The Momentum of The Willing

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the National Conference on Volunteerism and Service in New Orleans, convening over 4,500 national service leaders, philanthropists, socially conscious celebrities, and all around über do-gooders from across the nation for 3 days of inspiration and education.

As a life long sufferer of FOMO, as in the “Fear Of Missing Out”, I found myself a bit frenzied in trying to choose between the 170 different sessions offered. Could I glean more information in room 345 then the room I was sitting in? Should I take part in a service project or should I attend a session on pro bono service models instead? The Dixie Chicks minus one are performing right now… but, should I visit the online communities session to hear why my non-profit should get on board with mobile technology? Thus went each day.

Several highlight moments allowed me to push my FOMO aside and dig into topic at hand. 

 Hearing the powerful stories of volunteers who have left an indelible mark on the City of New Orleans brought me front and center with why I love my job so much and reminded me that, everyday individuals are most crucial to community change.

We were regaled by stories of those who have built volunteer empires out of their passion for a cause, such as KaBOOM founder Darell Hammond.

Darell felt compelled to take action after reading a newspaper article about two young children who died in an abandoned car because they had nowhere to play. He began fundraising and mobilizing fellow volunteers to build playgrounds. What resulted are 1,900 new parks across America and the nationally recognized non-profit KaBOOM.

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, Hammond pledged to provide 100 playgrounds in the region. Over 30,000 volunteers stepped up to complete this goal and through their efforts brought a sense of normalcy back to the lives of children whose neighborhoods were devastated.

Then there were the stories of quieter acts of service provided by individuals who decided to jump on buses, drive truckloads of supplies from their own communities or deliver funds to support New Orleans. More than 1/2 million Americans traveled to the region in the year after Katrina, to clear debris, build houses, plant trees, distribute food, and help rebuild the lives of their fellow Americans. What has emerged are some of the most creative grassroots community development strategies seen in decades.   

Another highlight moment came in meeting with 25 fellow attendees to generate ideas for a new mobile app around volunteering.

This session so happened at 7AM. Feeling bleary eyed after being kicked all night by my one and half year old son who couldn’t sleep in his own bed, coupled with mild jet lag, I found myself wondering, “who hosts a conference session at 7AM anyway?” and I almost chose not to attend.

Upon stepping into the room, I found an hour-long gem of creativity and forward thinkers who were ready to bring our sector more squarely into the 21st century.

This session reinvigorated my desire to develop a volunteer collective of innovators to explore how new technology can support our local non-profit sector. Santa Cruz is a community ripe with entrepreneurial spirit and technological savviness. If our non-profit leaders and our creative thinkers with technology expertise could combine forces… imagine the huge possibilities for social good.

Hearing the stories of those who turned ideas into action and sharing creatively with others left me with that exuberant feeling that I am a part of something so much larger than myself and, big dream or small dream, anything is possible. 

Our Volunteer Center has now been awarded the opportunity to dream big. At the Conference, our National Affiliate, The HandsOn Network launched a focused investment strategy called the Innovation Hubs initiative.  The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County was among 10 centers from across the country chosen to serve in the inaugural class of Hubs.

The aim of this initiative is to address the rapid evolution of volunteer engagement due to the dramatic changes in how people live, work and interface with technology.  

Hubs will serve as learning labs for community engagement. Over the next three years, the Volunteer Center will be provided with the financial capacity and executive training to generate new programs and innovations that will be shared as national models.

We will need to reach out to a new collective of creative-minded volunteers to support this effort. This year’s conference served as a welcome reminder, it is the momentum of the willing that builds community vitality.

Who’s ready to throw in their creative energy and see where the road to innovation takes us? I know I am not the only one out there with FOMO. Don’t miss your opportunity to dream big with us.