causes, and in doing so, touch, change and save lives. Their sterling example can and should inspire the rest of us.

The cumulative impact is huge. Tracked by the Corporation for National and Community Service, 63.4 million Americans, or 26.8 percent of the adult population, contribute 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth an estimated $169 billion. Far from the conventional thinking that hard times suppress civic participation, the number of Americans volunteering in their communities jumped by 1.6 million last year, the largest increase in six years.

During the recession, nonprofits struggling to provide services on smaller budgets, prudently engaged stronger use of volunteers. Between September 2008 and March 2009, more than a third (37 percent) of nonprofit organizations reported increasing the number of volunteers they use. The trend is holding. Almost no nonprofit organizations are showing a decrease in their volunteer usage.

Role models are all around us. I enjoy working with dedicated men and women from all different backgrounds. One of the hardest working and most effective volunteer/fundraisers I know is Jane Phipps, founder and program director of the Masters Leadership Program of San Antonio and Bexar County. After successfully owning and operating a business with her husband, Bob, for 20 years, Jane was ready for new challenges and decided to focus on helping develop a pool of knowledgeable, qualified and dedicated board members to our community’s nonprofit and civic boards and commissions.

It has been a huge success story. Now starting its seventh year, the Masters Leadership Program has over 275 graduates improving our community with over 3,000 volunteer hours each month.

Jane’s leadership has also been instrumental in raising some $60,000 from Masters Leadership Program class members and alumni for scholarships benefiting Alamo Colleges students. In the early years, monies for the two $1,500 scholarships were awarded to two students from the Alamo Colleges Student Leadership Institute.

Building on that momentum, Jane, joined by the Masters Leadership Program board of directors and other volunteers, has raised funds to endow a scholarship to honor Gen. Bob Herres, the Master Leadership Program’s first board chair, and support outstanding students in perpetuity.

No doubt, you know dedicated volunteers like Jane. They are motivated by a passion for and commitment to favorite charities. This isn’t about ego but rather asking for something much larger than themselves.

Jane hasn’t received formal training in fundraising, but she intuitively gets it. Keep in mind that even those who loathe asking for money can contribute to the success of their organizations in many other concrete ways. Obtaining a gift is the culmination of a sustained education and cultivation process. By introducing them to and involving prospective donors in the life of nonprofit, volunteers play an indispensable role in making gifts possible.

Volunteers come out ahead themselves. Volunteering provides a perfect environment to improve capabilities, acquire new skills, expand networks and showcase talent. Research even demonstrates that volunteering leads to better health and that older volunteers are the most likely to receive physical and mental health benefits from their volunteer activities.

Fundraising professionals couldn’t reach our objectives without volunteers. It needs to be noted that volunteers are much more likely than non-volunteers to donate to a charitable cause with 78.2 percent contributing $25 or more compared to 38.5 percent of non-volunteers. They are valued partners in advancing the quality of life. We enthusiastically say “thank-you” to the millions of Janes all across America.

Jim Eskin is executive director of institutional advancement for Alamo Colleges and Alamo Colleges Foundation