Training Module Excerpt: “The Passion / Profession Paradox”
What follows is a brief excerpt from last week’s first installment of our member-exclusive volunteer training modules for individual and business members. We exist to help our members be effective volunteers passionately supported by their communities and the public at-large.
The Passion/Profession Paradox:
“The more stressed you are, the more different your volunteering needs to be from your job.”
Understanding and following this principle will protect you (and your team) from burnout, more than any other best-practice I have seen. In the tens of thousands of hours of volunteered time we have certified, no one maxim has proven more true for individual members and employees of our business members.
For business members:
If you or an employee is already stressed in your personal or professional life, DO NOT use day job skills as the primary means of volunteering. You or your employee are all but guaranteed to slip into burnout.
We often see it happen with social media managers who have to handle extra off-hours online conversations outside their normal knowledge wheelhouse and business hours.
We see it with sales people helping with fundraising.
We see it with media teams building media projects for conservation groups.
We see it with customer service reps being asked to help host conservation group banquets.
We see it most (by far) with owners, managers, and leadership team members taking board/committee seats with conservation groups.
Discover if you have this risk, for yourself or your employees in this goal-setting stage.
And, revisit this risk assessment before making any future volunteer programming changes.
For individual members:
The same rule applies, but is doubly important if you already work for a non-profit. It might feel like a break, because you aren’t dealing with the same accountability/fundraising factors as your day job, but it is the exact opposite of a break.
If working for a non-profit for low wages is like running a marathon, volunteering for another one by doing the same type of tasks is like adding sprints on the side.
I get it. You are tough. A real animal.
But wounded animals bite.
Hopefully, one of those two metaphors broke through.
We want you in what Theodore Roosevelt called “the arena” with us for as long as possible. That means adapting how you engage with volunteering to meet your current needs.
Setting realistic expectations for yourself as part of an annual goal-setting process can help ensure that we are in this together for the long-haul.
To receive access to the full “Find Your Focus” training module, become a member of Fish & Wildlife Volunteers!
To learn more about business membership, click here.
For individual membership, click here.
To refer a new business member and earn sweet perks for it, click here.
Current members can access the full module and all upcoming training content, on the Member Tools page.