Volunteer Managers, You Put the Pop in Popcorn

The Link between Volunteer Managers & Popcorn

Some like it sweet, some like it salty, some like a bit of both so some like it in exotic flavours.

As we celebrate International Volunteer Managers Day today on 5 Nov, we want to really remember the people who work quietly behind the scenes to mobilize communities to grow good in our world. Just like how from the humble corn kernel comes the popcorn in its array of flavours, I believe that volunteer managers make our world “pop” with goodness as they enable and empower volunteers to serve in various ways to resource and advance change-making.

So, if you are a volunteer manager, regardless of your official job title or if you are salaried or doing it as a volunteer, we celebrate you today. Thank you for doing what you are doing for our world. As we navigate through the post-COVID-19 world, I believe volunteer managers play a more important role in creatively mobilizing volunteers in new ways, to ensure that good impact work and change-making is sustained and resourced.

4 Key Self-Care Tips for Volunteer Managers

Having been a volunteer manager myself for close to 15 years, I know how dynamic and critical the role is and is becoming. As such, here are 4 key self-care tips, just for you:

1. Calling Time Out – With every challenge and battle, it is crucial to have rest time to recuperate and recharge. You have been working day in and day out, looking at the needs of the beneficiaries served, the volunteers, the staff and the organizations. Don’t forget to also take the time to listen to your needs as you leave your emails, phones and laptops aside.Take a few hours away this weekend, go for a walk in nature, explore new places, watch a movie, read a book, go for a massage, meet some friends, have a good meal, work out or even volunteer. Do something for yourself.
2. Expressing Gratitude – Find a quiet corner and with a simple pen and paper, list down all you are thankful for in the past year; the things, people, projects completed and lessons learned. You can also use our Thanksgiving BINGO to help you think about what you can be thankful for.
3. Reminding Yourself how Meaningful Your Work is – It is so easy to lose the reason why your role is so meaningful amidst all the coordination, strategizing, event management and paperwork that vies for your attention. Remind yourself why you can find meaning in the role you play with these two articles and more:
   1. The Non-Profit Challenge & the Volunteer Partnerships Key
      https://emmaus.sg/public/the-non-profit-challenge-the-volunteer-partnerships-key/
   2. Is there a Crouching Tiger & Hidden Dragon in Your Non-Profit?
      https://emmaus.sg/public/cthd_nonprofits/
4. Resourcing Yourself – Up your performance by helping yourself to the various (free) resources in our Volunteer Management e-Shop or attend one of our learning events.

An Exciting Future

I’m really excited about the new future of volunteer management in the post-COVID-19 world. Let’s all make it work and grow good!

James Lim
Lead Thrive-Synergist
Emmaus Strategies LLP
5 Nov 2020

#fuelgd #volmgmt #emmausstrategies #volunteerism #volunteer #volunteering #community #dosomethinggoodtoday #nonprofit #getinvolved #volunteerwork #notforprofit #communityservice #ivmd

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James Lim

James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies; a social enterprise that “fuels good”. It does this through Mental Well-Being programmes for individuals and organizations, as well as Strategic Volunteer Partnerships consultancy and training for non-profits.