This internship experience for me is really all about experiential learning. D-SIP is giving me such a great broad experience, from my day-to-day work, to hearing from guest speakers in Friday classes, to consulting out to local area non-profits—my fellow interns and I are really experiencing and doing so much. That is why it is really important for me to take time out and reflect on what I’m doing. Part of that is writing posts on this blog, which I have really enjoyed, but there is also a D-SIP specific component to this too. Over the summer we are writing three “artifacts.” These are self-directed reflection pieces that are used as a tool for us to be able to express our thoughts on what we are doing, and then be able to utilize those thoughts and translate them for the future.
For example I wrote my first artifact on the project I’m doing this summer, and the experience that I am gaining out of it. At first, it didn’t seem like I was doing very much and that my impact was relatively small. But with the help of a peer, and a coach that we are assigned, I was able to tease out the impact of the work I am doing and the great skills I am gaining. Through the process of writing this reflection piece, talking it over with my coaches, and then editing it, I now have a better understanding of what I’m doing. I can also translate that understanding into future interviews for example; I will be able to speak to the exact tasks that I accomplished and the skills that I gained through this internship.
My second artifact has become a bit more of a challenge for me. I am working on relating my past community service experience, as President of the student organization Circle K, to my current fundraising experience. I know that I have this great desire to help people, but I want to figure out why I am drawn to these types of non-profit jobs. This is all a little broad and nebulous for me, but even just the process of attempting to reflect on sort of my mission makes me feel better about the direction I’m headed. Taking this step back from day-to-day work and social life has given me great perspective. I am finding a better understanding of myself, and while sometimes reflection gives me a headache, it is becoming more and more useful. That’s what this D-SIP experience has been about for me so far, working, experiencing, doing, and learning. The reflection ties all this together.
At the beginning of my very first class with the oboe studio of Dr. Nancy Ambrose King at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Dr. King opened the session with a few words about herself, her teaching philosophy, and her hopes for the members of her studio. “Look around you,” she said. “Behind you, next to you, in front of you. Respect everyone in this room, because you never know when you will run into each other again. Someone in this room could be in the place to recommend you for a gig, and you would hate to have burned that bridge back in college.” (OK, that was almost four years ago so that might not have been exactly what she said, but the gist is there.)
Dr. King began every year with that same speech, and every year I realized a little bit more how true her words were. However, it wasn’t until last week, when students began arriving at the music festival where I am working for the summer, that this message hit home harder than the storms I hear have been tearing through Ann Arbor over the past several weeks (my phone still gets text messages from UM’s Emergency Alerts System).
The idea of never knowing when you might run into someone again is true of most fields, but I think it holds a particularly remarkable truth in the arts. Musicians are probably some of the most mobile professionals I know; if you are a performer, it is unlikely that your sole source of income is from one stable position in a symphony orchestra. More often than not, musicians are gigging around the cities in which they live, playing with many different people in a given week. Sometimes musicians might be in and out of different cities in a particular region. And it is more than likely – for younger musicians in particular – that summers are spent studying or teaching at a festival far away from their home bases, mixing with musicians from all over the world.
Last week, I was in the main administrative building of the music festival where I work when I noticed a package addressed to someone I studied with at Kinhaven Music School in high school. I saw him at lunch the next day; with him was yet another person with whom we had shared a music summer. The following day I ran into someone else I had gone to Kinhaven with. And then someone I knew from Michigan. This past weekend I was out with a friend, who is currently a student at the festival, and he introduced me to a new friend of his. Turns out she and I played in orchestra together two years ago at an opera festival in Italy.
These sentiments were the message behind the keynote speaker’s address this morning at my institution’s Student Convocation. I think her words summed the idea up perfectly; she said, “Look around you. These are your colleagues for life.” She spoke the truth. My experiences last week were a huge wake-up call – the people I have performed and worked with as a musician have the potential to be in my life forever. Whether I am performing or working in the arts at the administrative level, I remain a member of the (sometimes frighteningly small) arts community.
In addition to the keynote speaker, the Festival’s President and CEO delivered some brief but eloquent remarks. He spoke about the word ensemble, initially referring to the exceptional brass choir that had opened the ceremony with a regal serenade, but then morphed his observations into commentary about the “ensemble” of the Festival as a whole – the mutual respect and understanding that should exist between the students, faculty, and staff.
That’s the thing about this lesson I’ve been gradually learning over the past few years. The message that I learned from Dr. King and that was reinforced in the words of the speakers today has been lost in the professional jargon of “networking” and “making contacts.” Somehow, navigating the professional world has become such a priority that the importance of our own “ensembles” has disappeared. Maintaining a positive and fulfilling way of life is full of exciting and unique interactions, each with its own purpose, but ultimately needs to be about recognizing the common humanity in everyone’s own cast of characters.
It has been a while since I blogged last, but I haven’t forgotten about it. I’m sure, you all are getting more and more busy as this summer moves along – I know I have been. Over the past few weeks, I have still been forming my objectives for this internship, while working on my major project for the summer and figuring out what my next steps are beyond my time with the Fisher Foundation. I am learning quite a few fundraising tactics from Doug as he allows me to listen in and contribute on his phone calls with development directors/professionals from various non-profit organizations in the Metro Detroit area particularly involved in early childhood development. Specifically, he encourages me to contemplate the maximum and minimum outcomes these professionals may be expecting to have happen on the phone call in terms of establishing a grants relationship with the foundation or seeking financial contributions from them. This is part of a presentation Doug has given in the past (to former D-SIP interns – not including my class) related to “Moves Management,” something you all may have heard about in major gift work. Doug also has purchased an extremely useful book for me written by a colleague of his in major gift fundraising (William T. Sturtevant), called “The Artful Journey (http://www.amazon.com/Artful-Journey-William-Sturtevant/dp/1566250900).” I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in major gift officer work, it is very insightful. There are a lot of dynamics that play into the major gifts donor relationship process, but the best possible outcome and the minimum acceptable outcome is one of the highlights in the moves management chapter of the book. I am about half way through the book, but I have learned a ton and some of it is review because my conversations with Doug were identical to the lessons in The Artful Journey. So, when I’m listening in on these phone calls I am putting myself in the shoes of these development professionals and thinking about what I would want to accomplish either in terms of stewardship or cultivation as the representative of an organization who associates with the Fisher Foundation. Before and after a phone call, Doug will brief me about the organization, their relationship with the foundation, the person’s background who’s on the phone, and what he believes the call will involve. He encourages me to ask questions to them or contribute to the conversation if I feel the need. After it’s over, he’ll ask me how I thought it went and what I believed the person was going for in the best possible outcome or minimum acceptable outcome, and whether I’m right or wrong, he’ll teach me what he’s learned from past experiences through his many years in fundraising. I still have a lot to learn and I feel like I am slowly developing an instinct for what is expected to happen on the calls. It is very interesting and it was definitely my favorite session of the D-SIP classes (major gifts – Friday session). I’m sure I will take part in many more as the summer goes on and hopefully I have some major insights to contribute later for the blog (though some things will have to be left out for confidentiality purposes).
As far as my other work goes, Doug and I are crafting a giving opportunities piece for the other non-staffed family foundations who have partnered with the Fisher Foundation. This project is specific to early childhood development and will promote transparency in the giving process (budget allocations, etc.). This way, foundations can see exactly how many parents, children, education providers… they’re providing support for in the Detroit community. This kind of tool may be useful (which we’ll find out by providing an example to our foundation’s partners) in levering the vetted research done by the Fisher Foundation staff in early childhood education and care. And, the non-staffed family foundations who share similar core values can partner with us and make large contributions to organizations advocating for early child care. Eighty-five percent of the emotional and intellectual wiring of the brain is formed during the first three years of life. Therefore, it is important that children, especially in Detroit, are given the opportunity to develop the reading skills needed to succeed academically and in life in general. So if we can get other family foundations to embrace this giving opportunities tool, it could lead to several “highly-impactful” initiatives in Detroit for the future leaders of our community. I am currently making great strides in crafting the text and combining funding opportunities the Fisher Foundation has contributed to in the past to create an example for how the whole piece will look in the end. We’ll get feedback from close partners with The Skillman Foundation and the Council of Michigan Foundations and see if this project interests them. That is the gist of my major project for the foundation and I am definitely learning a lot about early childhood development in the process. I will keep you all posted on how my project with Doug is going.
Through all of this Doug is very supportive in helping me secure a job by the end of this internship in August. He is putting me in front of individuals and making sure I am making enough time outside of work to set up interviews and develop my early career. I will also let you all know if there are any major developments in this department (especially if I end up in a development position). Until next time…
While I may be on the other side (working in the real world and receiving a paycheck!), I can fully commiserate with the sentiments of recent graduates trying to swim (stay afloat) in today’s job market. It is scary navigating uncharted waters, especially when the 4 years prior were riding those waves. I remind the students I counsel daily to fully embrace the time they have at UVA, don’t leave any rock unturned, and seek any and all opportunities you can manage and still stay sane! When I read, research, and basically live vicariously through the amazing educational programs (internship programs like D-SIP, study abroad, acapella performances, scholar societies, ect) a university at this caliber, much like Michigan, provides to its students I only wish I had someone like me howling down my ears. It is always easier to say, I would have done it differently, but I look at how lucky our students are to have the educational opportunities in front of them and I only hope that in whatever capacity they may listen, that they follow their heart and pursue a passion, not just a means to an end. When I was an art and design student at Michigan, I was so thankful that my parents did not pressure me to pursue a more logical and lucrative major like engineering or economics because I would have been desperately unhappy. And while I am not making six figures or anywhere near that right now, I have a job that I enjoy and I am very good at doing. So when my students come in and tell me they have no idea what they want to major in or they just want to have a “job” when they graduate, I ask them to think about what it is that gets you excited to wake up in the morning. If you can find something that evokes that kind of passion – then go with it and things will fall into place before you know it.
Having just sent a group of very talented and driven 4th years (seniors) into the real world only a few weeks ago, each of them have expressed feelings of excitement, fear, sadness, courage, and anxiety alike. (On a side note, the University of Virginia, does not call its students freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, but rather 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years. This unique terminology was developed by Thomas Jefferson because he perceives students to be lifetime learners, thus by calling someone a senior it is suggesting that the student is complete with his or her learning). One of the more over-achieving students in the group is already on her way to graduate school at University of Texas, but the majority of these students are panicked because they have no idea what they are going to do next.
Should I just take a job just to have a job? Should I take out loans and go to graduate school? How will I be able to pay pack those loans when the job market is so slim? Should I move back home to save money? How do I know what I am good at? Will I be stuck in my first job forever?
These are all very reasonable questions to be asking at this critical time and while they seek my input, I don’t always have the right answer (I do try my best!).
I think Charlie Goetz presented the optimal outlook for recent graduates to take in his post, Whhttps://umdsipblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=432&action=edit&message=10at’s Best When It Comes to Jobs. In his post he argues “…that college students should take time when selecting a career rather than just taking a dead-end job…And I think doors will open if I’m patient. While this debate didn’t do much make me feel better about my job prospects, I think it helped reinforce my perspective—and gave me clarity on some the decisions that I will face as my job search continues.”
I forwarded his very sentiment to my students along with the series of articles, Is Any Job Better Than No Job, in the opinion section of the NYTimes with the hope they would first, read it. Reflect. Be patient in making a decision and then once the decision has been made stride confidently into it, and work that job like you dominated the court, the classroom, the pool, the boat as an UVA student-athlete…( Get that competitive spirit stirring!)
Most importantly, I reminded them that if you are unhappy you are never stuck because your first job is not your last job.
Everyone, even the most stubbornly independent, needs someone to turn to in times of trouble. Here, “times of trouble” means anything from staining a brand new pair of jeans (it happened to me just a few weeks ago) to matters of life or death. When I am stressed, anxious, or upset, my friends and family are usually the first to know about it. Other times, an hour spent with the oboe or doing laps in the pool or does the trick. Sometimes all it takes for me to calm down is watching an episode of Friends that I can most likely quote verbatim.
It will probably come as no shock to anyone who reads this that institutions need support networks, as well. Having worked in philanthropy for over a year now, I knew this to some extent, but I only thought of organizations as needing financial support – with emphasis on the financial part.
The mailing I helped put together last week (with the fabulous group of volunteers that inspired my last post) has been a tremendous success so far. Our mailbox has been stuffed with patrons sending back their gift renewal, and throughout the day our Donor Records Manager receives calls from supporters wanting to declare over the phone the continuation of their gift.
This afternoon, my co-workers and I were eating lunch together when our DRM’s distinctive ring sounded. (When six people work in close quarters, it would be a huge mistake to have six identical sounding phones.) She answered the phone, and we heard her delightedly process a renewed contribution. She smiled as she spoke, as she would were she speaking to the caller in person. When she said, “Thank you so much for calling; we really appreciate it,” it was obvious to me just how much raising money for our particular institution meant to her.
However, what happened after she hung up the phone made me realize that the smile on her face was only partly due to the now enlarged size of our Annual Fund. “Renewal!” she exclaimed. Cheers sounded throughout the halls surrounding her office, and she continued smiling as she wrote down the final details of the gift on the pledge card she had on her desk during the call.
Someone from the next office over called back, “Renewal?” to confirm what she had just heard. We all exclaimed a positive response. I sat in my seat, munching on my turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich, and waited for the question to which I was dying to know the answer.
Activity in the office continued, without any further discussion or question. Some continued working on Monday’s self-esteem-boosting New York Times crossword puzzle, others relished in the relaxation that comes at the midpoint of any busy workday. I waited some more, just in case everyone happened to be distracted at the same moment and hadn’t had a chance to ask the question I wanted to hear. Why is no one saying anything? I thought. How much money was just given?
I’m glad I gave up on waiting for that question to be asked, because the words never sounded. As it turns out, the dollar amount was insignificant to the people in my office. Posts to this blog have been written about how small contributions are just as important as larger ones, but who says the amount even matters? Of course the amount matters when in the midst of a capital campaign, and a certain dollar amount guarantees a new building. However, when day-to-day Annual Fund renewals are made, the mere fact that one person thinks of an organization so highly that he or she is willing to make a phone call to show support is extraordinary.
For the rest of the day, I thought about the moment of silence that followed the exciting phone call this afternoon. Why did no one care how much money had just been contributed? It dawned on me that the only thing that mattered to my office, and the organization at large, was that they had a support network. Ten dollars, ten million dollars, or no dollars – amount is irrelevant. What matters is that, in times of trouble, they have one more person to turn to.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a brown bag lunch session with the VP of Development at the institution I work for. I have been spending some time thinking about all those fun questions, you know, the “what am I doing with my life?” kind and having a chance to meet with her was just a super fun perk from my super fun job.
The session was intended for new employees as of a year ago, so I shared lunch with 12 women, all under 25. When our host arrived, her first remark had to do with the overwhelming amount of women working in the field which gave way to a discussion about women in the workforce and what about development attracts or retains more women than men. She mentioned that when she started working for a very prestigious, east coast higher education institution in the 70s, the situation was reversed and it was something that she found extremely boggling. She had (and continues to have) strong feelings about how unjust the work force was for women and she felt it was her responsibility to surpass expectations and work to obtain a leadership role in a fundraising organization like the one she now has.
So of course all 13 women were simultaneously curious and interested in asking, “how did you do it?” The following is her advice.
Start somewhere where the goals and the mission of the institution is something you believe in. The position you first take is less important than being part of an organization you genuienly believe in and can see yourself invested in for a long time.
Ask yourself (repeatedly) what you want to gain, learn, or achieve with the experience and check in with yourself to see how you are doing. It doesn’t have to be a 6 month timeline- the questions you ask could be the ones you will need eight or more years to answer, but it is important to work with a goal in mind. And this she emphasized time and time again. Know what skills you are trying to gain, remain aware of where you are trying to go and have a check list where you can keep track of your progress. If you can visualize it and if you can evaluate yourself, you will remain perpetually aware of the skills you have which helps your confidence, and of the skills you have yet to gain which keeps you motivated.
Find someone in the work place who you find inspiring; someone you want to be like and learn from them. Try to connect with them, observe them, converse with them and analyze what about them you like and want to immitate and why. There will always be someone at any organization you work for that is really good at what they do and they will most likely love what they do. If you have the aspirations to be really great at something, you need someone to teach you the craft and to guide you on your next steps.
Find someone you don’t want to be like and learn from them as well. Observe, converse, take note. There will always be someone difficult to work with or someone you will find hard to understand and it is just as important to learn from him or her as it is to learn from the people you look up to.
That is it, that is how she did it (I mean, I am sure it isn’t it, but this is definitely at the core of what she believes determined her success). It is nothing enlightening per say, it is stuff we hear all the time, but I really liked hearing that it actually works. Especially for the current d-sipers, who I am sure hear it time and time again, you are in an incredibly priveleged position to be interning at Michigan and it is vital that you make the most of this opportunity because like me, you never know where it is going to lead.
As for me, the emphasis on being methodical in your actions to get to where you want to go and of doing some self analyzing is something that really works. It might seem obvious and sensible, but I do think it is really easy to stop thinking about the “little” goals one has to stay focused on in order to reach the “big” goals, the “dreams”. I liked being reminded of its importance and just wanted to share. 🙂
While it may sound ‘hipster’ of me to claim “listening to NPR’s Morning Edition” as part of my daily morning routine, I have been an enthusiastic (well not always enthusiastic – growing up my step-father FORCED me to listen to NPR on the way to school every day even when we requested the pop music station) listener for most of my life now. I especially enjoy listening to NPR while I get dressed for work, so in between my usual 6-7 mile morning run and stretching this morning, I was so excited to hear the story, Nonprofit Gym Helps Low-Income Community Get Fit, shared with us, listeners.
I am not going to give away much in this post because I think the story is much more powerful and effective heard through the women that this incredible foundation, Healthworks Foundation for Women, has impacted. I would encourage our readers to take a few minutes to listen about the way this particular foundation is giving back through supporting a fit and active lifestyle for low-income women. As someone (and most of us) who have such easy and safe access to gyms, beautiful trails for running, biking, hiking, a pool for swimming – I (we) often forget how lucky we are to have the resources to stay healthy. I can’t even imagine living somewhere I couldn’t get up and run 6 miles out my front door and not worry about my safety. The gift of health and activity is amazing and I only hope that programs like what Healthworks has done will continue to prosper all over the nation. Why should only the rich and affluent have resources to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
Our colleagues at Penn State started their own internship program last year and have now begun their second summer. We wanted to invite former PSU intern (and current PSU alumna) Devon Herrick to share her thoughts!
It’s been almost one year exactly to the day since I began my first week with the Penn State Summer Internship Program in its inaugural summer of 2009. Myself, along with 9 other wide-eyed and eager-to-learn interns, were ready to dive into the world of Higher Education Development. Boy, we had no idea what we were about to experience.
PSU Summer Development Interns 2009
This entire process started for me back when I was a senior at Penn State University in the spring of 2009. I was a few months away from graduation and going through the inevitable “what am I going to do with my life?” stage that most college seniors face in the waning twilight of their University career. I had the great fortune of meeting a development professional who was new to Penn State (and who now is one of my best friends and colleagues here in Happy Valley) that was looking for an unofficial intern to work with her for the rest of the spring. I decided to jump on board and later found out that she was part of a group of development employees at University Park who were putting together Penn State’s first official development internship program, modeled after an innovative and successful program at Michigan.
Despite my innate suspicions of what a Michigan program could bring (I joke!), I was eager to apply and in the end I was chosen to work for the Smeal College of Business in the Development and Alumni Relations office for 11 weeks of intense development immersion.
Over the summer we were able to get true first-hand experience in the development world. I’m not talking about merely observing the practices of those we were working under, but really being put to work. Within weeks of my internship I was shipped to New York City to participate in a group dinner of young alumni working on Wall Street, all graduates of Smeal. My director at the time was able to seamlessly integrate my role into her strategy for the cultivation of these alums, and there I was: able to put a report of contact into my litany of new knowledge and experience gained through this internship.
The summer ended far too quickly and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our mentors, classmates and development colleagues. The summer culminated in a wonderful ceremony where we debuted a video we created to capture the experience. You can view it on YouTube here:
My internship gave me the privilege of having a vast database of contacts to network with as I started to look for my full-time launching position in development and after interviews across the state of Pennsylvania, I landed, ironically and ecstatically enough, back at Dear Old State.
My current role as a major gifts officer is more than I could have asked for in so many respects. Not only have I been embraced through my transition from student to intern to professional, but I have gained the respect and encouragement of my supervisors, colleagues, and leaders at the University.
I am proud to say that I have received my first gift from a donor and have several major gifts “in the works” as a result of getting a head start when it came to understanding the sophisticated and at times, complex, network of development policies, procedures and protocols here at Penn State that will contribute to our new capital campaign, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students (check it out at www.giveto.psu.edu). Obviously my affinity to Penn State as my alma mater comes very handy when speaking with donors (I often tell people I have the best job in the world for many reasons, including that I get to talk “Nittany Lion-speak” in my everyday routine!).
I also had the privilege of lending my experiences through this program at a presentation during the Winter 2010 District II CASE Conference in Philadelphia, Pa. This was a great opportunity to again spread the power of the program both at Penn State and Michigan (where we gave ample credit!) and see what other Universities and Colleges, both large and small, are doing in development.
It isn’t often in this profession that development officers are able to start their careers here right after college. I am beyond grateful for this internship experience exposing me to this work as before I hadn’t always known where my Public Relations degree would land me (stints at a magazine in New York Cityand in other various writing positions as an intern over the years were wonderfully telling for me as to what I did and did not want to do, but I still hadn’t found that career niche).
I look down the road and the opportunities seem to be endless. To have job that I love, in an economy that is struggling to employ its college graduates, and at a University of higher education that is not only “my” school but also has a thriving development field is such a thrill.
The class of 2010 is no different in energy and excitement and I am anxiously waiting to hear about their accomplishments with bated breath! Good luck to the next crop of interns…there are fantastic things in your future!
In my previous post “More Bang for Your… Blood“, I expressed my views on giving in exchange for a reward. However, after reading everyone’s comments I felt a lot different about it. Watching this movie trailer also made me rethink my initial views on people who give because of guilt.
The main character (Kate) in this movie gives because she feels a huge sense of guilt, and the movie pokes fun at this type of motivation. Initially, I felt no connection to her and felt ok laughing at her shenanigans but then I realized that I give because of guilt too!
(Do Salvation Army fundraisers and homeless people strategically place themselves near stores to guilt-trip the shoppers? There are always fundraisers asking for money when I walk out of Urban Outfitters with two big shopping bags, and I almost always give because I feel so guilty.)
Before my internship, I always thought that there were better motivations for giving than others; like it was more noble to give “just because” rather than for a prize or guilt (as you all can tell from my previous posts). And I have never really had in depth conversations about why I give or asked other people why they give until this internship and blog began. Hopefully my fellow bloggers and I have got you all thinking about why you give.
So shout it all out there! What are some reasons you give?
P.S. If you are interested in seeing the movie it premiers THIS FRIDAY at the Michigan Theater! It’s called Please Give. It looks absolutely hilarious, was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, and comes highly rated on imdb and Rotten Tomatoes.
Before my initial experiences in development, to me, the word ‘philanthropy’ was almost synonymous with the word ‘money.’ When I heard ‘philanthropy’, I thought of large donations that made the names “Carnegie” and Rockefeller” the household words that they are today. Philanthropy was not only just about money, but it was also about a lot of money. I thought that people who gave $10 to their local symphony orchestra couldn’t be called a philanthropist; they had to have given enough to have the entire hall named after them. Or at least a row of seats.
Over the past year I learned that philanthropy is not defined by the size of the gift made. Just a few weeks ago, Wesley Ellison drove this point home with the astute observations she made in her post, “Small Donations Go a Long Way.” Amount is not what should be taken into account when assessing the value of a gift; rather, the passion behind the contribution is what makes it so valuable.
Today, this point was illustrated for me in an indirect fashion. However, the importance of passion was not stressed by seeing the effects of a small (or large, for that matter) gift coming from a fervent source. Instead, I saw belief in a situation that didn’t involve money at all.
Today, on my first day of work in development at summer’s epicenter of classical music, I spent some time working with three elderly volunteers. We were stuffing letters soliciting support for the institution’s annual fund in a last push for support before the organization’s summer performances began. I have no idea whether or not these volunteers were donors, but, regardless of that fact, they had invested just as much in the festival as anyone writing a check.
We were mailing probably somewhere around 1,000 letters. These volunteers knew more than half of the recipients by name.
Discussion about the organization in general naturally ensued, ranging from comments about the institution’s leadership to its repertoire for the Summer 2010 season. The volunteers participated in intelligent commentary worthy of anyone with any sort of involvement in the festival.
And when I asked how long they had been involved in this kind of work? I was floored upon learning that they had been participating in the organization for over fifty years.
The investment of volunteers in any institution cannot be discounted. Volunteers are perhaps the driving force behind any activity; they are the face of what true investment means in any organization. Volunteers give their time, energy, and ideas for usually no return at all. They aren’t hired to do the work that they do, meaning they aren’t chained to the promise of a paycheck after a certain period of time.
On the outside, it might appear that they receive little in exchange for their efforts. Materialistically, that might be true. However, my experiences today taught me that the satisfaction and pleasure found in supporting a cause near and dear to their hearts is worth all the money in the world.
U-M D-SIP Blog 