Rewarding the Giver

It is important to reward every giver whether they are a volunteer or donor. Part of the reward process is to make the transaction rewarding. For the donor, this means making the giving process rewarding. For the volunteer, this means making the work rewarding. Are your methods for doing that in keeping with the life experiences of those who give?

Throughout most of the last century, most people worked in factories or as laborers. They did repetitive tasks and went home. Today the majority of us are knowledge workers. We use our minds instead of our muscles. Most of what we do is work that seldom fits a pattern, formula, or structure. Thinking, creating, and innovating are the keys to success.

It is equally true for the retail worker as it is for the scientist or engineer. We expect nearly infinite customization of almost everything. Retail workers are expected to use judgment, double bag it sometimes, ask why you are buying two competing products, suggest alternatives that might be cheaper, faster, or more durable. They focus on your satisfaction knowing your money will follow your satisfaction. Failure means you will start shopping down the street or online. Neither is good for the store or worker's continued employment.

Two questions for you:

Are your donors experiencing nearly infinite customization opportunities each time they make a gift?
Are your volunteers being given every opportunity to use their thinking, creative, and innovative skills each time they come to work?

For the typical volunteer their professional life is complex, challenging, loosely defined, self-directed, and for most of them interesting work. In addition, it is emotionally gratifying. They can go home and tell a story about the problems they solved and the value they created for their employer and customers. Would they tell the same stories after each of their volunteer experiences?

When we order online, there is a vast array of options available before we confirm the order. The process of ordering is as complex, loosely defined, self-directed, and challenging as our jobs. We love it. We order more online every year. If I wanted to make a donation to your organization would I have a similar experience or is it just limited to how much and the payment method?

We live in a self-directed society. Our freedoms, choices, and options are growing. Are your donors and volunteers enjoying the same experience?

Next Step:

Make volunteer activities more creative, less routine, more self-directed, and more goal oriented (more like the person's job); therefore, more enjoyable
Make giving more customizable, more self-directed, and more goal oriented (more like the person's other transactional experiences); therefore, more purpose driven
Make donating and volunteering identical experiences because both are about giving something precious (intellect, time, and treasure)

This process gives the participant a seamless life experience. They become as engaged with the organization as they are with the other important things in their life. As their engagement grows, they will become more generous (time and money). Their growing engagement will build the strength of your organization.

Sustainability today depends on having mission maximizers. Mission maximizers are the people who willingly work for the success of the mission with minimal direction and maximum freedom. The thousands of people who contribute, edit, and criticize Wikipedia every week is one example. The thousands of open-source programs and products available on the web is another example. What are you doing to make your organization the next example? Who can help you make it happen?