In the movie "Field of Dreams", Kevin Costner's character famously quotes "If you build it, they will come." That may have worked in the movie (there were also baseball players coming out of the corn fields), but not so much in real life. You need to get the word out about what you are passionate about, whether that is a cause, a product, an idea, a service or a theology. Everyone is assaulted every day by ads to "buy this", "do this", "join this", so what makes you stand out? You! Your passion, your personality, but mostly, your personal relationship with your audience is what brings your message to the forefront. So often, we spend so much time "building" that we forget to invite others to join in. It's like planning a great party and not calling anyone to come and join the fun! Then you're stuck sitting at the party alone. Talk to people - personally. E-mail blasts, form letters and generic Facebook invites don't count. Be sincere. Build it - but spend at least as much time inviting them to come.
I've heard many in leadership lamenting about the lack of volunteers. If you lead a church or other non-profit, or are in direct sales, you lead an army of volunteers. Sometimes, your volunteers will not hit you over the head with their willingness to serve. Sometimes, they will. Are you ready to mentor them in their volunteer position so that they will be successful? Do you follow through with them while enthusiasm is high? I think we all believe we do. About two years ago, I volunteered with a non-profit in the Quad Cities area. It took several weeks just to be able to get through to the correct person to volunteer my services with. I was invited to attend an open meeting, where I spoke of the service that I was willing to provide. Although there was much agreement that my service would be a great addition to the service they were providing, and several follow up calls on my part, I never was given the opportunity to volunteer. A...
Comments
Post a Comment