Employee Volunteer Programs

Nonprofits, if I had to turn volunteers into revenue-generating brand ambassadors from scratch today, here’s the real playbook: 1. Stop “showing up.” Start co-owning. Never open with: “Could you help us at the event?” Instead say: “You’ll captain the impact station that powers every donation in real time, ready?” Give them a role with P&L vibes, not a task list. 2. Draft a “Skill-Swap” Roster, fast. Run a 24-hour survey: three questions, zero fuss. • Superpower? (Design, data, negotiation, TikTok, etc.) • Corporate day job? • Hours they’ll trade monthly? Auto-tag skills into a Trello board. That board is your on-demand agency, free and fanatical. 3. Launch the 7-Day Micro-Influencer Challenge. • Hand each volunteer a Canva template + 20-second reel script. • Goal: share one mission story per day, tag two friends. • Track reach on a public leaderboard (everyone loves friendly rivalry). Average volunteer network: 400 people. Ten volunteers = 4,000 warm impressions, no ad spend. 4. Build “Give & Get” Affiliate Links, yes, really. Every volunteer gets a unique URL: • When a donor gives through it, donor receives a 10-minute virtual tour. • Volunteer earns impact credits redeemable for exclusive swag, leadership coffee chats, or a spot on your next field visit. Gamified altruism converts like e-commerce. 5. Host a Quarterly Fail-Fest, Not a Thank-You Brunch. Invite volunteers to roast your bottlenecks: “What slowed you down last quarter?” Reward the sharpest critique with a “Fix-It” micro-grant they control. Solution-hungry cultures trump cupcake-fueled gratitude. 6. Turn “Volunteer of the Month” into LinkedIn Case Studies. Write each spotlight like a mini Harvard Business Review piece: • The problem they solved • The metric they moved (revenue, reach, retention) • A quote about why they serve Tag their employer, watch HR and CSR teams slide into your DMs. 7. Offer a Zero-Friction Upsell Path. Every volunteer receives a digital wallet pre-loaded with $25 of giving credits. One tap lets them top-up or gift to friends, Apple Pay style. Remove every barrier and impulse donations happen on Tuesday lunch breaks. With purpose and impact, Mario

After graduating university, I got a big girl job that I was NOT ready for.  It was a mid-senior role that I had applied to because I was slightly delusional. Miraculously…I got it. LOL Some of the responsibilities: recruiting, training, onboarding, and managing people. 11 volunteers to be more specific. My first year? Eeek. Scary times. Volunteers weren’t responding to my emails or their clients. Appointments were missed. Chaos prevailed. I spent most of my time putting out fires and doing the work myself. Thanks to a lot of trial and error (mainly error) I was ready to #slay my second year. By my second year, things looked very different: ✅ 50 volunteers recruited (28 onboarded) ✅ $250,000+ in refunds delivered to clients ✅ 72% increase in clients served I built systems from scratch and here’s what worked: 👥 Recruiting 1️⃣ Ghosting is real, so start early (I began 4 months before the next cycle) 2️⃣ Be intentional. Reach out to professors, orgs, and networks where your ideal volunteers already are. 3️⃣ Leverage social media. Highlight previous volunteers. Repurpose content.  4️⃣ Host info sessions + 30-min 1:1 calls with every registrant. 5️⃣ Communicate via their preferred method (email, phone, Zoom). 6️⃣ Follow up 2–3 times. Silence doesn’t always mean no.  7️⃣ Track every lead’s stage: Registered → Info Session → Committed. 8️⃣ Document your outreach. Use a simple spreadsheet or CRM to track where leads are coming from. 9️⃣ Treat recruitment as a two-way street: ask about their skills, capacity, & what they hope to gain from volunteering. Determine if the position is a right fit for both of you! 👩💻 Onboarding 1️⃣ Offer multiple sessions (mornings, evenings, weekends, in-person, remote, self-paced) 2️⃣ Use newsletters to keep everyone aligned and resourced. 3️⃣ Give LOTS of examples + scenarios they’d encounter! 4️⃣ Train them on tools, tech, and scheduling systems that will be used. 5️⃣ Create a central hub. Store onboarding materials in a Google Drive or on Notion. 🌱 Managing 1️⃣ Offer shadowing opportunities (to be shadowed and for them to shadow) 2️⃣ Create resources: how-tos, checklists, FAQs, etc. 3️⃣ Create + share a scheduling calendar. 4️⃣ Use Calendly + add your volunteers to the plan (it's a lifesaver I swear). 5️⃣ Start a group chat that won’t be ignored (GroupMe is awesome). 6️⃣ Give and receive feedback often. 7️⃣ Recognize accomplishments + celebrate wins. 8️⃣ Schedule office hours + check-ins. 9️⃣ Throw in some dad jokes!!! It was intimidating to step into this role without a blueprint, so I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity to work with some incredible, mission-driven people who taught me so much about leading with empathy, transparency, patience, and adaptability. For my fellow first-gen and early professionals, what’s one thing you wish you’d known before stepping into a new role without a roadmap? 🌱 (p.s. Thank you to all of the supportive volunteers who laughed at my dad jokes.)

This is the question we don’t talk about enough. When should you work for free/pro bono? I know many of us wrestle with this when building a personal brand. Especially in the early days before the opportunities (and invoices) start flowing, you’ll find yourself here: Someone asks you for advice. Or to speak at their event. Or to help with a project… and deep down, you know this is something you could charge for. So what do you do? I asked the same thing a few weeks ago during the TASN Launch Event in Nairobi. The speakers all had significant projects they’d done, many of which they’d offered pro bono at some point. And those same projects? They became the stepping stones that opened doors to paid work. It made me realise: Sometimes working for free isn’t about being undervalued; it’s a strategic choice. But how do you know when to say yes? Here are 3 things you could consider before accepting a pro bono opportunity: 1️⃣ Brand alignment – Is this aligned with what you do, your values and where you want your brand to go? 2️⃣ Mutual benefit – Beyond money, is there another gain? A new audience? A chance to be on a stage you’ve never been on? 3️⃣ Access & exposure – Does this connect you to a network, community or opportunity you couldn’t easily reach otherwise? One of my best examples? I once ran a session for a community I admired. Over 70 people attended, the highest I’d ever mentored at once. That single session gave me speaking experience and visibility. A second example? My first guest speaker session was scary (and very fun), but it gave me the courage to share my marketing expertise publicly for the first time. That single “yes” led directly to my next opportunity: being invited as a keynote speaker. A personal brand is a long-term investment. If you focus only on “getting paid now,” you might miss the doors that could open later. That said, you should know your boundaries. Not every “free” request is strategic. Some are just… free. So I’m curious,  how do you decide when to work for free and when to charge?

I recently received a great question from a colleague about my last post, specifically on volunteering strategically as a translator to gain experience and credibility without being “free labor.” It got me thinking that a lot of fellow medical translators might benefit from a quick roundup of volunteer opportunities! Here are some options I often recommend: 1️⃣ WikiProject Med (Wikipedia) Translate medical content and help make high-quality health information accessible worldwide. A great way to learn about different topics and practice clear, accurate writing. Contact Chinthi Janaki Chathurika for more information. 2️⃣ Translators without Borders (TWB) A nonprofit connecting translators with life-saving projects. Even if your language pair isn’t always in demand, keeping an active profile and subscribing to project updates can open opportunities. 3️⃣ ProZ Pro Bono Join a community of translators volunteering for NGOs and nonprofit projects around the world. 4️⃣ TED Translators Translate TED Talks to make inspiring ideas accessible globally. A fun way to practice translation on diverse topics. 5️⃣ Other ideas Tarjimly – real-time volunteer translation for humanitarian purposes Audiopedia – volunteer translating health and life skills content Tips when reaching out to volunteer: Mention your language pairs and areas of interest (e.g., medical, clinical, health). Ask if mentoring or feedback is available – this shows engagement and helps you learn safely. Keep your message concise and professional. Volunteering strategically is a great way to learn, grow your credibility, and expand your portfolio while truly contributing to meaningful projects. #Volunteer #Mentoring #BusinessDevelopment

When I tell people Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching has never charged the U.S. military, they usually give me a puzzled look. “How is that profitable?” they ask. Here’s the story. Years ago, we were invited to work with a group of fighter pilots. No contract. No fee. Just an opportunity to serve. On paper, it made no business sense. But the experience was priceless. I still remember standing on the tarmac, watching those pilots talk about leadership with the same seriousness they bring to flying. The discipline, the accountability, the teamwork it shaped how I think about coaching to this day. And from that pro bono work came relationships and credibility that money couldn’t buy. Those doors led to paying clients, new networks, and stories I still share in boardrooms around the world. Pro bono isn’t charity. Done strategically, it’s currency. It can build trust, expand your reach, and give you experiences that make you a better coach and a more valuable one. So don’t dismiss unpaid work out of hand. Sometimes the gigs that don’t pay the bills end up shaping the business that does.