Guest Author: Tim Ebner, Associations Now
Building volunteer bench strength requires a wide roster of members. When you’re assembling a qualified team, be on the lookout for these four types of volunteers, and be ready to provide the support they need.
The World Series kicked off last night in Los Angeles, and this time of year always has me thinking about one thing—bench strength.
To win it all in baseball, you need a roster of players who can take you through the bottom of the ninth, maybe into extra innings, and all the way to Game 7. That also applies to associations that need qualified support from volunteers.
And please excuse all the baseball metaphors, but your membership team is like the dugout manager, whose chief job is to tap talent from the bench or bullpen at exactly the right time.
“Most associations get stuck in the paradigm that they have to teach and use volunteers for everything,” says Peggy Hoffman, CAE, president of Mariner Management and Marketing.
“Instead, I want my volunteer leaders to know how to knock it out of the park by using the right information and tapping in at the right time.”
