| November
2005 |
|
Volunteers Make Advocacy Happen Southland Hopes Take New Trails Legally Blind at 82, Bike Commuter Presses On Summer of Fun in the West Suburbs |
Volunteers Make Bike Advocacy Happen It is an inescapable truth of non-profit work: without volunteers, organizations like the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation couldn't function. In our case, that means we need our members' help to promote bicycling safety, education and facilities - including bike lanes, trails, parking and safe intersections. Neither could our events - from the biggest (Bike The Drive, the Boulevard Lakefront Tour) to the smallest (Ravinia Ride, Veggie Bike and Dine) - be carried out without volunteers handling important duties.
Bike The Drive, for example, is a huge undertaking that requires the efforts of hundreds of people; staff cannot manage it alone. CBF volunteers do far more than just stuff envelopes, assist with fundraising efforts and make phone calls. While these are important jobs, we see our volunteers as key players with a real stake in the success of the organization. In 2002, our membership hovered around 2,000. The introduction of the immensely popular Bike The Drive in 2002, coupled with direct mail campaigns in 2003 and other member recruitment efforts, caused CBF to grow dramatically – to more than 5,000 in 2004. Despite our growth, it seems that we, like most non-profits, never have enough staff. So we spend a good deal of time recruiting, developing and cultivating volunteers from our membership base and beyond. The work of the volunteers enhances staff resources and substitutes for additional staff that the budget doesn't allow us to hire. As of Sept. 30, 580 Chicagoland Bicycle Federation volunteers have reported 6,254 hours since Jan. 1, resulting in $84,187.35 of unpaid labor. According to an estimate from Washington, D.C.-based Independent Sector, one hour of volunteer time rose to $17.55 for 2004, up from $17.19 per hour in 2003. At any given time, we have about 200 volunteers we can call on for help. We also have a smaller core of 20 or so volunteers who offer their time on a regular basis, including interns and office workers who are, in effect, part-time staff members. Some of the most committed volunteers are a group of stealth graphic designers (Inga Bergman, Kathi Beste, Elisa Elder, Ryan Dickey, Mark Hoffman, Derek Sherman), a handful of sharp copy editors (Fran Buckley, Bernadette Homberger, Rochelle Lodder, Rene' Mueller, Paula Lauer), the contributors and editors of Bike Traffic (Claire Micklin, Diane Anderson, Jim Nugent), a solid office support team (John D'Ambrose, Miriam Dasic, Ron Gurule, Rachel Johnson, Steve Scott), several technology wizards (John Cooney, Lee Pirtle) and numerous longtime events managers (Vincent Afzal, Art Gilfand, Roland Hayes, Jim Kreps, Cottrell Meadors, Floyd Mittleman). We also have a volunteer membership and marketing committee chaired by CBF Board Member Mary DeBacker, and personable types manning the tables for us at Road Show events (Diane Anderson, Chris Brunn, Cindy Gendry). And there are usually one or two interns working directly with staff (Tim Baker, Kevin Clark). We value the time and energy of our volunteers, much like we value membership contributions and year-end donations. We show our appreciation throughout the year and at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. Of course, the volunteer experience has to be meaningful, so matching our volunteers with the right job is key; it's important that our volunteers have fun. If they have fun, then we're doing something right and hopefully they'll keep coming back. Dan Korman is the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation director of communications and marketing
|
