Volunteer Motivation

by Jackie Damrau, Volunteer Wrangler

"The best and most dedicated people are ultimately volunteers for they have the opportunity to do something else with their lives." – Peter Drucker

The Lone Star Community volunteers are truly motivated to help offer each of you the best opportunities for networking and professional growth they can. A half year (four months to be exact) has passed by. We have five months left in our program year. Each month we ask for various volunteers to help with specific events, like the Competitions, Awards Banquet, Educational Workshops, and other valuable services that can benefit you and the rest of our members.

Motivating volunteers is a difficult task. Those of us who have been volunteers for many years do this out of a responsibility for giving back to the community that provides us with the opportunities to try new areas or work in our preferred comfort zones. The only real motivation that we can give you is our undying acceptance and a token of appreciation (a certificate and small gift) at the end of the year.

Throughout the year, my responsibility as your Volunteer Wrangler is to approach you and ask for your help. Of course, I have a great workforce that comes with me, which is that of your Council and Administrative Managers. We all work together in not only motivating ourselves, but in trying to motivate you by exhibiting our Excitement, Energy, Enthusiasm, and Effort.

A volunteer community like ours needs your:

• Excitement to keep us going. Let us know that we are doing a great job! Walk up to us during the monthly meetings and pat us on the back. Write a Letter to the Editor of Technically Write telling everyone how we have met your needs.
• Energy so that we don't reach a point where we have no one to fill the needs. Volunteering can be broken into many small tasks. You don't have to take on a whole committee or task yourself. Ask another member to share the task with you.
• Enthusiasm to know that we have met your needs.
• Effort to help us provide you with the opportunities that you find of value for enhancing your career.

Best of all, we need more volunteers to step up and help out.

I'm going to close this article with a quote that I found on the Boy Scouts of America Web site (www.scoutorama.com/library/volunteerism.cfm):

"Don't Forget! Motivation is no secret weapon. Everything we do is based on motivation. Even those people we call "selfless" and "altruistic" are acting on motivation—the admirable motivation of the "good feeling."

Volunteer Opportunities This Month

Step up for:

• 2006 Region 5 Conference Committee: Your Lone Star community will be the host for the 2006 Region 5 Conference. Ann Balaban is steering this committee and will be ready to get started soon. Committees to consider serving on include Facilities, Finance, Hospitality/Attendee Giveaways, Photography, Proceedings, Programs, Public Relations, Registration, Sponsorship, Transportation, Volunteers, and Web Site.
• Ft. Worth Satellite Committee: Jean Guyden is looking for speakers for January through May 2006 for the Ft. Worth SatCats.
• Education Workshop Committee: Arroxane Ullman can use your help in putting together our Spring 2006 workshop.
• Program Committee: We need at least two very dedicated members to help the First VP, Mel Haughton, in researching site locations and program topics for the 2006-2007 LSC program year.

Where can you find out more about LSC Volunteer opportunities? By reading the IPIC notices, checking the LSC Volunteer Web page (http://www.stc-dfw.org/pages/volun_main.htm), and even e-mailing me at volunteers@stc-dfw.org advising where you feel you can make a difference.