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The value of the Service Enterprise Initiative in a changing volunteer landscape
April 27, 2023 — Between 2021 and 2022, Americans contributed an estimated total of 4.1 billion hours of labor as volunteers. This equates to a value of $122.9 billion from volunteer work alone. Yet, despite these seemingly high numbers the facts are clear: fewer Americans are volunteering and, of those who are, they are volunteering less. In an age of declining volunteer rates among service organizations, nonprofits across the country are working to reach their full potential with a smaller number of volunteers.
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley is no different. It relies on volunteers to meet its mission of ensuring the success of Arizona youths in academics, leadership, health and workforce readiness. Volunteers are needed to run after-school and summer programming that empower youths in the organization’s 30 sites across Arizona.
Through its Service Enterprise Initiative (SEI), the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation in partnership with AL!VE and Points of Light offers the chance for nonprofit organizations to make the most of their volunteers through diagnostic evaluations, one-on-one coaching and more. Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley did just that, bringing substantial results that have allowed the organization to adapt to a changing volunteer landscape over the last several years.
ASU Lodestar Center Storyteller Lillian Finley sat down with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley’s Volunteer Services Manager Donna Martin to discuss a longstanding relationship with SEI that precedes even the program’s name itself.
Q: What was your experience like with the Service Enterprise Initiative?
Donna Martin: I've actually been involved with this since before it became Service Enterprise. Back in the early days when it was called Reimagined Service, I was attracted to it. The traditional volunteering model stopped working a while ago, and Reimagined Service in the early days was a really innovative response to some common challenges that I think all nonprofits were dealing with.
Q: Do you know what might have caused that shift in the effectiveness of old volunteer management tactics?
Martin: Well, that assumes it ever worked. I think there were some practices that were fallen into as our society has shifted and people’s time pressures and values have shifted a bit. I just think volunteers themselves changed and the nonprofit sector has been a little bit slow to recognize that. Even corporate volunteering has changed, especially in light of the pandemic, but it had started to change about five or six years ago as well. I think nonprofits were just a little bit slow to realize that they needed to adapt. They knew they weren't getting the volunteers they needed. Many organizations were trying to put energy into recruitment that really didn't get the results they needed. And so one of the things that Reimagined Service recognized early on is that some organizations were doing really well, but many were not and so what were the differences?
Q: How did your organization change its approach to volunteer management based on the SEI?
Martin: The first big change we made is we brought in folks from all levels of the organization to work on the process. It was no longer a single person trying to get volunteers, it now became an organization-wide effort. It wasn't a huge shift here because they already had that mindset, but it did make a difference. We did get improved results. The other thing is we really took a hard look at what we needed versus what we were doing. So, we knew we needed coaches for sports, like we knew that, but what we didn't recognize is the role of the person helping with homework, which has since evolved again, but it really helped us figure out what do we really need versus what are we asking for? And that is huge. I think the other thing is, for the first time in a long time, the senior leadership team understood they needed to increase the investment, if they were going to get the volunteers they wanted. That was also pretty huge.
Q: Why did Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley choose to recertify their status as a Service Enterprise?
Martin: I think the reason we recertified is because it's built into our strategic plan. There is real value out in the marketplace, if you can stand up and say you're a Service Enterprise. Especially with large corporations that are accustomed to a certain type of volunteer engagement activity, and they're looking for a certain level of professionalism on the nonprofit side. So if we stand up and say, ‘Well, we're Service Enterprise certified,’ that tells them we know what we're doing with volunteer engagement. It also helps with funders. It's another accreditation that you can use to set yourself apart in the marketplace and it's an added value.
Q: What advice would you give to other organizations that are considering participating in the Service Enterprise Initiative?
Martin: I think what I would say to organizations is be very thoughtful about this because it is an investment of time and staff resources. This is not a ‘you’ll get this done in a day.’ This is a process— it's actually a change management process. Change is always a challenge. So you know, be thoughtful and if the time is not right, then the time is not right. But it is worth the investment if you want a dynamic, robust volunteer engagement program.
Story and illustration by Lillian Finley, ASU Lodestar Center.
Photo: Donna Martin (right) discusses volunteer engagement during a 2019 Service Enterprise Initiative training day.
Learn more about the Service Enterprise Initiative
The Service Enterprise Initiative is a national program offered by the ASU Lodestar Center that provides training and certification to nonprofits that are committed to implementing exemplary volunteer management practices to achieve operational efficiency and greater social impact. Participating organizations receive a Service Enterprise diagnostic, team training and one-on-one coaching. Certified Service Enterprises are among the top 11% of nonprofits in the nation, reporting some of the highest volunteer numbers and labor hours in the country.