Merrill Associates

Studies of volunteering patterns in both the United States and Canada show people volunteer at different rates in various stages of their life cycle (Independent Sector, 2002; Selbee & Reed, 2001).

• Married people tend to volunteer more than those who are single (except in the 15-25 year old age group)
• Parents with young children (age 5 and under) tend to volunteer less
• Having older children (age 6 and over) increases the probability of volunteering
• Volunteering as a family allows parents to pass on important values to children, and to experience a shared sense of accomplishment
• Volunteering together allows a family to spend quality time together
• Volunteering as a family helps to create positive role models

Perhaps more than getting married, having children brings changes with far-reaching consequences. Once people become parents, their obligations, expectations, roles and outlook on life often change quite dramatically. Not surprisingly then, the presence and age of children also affect the likelihood that individuals will volunteer. (Selbee & Reed, 2001, p. 3).

While it is true that parents volunteer for school and recreational activities associated with their children, many parents are also interested in family volunteering opportunities. Parents, aware of the pressures on family time, view volunteer activities as an opportunity for the family to spend quality time together while sharing values and a sense of accomplishment. A recent study by the Corporation for National Service (2005), Youth Helping America, reports that a youth with a parent that volunteers is nearly three times more likely to volunteers. The importance of volunteer “role models” has been documented in various studies for several years and supports the need for opportunities where families can share volunteer work together. Parents understand the importance of creating positive role models, and volunteering can help families provide needed, valuable services for the community while offering opportunities to strengthen their family unit. Creating family volunteer opportunities is good for communities, families and nonprofit organizations. Family volunteer programs are an investment in the future, promoting the value of service to a younger generation.

Building an effective family volunteer program, like all good volunteer program development, requires advance planning and research. Because of the life pressures on families, episodic activities are often very attractive. Most families are hesitant to make long-term commitments, but they are willing to set aside a Saturday or evening occasionally or sporadically. Consider special events, short term, team based activities that can be done by a variety of age groups. Remember that families come in all sizes and shapes, so allow plenty of flexibility. Define your outcomes and then let the families have some freedom in how they accomplish the work. Create opportunities for the family to practice their decision-making skills. Family volunteering is about families working together to accomplish goals. Be reasonable about when you want the families and how long they will need to do the activities.

Marketing Strategies:
Marketing materials should highlight why families might volunteer – what they might get from the experience.

• It is an opportunity to learn about your community and issue that affect it.
• Many volunteer opportunities allow families to have an environmental impact in the community. Clean up days or tree planting events improve the physical beauty of the local neighborhood.
• Volunteering with other families allows opportunities to share interest with other families. It helps children see that others have common interests and concerns and it reinforces parent’s values.
• Family volunteering bridges the generations. Parents, grandparents and children can join together to have fun and make a contribution. It can be very rewarding for parents and children to interact in new ways around service projects.
• Volunteering offers an opportunity to spend time with one another. With lives filled with work, school and sports schedules, it can be especially nice to set aside a special opportunity to volunteer together.
• Family volunteering offers options for creating traditions and building a unique family history.

Recruitment Strategies:
Create unique opportunities just for families, and be certain you highlight the family nature of the day or event.

• Sponsor family day events
• Promote corporate family days
• Work with recreation centers, schools and churches to promote your events
• Use quotes/testimonials from families
• Feature all types and sizes of families in your marketing materials
• Feature families in local media stories, company newsletters, or school bulletin boards
• Create a section on your website with children’s activities (cards to print out and color that relate to your mission and the community), making it an interesting site to visit and a desirable destination for families. Visually display opportunities for families to volunteer.

Management Strategies:
Develop self-supporting systems so that families are responsible for managing one another. Establish your guidelines or parameters and be certain every family understands the ground rules and expectation. But allow for some flexibility for each unique family unit. Parents with young children may require more time to accomplish tasks than parents with older children.

• Parents should be responsible for supervising their own children
• Partner long term or seasoned volunteers with new families
• Partner families. Familes with older children might work well with families with younger children.
• Give youth responsibilities. Parents love to see their children being responsible and taking a leadership role. Assign age appropriate responsibilities.
• Manage the environment. The role of manager of volunteers is to facilitate the environment so that families can be successful. Be sure it is safe and supportive. Have the supplies or equipment that will be required and be certain everyone knows where to go for assistance.
• Be certain all staff and leadership volunteers associated with the activity are comfortable with children and families. This helps to ensure a supportive, family friendly environment.
• Be sure families know their impact. Set up systems or assignments so that families can perceive the impact they have on the event while it is happening. This can be accomplished on site with signage or volunteer captains. After the event send emails or follow-ups to highlight accomplishments.
• Don’t be too serious. Encourage families to have fun and to enjoy one another and their surroundings.

Recognition Strategies:
Recognition should be immediate, inclusive of all family members and fun. Build in social time for families to celebrate, share with other families and talk with one another about what they have accomplished. Once they leave the site their busy lives will return and if you do not build in the reflection/social time, it may be a lost opportunity for them to talk and share with one another.

• Recognition should always be connected to motivation. Are they sharing a value? Talk about the impact of what they have done. Build in a short reflection time. Are they sharing time together? Make sure they have at least few minutes at the end to talk together about being together. Are they interested in connecting with other families? Be certain there is interaction among families.
• Take pictures of each family and if possible print them out and give to each family before they leave. Add a frame or magnetic backing and suggest they display it on their refrigerator and talk about their volunteer experience.
• Create a certificate that includes a photo of the family doing the work
• Name something after the family. If you are planting trees, allow each family to “name their tree.”
• Be sure to include food.
• Recognition does not have to come just from the manager of volunteers. Assign board members, staff members or recipients of service to visit with families on site or to send notes, congratulations/thanks to the families. Personally tell them they matter.

Families are a wonderful untapped resource. They can bring fresh energy, enthusiasm and vitality. Too often we promote and market volunteer work as “serious problem solving.” It can also be fun, exciting, energizing, and bonding. The number one way to attract family volunteers is to design creative, meaningful opportunities for them to be engaged and to have an impact. Remember the phrase: If you build it, they will come.

References
Corporation for National and Community Service (2005). Youth Helping America: Building Active Citizens. Downloaded 12/1/05: http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/05_1130_LSA_YHA_study.pdf

Ellis, S. (2003). Volunteering With Your Family. Charity Channel. Downloaded 12.15/05: http://charityguide.org/charity/motivation/family.htm

Independent Sector (1999). Giving and Volunteering in the United States. Downloaded 12/01/05: http://www.independentsector.org/GandV/s_keyf.htm

Independent Sector (2002). America’s Family Volunteers. Self: Washington, D.C.

McCurly, Steve. (1999). Family-Friendly Volunteering: A Guide for Agencies. Points of Light Foundation, Washington, D.C.

McCurley, Steve, “Creating Family Friendly Volunteer Programs,” Grapevine, March/April 1999.

Selbee, L.K. & Reed, P.B. (2001). Patterns of Volunteering Over the Life Cycle. Canadian Social Trends, Summer 2001.