Trading volunteers!
Comm. Games attracting ‘unprecedented’ interest from business community
February 22, 2006$6 million market research – bloody hell!
February 28, 2006How they do it in the US
You’ve really got to hand it to the Americans…….I have been reading in the Pro Bono Australia e-newsletter how the latest fundraising concept is ‘trading volunteers’ ie agreeing to switch volunteers with another organisation for specific tasks during a specific event. According to consultants Auctionpay, the idea is taking off!
An example
A Not for Profit should:
- look for similar events
- the two organisations agree on what a ‘quality event should look like’
- volunteers take registrations and monitor a ‘silent auction’ at one event then the other organisation returns the favour. This means loyal volunteers are free to enjoy the outcome of their efforts in getting the event off the ground.
Apparently many schools and smaller organisations (Neighbourhood Houses?) across the US use this system successfully year after year.
Auctionpay says a volunteer trade frees up your volunteers during the event so they can:
- Bid on items
- Get the party rolling
- Motivate the crowd
- Meet and mingle with new donors and contacts
- Enjoy the food, decorations, entertainment they’ve helped with.
At the end of the night the host organisation should have someone on hand to take the reins for final reconciliation.
Do you know how ‘silent auctions’ work? I didn’t…
Individuals, companies, businesses etc donate items (like fishing trips) or cash (with which items can be bought) that are put on display during the event. Participants write their bids on bid sheets provided for each item and at the end of the auction the items go to the highest bidder..
Pro Bono would like to hear if anyone has tried this and so would we! You can email probono@probonoaustralia.com.au
