Here's how you can effectively communicate with volunteers in the philanthropy sector.

Recognizing that volunteers are regular people who want to help organizations is essential. They shouldn't be put on a pedestal just because they are volunteering. While we should be grateful for their contributions, we must treat them as equals and provide them with the necessary project updates, involvement in decisions, and tools for their work. Improving communication and understanding is vital because what may seem obvious to us as NGO leaders may be different for volunteers who didn't help start the organization. So, patience and time can improve our communication with volunteers.

Understand the "Cause Impact", in my experience when we give food to homeless people with volunteers, they are interest on the cause. They want to help people at the same time, they build community, friendship. We mix with volunteer from abroad, like we are do at Semarang Indonesia, and the volunteers are from Netherland, America USA, Singapore, India, Cambodia also with Indonesian. It will bring significant interest on cause and the friendship between volunteer will bring happiness. They will feel unusual experience, also the people who need, the homeless people, orphans, they are very happy and surprised. Its like they experience something difference in Value. They feel valued to have friends from Africa, Cambodia, USA as 1 team.

Objective goal, our objective is do for Jesus Christ, we are His ambassador of Christ, we do philanthropy with sweat and just give money , food freely to people. They are the needy homeless orphans never able to repay us, but we have heart for Jesus, this make difference, we blessed to bless people to make difference in our community. Our motives for philanthropy , our objective is for Jesus for God, we minister them with our heart, the people who never spoken, and lost at street, the people who dont have cloth we give cloth, the one who hunger, we give food, we make better world. And It is truly what bible said , when we gave to them, we are feel happy, there is tears comes out. When you feel their pain, their inability, their limit.

Two-way communication is key. I have seen #nonprofit Executive Directors withhold critical financial information from #volunteer board members because they were afraid to discourage them from further donations or did not feel safe asking for help. Conversely, I have seen #BoardLeaders withhold direct feedback or crucial information due to lack of trust or fear of alienating them. Communication is not easy especially when you have to deliver negative news. However your volunteer board members or #NonprofitExecutive team will thank you for your honesty and respect in sharing difficult news with them. How are humans expected to improve or apologize if no one is willing to point this out to us?

On G20 event Indonesia presidency, we are volunteer from all over the world especially G20 countries, make open meeting, open dialogue with Zoom meeting, as part of C20 (Civil 20), we made policy pack, communique for G20 recommendations meetings. A G20 summit this policy pack is submitted to Minister and President of G20 (Government 20). In such important meetings volunteer from USA, Brasil, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Saudi, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Argentina have open dialogue. We use google forum, google document project, which able to accessed by everyone and everyone has to give opinion, recommendation, and open dialogue , share what best for Health, Climate Actions, Energy transition, etc. As per our working group.

Updates, annual report, and social media are the right platform for keeping volunteers update, and whats app group. For B20 we have official platform, for all members, but for C20 we communicate through Google Forum, email. We like to do philanthropy, but most of it remain secret, we cant show the people who receive benefits, and Bible taught Matthew 6:3 When you give to the needy, do it in secret—even your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. Then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward. So we also act carefully on social media, with privacy. Nevertheless some volunteer will be happy to share their experience, we also support them, because their friend will see and coin for cause. All is by case basis.

There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer. Those who step forward, volunteers. Speak to their hearts, they are already ready to help, to serve, to make a difference. Your heart to theirs.

When one you have rescued, helped, supported and mentored goes on to become one of your volunteers, there is nothing greater.

Amazing Grace is when we cant , but God give it, in philanthropy very difficult to funds activities, like my experience on G20 event Indonesia presidency. We are working at C20 , civil 20 which based on non profit organization. Our colleagues also raising funds to make activities, if they dont have persistence and effort to make it happened, the G20 event would not be successful, but with persistence and effort, work cooperate together we can make all things works for our goods and global citizen goods. Facing COVID , we become more resilience, and in my experience, instead of hiding and avoiding crowd because of many people passed away that time, we persistence to do vaccination. I volunteered at Vaccine Hub serve 7000 people/day.