Associations understandably deal with a lot of stress when it comes to volunteers. There are administrative tasks volunteers are tasked to manage, but volunteers also want a sense of belonging, a feeling that they're doing valuable work, and participating in an opportunity to develop professionally.
But perhaps instead of being a helicopter parent to volunteer groups, associations might benefit from letting them be a little more free-range.
Something like that is happening at PEAK Grantmaking, an association of approximately 7,000 grants professionals. Before the pandemic, members in its regional chapters began to self-select into affinity groups, such as grant managers, according to Membership and Community Engagement Director Sara Sanders. After COVID-19 struck and social-justice activities gained more attention in 2020, that self-selection accelerated and widened.
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