As always, the rule of unexpected consequences....

One consequence of the recession no one foresaw--lots of unemployed or underemployed people volunteering in US nonprofits. Awesome. Troublesome (for the unprepared nonprofits), but awesome.

One unforeseen consequence of the Disney volunteering promotion (Give A Day, Get A Disney Day) is the sheer number of people who have responded. Side note: are they truly volunteers? Or compensated citizens?

Whatever the answer, this wave of volunteering encouraged by Presidents, employers and other corporate and public figures is only going to grow as the number of Americans interested in volunteering simultaneously rises. Younger Americans (those 30 and under) have been trained from early on to volunteer a LOT. Now that they are in the workforce (and more and more in management) the link between business and charities are being strengthened.

My point? For nonprofits that have weak volunteer management programs, now is the time to strengthen them. For nonprofits that have no volunteer programs, now is the time to consider them. Do you have enough funds to do all the mission needed? I didn't think so. Why not expand your mission resources to include volunteers?