Resource Guide on Volunteer Management Funding

One of initial recommendations included in the October 2009 Reimagining Service Report was the need for more funding to support volunteer management and infrastructure. To address this recommendation, Reimagining Service formed a Funding Action Team. The message below is from the co-chairs of that team:

Dear Reimagining Service Community:

Thank you for your interest in this Resource Guide. The Reimagining Service Funding Action Team created this Guide below for two purposes:

To help nonprofits make the case for funding to support volunteer management; and
To share information with funders on the value and need for providing this type of financial support to nonprofits.

We are a part of the Reimagining Service community because we believe in the power of volunteers and volunteer managers to turn good intentions into greater impact. Nonprofit organizations need funding to access and leverage this power, and this Guide is just a first step toward making a stronger case for support. It is our hope that this multi-sector community can work together to develop an even more comprehensive set of resources, research, and data that will demonstrate the return on investment of volunteers.

The Funding Action Team convened in the winter and spring of 2010 in the midst of several major trends in nonprofit management and capacity building:

Debate about restricted funding vs. operating funds: The funding community has engaged in lively debate about the challenges and opportunities of operating grants vs. restricted funding. Clear arguments have been made on both sides, particularly around the need for better measurement and evaluation.
Outcome-based evaluations: Funders and nonprofits alike are increasingly focused on measuring the impact nonprofit organizations and programs have on the community across impact areas like education, homelessness, and economic development. National service programs are following this trend by developing five priority areas: education, healthy futures, clean energy/environment, economic opportunity and veterans.
National attention on capacity building: The White House has convened a working group on nonprofit issues through the Neighborhood and Faith Based office that is seeking to address capacity building which is partially being addressed through volunteerism and service.

Due in part to these trends and to the broader interest in service that has emerged with the passage of the Serve America Act, the Funding Action Team has developed the attached set of resources. The toolkit is divided into three parts:

Part 1 is a set of materials designed to help nonprofits make a stronger case for support around volunteer management. These materials include tools for calculating return on investment for nonprofits, research on the connection between volunteer management and capacity, the value of volunteering to corporations, the costs and benefits of volunteers, and some background and context around service, volunteer management, and volunteerism.
Part 2 includes successful proposals to federal, state, and private sources for volunteer funding that nonprofits can use as they seek funding for volunteer management. Many of these proposals were written by intermediary organizations, so we are actively seeking new submissions from direct service and advocacy organizations.
Part 3 is a best practices section that includes two articles about how to seek funding for volunteer management.

We welcome additions to all sections, as this is designed to be an open source document that will advance our collective understanding and knowledge base on these issues. Please email the Reimagining Service Funding Action Team. Please send us additional resource materials, links, and reports.

We would like to thank the Reimagining Service Funding Action Team for their efforts to compile this information:

Gary Bagley, New York Cares
Sarah Beaulieu, Be the Change, Inc.
Ronna Brown, Philanthropy New York
Matt de Ferranti, Habitat for Humanity International
Gail Gershon, Gap Inc.
Evan Hochberg, Deloitte
Sue McGilpin, Salesforce.com
Gail Nayowith, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
John Power, The Volunteer Center of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties

We look forward to your thoughts, feedback and to engaging in a conversation about how the nonprofit sector can more effectively impact the lives of individuals and communities in the United States and around the world.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Blake, Habitat for Humanity International
Co-chair, Funding Action Team, Reimagining Service

Suzanne DiBianca, Salesforce.com
Co-chair, Funding Action Team, Reimagining Service