Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

by Ken Mayer

The economy has called class into session and is teaching some of us a lesson or two we won’t soon forget. But difficult times always bring opportunity, so as we go about rebuilding our financial capital, maybe we ought to take a look at our social capital as well.

In Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, author Robert D. Putnam defines social capital as “the connections among individuals’ social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them.” Putnam documents social capital increases in the United States until the 1970s and the sudden decrease that continues to this day, writing convincingly about the declines in volunteerism.

As the holidays approach, perhaps we ought to give some thought to how we can help others with our own heads and hearts and hands rather than with simply money. In an effort to rebuild our social capital properly, I think we all need to become more effective as volunteers.

In a city like Omaha, organizations that use volunteers face some special challenges and opportunities. Because of the number of large companies doing business on the national and international level, our volunteers can often be a cut above. Unfortunately, in my experience, that expertise may not be utilized, recognized or appreciated.

Case in point – when my father, a senior executive at a local Fortune 500 company, retired and increased his volunteering in the early 80s, he offered his considerable skills in accounting and finance to a local nonprofit organization. He arrived promptly for his first appointment but was obliged to cool his heels in the outer office for more than half an hour. He didn’t say much more about the incident and proceeded to help the organization, but I could tell that this was not the kind of treatment he was accustomed to or expecting.

Having moved from the private to the public sector myself in the last few years, I’ve experienced similar kinds of issues. For decades now the mantra in most corporations has been “better, faster, cheaper.” Often, work in a nonprofit or government organization seems to move ineffectively and at a snail’s pace by comparison.

So what’s a volunteer to do? In the spirit of giving, tempered by a bit of tough love, I offer a few suggestions:

Don’t allow your time to be wasted. If you fail to receive simple consideration of the value of your time, seek another volunteer opportunity. Meetings and appointments should start and end on time. Agendas should be distributed in advance and observed.

Check your ego at the door. If you volunteer to get attention, recognition or power, you may be better off in counseling.

Watch out for scope creep. It’s not uncommon to get dragged off into the weeds. Keep your eye on the ball, stay focused on the reason you volunteered in the first place, the people you signed up to help or the cause you are passionate about. And insist that leadership not dilute your effort with activities unrelated to the organization’s mission.

Beware of gestures. Every organization that uses volunteers has a closet full of trophies to hand out. The real reward is seeing the world change and knowing that you were a part of making things better. No amount of recognition can equal that feeling.

Be social. Groups need time to form, norm and sometimes even storm before they begin to perform, so give it time. Set aside time to be social apart from the work. Consider inviting your fellow volunteers to a house party with the sole intent of getting to know each other and form new bonds.

Expect to be effective. If you volunteer or are recruited for a special skill or ability, make sure that your expertise is respected and used. If it becomes apparent that you are there because somebody thought it would be nice merely to tout the presence of your stature or experience – walk away.

Live by the 3Gs. If you volunteer and particularly if you serve on a board, don’t just warm a chair at meetings. Practice the 3Gs – Give, Get or Get Out.

Be honest and demand honesty. Too often recently, we have been givers and receivers of spin. If you say you will do something, do it. No excuses. Furthermore, do not tolerate disingenuous leadership. If “focus groups” or “town hall meetings” are held to gather public input, look for genuine and connected outcomes from those sessions.

These are the times to seek and provide real meaning and value when we agree to help others. Let’s start rebuilding our social capital in a sustainable way by being better volunteers.

Here’s wishing you Happy Giving.