2022 VOLUNTEER GUIDE
The Right Fit In 2019, San Antonio nonpro t SA2020 launched a new program to help nonpro ts nd skilled and passionate board members and to help individuals match with the right organizations to share their talents and time. The program is called The Board
who are there with that smiling face saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ A vol- unteer lls a huge gap there, a huge need.” Denise Barkhurst, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, said the pandemic was particularly challenging for a program built on one-to-one in-person men- torship for local youth. In other parts of the country, BBBS went virtual, but in South Texas they opted to stay in person to avoid com- peting for screen time with schools, she said. Plus, Barkhurst said, it is hard to develop relationships virtually. The number of inquiries to mentor dropped signi cantly at the beginning of the pandemic, but regular volun- teers stuck with the program, and the numbers are climbing again, she said. BBBS was getting 120 volunteer inquiries a month on average. But beginning in March 2020, the organi- zation shut down completely for eight weeks. In April 2020, the organization only received 15 inquiries. “That’s plummeting, right?” Barkhurst said. “We weren’t even [deep] in the pandemic yet, but we were waiting and wondering.” Volunteer inquiries are increas- ing, she said. This September, BBBS had 123 inquiries. By mid-October, it already had 138 inquiries. Mentorship is a big commitment, she said. “Kids need us now more than ever,” Barkhurst said. “People are ready to get back out there again. I’m not sure [vol- unteerism is] ever going to get back to what it was.” As of Oct. 21, Barkhurst said, 745 kids matched with a big brother or a big sister, but there is a waitlist of 221 kids. The program needs mentors to match with those kids, but volunteers have many demands on their time, she said. “We’re needing mentors in every quadrant in town, north and south, east and west,” Barkhurst said. Evolving for the future To help support nonpro ts in their search for volunteers, The United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County oper- ates www.volunteersanantonio.org, which enables individuals and groups to nd new opportunities to share their skills and time. From 2021-22, United Way o cials have seen “a sizable resurgence” in volunteers, and this year about 1,500 people have already volunteered, said
Kevin Femmel, director of communi- cations for United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. “The individuals and corporations who volunteer with us are some of the most dedicated people in our community when it comes to caring for others,” Femmel said. “We believe many of them saw the pandemic as a call to action to help others even more than before due to how the pandemic has a ected in-person community services.” Although involvement is returning in some areas, Asia Ciaravino, presi- dent and CEO of the Children’s Shel- ter, which works with foster children, said the concept of volunteerism needs to change. Nonpro ts need to work hard to recruit and retain younger volunteers who want more exible schedules and di erent opportunities to serve, Ciaravino said. It is also not easy to volunteer for some organizations, such as the Children’s Shelter, which is highly regulated and requires mul- tiple background checks, she said. Ciaravino said one of her ideas is to harness the creativity and imagination that comes with San Antonio in u- encers and social media, and to help them help others make the connec- tion between volunteer service and becoming a donor to nancially sup- port a nonpro t’s mission. She calls it “in u-action” or in u-activators.” “We need them to be in uencers on social media … to bring in people,” Ciaravino said, “Sharing that infor- mation, sharing stories—they have no idea how much value comes from just that.” The bene ts of sharing those stories can be long-lasting, Ciaravino said. “Any human can make a large impact on an organization without ever stepping foot on a campus,” she said, explaining this is a broadening of the de nition of volunteerism. McAninch agreed that nonpro ts need to rethink what volunteerism looks like and be creative in recruit- ing new volunteers, because the pan- demic has changed how people live and work. He said one challenge is people have a lot a ecting their well-being right now, including health concerns, politics and even the economy. They are less willing to commit long-term or for a set schedule—a sentiment echoed by both Barkhurst with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Rihn with the
Game. SA2020 works with more than 100 nonpro t organizations that annually report more than 400 open seats on their boards of directors. Nonpro t leaders also report the need to diversify their boards by race, gender, age, geography and expertise. The Board Game is meant to address those needs.
THE PLAYERS
Prospective board members 1 Prospective board members must apply—usually in the summer—and pay a $25 application fee . The 2022 program has been completed. 2 Successful applicants must then register and attend training . Training costs ranged from $65 up to $200 on a sliding scale for 2022 participants. Scholarships were available. Two cohorts were then selected to attend two training sessions. 3 Participants are then matched with at least three nonpro ts and meet to determine whether they are a match.
Nonpro t organizations 1 The process is similar for nonpro t participants. Nonpro t organizations must also apply and supply information about the work of the nonpro t and its board of directors. 2 Those selected to participate must register and then attend a virtual training session. 3 After training, organizations will learn of their matches and meet with prospective board members . If a match is made, the prospective board member will then go through the nonpro t’s regular process for board selection.
Individual participants by year
Participating organizations by year
138
47
2019
2019
2020*
2020*
84
36
2021 2022
2021 2022
103
43
Changing demographics
The Board Game’s primary goal is to increase the number of people volunteering for nonpro t board service but also to help change the demographics of those participating to better represent San Antonio and work toward equity.
Participants never served on a board
People of color participating
Age 40 or under
2019
- -
65%
76%
2020*
-
-
2021 2022
70% 82%
64% 74%
74% 71%
*IN 2020, THE BOARD GAME WENT ON HIATUS DUE TO THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC.
SOURCE: SA2020 COMMUNITY IMPACT
SA Humane Society. “People are willing to commit to a one-o —an event—but not six months of service at a time,” McAninch said. More people are working from home or are now on hybrid schedules splitting their time between an o ce and home, he said. That is one reason it has been hard for nonpro ts to get their corporate
supporters back, he said. “I think there’s a mindset that’s really taken over with a lot of people— that I’m really careful with my time,” McAninch said. “I have a better work- life balance now.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION • NOVEMBER 2022
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