Cultivating Future Leaders
Nonprofit leadership comes with great responsibility, as you know, and with a tremendous amount of influence.
April is Global Volunteer Month and the week of April 17th through the 23rd is National Volunteers Week. It’s during these weeks that organizations recognize their dedicated volunteers (including board members, interns, and anyone who donates their gifts of their time and talents to nonprofits).
I don’t have to tell you how important volunteers are to nonprofit organizations. We know that volunteers are the lifeblood of our agencies and the community. You may also recognize that there’s a much bigger responsibility that comes with leading volunteers. Or, perhaps you haven’t thought about the opportunity you have as a nonprofit leader to empower and cultivate volunteers.
You have the ability to create inclusivity within your organization by recruiting, mentoring, and cultivating volunteer leaders from within your community. Inclusion is about actively involving people and empowering them to be part of your organization. It recognizes inherent worth in all people, no matter what their beliefs, ethnic background, talents, age, gender, sexual identity, or other unique traits. Inclusive philosophies and practices are often necessary for promoting diversity at nonprofits. Inclusion brings with it a sense of belonging for everyone.
https://www.volgistics.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion-for-volunteer-organizations/
Not only can you help create a sense of belonging and ownership among your volunteers but you have the ability to cultivate new leaders and provide opportunities for leadership skills development.
Think back to a time when you were a young professional or even in high school or college through volunteering or working. There were most likely a few individuals who made an impression on you and inspired you. Think back to that time and try to recall what it was about them that made you feel capable and valued. Go ahead, I’ll wait…
Was it something small? Like a comment or moment of recognition? Personally, I remember a specific moment in college. I was waiting tables and our restaurant manager came up to me during my shift to tell me he had just gone into the computer and gave me a $2.00 raise (which doesn’t sound like much, but it was a lot actually). He saw how hard I was working (covering for another employee and my own workload) and wanted to let me know how awesome I was, and how much he appreciated that I took pride in my work. He was so excited and so proud of me and it felt really good. He later encouraged me to take on additional responsibilities and asked me to step into a leadership role. I learned quite a bit from him, it was the first time anyone had recognized me as a potential leader and encouraged me to see it within myself.
Isn’t it funny how these experiences stick with us years and years later? Even 20+ years later I remember this specific moment and how it made an impression on me. These are the kinds of opportunities we have as leaders to inspire and encourage others. Mentoring our young volunteers and colleagues is an important and rewarding component of leadership. It’s often overlooked, because, well, you’re busy. But it's important to look around at those in our circle and recognize that these are our future leaders - whether they be community activists, future teachers, CEOs, or business owners; we have a responsibility to help prepare them.
If you’ve never read the book “You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader” by Mark Sanborn, you should, in all your free time :) Sanbord says that “genuine leadership – leadership with a “little l”, as he puts it, is not conferred by a title, or limited to the executive suite. Rather, it is shown through our everyday actions and the way we influence the lives of those around us.”
This volunteer month/week, remember the bigger picture = the opportunity to support, empower, and cultivate leaders within your community members and your team.