“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”
— Dr. Seuss
MORAN — More often than not, the driving force behind pretty much every successful community event is a volunteer.
“A lot of these programs wouldn’t happen if they didn’t have volunteers organizing them and working with them,” Marcia Davis said Wednesday.
Davis, community engagement director at Thrive Allen County, spoke during a “finding your fit” workshop in front of 10 or so residents interested in seeing volunteerism grow in their respective communities.
The event was held in collaboration with K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
Joining Davis were Logan Stenseng, a policy and strategic initiatives coordinator with Thrive, and Dan Carroll, Thrive’s communications director.
“What has driven a lot of our partnerships are informal leadership principles,” Stenseng explained. “That sounds jargony, but it refers to challenges groups and individuals face that prevent us from growing volunteering.”
One of the key barriers for most groups, he noted, is that too few folks are relied on for an inordinate amount of heavy lifting. He referred to it as “the same 10 people’’ concept.
In order to grow, groups and individuals must first identify barriers preventing them from growing, before they can be tackled, he concluded.
Wednesday’s 90-minute session included short exercises in which the participants were directed to informally ask a stranger if they’d be willing to advocate for certain issues or assist with community projects.
The key, Carroll added, is noting that volunteerism comes in many shapes and sizes.
It doesn’t necessarily mean picking up brush along a trail or delivering boxes of food.
“As an individual, you should look at your own barriers,” Stenseng added. “Here are my limitations. I know I don’t want to work with this, or I have time limitations stopping me from doing this.”
Just as importantly, it’s vital to match your volunteer efforts with a common interest, Stenseng continued.
