Volunteers are the lifeblood of RMEF, and their passion, dedication and hard work is what funds our mission. Here are ways for chapter leaders to inspire and empower their team.
Energizing, motivating and engaging a team of RMEF volunteers is essential for achieving fundraising and organizational success. Volunteers are the lifeblood of RMEF, and their passion, dedication and hard work is what funds our mission. To harness the full potential of RMEF volunteers, chapter leaders need to inspire and empower their team. Below, we will explore some of the ways that RMEF’s lead volunteers and staff have motivated their committees.
Celebrating Team and Individual Success
Celebrating achievements, both big and small, is an effective way to show appreciation and keep a team inspired. Below are a few ideas on how chapters have done this.
- Set goals and celebrate them once achieved. These can be goals for donations, table sales, attendance, underwriting, new volunteers and more. Include these goals and track the results on each agenda at every committee meeting.
- Celebrate your event success with an after-banquet committee BBQ or potluck. These can take place at a committee member’s house or a community park. Make these gatherings fun and include activities such as cornhole or horseshoes. Make sure to show appreciation and emphasize the success of the team and of individual members. These are also great events to invite new volunteers to.
- In a wrap-up meeting, create fun award categories that recognize volunteer achievements and present them to committee members. Categories may include most live auction donations secured, top raffles salesperson, most table sales and best new fundraising idea.
Communication and Organization
- When sending out communication to your committees, include some of the things that individuals recently accomplished. For example, when you distribute your meeting reminder email with a productive agenda, share if a volunteer has recently secured a significant donation, sold 30 memberships, a life membership, sponsor, etc. These positive reports give recognition and boost motivation.
- Keep your chapter goals organized and discuss them often. Chapters often set goals early on but forget to revisit them throughout the event planning process.
Team Building
Having genuine relationships within your committee, and having volunteers that care for and appreciate each other, is something that takes time and effort to create. Many committees take part in team-building activities, some of which are listed below.
- Host a committee Christmas party at a local restaurant or committee member’s home.
- Attend nearby chapter banquets and carpool with your group to those events.
- Organize a committee camping weekend.
- Attend a state or national volunteer gathering, such as a rendezvous, volunteer workshop or national volunteer rally.
Keeping Focus on the Mission
There’s nothing more motivating than the mission! If you ever have the opportunity, encourage your committee to attend one of the following.
- Arrange a project tour! If there is a local RMEF funded project(s) within your area, arrange a site visit or attend a project dedication, to celebrate the success of your hard work and to see the impact you are helping make.
- Participate in or help coordinate a local work project. These can be directly related to elk through projects such as a fence pull or a trailhead cleanup. Some work projects are coordinated through RMEF and others by federal and state agencies and other organizations.
A motivated team can move mountains. RMEF is lucky to have passionate and dedicated volunteers and we hope by sharing this information with you, it helps harness your team’s full potential.