After a wonderful summer spent focused on the launch of a new cycling event (as has been chronicled here in earlier blogs), yesterday I had the fun of experiencing my first Century ride - as a rider.  As much as I love my work, it was kind of nice to just focus on getting to the site, making sure my bike was in good working condition and ensuring that I knew the route.    There were some really wonderful things about this ride and some that I didn't love as much.  All in all, I enjoyed myself and felt great about accomplishing what I had set out to do.  

In many ways, I felt like someone who just opened a restaurant, got some reviews, and was now eating at a much more established restaurant.  Point being, I couldn't help but compare several key aspects of the two events.  I want to share three key points I was reminded of and believe are integral to all endurance fundraising events.   

Volunteers Need to be Trained:  Sounds obvious but there's a lot more to it.  Volunteering at an endurance event is different than doing so at a Gala or Walk.  There are multiple nuanced roles i.e. directing riders or runners, route marshaling, providing fuel along the way or managing a VIP tent for top fundraisers.   In essence, these roles help event participants to be successful and be sure it all happens smoothly.  Don't leave it to the day of.  Have your route marshals get out on the route before the ride.  Be sure your VIP Tent Ambassadors know who your top fundraisers are.  Make sure they get the training and direction they deserve.    

Make sure there's Plenty of Everything:  Yes everything and I mean everything.  Better to have too much food - worst case, you can donate the extra to those who need it.  And yes, add the extra 25 t-shirts or jerseys to the order for day-of registrations.   Again, if you're stuck with extras, they make great recruiting or fundraising incentives for the next year.  There's nothing more frustrating to participants than waiting in a long line for water since you're down to the one tap or getting to the finish line to learn that the only shirts left are the XX-smalls.

Everything is Cause for Celebration:     Above all,  add Celebration to every participati interaction on the day of the event.  You, your staff and especially your volunteers all over the route have a golden opportunity.  Make participants feel fantastic about every accomplishment whether it's making it to the first rest stop or completing their first ever 10 mile ride.    It doesn't take much - cheering, a simple trinket, a hug, or a cup of water - to feel like they've just completed their own Tour de France.  And to your participants, they just did.  It's Cause for Celebration!

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I was recently having a discussion with an Executive Director who was reluctant to tell several of her new board members to take on specific roles and responsibilities.   In fact, she thought it was best to let them choose what they wanted to do and how they wanted to contribute to the organization.  I shared that, in fact, I believe it's critical to take the opposite approach.  

Nonprofit leaders need to provide very specific guidance as to where board members can make their most valued contribution.  Board members are typically recruited for specific reasons such as their community or financial connections or understanding of an industry.  Once on board, it is the Executive Director's job to encourage them to step onto committees and take on tasks that truly leverage their capabilities and connections.  

This discussion made me recall a post I did a few months ago "Volunteering For Maximum Impact Part 1" 
 In it,  I stated that one of the most compelling parts of volunteering can be providing your volunteers with opportunities to try on different hats i.e. developing new skills sets or taking on roles that are the opposite of their professional work.  In my mind, that aspect of volunteering can be fun, adventurous and one of the best ways to retain great volunteers.  Obviously, this is a big contrast from the way I had suggested my nonprofit colleague manage her new board members.    

This got me thinking about the fact that there are several very key differences between Volunteers and Board Members and the way we  manage and retain them.  These are always worth keeping in mind as your nonprofit looks for ideal recruits for both:  

Term of Engagement:   Volunteers come to us to spend an hour or two, a day, or even complete a project over a series of months.    Better yet, sometimes we are fortunate to have a volunteer that gets much more involved with our charity and stays for years.  Ultimately, it's our responsibility to find the ideal match between the commitment needed and volunteer time available.  But at the end of the day, the engagement is still voluntary.  Board service is quite different and specific.  It's a best practice to designate terms lengths and limits as well as  options for stepping off and on.   

Financial Responsibility:   While volunteers often become our best donors, that happens due to a growing connection with our organization, passion for our mission and commitment to our vision.  I've yet to come across an organization that makes a volunteer's financial contributions mandatory.    Conversely, board service often comes with a stated financial commitment.   Some are rather loose i.e. contribute to the best of your ability while others are more clearly stated i.e. give or get $10,000.  Ultimately, Board members have a fiduciary responsibility to their organizations so a set commitment takes any guess work out of the discussion.   

Tasks, Roles and Responsibilities:  Nonprofit organizations look for very different contributions from volunteers and board members.  Both should be intensely valued but managed very differently.    We need volunteers to contribute their time, energy -- and yes, if they're interested, financial resources - toward our misssion.  In contrast, board members need to provide a view from above.  Moreover, they are recruited to fulfill very specific strategic, operational and financial needs.  It's incumbent upon our leadership to have the vision, confidence and clarity to provide the guidance that connects prospective candidates for either role with the best fit.  

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