Volunteers: Where hope happens n the last few days, I’ve been involved in two activities, a fundraising dinner and a dog agility trial, both entirely run by volunteers. What I learned all over again is that volunteers are beyond amazing. So, the dog trial was first. The set-up was scheduled for Friday evening,. Two people turned up Friday morning and worked all day. And when I say “worked,” I mean hard physical labor. They built new shelving to store equipment and supplies, moved all the equipment to the field where the trial was held, cut and raked the grass, cleaned out overgrown wild raspberry bushes, and much more. On the day itself, an army of volunteers, including Friday’s stars, ran the events, starting at 7:00 a.m. and finishing 12 hours later. Then on Wednesday, a local church held a fundraising dinner to support the community food bank. The dinner team worked all day, every day of the week. They made pies, pulled pork, and salads, decorated, and set up an extensive silent and live auction. Then they served the 100-plus guests, cleaned everything up, and stacked the chairs and tables. To me it was stunning that so much work was done by so many for absolutely no (tangible) compensation Sure, some people volunteer to serve on boards of large organizations, and yes, that work is important. But it’s the tireless direct service that blows my mind. It usually involves getting hands dirty and backs tired. And more often than not, it is done with love and laughter. There’s probably no way to measure the total impact of all the hardworking volunteers in the world – for sure it’s not captured in GDP -- but it’s huge. If you’re looking for hope in a seemingly hopeless world, think about that.
Pat Morden’s Post
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Fractional Planned Giving specialist committed to making legacy giving available to non-profits of all sizes.
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Senior Human Resources Consultant l Fractional People Leader l Recruiter I Wine Gum Aficionado
I was just perusing Nude Beverages website and noticed that they had a separate tab entitled "Animal Rescue". Intrigued, I checked it out. Animal wellbeing is where I typically focus my own philanthropic efforts and seeing that a portion of all of their sales goes towards a number of local organizations actually made me want to join their team! Seriously. And to see it so front and centre on their website made me feel that their efforts are authentic. Did you know that 61% of Millennials would consider a company’s commitment to the community when making a job decision? If you’re searching for a way to draw in younger employees, and encourage them to stay with your company, improving your corporate giving programs could benefit you greatly. Check out Nude Beverages site for some inspiration (and maybe some new organizations you might want to personally donate to!): https://lnkd.in/gy2vtC2C #CorporatePhilanthropy #Recruiting #HumanResources
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Retired Executive Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer Women’s College Hospital Foundation
5moVery nicely said Pat!