Microvolunteering

There's a new and emerging trend in volutneer management called Microvolunteering - and it sounds pretty much like what it is. Microvolutneering is when an organization takes their volutneer needs and breaks them up in to short, 30 minute projects where people can either come in to your office or work remotely, do the 30 minutes of work, and be done.

When I first heard of this trend I was quite intrigued and got to thinking about what can someone really accomplish for an organization in 30 minutes?! I mean, in 30 minutes of my time I know I can cook a meal, jog a mile+ on the treadmill, clean my bathrooms, pound through work email, you name it. But does my organization really have tasks that could be done successfully in 30 minutes or less? And is it really a 30 minute project if someone is driving 15-20 minutes each way to even get to our offices to do the work?

But then I really got to thinking in terms of volutneer & member actions that could be done in 30 minutes.  Maybe it's not an actual project that needs to be done, but a call to action. In 30 minutes, our constituents could hop online and send a letter to a Senator or Representative supporting a call to action. In 30 minutes Facebook Fans could sign an online petition and help encourage their network to do the same. In 30 minutes, supporters could hop online and make a donation to help our programs. They could send emails out to their network to recruit friends/family to particiapte in an event. Thinking in these terms really made me see that the possibilities are endless.

I know traditional volunteering isn't for everyone - whether it's a time committment issue or just lack of knowledge about what volunteering actually involves. But with the growing number of people linked in to every form of technology there is now, I really feel that offering these quick "volunteer" call to actions are a way to increase the number of individuals engaged with the organization. And how do I know that person who sends a letter or makes a gift won't call or email the volunteer manager one day and ask for other ways to expand their commitment to the organization?

Ahhh.... Microvolunteering, this could be the beginning of a beautiful and lasting relationship!!