How to Help Auxiliaries Flourish

Tackling the subject of volunteer auxiliaries is perilous. It is often the elephant in the middle of the table that the nonprofit dinner guests are politely trying to ignore. While there are countless examples of successful auxiliaries or friends groups, there are even more stories of such volunteer associations dying on the vine, often literally as well as figuratively. No one is happy about the situation, but it is rarely confronted directly. More

10 Professional Development Benefits of Volunteering

As a volunteer management professional, you already know the many professional and personal benefits to be gained from spending time in the service of your community. This article, however, will help you explain those benefits to others. Some or all of the material here would make excellent handouts or flyers for places you are seeking volunteers, and can be provided to the boards of corporations and donors as a way of educating them in the myriad ways volunteering enhances life. More

Now That I’ve Got Them, How Do I Keep Them? Retaining Volunteers

According to the Volunteering in America 2008 report, one in three American volunteers dropped out in 2007. This is a huge loss of valuable human capital – about $30 billion a year. Essentially, many volunteer leaders are holding a leaky bucket of vital volunteer resources. Here are some strategies for plugging the leak. More

How To Develop Effective Training for Volunteers

The key to training volunteers to be effective is understanding adult learning. Andragogy, as it is sometimes called, is radically different from typical classroom training for students. This brief article presents an overall summary, and is loaded with links to valuable resources on adult education. More

Message in a Bauble

In times of recession or war, consumers have often looked for products that are positive and upbeat. Jewelry bearing messages of hope, inspiration and celebration fits the bill nicely. What's more, inscriptions (even if the messages are generic) allow for jewelry to be personalized to the recipient. "People feel the importance of their loved ones and want to convey that they love them, and inscribing a message on a piece of jewelry is the perfect way to do that," says Leah Ingram, etiquette expert and author of "Gifts Anytime," a book that coaches customers on the ideal gift for many occasions. More

Your New Title: Chief Inspiration Officer

The holidays are just around the corner, and for the patients in your facility, it will be a doubly difficult time with medical concerns atop seasonal stress. That stress can trickle down to your volunteers in the gift shop, leading to mistakes or poor customer service. In this article the Specialty Retail Expert challenges you to brainstorm ways to keep the good vibes coming through the fourth quarter, and gives you five sample ideas to get started. More

How To Make Your People More Effective: Communication

This article features practical, easy tips to help you help your volunteers help your customers. Sharing information can make everyone’s job easier, including yours. In ordinary retail, it is all about location, location, location -- but don’t forget communication, communication, communication! More

Branching Out: Medical Products In Your Gift Shop

If there is one phrase overused in the world of retail, it is ‘one stop shopping.’ However, for your hospital gift shop, it might make sense to try and be all things to all people – or at least, to meet not just gift but medical needs as well. One Connecticut gift shop is giving it a try; see how non-pharmaceutical items are helping their business. More