by Nick Jacobs

The arts, tourism or health care; the profession didn’t matter. Volunteers have always been squarely in the center of my personal universe. No matter what the job, the challenge or the non profit profession, we have always worked very hard to create meaningful positions for volunteers. In fact, it has been our distinct pleasure to be intensely concerned with our volunteers over the years.

What have we discovered? There are virtually no boundaries, no Mission Impossible jobs, no challenges too great or too small and there is no end to what dedicated volunteers will do for any non profit organization. They need only to be empowered, encouraged and recognized. In fact, most of them will perform above and beyond the call of duty without even a nod and a smile.

The volunteer experiences that have become part of my personal history have been very unique but the essential ingredient for us has always been to be open, honest and thankful. It has been to provide them with a vision and ownership, but most importantly, it has been to embrace them as partners, as critical participants in our business, as key providers of the proverbial icing on whatever cake is being baked.

I remember once asking the father of one of my students to stand at the boy’s room and make sure that all went well there throughout an entire professional sports game where the students were performing. He never saw one minute of the game. I later found out that he was the president of a university? He had just told me to call him Frank?

Be it putting up tents in 100 degree weather, or making runs to buy the needed decorations required to top off the center pieces, we have always had people waiting in the wings to get it done. Our volunteers currently add at least 30 percent to our care giver numbers as they serve as greeters, are clowns, do hand massages, help family members, deliver communion, or sort files, our volunteers represent a bedrock element of our organization that would be impossible to replace.

Volunteers can make the difference between your patient’s happiness and comfort and their disgruntlement. They don’t have to do what they do. They do it out of commitment and caring, and your patients can feel that love, too!