June 10, 2026

"We Need Volunteers": DOVIA Is Support for the Challenge Facing Nearly Every Nonprofit

"We Need Volunteers": DOVIA Is Support for the Challenge Facing Nearly Every Nonprofit

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Volunteers are often called the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations—and for good reason. They expand capacity, strengthen community connections, support events, and help organizations deliver on their mission every day. Yet one of the most common challenges nonprofit leaders face is finding, managing, and retaining volunteers. In this episode, I'm talking with Twyla Teitzle, Program Chair for DOVIA Sacramento (Direc...

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I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...

Volunteers are often called the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations—and for good reason. They expand capacity, strengthen community connections, support events, and help organizations deliver on their mission every day.

Yet one of the most common challenges nonprofit leaders face is finding, managing, and retaining volunteers.

In this episode, I'm talking with Twyla Teitzle, Program Chair for DOVIA Sacramento (Directors of Volunteers in Agencies), to discuss the critical role volunteer engagement plays in nonprofit success and why volunteer management is far more complex than many realize.

Twyla shares how DOVIA has spent nearly 50 years supporting volunteer coordinators and nonprofit leaders through professional development, mentorship, networking, training, and resource sharing. She also discusses the changing landscape of volunteerism, the growing opportunities available through technology, and why organizations of every size can benefit from investing in volunteer engagement.

Whether you're an executive director, board member, volunteer coordinator, or someone looking to make a difference in your community, this conversation offers valuable insights into building stronger volunteer programs and stronger nonprofits.

Topics discussed include:

• Why volunteer engagement is a specialized profession
• The biggest challenges nonprofits face in recruiting volunteers
• Retaining and recognizing volunteers effectively
• How technology is changing volunteer recruitment
• The importance of volunteer coordinators
• Building relationships across the nonprofit sector
• Professional development for volunteer managers
• DOVIA's role in supporting nonprofits throughout the Sacramento region
• The future of volunteerism

To learn more about DOVIA Sacramento, visit www.doviasacramento.org.

Email: info@doviasacramento.org

Call Twyla: 916-847-2893

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

01:05 What Is DOVIA?

03:00 Why Volunteer Coordination Is a Profession

05:10 Finding and Recruiting Volunteers Today

08:15 Building Community Through Volunteer Leaders

10:20 DOVIA's Training, Mentorship and Resources

12:05 The Untapped Power of Senior Volunteers

15:20 Retaining and Appreciating Volunteers

18:00 Why Volunteer Management Pays for Itself

22:00 The Volunteer Shortage Nonprofits Face

24:10 Corporate Volunteer Programs and Partnerships

26:30 DOVIA's Vision for the Future

30:15 The Importance of Awareness and Outreach

33:00 Getting to Know Twyla

37:00 How to Connect with DOVIA Sacramento


Thank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.

Twyla Teitzel: [00:00:00] And let's say you are a nonprofit and you're thinking about, "Oh, I don't know, you know, I'm gonna want to know if I wanna spend that much money." That volunteer, the doll- let's say just dollar per dollar, the dollar you spend on volunteer management or volunteer recruitment, that usually comes back to you at least four or five dollars, not just necessarily donor-wise- Mm-hmm

but in the hours spent where you don't have to pay someone, it's worth it in the long run.

Jeff Holden: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion are simple: to highlight the incredible nonprofits that make our community stronger. Each episode is a chance for these organizations to tell their story in their words, sharing not just what they do, but why it matters to the people they serve, to their supporters, and to all of us who [00:01:00] believe in the power of community.

Through podcasting, we hope to amplify their voices, inspire connection, and give them one more tool to impact the hearts of donors, partners, and neighbors alike. Our work is made possible through the generous support of our partners. Cap Trust, offering fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Western Health Advantage, a local not-for-profit health plan that believes healthcare is more than coverage, it's about caring. Core, executive leadership and comprehensive support services. They work in it so you can work on it. And Five Star Bank, a local trusted advisor to community nonprofits for over 25 years.

Our episode sponsor is Sacramento Venture Philanthropy, a community of generosity combining people, expertise, and capital for good This episode is powered by SMUD, Sacramento Municipal Utility [00:02:00] District's Shine Awards program benefiting nonprofits for energy efficiency. Apply today. Volunteers are the lifeblood of nearly every nonprofit organization.

They help deliver programs, support events, extend capacity, and in many cases, make the mission possible. Yet one of the most common challenges we hear from nonprofit leaders is, "We need more volunteers." The reality is that volunteer engagement is far more complex than simply asking people to help.

Recruiting, training, scheduling, retaining, and recognizing volunteers requires a unique skill set, and that's exactly where today's guest comes in. Joining us is Twyla Teitzel, program chair for Directors of Volunteers in Agencies, or DOVIA Sacramento, as it's better known, an organization that has spent nearly 50 years supporting the people responsible for volunteer engagement across our region.

From professional development and mentorship to volunteer recruitment strategies and peer-to-peer [00:03:00] learning, DOVIA helps nonprofits build stronger volunteer programs and ultimately create greater impact. If your organization relies on volunteers or wishes it had more of them, you're going to wanna hear this conversation.

Twyla Teitzel, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Twyla Teitzel: Jeff, I'm so excited to be here, and more excited that you could pronounce my name correctly. That never 

Jeff Holden: happens. I, I could tell by the shock- ... on your face that I said it correctly. 

Twyla Teitzel: Like, "Whoa, it's gotta be me. That... I know that name." 

Jeff Holden: For any nonprofit- 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes

Jeff Holden: and I mean any nonprofit, volunteers are really the lifeblood of the organization. It's one of the benefits of being a nonprofit is that you have the ability to have volunteers do what needs to be done to accomplish the mission or the purpose or whatever it is of the organization. And you are an organization that's all about volunteers, DOVIA.

It's in our 

Twyla Teitzel: name. It's in our name, Jeff. 

Jeff Holden: And DOVIA, [00:04:00] D-O-V-I-A- Mm-hmm ... is an acronym for? 

Twyla Teitzel: Directors of Volunteers in Agencies. D-O-V-I-A. Yes, Directors of Volunteers in Agencies. 

Jeff Holden: And I wonder how many people Myself included. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Until we were connected, I didn't know you existed. 

Twyla Teitzel: I know. 

Jeff Holden: And I know we have organizations that come through when we ask about greatest need.

It's not always money. 

Twyla Teitzel: No, that's true. 

Jeff Holden: It can oftentimes be we need people, we need volunteers. We don't know where to get the numbers of people we need, or short-term, we need them soon just for- Mm ... an event or a, a capacity building thing. Sure. Tell me about the organization. 

Twyla Teitzel: Well, I love DOVIA. This is my, actually my second stint at DOVIA.

When I was first hired as a volunteer coordinator way back when, maybe even before you were in Sacramento, 2007, 2008. Were you in Sacramento then? 

Jeff Holden: 1985. 

Twyla Teitzel: Oh, okay, okay. So you've probably heard of St. John's Homeless Shelter. 

Jeff Holden: I did, yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: I was teaching yoga at a local studio, [00:05:00] uh, and one of my students was Michelle Steeb.

I don't know if you've ever heard of Michelle Steeb. I sure 

Jeff Holden: do. She used to run St. John's. 

Twyla Teitzel: She used to run St. John's, so she said, "Would you like to volunteer to do yoga for our women at St. John's?" I said, "Sure." And after a few sessions she said, "Oh, our volunteer coordinator is leaving. Would you like the job?"

I said, "Sure, that sounds fun. I have no idea what they do, but sure, that sounds fun." And she immediately hooked me up with this organization called DOVIA. She goes, "They're gonna teach you everything you need to learn." I said, "Okay." So I was lucky enough to meet Mary Lynn Perry. Kelly Siefkin was a member at that time when she worked at Sacramento Food Bank.

We had Crystal Vargas of United Way. All the biggies who knew everything about volunteer coordination, volunteer management. I was lucky to get hands-on training from them, and since then it's been dear to my heart. So then after I'd left St. John's and went on to do other things, and then I recently got the job three years ago at Meristem, I said, "I wonder if DOVIA's still around."

Sure enough, sent a letter. Who but Mary Lynn, still there, wrote me back and said, "Twyla, come on back." And so [00:06:00] I'm back there, and I love the organization. 

Jeff Holden: So you are the program chair. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Tell me- Again, for the benefit of people who don't know- Mm-hmm ... and I'm sure that many people are gonna say, "Oh my gosh, there's an organization out there that might be able to help me with volunteers."

Twyla Teitzel: Sure. 

Jeff Holden: What are some of the programs that you offer? What are some of the services you offer to the nonprofit community? 

Twyla Teitzel: And that's a great question, thank you, because people will think, oh, they just get around, talk, and maybe, you know, go out to dinner once in a while, have their Bunco game or something like that.

Actually, volunteer coordination is highly specialized. It might not sound like it, but you know, when you think of all the details that come in to play when it's organizing volunteers, you've gotta find them, you've gotta recruit them, you've gotta retain them, you've gotta organize them once they get there.

You need to tell them what to wear. You need to tell them what time to get there. You need to make sure that when they get there, they have breaks, they have food, they have restroom, and whatever it is. You need to tell them what specifically are you going to do. Now, that's the [00:07:00] day of. The day before, like you said, where do you find them?

Where are we gonna find them? A lot of things that, as we've mentioned earlier, the volunteer center no longer exists. Impact Foundry morphed into something else. So where do we get those volunteers? And a lot has changed from when I first re- was recruiting volunteers for St. John's and now recruiting. I mean, we actually have computers now- Mm-hmm

that we can send out social media. Those, in the olden days, we couldn't do that. Now it's so nice. I can text the Jesuit students, the Jesuit High School students, "Hey, can you come out for Saturday and, you know, garden or whatever?" So there's all different ways to connect with the public or with possible volunteers.

Also, I just recently started a newsletter for where I work, and we put things in there. Dovie has a great newsletter. But how do we get that out to everyone? That's the question. That's what we're trying to do, and there's different ways we can go about that, again, with social media, again, me going to a different organization and saying, "Hey, you know, volunteer coordinator, I just noticed that Rancho Cordova Food Locker morphed [00:08:00] into Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub."

Food Hub. And so I saw Inez's name, and I thought, "I'm gonna contact her," because that would be a great way. They're looking for volunteers. They need people. And that's one thing about being volunteer coordinator. Our job cannot be replaced by AI. Not that I don't love AI, Jeff, which I do, and I'll be taking that AI for good, but we need people to organize people.

And that's what voluntee- that's what Dovia does, is- Yeah ... help you with your job, with resources, with webinars, with peer-to-peer, with mentoring. We have a mentorship program, so if you s- join Dovia as a new volunteer and not sure what to do, we've got those experts in there that can walk you through it one on one.

Even how to talk to your executive director, how to get your entire non-profit on board so they know that volunteers are a backbone, are essential, or like you said, the life force to an organization. 

Jeff Holden: It's a logist- for me- 

Twyla Teitzel: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: it's a logistical nightmare. I, this is, that's not my strength. This is one of the things I hate doing.

You know, when [00:09:00] somebody say, "Hey, we're gonna do this. We have a wonderful golf tournament." I'm like- Yeah ... "Oh, no. No, we need to get, let's get rid of the golf tournament." Oh. It usually doesn't produce anywhere near the- Mm ... amount of revenue versus grief, and- No ... you know, that's a lot of volunteers. 

Twyla Teitzel: You can te- well, that's a volunteer coordinator's job, eh, the coordinator or volunteer manager.

We need to take out the word grief and we put in fun. Okay? 

Jeff Holden: Ye- y- Yeah ... I agree, yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: Volunteer managers just wanna have fun. It's real. You think it was a Cyndi Lauper song, no. It's not Girls. It's volunteer managers just wanna have fun, and if this wasn't fun for us, we couldn't do it. Sure, there's a lot of stuff that's involved with it.

It's like an event planner, you know, every little thing. What happens if the photographer doesn't show up? My next 

Jeff Holden: nightmare. Your 

Twyla Teitzel: next nightmare. Same 

Jeff Holden: situation. 

Twyla Teitzel: Which I used to do, too. I was event planning. That's, you know, and that worked really well. That was really helpful to, you know, the things that I do now.

Jeff Holden: That's the reality of what this is. I mean, you may be a small organization with 30 volunteers, but when you have an event, you still need to coordinate it, and who does that fall upon? Typically it's the executive director, CEO, president, whoever that- Mm-hmm ... organization's [00:10:00] leader is. That's a nightmare. They don't have time for that.

Twyla Teitzel: Nor should they. And n- nor should they. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: That's correct, 'cause it's g- gonna be disproportionate to what they should be doing, could be doing differently, that doesn't consume as much time in a space that they're probably more comfortable. 

Twyla Teitzel: Exactly, and, and Jeff, to that point, when you brought up the executive director, I've seen scenarios where some of the members of Dovia, or some of the members become members of Dovia because their executive director says, "Put on a golf tournament."

And it's like, "Well, what? How do I do that?" You can't go to the executive director and say, "Well, how do you suggest I do that?" You need to talk to another volunteer coordinator that's put on, or a diaper drive, or whatever it is that you're looking at. Or a 10K run or you- Or a 10K run. Right. Or just something that we did like Journey of Hope.

We've got all these bicyclists, riders coming out, you know, and they need a place to stay. They need a place to shower. So I contacted where I used to teach yoga and, you know, got those things going. So all those little logistics, that's where a volunteer coordinator comes in. That's where it helps to know the other volunteer coordinators in the area, and [00:11:00] that's what, that's what we are.

Jeff Holden: Well, and you just answered, you segued beautifully into the next question- Oh, thank you. Yes ... because it's, it is who do you collaborate with? You just said, uh, the, the old yoga studio I used to work for, or maybe other volunteer coordinators for other organizations who- Mm-hmm ... know what they're talking about and they can share, "Yeah, we've done this before.

Here's, here's what you're gonna run into. Here's the things just to be careful." And it's, you may be a volunteer, but you still could run into some really significant challenges if you weren't paying attention to all the things that needed to be covered. 

Twyla Teitzel: Exactly. 

Jeff Holden: And again, this is where the organization comes into play, right?

Twyla Teitzel: That and it, and in so many different ways, too. Just like Jeff, I'm sure, I think I've seen that there's podcasting workshops or seminars. Isn't there a big one in Las Vegas- Sure ... for the... Yes. Yep. And so you'd like to get together with other podcasters. Which mic are you using? Oh, Sawyer's great. You know, or whatever you wanna do.

Same thing with our 

Jeff Holden: m- Sawyer would be our producer, for those of you who- Okay. ... who don't know. 

Twyla Teitzel: I figure he's world famous now, yeah. And so b- to get more tips on that. Same thing with DOVEA. That's why [00:12:00] we were so excited to have DOVEA of Sacramento host the ALIVE Conference. It- 

Jeff Holden: And that is, tell us a little bit about 

Twyla Teitzel: that, because- Association, that's the A part, L, leaders, I, involvement, volunteer engagement.

Association of Leaders Involved in Volunteer Engagement. 

Jeff Holden: And does this- Yes ... happen annually? 

Twyla Teitzel: This is our very first one. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, I didn't realize that. 

Twyla Teitzel: Very first one, with Nicole Smith as the executive director. ALIVE used to have a lot more of them before the shutdown, and then nobody was going anywhere, and nobody was do- Shut down being the 

Jeff Holden: pandemic.

Twyla Teitzel: Yes, exactly. 

Jeff Holden: Yes, okay. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yeah. And so now everybody's like, "Yeah, let's get together. Let's reinvent this." So we were chosen out of all the other cities that could've been in the United States, they chose Sacramento. That's because our DOVEA board, we worked really hard to get them here so they could see Sacramento, mainly Rancho Cordova, which was great because we, DOVEA also goes to Placer County and El Dorado County.

We had people from Stockton, people from LA. There were people from Canada that came. We had one member, she's on the ALIVE [00:13:00] board, she just developed a great relationship with DOVEA. Two of her flights were canceled. She drove from Minnesota to Rancho Cordova just to be at the conference and meet the DOVEA staff.

I mean, the au- Now, there's a commi- 

Jeff Holden: that's the volunteer I want on my nonprofit 

Twyla Teitzel: See, that's exactly what I'm telling you. That's what we want. That's how, that's how engaged we are. That's how... Yes. So. 

Jeff Holden: So that was a, let's call it a national conference- Yes ... that came and, and- 

Twyla Teitzel: For- ... 

Jeff Holden: met ... 

Twyla Teitzel: three days. Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And when it was earlier in the year, 

Twyla Teitzel: March.

March 17th, 18th, and 19th. That's correct. 

Jeff Holden: Tell us a little bit about the programs that DOVEA Sacramento presents. What, what are they? What are some of the other benefits of, let's say, membership for the organization? 

Twyla Teitzel: We put on a lot of trainings, educational trainings. We'll bring in leaders in the volunteer engagement world.

We can either do that online, we also have done them in person. We've also done hybrid, so if some people maybe, because San Francisco used to have a DOVEA, and they don't have a DOVEA anymore. Mm. Or Oakland used to have one. Stockton used to have one, [00:14:00] and they don't have one anymore. So they can either come in person Have fun with us, or they can do it online.

And so those hybrid conferences are really important. We also have programs like Alive that... And I love the one that's coming up. It says, "We've got to stop with the just volunteer coordinator. Drop that just. We wanna be just as important as your HR person." 

Twyla Teitzel: Something like that. So we can help support each other when maybe our executive director or maybe the rest of our coworkers really aren't on board.

They see us as kinda secondary, like, "Oh, yeah, can you get me five volunteers by Friday to do such and such?" And magically, out of a hat, here we get the volunteers. "Okay, great. She can always get them. Just have her do that." And it's really much more involved than that. So sometimes when the volunteer coordinators are facing a little burnout or, you know, we can- 

Twyla Teitzel: help them a little bit with that. Also, as program chair, I didn't wanna just have the educational programs, which are important, or the sharing of the resources, but I wanted us to get [00:15:00] out and see what other organizations are doing. So I contacted my old alma mater, St. John's, as vo- when I was volunteer coordinator there.

I said, "Our members would like to come and serve food." And so we did that, and that was part of the pr- And we then afterwards, we all got to sit down, talk about different resources, talk about where we're going next. Area Four Agency on Aging. Mm-hmm. I, I think you're familiar with them. Yeah. I said, "You know, we have some volunteers, and our members, we would like to...

Is there anything you'd like us to do over the holidays?" I think we wrote out 250 cards to seniors and wrapped over 100 quilts for them. Again, networking, again, meeting other volunteers in the area. One of my volunteers, I said, "Would you like to go to this?" She said, "Sure." Then she met another organization where she'd like to volunteer there, so she volunteers at both places.

Let me just say something about seniors, too. And we wanna stay involved. You know, it's not just like, "Okay, I retired." Not all of us think that just golfing five days a week is gonna be fun. Seniors are untapped, wonderful resource- Mm-hmm ... for [00:16:00] volunteers. And once you get hooked into them, it's really good, and we can share those resources, resources at DoVeA.

Jeff Holden: And I was gonna ask you that question. Sure. Because one of the things that we see, certainly with board engagement- 

Twyla Teitzel: Uh-huh ... 

Jeff Holden: is there's always an interest in bringing the age of the board down. Yeah. So it's, it's more contemporary. 

Twyla Teitzel: I get that. 

Jeff Holden: On the flip side, for volunteers, obviously you have to have the time.

Twyla Teitzel: Sure. 

Jeff Holden: And that would tend to mean that it's probably somebody who- Where they're, they're not raising children- Mm-hmm ... and they're not worried about college and- Mm-hmm ... their, their employment is maybe comfortable enough to where they have the time to do so. 

Twyla Teitzel: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: What do you see? Has anything changed in the course of that 20 years that you've been involved in terms of volunteering?

Twyla Teitzel: And that's a great question, thank you. When I worked at St. John's, the... I'll just say the population was a little bit different as far as the volunteers. Now when I'm working at Meristem, and I don't know if it's just because of the surrounding- 

Jeff Holden: And for the benefit of those who don't know, explain Meristem quickly.

Twyla Teitzel: Oh, Meristem. Oh, I'm sorry. That's where I work as volunteer [00:17:00] coordinator and outreach... I say specialist, I just say person who gets around a lot. Meristem is a program. We're located in Fair Oaks. We're for the young adult, that's ages 18 and up, who have neurodiverse issues or on the autism spectrum. We have a program there.

Some of our students live there. Some of them just go to the day program. It's a program where they can learn whatever they want to. Something like, uh, they're not quite ready for college. They need a few more, you know- Mm-hmm ... build maybe some confidence, maybe some skills in that. They wanna get a job. We have a program with, called Work Skills where they can get out and learn to...

Maybe some- they want to learn how to drive. So different programs. They have to come in with a goal. 

Twyla Teitzel: Some sort of goal. They can... And we have a great program. It's three-year program, but it doesn't have to be three years. We had one person come. She was interested in hospitality, cooking, baking, so she actually took classes at AR.

After a year, she was accepted in their hospitality program, and so she wasn't at Meristem anymore. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, and for the benefit of those who, who don't know, we did do an episode with [00:18:00] Erin Schremm, your executive director. Oh, yeah, I've 

Twyla Teitzel: heard of him. 

Jeff Holden: Right? And so, so that is in the queue if you just search Meristem.

Twyla Teitzel: Yeah, look for Erin. Shout out to Erin. Yeah. So back to the original question of the population. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: This is another good population, too. So I have the seniors that I'm dialed into, mainly because I do know seniors. Mm-hmm. And so maybe that's because, maybe that's why they hired me. Maybe it was hire the old person and they wanted, yeah, more diversity-

at, at Meristem, so they hired me. But because I do have connections with them, I can say, "Hey, you wanna come and volunteer at Meristem?" And we have a great time. And a lot 

Jeff Holden: of those connections come from your relationship, the volunteer side of things, with Dovia. 

Twyla Teitzel: With Dovia, definitely. Exactly, with Dovia.

Yeah. Sharing volunteers, sharing resources. And another one is teachers. A lot of teachers have... Like, this was their last day of school for a lot of different districts. So I have one teacher. She works at Natomas High School. She goes, "I'd love to volunteer, maybe just on Tuesdays." She associates with the program, which is great.

And what we learn [00:19:00] also as volunteer managers, volunteer coordinators, is the importance, just like any relationship that you have, keeping that relationship going is really important. How do we stay in contact with our volunteers? Why it's so important. Mm-hmm. Even... Now, I was always brought up this way, Jeff.

Maybe you were, too. When I received a present, Christmas, birthday, whatever, I couldn't use it, wear it, eat it, or spend it until I wrote a thank 

Jeff Holden: you note. A thank you note. 

Twyla Teitzel: You'd be surprised how many people contact me and say, "Oh my gosh, you can't believe I got a handwritten note from you just for volunteering for four hours."

Now, I would do that with a senior, but I wouldn't necessarily write a handwritten note to a Jesuit student. Mm-hmm. They're never ... You know, something like that. So I notice that what we can teach or help you realize at Dovia is that different, and I'm not trying to make it age-wise, but different populations want to be appreciated- 

Jeff Holden: Differently

Twyla Teitzel: in different ways. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Twyla Teitzel: It's not, it's not just a blanket, let's have a volunteer appreciation dinner, have everybody come. A [00:20:00] lot of people don't wanna spend their evening at a luncheon, at a dinner. I've already dinner. I don't wanna do that. I've already done. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Twyla Teitzel: Thank you note is fine. So what I do, because of the unique situation that Meristem has, is you know we have a cafe.

Twyla Teitzel: Cafe that's open to the public. We have a wonderful volunteer organization, Lend-a-Heart. I don't know if you've ever heard of them. Nope. They bring out therapy dogs twice a month. I contacted them. We'd love to bring out therapy dogs. Great. They bring out therapy dogs. Now, as a thank you, I've given each of them gift certificates to the cafe.

That's the way they w- Mm-hmm ... they don't wanna have to come to another event and either leave their dog at home or something like that. But that, at their own leisure. So we look at different ways that we can appreciate the volunteer depending upon what works best for their organization. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: This program is generously supported by our partners.

We'll be back to hear more about volunteers in our community right after their brief messages 

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Jeff Holden: If you're interested in learning more about how QORE may help your organization, visit C-X-O-R-E.com.[00:23:00] 

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CapTrust in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment. In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission-aligned investment, and how to implement alternate investments.

If you would like a copy of the survey or to discuss your organization, look me up, scottthomas@captrust.com. 

Jeff Holden: At Western Health Advantage, healthcare isn't just a service, it's a shared value. As a nonprofit leader, you need a health plan that understands the importance of mission-driven work. Western Health Advantage is a local, not-for-profit health plan that supports organizations like yours with affordable, flexible coverage options for your team.

But what truly sets them apart is their commitment to community, supporting nonprofits like the American Heart [00:24:00] Association, Sacramento Ballet, and the Crocker Art Museum's Pay What You Wish Sundays. With access to top-tier providers and dedicated local support, Western Health Advantage is more than a health plan.

It's a partner in your purpose. Explore your options today at westernhealth.com. Western Health Advantage, healthcare with heart, designed for those who give back. 

Brad Squires: Hi, I'm Brad Squires, CEO of Sacramento Venture Philanthropy. For more than a decade, SVP has brought together local donors, business leaders, and nonprofit change-makers to do philanthropy differently.

Through pooled funding, hands-on mentorship, and programs like Fast Pitch and 100X, SVP helps nonprofits build real long-term capacity, not just short-term solutions. If you're looking to go beyond writing the check and wanna use your experience, your voice, your leadership to create a lasting impact and have a lot of fun doing it, [00:25:00] now is the time to join SVP.

Learn more about becoming a partner at svpsacramento.org. 

Jeff Holden: Let's talk a little bit about funding, because you are an all-volunteer organization. There's just- Ching-ching. Yeah, there's still a little bit of need for- 

Twyla Teitzel: There's always- ... revenue ... gonna be a need for funding, sustainable funding. I, I asked Mary Lynn, who you know, and I asked our executive director, I said, "What do you think is probably the biggest need?"

And of course they would... I knew what their perspective was gonna be. They said sustainable funding. Mm-hmm. Uh, you probably heard of capital building, you know- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... making sure that kind of thing. That's the new buzzword for, um, nonprofits. And we luckily, we've never... We're debt-free. We don't owe any money to anybody.

Yeah. But we also get our money through membership, which is very affordable, which you can- And 

Jeff Holden: I, I, I do, I want to address that because I think if somebody's listening, they're going, "Oh my gosh, I don't need a subscription to something else, and it, it's expensive, and-" Mm-hmm ... "we're small. We're all volunteer.

We really-" True ... "don't have much money." Mm-hmm. [00:26:00] "But boy, we need those 30, 40, 50 volunteers, especially for our Christmas toy drive, or-" 

Jeff Holden: our... you name it. Mm-hmm. It's something where they need that. 

Jeff Holden: We're talking about nickels and dimes, relatively speaking, to just become a member and have access to all those questions- Mm-hmm

you know, if not literally volunteers. And- 

Twyla Teitzel: You don't even have to go to ChatGPT. You can use real-life people to help you with that. And when you look at, when you go to our website, joviasacramento.org, you can see the different tiers as far as if you want to have your whole organization, if you're just doing individually.

Maybe your organization isn't going to pay for it. Mm-hmm. They say, "Okay, that's too much." You can join as an individual. Depending on what your tax situation is, you could write it off. Uh, I'm not, I'm not a tax advisor, don't- Right ... don't get me on that. Right. But you could write... And it's well worth it. As I told you earlier, even if Meristem wasn't so generous, even if they did not pay for mine, I definitely would still.

Mm-hmm. Because I get that much, not just enjoyment, but professional [00:27:00] development. As I said earlier, things have changed a lot from 2007, 2008 to now, almost 20 years later. The landscape's changed, how we deal with- Mm ... volunteers, what we do, all the computer stuff, so keeping up on that, keeping up on technology, keeping up on social media.

You know, you asked me, "What's your LinkedIn? What's your this? What's your that?" I'm like, "I have no clue. I don't know." So different things like that really makes a difference. So again, the investment, and let's say you are a nonprofit and you're thinking about, "Oh, I don't know, you know, I'm gonna wanna know if I wanna spend that much money," that volunteer, the doll- let's say just dollar per dollar, the dollar you spend on volunteer management or volunteer recruitment, that usually comes back to you at least $4 or $5, not just necessarily donor-wise- Mm-hmm

but in the hours spent where you don't have to pay someone, where you don't have to pay someone to mow the lawn, let's say, I mean, for example. Yes, sure. There's a lot of different needs. Yeah. It's worth it in the long run. Even in the short run, I feel. It's even worth it in the short run. [00:28:00] 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, and we're, we're talking in some cases less than a cup of coffee a month-

for an annual. 

Twyla Teitzel: Easy. 

Jeff Holden: Which 

Twyla Teitzel: is- Less than a Jamba Juice. I mean, Jamba 

Jeff Holden: Ju- Right, right. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yeah, exactly. Definitely. And again, if your organization won't pay for it, I highly think that you should pay for it yourself. Well, 

Jeff Holden: especially if you're a volunteer coordinator, because- Especially ... it will save you the amount of time, and your time has value.

Twyla Teitzel: Exactly. So, uh, you're not getting, or maybe you are, you know, like for instance, I'll just say one great reference is, and that's called stammt. In 2007, there was no such thing as stammt. I don't know if you've ever heard about it. 

Jeff Holden: I have not, but I'm, I 

Twyla Teitzel: can imagine what it is. stammt is free. You can go there.

You can say, "I need 50 volunteers for such and such." And then the volunteers will see that. They'll click on, they'll sign up for a, a spot. And then it's all done. Mm-hmm. They'll send out reminders. You can send out a personal email if you want, your personal thank you. In my day, we didn't have that. Please call us.

Yeah. Please... Maybe email was kind of [00:29:00] getting, you know, but some people didn't even wanna email. It's just like, "I wanna call you." Keeping all track of all those lists and how to call them and remind them, now it's so much easier. So just productive ways. How to use a CRM to- Mm-hmm ... coordinate that with your volunteer management, different things like that.

Jeff Holden: And that's a big deal for a lot of people who aren't familiar. That's a little bit more technology than they grew up with or- That they want ... experienced. Well, especially depending on the age of- Exactly ... of the audience that- Mm-hmm ... you particularly are dealing with. So I, I, I'm just shocked that it could be so easy and so simple when I hear so many organizations come through, through the studio here to tell us, "Yeah, this, this, the volunteers are, they're a challenge.

It's, they're, they're diminishing. We don't have as many as we used to. We can't find them." And I'm like, wow, that, that is a challenge. I get it, but there's an organization that they can reach out to, to help. 

Twyla Teitzel: Let Dovia help you with that. I mean, I just have this... Well, when I was young, I wanted to become a nun, okay?

Then I got to high school and changed my mind. But and I just have [00:30:00] this spirit, I wanna help people. Maybe that's why I, I do what I do. But also help people that are in your profession. It's like, we can help you with that. And I want, as we were talking about, over, you know, close to 900 nonprofits that just participated in Big- Big Day of Giving

Day of Giving. How come all of those don't have volunteer coordinators in Dovia? Just think of what... And I find the exact opposite. When people say, "We have such a hard time finding volunteers," I'm like, "Let me share with you," because I have more volunteers sometimes, for instance- Sometimes the high school students wait until the last minute.

You know, their hours are due, let's say, on May 8th. On May 7th they're texting me, "I need 30 hours by tomorrow." And so I might have 40 students that need to go someplace. If I can't use them all, I'm happy to share the wealth with you. Mm-hmm. You know? I'm lucky ... Also, I go to volunteer, they call them fairs or service fairs.

Intel used to have one. I don't think they do that anymore. Ever since the [00:31:00] shutdown, the pandemic, they don't have service. But they used to... UPS used to host a service fair. Intel used to host a service fair, and we would go out to there, and we'd set up our little booths, and I'd be right next to maybe Loaves & Fishes or something.

Well, St. Francis and Jesuit High School still do that. So you go out there. Not only do you meet potential volunteers, but I've established a great relationship. Maybe you know Mark Laver of UCP. So we've developed a great relationship together as two organizations. We put on a talent show together. UCP now holds their summer camp at Meristem.

So look at all the different ways that it's helping our- Mm-hmm ... organization just through having a volunteer coordinator. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and I hear so many organizations, big organizations, that have their volunteers, their employees as volunteers. Banks, every bank does it. Mm-hmm. And they, they claim their volunteer hours and say, "Here's how many hours w- we committed to the community."

Boy, they should all be members. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: They should, because you can guide and direct them and say, "Here's..." You may be, uh, using a particular nonprofit, but maybe they don't [00:32:00] need it the most. 

Twyla Teitzel: Right. 

Jeff Holden: It just happens to be the one you've been working with or whatever. Right. Mm-hmm. But there's one over here that really needs your help.

Twyla Teitzel: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And that's a better value, a better value proposition for everybody all in. 

Twyla Teitzel: All in. Yeah. For instance, we have Blue Shield coming out on June 11th. You know? We're lucky to have a great relationship with them, not only from a financial standpoint, but also they wanna bring a group- Mm-hmm ... out to volunteer in the garden.

Some of them, I won't say stuck, but I feel like you're stuck in your little cubicle. So to come out to our garden, get to take home some lettuce and some peaches, it's like win-win, you know? Right. And they get to dig in the dirt, which is fun for them. For Big Day of Service, I don't know if you've heard of that or- Familiar with, yes

okay, through Brad, through SVP. And SVP is so good to DOVIA. Thank you. And so we had Big Day of Service. We had 40 Girl Scouts come out and paint 23 picnic tables. How fun was that? Thanks to Meg Irwin and the Girl Scouts and the great connection that we, we've had over the couple of years. They wanna come back again next year.

Mm-hmm. So that'd be their third year. But again, if there [00:33:00] was no volunteer coordinator, we wouldn't have got that. 

Jeff Holden: Correct. 

Twyla Teitzel: We wouldn't have got our picnic tables painted. Girl Scouts wouldn't have had a fun time painting each other red. Y- different things like that. Yeah. So there's so many more benefits other than just the money, although that's important.

The fun factor goes into it too. 

Jeff Holden: Right, 

Twyla Teitzel: right. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Tell me, if the organization- had an unlimited budget. Mm-hmm. If there was, was somebody that said, "Hey, I really like what you're doing, I'm, I, I think you could change the dynamic of volunteerism in the community." Uh- What would it look like if, if somebody said, "Here"- 

Twyla Teitzel: Here's a blank check

Jeff Holden: "money is no 

Twyla Teitzel: object." SVP, he just came and said, "Here you go." Yes. Brad already signed the check. Well, I asked Leslie that, because she's our chair. So I said, "Leslie, what would you do?" She said she would hire the top trainers to give specialized training- Mm ... to the volunteer coordinators. That's what she would do.

Because they tend to be expensive. I'm taking a free workshop that's kinda like an introduction, it's four weeks. And, and so she said she would hire the top trainers, because there are workshops and seminars for social media or [00:34:00] for using a CRM. But to pinpoint, to narrow it down into what the volunteer coordinator does, there are some great resources that are akin just to or specified just for the volunteer coordinators.

So that would be her dream. Mary Lynn, she thinks more like I do. 

Jeff Holden: And Mary Lynn is, for benefit of those who don't know? 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes. She used to be the volunteer coordinator for the whole city of Sacramento. That's when I knew her, when I worked at St. John's. Okay. Now she is retired, but she still loves DOVIA. She's still really active.

She's still like our, she's still our backbone. She's still like our... Even though I think she's younger than me. She's still like- So 

Jeff Holden: she, she's a key volunteer for the organization. 

Twyla Teitzel: Extremely. Yeah. Extremely key volunteer. And so she has the same vision I have. I would like to see 90% of the nonprofits have their volunteer coordinator as a member of DOVIA.

Again, for the fun factor, for the outreach, for what we can do, because that, that has layers to it. When you have an active, engaged volunteer coordinator, that's gonna go out into the community. The community's gonna be more [00:35:00] involved with your organization. Because I'll be the first to say, not everyone wants to volunteer at Meristem.

I understand that. I'm not saying that everybody has to volunteer at my organization. But you're, you're going to find once you get out there, once your volunteer coordinator gets out there, they're gonna find those volunteers that are just perfect for you. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: For instance, when I was at St. John's and I worked with a company called The Golden One, and we, I went out there, did a presentation for St.

John's, and one of the people said, "Oh, I'd love to-" 

Jeff Holden: You're talking about the credit union. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes, I am. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes. Thank you. And one of the executive secretaries came to me and said, "Oh, I'd love to volunteer." I said, "Oh, great. You're so outgoing. You're great with people." She goes, "Twyla, I'm with people all day. Can I just sit in an office and do data entry?"

I'm like, "Yes. Thank you." So it's important just because you might have a degree in accounting that I not stick you in the accounting department. That's where the Blue Shield people- Right ... come in. They wanna be outside in the garden, you know, doing something. So we can find the, those volunteer coordinators can find tho- that person who either loves data [00:36:00] entry or loves to get their feet dirty.

Jeff Holden: And I can't think of an organization that wouldn't want somebody that maybe helps with their social media or maybe can do these posting- Mm ... you know, postings. 

Twyla Teitzel: you. 

Jeff Holden: Because it's volunteer, how do you find somebody? Well, call DOVIA and see if they have an interested party who loves doing that.

Twyla Teitzel: Exactly. We also have something ... We also have a job board at DOVIA. So maybe you're looking to be a volunteer coordinator or never have been, but you really have an interest in working with the food bank or whatever it is. Yes. I'm just picking something. We have a job board where if your organization or you are a member of DOVIA, you can post that.

Jeff Holden: We drifted a little bit from the big vision. Oh, 

Twyla Teitzel: the big vision. 

Jeff Holden: The, the big vision- Yes ... would be what, with, with that unlimited budget? 

Twyla Teitzel: With the unlimited budget, so I would say more outreach. I still believe that word of mouth is the best. So the more members we could get in to tell their cohort, "Oh, yeah, join this organization."

Mm-hmm. "It's great." And Leslie says that- 

Jeff Holden: So really it's, it's, it's an awareness of what the organization does. 

Twyla Teitzel: It 

Jeff Holden: is. It's just making sure people [00:37:00] know that- 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: that you exist. 

Twyla Teitzel: That we exist and that we are worth existing. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: We're not a dinosaur in, in the profession. We're not a dinosaur for a nonprofit.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Twyla Teitzel: I might be as old as a dinosaur, but we are not a dinosaur in the profession. We are more needed, I think, than ever. 

Jeff Holden: In your day-to-day, what is today the greatest need? 

Twyla Teitzel: Money 

Jeff Holden: Okay 

Twyla Teitzel: Because it- It's 

Jeff Holden: fair enough ... 

Twyla Teitzel: I would say for a small organization like us, I mean, again, we're so grateful to SVP for...

Because it used to be when we had the volunteer awards, we were co-sponsored with Volunteer Center. You remember the Volunteer Center? Mm-hmm. But they're not there. Impact Foundry, they've kinda changed. Mm-hmm. United Way, they've gone a different direction. So we haven't... In fact, when Dolvia started, talking about our history, 48 years ago, we were actually partnered with JCPenney.

JCPenney used to give away the Golden Rule Award. Have you ever heard of that? 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. Uh, no, I didn't hear, hear about the, the award, but [00:38:00] I certainly know the golden rule. 

Twyla Teitzel: Okay. JCPenney, actually, when I was looking this 

Jeff Holden: up- For, for the benefit, for the benefit of those who don't 

Twyla Teitzel: The golden rule, basically what...

He said that the golden rule was to treat everyone like you would want to be treated. Mm-hmm. Let's say you were down and out. You would like someone to come and help you. So he started the Golden Rule Award. But actually, the very first JCPenney He called it the Golden Rule Store. Yeah. It wasn't even JCPenney.

How interesting is that? And so we started with them, and so they were like a sponsor. But now we're on our own. Mm-hmm. You know, we're on our own. And to put on these events, even looking for a venue, I mean, I am so thankful to Escaton, who at one time donated venue space to us. Sierra II donated venue space.

We talked about Shriners. Yeah. Bonnie Davis, she's the volunteer coordinator out there, they've donated space. Donated space is now huge. Shout out to my own company. Thank you, Aaron, for hosting the last awards, for volunteer awards. But space is at a premium these days, you know? It's, it's [00:39:00] pretty expensive.

So those are ways, a- and those things cost money. We have awards, we have certificates, we have food. We wanna feed these people when they come. So it's not a lot that we need. We're not multi-million dollar, but even $5,000 can make a huge difference. And when you, we think about all those volunteer organizations out there, if they just gave, like, $5 a year, we're in it.

Jeff Holden: Right. And it's, it, it's a nominal amount, and that's why I say the, the contribution from an organization to be a member, for the return, and one hour of time wasted pays for an- the entire year of membership. And 

Twyla Teitzel: that's- Jeff, if I go away from nothing from this podcast, just re- you now realizing the benefits of volunteer coordination and what DOVIA can do for our community- Yeah

that's been huge. That's been great. Right. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. 

Jeff Holden: So let's shift gears for just a second. Okay. If people haven't already figured out a little bit about what Twyla's about. Oh, no. The, the, the energy and the [00:40:00] enthusiasm- Oh ... and the passion for what you do and, and coordinate for our, our nonprofits 

Twyla Teitzel: Well, don't get me wrong.

People think, "Oh my, my gosh, you're so enthusiastic. You have so much energy." I love what I do, and that kinda resonates. Yeah. So don't think I'm always this excited when someone says, "Could you please plug..." What? No. That can't happen. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, not my thing. 

Twyla Teitzel: Not my thing, no, exactly. 

Jeff Holden: Well, we know that. That would be one of the questions.

This is just where we go, when we go beyond the mission just a little bit- 

Twyla Teitzel: Okay, guys- ... 

Jeff Holden: and say, 

Twyla Teitzel: okay- I'm ready ... 

Jeff Holden: let's learn a little bit about- This is gonna 

Twyla Teitzel: be the hard part. Okay ... 

Jeff Holden: a little bit about Twyla. And I know some things, so I, I will steer you in, in a couple of those. 

Twyla Teitzel: Don't tell the things I told you not to tell, okay?

Jeff Holden: Favorite exercise? 

Twyla Teitzel: Yoga. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Twyla Teitzel: Duh. Yoga. 

Jeff Holden: Coffee or tea? 

Twyla Teitzel: Jamba Juice. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, interesting. That's sweet. 

Twyla Teitzel: I don't drink either. I know. I remember somebody said, "If you got to come back as any animal, what would you be?" I, that was, I don't know if that's a question. Hummingbird. Are you kidding? Just go flower to flower.

You get to drink all that sugar water. 

Jeff Holden: What would somebody be surprised to learn about you that they may not know? 

Twyla Teitzel: Oh, gosh. [00:41:00] I don't know. I'm pretty open book. I think everybody knows everything about me, Jeff. Oh, how about this one? Talking about doing the splits. I... When I was young, my parents would not let me buy Rolling Stones albums because they said they do drugs.

Later in life did I learn that probably the biggest drug user were The Beach Boys, but I could always buy Beach Boy music because they look like happy surfers that, you know. So I always w- had this sort of fantasy about The Rolling Stones, and when I got a job at Get Set Up, which is another place where I work, they said, "What would be your ultimate dream job?"

I go, "Oh, I'd love to do backup dancing with The Rolling Stones." So they sent me to three days down to Riverside to do backup dancing with The Rolling Stones tribute band. I tell you, you might not know that about me. You might think I'm very meek and mild and would be very nervous about getting on stage dancing, but it wasn't.

It was a Beatles versus Rolling Stones. So I had The Beatles, I had The Rolling Stones. It was like, that was probably the third-best thing of my life. 

Jeff Holden: Favorite color? 

Twyla Teitzel: Yellow. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. First car? '

Twyla Teitzel: [00:42:00] 65 Ford Mustang. Thanks, Dad. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, my gosh. What a fun car. 

Twyla Teitzel: The best car. 

Jeff Holden: What a great car. 

Twyla Teitzel: Mustang Sally, and Sally was my mom's name, so.

Jeff Holden: Is there... Are you a TV watcher or a movie person? 

Twyla Teitzel: Movie. 

Jeff Holden: Favorite movie? 

Twyla Teitzel: No, you're not gonna believe this. Film noir movies. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, interesting. 

Twyla Teitzel: Isn't that weird? Yes, give me an old film noir movie with Sterling Hayden or Humphrey Bogart or Joan- 

Jeff Holden: Crawford ... 

Twyla Teitzel: Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, I'll take it. I love that. I love the black and white.

I love, I love what they wore. I love their outfits. It's just, yeah, give me a film noir movie. And Double Indemnity, did you s- have you seen that one with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray? I can't 

Jeff Holden: say 

Twyla Teitzel: no. Oh, my gosh. I can watch that over and over. The acting was acting. It was, it was so good. 

Jeff Holden: Guilty pleasure?

Twyla Teitzel: Hmm. Oh, let's see. What would my guilty pleasure be? Like, are you talking food-wise or binging out on Netflix? 

Jeff Holden: Could, could... Yeah, [00:43:00] whatever. 

Twyla Teitzel: Guilty pleasure, I would say, because I try not to watch a lot of TV, but my guilty pleasure is definitely Great British Bake Off. 

Jeff Holden: Well, there we go. 

Twyla Teitzel: I love that show so much.

I just love it. It is kind of a guilty pleasure because my daughter, she was raised Waldorf-ish, and in Waldorf you don't have any screens or anything, and so my grandson has not ... He's eight years old. He's never seen a screen, can't look at, you know, videos, stuff like that. But I'm just so excited. I can't wait to show him Great British Bake Off, which he'll probably have no interest in it, but yeah, that's my favorite guilty pleasure.

Jeff Holden: What is the best way for somebody who is interested in wanting to support the organization to learn more, to get involved, to see if it's right for their organization or for themselves personally? 

Twyla Teitzel: Go to doviasacramento.org. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. D-O-V-I-A 

Twyla Teitzel: sacramento.org. D-O-V-I-A, doviasacramento.org, spell out Sacramento, or you could just use your favorite search engine and do DOVIA and it pops up.

Sure. We have a Facebook page. I realized that a couple of days ago. We have a Facebook page. You can see the winners of our Volunteer of the Year [00:44:00] awards. Oh, wonderful. Yes. That's great. And you could do that. You could info@doviasacramento.org. You could also call me. Yeah, you can... Are you gonna put my information- Yes, we will

my contact information? It'll be in the show notes. Yeah, you can contact me. If I cannot help you, I'll definitely lead you to membership person or mentorship person or whatever you're interested in. 

Jeff Holden: Back to the beginning of the conversation of- Yes ... the awareness of an agency- 

Twyla Teitzel: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: that exists to support nonprofits with volunteers- 

Twyla Teitzel: Mm-hmm

Jeff Holden: in so many different ways, whether it be literally for the volunteers and/or for the leadership skill set of a volunteer coordinator- Totally ... who exists, or in some cases it may be a multifaceted job. Yes. This is just one of them that somebody has to, you know, take on at the organization. 

Jeff Holden: Right.

Because volunteers are so significant, is just, I can't imagine why somebody wouldn't be interested in saying, "Can you help us find these volunteers, whether it's two, three, four, or we have an event where we need thousands?" 

Jeff Holden: And we obviously hear of both, you know, from- Yes ... [00:45:00] the smallest to the largest.

And you have youth-oriented, you have schools and the Girl Scouts, I'm sure Boy Scouts, anybody that has an interest in community service, that's a requirement for them to fulfill. A- again, the organizations themselves don't have the wherewithal to reach out and find all those things, but you do. And that's an amazing asset that we have in the community that I think is certainly underutilized, and for the expense, the investment is so small.

It, it's so small, I don't know ... I'm, I'm trying to encourage everybody that hears the episode- Yes ... to at least look into how it might help your organization. Again, because we hear people complain and fret over the f- the fact that they can't get the volunteers. We just need volunteers. We have revenue.

Jeff Holden: We're good. We're funded differently than some- Than some- ... other organizations. Right. So we need, we need people. And to be all-volunteer, I'm sure anybody that's listening can sense the energy and the [00:46:00] enthusiasm you have for the organization in the way that it supports the people it supports in the community.

Yeah, I mean, you're connected to so many different organizations. That's ... It's just amazing. So, so DOVEA is this little, you know- 

Twyla Teitzel: Little tiny gem. Little tiny gem in Sacramento ... 

Jeff Holden: secret that we need to expose. Yeah, we're just 

Twyla Teitzel: a seed that's gonna grow and grow. And what you just- 48 

Jeff Holden: years later. 

Twyla Teitzel: 48 years later, yes.

And I, and, and we're still growing. And, and I think one of the things you just said too is that when I look at all the experiences I've had over the years, how many volunteer organizations would even think of, "Wait a second, homeschoolers, they're not doing anything during the day." Well, I was on both boards of the s- of the home, State Homeschooling Association, so I can just contact some of the homeschoolers and say, "Would you like to volunteer?

Bring your kids out to the garden. We have this going on. It could be a family day," 'cause I'm there on weekends, something like that. So you never know where your next volunteer is going to come from. Right. That's one thing I've discovered too. So the same thing, we can help you that way. [00:47:00] Volunteer organiza- or not just volunteer organizations, organizations that are in the community.

How could ... Have you ever given a speech at Soroptimist talking about volunteers? I have a great relationship with Rotary, Rotary of Fair Oaks, Rotary of Orangevale. I have a great relationship obviously with SVP, with Brad, with the Orangevale commun- different things like that. The 

Jeff Holden: SVP, we've mentioned it several times, Sacramento Venture Philanthropy.

It's one of the organizations that aggregates nonprofits. Yes. Does a wonderful job in the community, fundraising, capacity building. Mm-hmm. And, and Sacramento Fast Pitch is their program that- Is 

Twyla Teitzel: their pro- right ... 

Jeff Holden: many organizations have heard of, so. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes, yes, and we're so grateful to them. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Twyla Teitzel: And their continued support of DOVEA.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Well- I don't, I, I certainly couldn't have done a better job explaining the organization, but I want Michelle 

Twyla Teitzel: to take- Now you can. You're an expert. 

Jeff Holden: Now I can, yes. I 

Twyla Teitzel: guess, I guess I won't be coming back because you've got us. You kn- you know everything. You and Sawyer now, you're the experts. 

Jeff Holden: It's recorded.

You just hit play again and again- Yeah, 

Twyla Teitzel: play again ... and again. You go to sleep with it, like I go to sleep with a podcast every night. Like, okay, yes. 

Jeff Holden: But to the team and the group [00:48:00] of people, how many people does DOVE actually have running its organization as volunteers? 

Twyla Teitzel: For instance, our board members? 

Jeff Holden: Just, just, yes, just the DOVE 

Twyla Teitzel: group.

The board, we have seven, I would say, super active board members that are- Okay ... on the board. But if you want a board position, we have that open, too, especially with communications. You know, that's not my strong point. So back to what you said is, I wanna say, what is that? Small but mighty. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Twyla Teitzel: You know, sometimes it's- 

Jeff Holden: Well, and that's what I was getting at, that th- those seven people, the seven of you that are making this happen- 

Twyla Teitzel: Mm-hmm

Jeff Holden: and coordinating and putting things together for the benefit of the nonprofits that are the membership- 

Twyla Teitzel: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: which we hope will now grow. 

Twyla Teitzel: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Th- you know, thank you for that, because- 

Twyla Teitzel: Aw ... 

Jeff Holden: people need to know. Thank you. And they need to understand it, and hopefully this is just one of the catalysts that starts to move it forward again.

And you can be sure we'll be sharing it every time anybody says, "Boy, volunteers," gotcha covered here. 

Twyla Teitzel: Because, and, and Jeff, that's a great point. You don't need to just tell volunteer coordinators that we exist. Let [00:49:00] those executive directors know. Correct. "Oh, wait, there's some place that either I can go or I can send my volunteer coordinator to, or I can send my volunteer who is the volunteer coordinator, or maybe one of our volunteers wants to be the volunteer coordinator."

You don't have to ha- Or 

Jeff Holden: maybe I don't even have that person, and- 

Twyla Teitzel: But let us help you ... 

Jeff Holden: you can help, 'cause I can ask questions on what does this look like. 

Twyla Teitzel: Exactly. Yeah. We'd love to talk with you. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, I'm so glad we got together. This was so much fun. And I'm so, so glad that I was- 

Twyla Teitzel: That I was forced 

Jeff Holden: upon you

referred 

Twyla Teitzel: to you, yes. Thank you. Thank- Thank you so much. 

Jeff Holden: Thank you so 

Twyla Teitzel: much. It was a pleasure, Jeff. I hope to see you again. Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: This episode has been powered by SMUD, Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Shine Awards program benefiting nonprofits for energy efficiency. Apply today. Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network.

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