Modern Volunteering with Lions

Modern volunteering recognises that people still want to help their communities, but the way we live, work and volunteer has changed.

Volunteering should fit around people's lives, rather than expecting people to fit their lives around volunteering.

That doesn't mean lowering expectations or accepting unreliable volunteers. Modern volunteering combines flexibility with responsibility and integrity. People should be able to contribute in ways that work with their lives, but when someone makes a commitment, others should be able to rely on them.

1. Why Volunteering Has Changed

Work and life don't look the same for everyone.

People may have:

• Full time or part time work
• Shift work or irregular hours
• Family or caring responsibilities
• Health, disability or mobility considerations
• Financial pressures
• Study
• Other community commitments
• Travel or extended periods away
• Different amounts of time available at different stages of their lives

A traditional meeting time or volunteering schedule may work perfectly for one member and be almost impossible for another.

People haven't necessarily stopped wanting to volunteer. The way they are able and willing to volunteer has changed.

Modern volunteering recognises that.

2. People Need to Know the Door is Open

Sometimes people don't volunteer because they're not interested, but sometimes they don't volunteer because:

• Nobody has ever asked them
• They don't know where to start
• They don't know what opportunities exist
• They assume they don't have enough time
• They think joining means committing to every meeting and activity
• They don't realise there could be a place for their particular skills or interests

Don't assume somebody isn't interested. Give them the opportunity to decide for themselves.

Make Lions visible. Talk about what we do. Invite people to experience it and make it easy for someone who is interested to find their next step.

The door needs to be open, but people also need to be able to see the door and know how to walk through it.

3. Measure Contribution, Not Attendance

Attendance and contribution are not the same thing.

Some contributions are easy to see. A member might work at a barbecue or fundraising event, run a service project, collect and sort donations, attend meetings, help at a community event or represent Lions in the community.

Other contributions happen behind the scenes. A member might spend hours contacting businesses for donations, design flyers or social media from home, write grant applications, organise rosters, make phone calls, handle administration, research a new project or help another member get something done.

Someone who rarely attends meetings may be making an enormous contribution to Lions. Someone who attends meetings regularly may contribute in completely different ways.

Being present and contributing are not necessarily the same thing.

Look at what members contribute, including the work nobody sees. Recognise and value it.

4. One Size Does Not Fit All

There is no single correct way to be a useful Lions volunteer.

One person might lead a major project, while another might volunteer twice a year. Someone might love doing barbecues, while someone else prefers handling administration from home. One member may attend meetings but rarely attend projects, while another may be heavily involved in a project but rarely or never attend meetings.

People may also have disability, chronic health conditions, mobility limitations, neurodiversity or other circumstances that affect how they participate.

Instead of asking:

"Can this person volunteer the way we usually volunteer?"

ask:

"How could this person contribute in a meaningful way that works for them?"

Different clubs are different too. Their communities, members, projects, skills, locations and priorities are different.

There doesn't need to be one model of what a successful Lions club or a valuable Lion looks like.

We share the same purpose, but there can be many ways of achieving it.

5. Membership Is Not the Only Way to Contribute

Some people want to help Lions without becoming Lions members, and that's valuable too.

Community volunteers, supporters and Friends of Lions may contribute significant time, skills and experience to a project without wanting the commitment of formal membership.

Welcome that contribution and keep those people connected. Show appreciation for what they do and continue to invite them. Their circumstances may change and membership might suit them later, or it may never suit them.

Either way, the relationship has value and is another way of connecting Lions with the community.

6. Find What Makes Them Want to Volunteer

What's their passion or heart project?

Don't simply find a vacant job and look for someone to fill it.

Ask about:

• Their interests and passions
• Causes they care about
• Skills they would enjoy using
• Skills they would like to learn
• Problems they would like to help solve
• Ideas they have
• Their vision for something they would like to see happen

Ask:

"Is there a cause or passion project you'd love to do something about?"

Some people might describe this as their heart project, something that really matters to them.

If someone has the passion but doesn't know what the project could be, that's okay. They don't have to invent the whole thing themselves.

Bring the idea to the club, talk about it, put heads together and work out what might be possible. Look at the person's passion, the needs of the community and what the club can realistically help achieve.

Some people love leading. Others would rather follow somebody else's lead. Some enjoy generating ideas, while others are happiest doing the practical work that makes those ideas happen.

There is room for all of them.

Don't just find a job for the volunteer. Find what makes them want to volunteer.

7. Flexibility With Responsibility

Modern volunteering isn't about turning up only when you feel like it.

It is about choosing what you can genuinely commit to and then honouring that commitment.

It's okay to say, "I can't do that," or "I can give you two hours." Someone might be able to help from home or lead one project but take on nothing else. Others may need to step back for a while, or be unable to attend meetings but still contribute in another way.

Flexibility works when it is accompanied by responsibility and integrity.

If you commit to something, other people should be able to rely on you.

Modern volunteering isn't asking less of people. It's giving people more ways to contribute.

8. Remove Unnecessary Barriers

Every requirement should have a reason.

Sometimes the barriers to volunteering are actual club requirements. Sometimes they are simply what prospective or existing members believe is expected of them.

Ask:

• Does somebody really need to attend every meeting?
• Does every member need to serve on a committee?
• Does everyone need to participate in every fundraiser?
• Does a prospective member need to complete a long list of activities before being allowed to join? Could each prospective member instead be considered on their own merits, interest and experience?
• Does this meeting need to run this long? How could it be shortened?
• Does this process still serve a useful purpose, including the way prospective members are considered and approved?
• Is this tradition helping the club, its members or its community? If not, why are we keeping it and how could we change it?

Sometimes there will be a good reason for a requirement.

But "that's how we've always done it, so that's how we should always do it" is not a reason.

Make the Pathway Clear

Someone who is interested in Lions should be welcomed, informed and given a clear pathway to becoming involved.

They should understand what Lions does, what their specific club does, what membership involves and what opportunities are available to them. Every club is different, so help them understand what being part of your club could actually look like.

While someone is interested and enthusiastic, give them something to take away. This could be a printed membership information pack or a digital membership pack emailed to them, with information and links they can explore in their own time. Where possible, make information available both digitally and on paper.

Follow up, but ask them how and when they would prefer to be contacted. Would they prefer a phone call, text or email? Is daytime or evening better? Make it personal, tell them what happens next and give them another opportunity to become involved.

Enthusiasm is valuable. Tap into it while it's there.

Don't make it unnecessarily difficult for an enthusiastic person to become involved, otherwise you may lose them.

Joining Is the Beginning

Once somebody joins, don't assume the job is done.

Help them understand how the club works, introduce them to people, explain the opportunities available and make sure they know who they can ask for help.

A buddy or mentor can be particularly useful in those early months, especially someone who will check in, answer the questions a new member may feel silly asking and help them find their place in the club.

Most importantly, keep asking what interests them and how their Lions experience is going.

Recruit them for who they are, not simply to fill a vacancy.

9. Communication Without Compulsory Attendance

Flexible participation requires flexible communication.

If meetings are not the only way people can contribute, meetings cannot be the only way people find out what is happening.

Members who cannot regularly attend meetings should still be able to know what the club is doing and what decisions are coming up, offer ideas and feedback, volunteer for activities, receive project updates and stay connected with other members.

Clubs might use:

• Concise meeting summaries and email updates
• Member social media or messaging groups
• Project specific groups
• Reports circulated before meetings
• Opportunities for input before discussions
• Online polls where appropriate and permitted
• Hybrid attendance where practical
• Regular personal contact

Consider linking a member who rarely attends with a buddy or contact person in the club. That gives them somebody they know they can contact for information, questions, ideas or simply to stay connected.

If a member wants an item discussed but cannot attend the meeting, encourage them to provide enough information beforehand for the club to properly understand their idea or concern.

Communication should not depend entirely on being physically present in the room.

10. Help People See the Impact of Their Contribution

People want to know that the time they gave actually mattered.

Instead of simply saying:

"Thanks to everyone who helped on Saturday,"

tell them what their contribution achieved.

For example:

"Eight members gave three hours on Saturday and together collected 74 phones. Those phones can now be prepared to help people experiencing domestic violence access a safe means of communication."

Or:

"Hundreds of students received formal wear through this project, saving families tens of thousands of dollars."

The purpose isn't to turn everything into statistics, but rather to connect the volunteer's effort with the difference it made.

Show people the impact of their contribution.

Recognise work that happens publicly and work that happens behind the scenes, because people are more likely to keep contributing when they know their contribution matters.

11. Connection Without Guilt

Communication tells someone what's happening.

Belonging tells them they're still one of us.

Someone who can't attend meetings regularly should still feel connected to their club.

This is another place where a buddy or regular contact person can help. Rather than everybody assuming somebody else is keeping in touch, there is a person who knows to check in, pass on important information and keep extending invitations.

Continue to ask for members' opinions, recognise their contributions, include them in club news, celebrate their achievements and give them opportunities to suggest ideas. Let people increase or decrease their involvement as their lives change.

Be Mindful of the Language We Use

There is a significant difference between:

"We haven't seen you for ages. We'd love to see you."

and:

"You haven't been to a meeting for three months."

One creates connection. The other can create guilt.

Be mindful of how we communicate with members whose participation looks different.

From time to time, ask:

"Is the way you're participating in Lions still working for you?"

And listen to the answer.

If something isn't working, don't automatically assume the member is the problem. There may be something the club could change, an opportunity they haven't found yet or simply a different way they could participate.

Belonging shouldn't depend on perfect attendance.

12. What Does a Modern Lions Club Look Like?

How We Operate

A modern Lions club:

• Offers different ways to contribute and respects people's time, work, family, health and other commitments
• Measures contribution rather than attendance and recognises visible and behind the scenes work
• Communicates beyond meetings and gives members opportunities to have a voice
• Welcomes members, community volunteers and Friends of Lions
• Removes unnecessary barriers and questions traditions that no longer serve a useful purpose
• Has clear expectations and values reliability, responsibility and integrity

How We Volunteer

A modern Lions club:

• Helps people find meaningful ways to serve based on their skills, interests and passions
• Looks at both what people care about and what the community needs
• Encourages ideas and helps turn passion into projects
• Allows involvement to increase or decrease as people's lives change
• Shows people the impact of their contribution
• Recognises and celebrates contribution
• Makes volunteering enjoyable and creates genuine friendships and connection

How It Makes People Feel

People should feel:

• Welcomed
• Included
• Useful
• Valued
• Connected
• Respected
• Able to contribute
• That they belong

People may not remember every meeting, project or conversation.

They will remember how being part of Lions made them feel.

Five Principles of Modern Volunteering

1. Volunteering should fit around people's lives, rather than expecting people to fit their lives around volunteering.

2. Measure contribution, not attendance.

3. Find what makes people want to volunteer.

4. Flexible participation requires flexible communication.

5. Modern volunteering isn't asking less of people. It's giving people more ways to contribute.

Underpinning It All

Flexibility. Responsibility. Integrity. Belonging.