Ignite the Engaged… What does that say to you?
To me, it perfectly encapsulates what powers the heart of every volunteer.
Volunteers are a special bunch. If you are here, you likely are one.
You know how you explain why you do what you do. It is fun! It matters! I meet great people! It feels good to part of something!
You just know you need to go to that meeting, sell those tickets, make those calls, put in that time, write that letter, apply for that grant, and so many other things, because without you and those like you, important things, quite simply, will not happen.
So you do it. You do the things. You keep doing the things. Your heart and soul drives you to do so.
Sometimes it is a barrel of fun. Sometimes it isn’t. But you persist. You know it matters. Even when recognition or appreciation is sparse, you persist.
Welcome to Ignite the Engaged!
Volunteers, what volunteers do, the value they bring, and the heartbeat which powers them is what powers me.
Volunteers rock. Simple as that.
With that said, there are times volunteering can be less than fun and more than a job. Meetings get off track, personalities clash, goals get missed, excuses become the norm, loads become uneven, feelings get hurt, good people walk away.
There are ways to fix those problems. You know that. But how? When?
Hard conversations are needed. But who wants those when everyone involved is giving of their time. This is not a ‘real job’ after all. Still, you know something must be done. You wonder, how can we hash this all out without losing ourselves in the process?
Others are taking a turn at leading. You want a smooth transition, but you don’t want to be seen to be changing everything too swiftly. What if the necessary changes came from the whole group discussing the future in a structured, yet casual and fun way?
A few of you are appointed or elected to a board or council of some sorts. You do not view the role as completely volunteer (even though much of most of the time you spend engaged in it is outside of your work hours). You too find yourself wishing your group could get on track, you wish the group could find its focus, you wish the egos could be channeled towards good, rather than the incessant turf defending which exists now. If only we could figure out how to work through our differences, and see each other as equally key members of an effective team which values each other’s differing perspectives?
Some of you, well you just want to keep the good vibes going. Things are good, you have great ideas and loads of energy, you want to ensure you define a solid path forward so you can stay on track while ensuring no one person ends up carrying more than their fair share of the load.
Ignite the Engaged Consulting Ltd. was born as answer to a question: How can we use meetings to empower volunteers to become more effective in whatever club, organization or event one can think of? The Answer: help groups get better at doing what they do by helping them to streamline, ignite and focus their meetings in such a way that members choose to fully engage and share that excitement with others.
Welcome… My passion is volunteers. Volunteers build community. Volunteers change the world. I expect you agree.
It is time to Ignite the Engaged!