Volunteering: A Family Affair

Food pantries, youth programs, senior centers, theaters, and many other agencies all involve families as key constituents. Families may be members, program attendees, visitors, or clients. They may be cultivated as donors or participants. Rarely, however, do families easily and readily find ways to volunteer together.

And while families are as busy as ever, many are seeking ways to spend time together, living out values they want to instill in their children, such as making a positive difference in their community. In response, many organizations are beginning to actively engage families as volunteers, whether for a one-time event or ongoingly.

Especially now as we approach the holiday season, organizational needs are rising while families are thinking about ways to give back to communities. Organizations can harness the energy of families working together, and the benefits add up to far more than just the hours contributed by the family volunteers. Everyone benefits – the volunteers, the organization, the clients, and even the community-at-large.

Families benefit from:

• Passing values from parent to child
• Meaningful time together
• New ways of engaging together
• Fulfilling service requirements
• Making a difference in the world

Organizations gain:

• Tangible contributions from all ages
• More new families
• More invested families
• Future generations of volunteers
• More resources

And, the community at large are strengthened by:

• Expanded networks
• More people to address local needs
• More advocates for social change

When organizational leaders are strategic and careful about the roles they create for family volunteers, they can expect tangible contributions from family members of all ages. Creating meaningful and appropriate roles takes time, but is possible. In their book, Doing Good Together, Jenny Friedman and Jolene Roehlkepartain share seven “keys” to a successful family service project. They are:

1. Purpose
2. Simplicity
3. Creativity
4. Intergenerational appeal
5. Relationship building
6. Reflection
7. A next step

This list is a great starting point to discuss what makes family volunteering effective for all involved. Discuss what each of those seven key elements means to you and your constituents and what they might “look like” at your organization.

There are meaningful roles for families at most organizations. The challenge is to surface them. Here are a few suggestions to get the ideas flowing:

Social Service Agencies: Families can organize food drives, unload and shelve donations to a pantry, raise funds by organizing family-friendly events, and host information sessions at their homes or schools to educate others about the pressing needs in their own communities.

Community Centers: Families can help with facility projects like building or painting playgrounds, delivering meals to seniors, tutoring other children, or brainstorming, planning, and running events to bring new members to the Center.

Farms and Community Supported Agriculture: Families can tend crops and harvest food to be donated to a local food pantry, thus helping the environment, gaining new skills, learning about issues related to hunger, and feeding the hungry all at the same time.

Museums and Cultural Organizations: Families can serve as tour guides, interpreters, greeters, or program ushers.

These are just a few examples of successful family-friendly volunteer roles. What can families do for your organization?

See how Queens Botanical Garden uses Volunteer Impact to streamline volunteer engagement, making it easier for families to get involved. Read the case study here to learn more.