Twelve years ago, I attended my first volunteer meeting in Kitsap, one of the initial ‘save the Admiral Theater’ strategy sessions. At the end of the meeting, the group all opened their daytimers to select a date for the next meeting. It quickly became apparent that most of the people present were volunteering for the same organizations!

Over the years, I see the same people at many meetings. These are people who have, or find, time to give back to their community. They serve on boards of directors, work on school issues, mental health, disability, service and business clubs. Core volunteers. Maybe 100 of them in Kitsap County. They know who they are.

I don’t speak for them and I am not one of these core volunteers, but I have been to a lot of meetings, offered time and services to many organizations and, I confess, grown more and more impatient with the care and feeding of volunteers, Kitsap County style.

During the past few months, I have discussed this column with some of these core volunteers and with others who are out there giving back. Some of their thoughts are expressed here, but I am solely responsible for what follows.

Many volunteers are impatient, perhaps not as verbally as me, with the ‘process’ so prevalent in Kitsap. Now I admit that my thinking is badly distorted by working with high tech companies who do not tolerate ‘process’ and who are willing to plunge ahead and make mistakes but knowing in their hearts that continued inaction costs time and money.

These companies do not waste the time of boards discussing mission and vision statements and delving into operational issues. These companies prepare meeting agendas that take maximum advantage of the skills of the volunteers. I serve ‘ex officio” on at least one board. They e-mail me when they need help and if I can provide the needed counsel, I provide it. Is that a good, workable model? Be on call when needed?

When I am asked to attend a meeting, I ask for an agenda in advance and ask what action is expected from the meeting. If I do not think I can contribute, I send my regrets. I’m self-employed and no one pays me to attend. I expect meetings will stay on track, that everyone will have a say and that action will result.

As I look at the frenetic pace of today’ s world, the unholy demands made of the young professionals, the people who will hopefully become the volunteers of the future (please hurry!) I think – I earnestly hope – that better use will be made of their time.

In one recent week, I attended events for the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council, The American Red Cross, and the United Way. Each one was well managed, ended almost to the minute on the prescribed hour and were well-organized, interesting events. (Talk about seeing the same people over and over…). Impressed as I am by these well-organized meetings, I think the same attention needs to be paid to general meeting time.

Volunteers of the future will not have as much time to meet, to become involved, to attend special events, after hours meetings, weekend retreats. You cannot ask volunteers to sit in an all day (Saturday) annual retreat and expect them to invest their precious time parsing words on a mission statement. Don’t do that to good people!

If you are a board chair or an executive director, run a non-profit, do PR work for one, or recruit volunteers for any organization, may I respectfully suggest the following?

1. Completely rethink how you are using the expertise of your board and volunteers. If necessary, get outside help to construct meaningful involvement of all your volunteers.
2. Ask yourself what you really need from your board and volunteers. I don’t care that you want me to attend every meeting; I want to help but I have less and less free time to give. Make the most of my interests and knowledge.
3. Do provide an agenda in advance (electronically) with the specific outcomes you want from the meeting. I don’t have time to ‘brainstorm’ and I don’t know what to do about the clerk in accounting that is late everyday. I challenge the need for every meeting and want to be sure there is a reason to meet. Publish meeting dates months or a year? — in advance.
4. I am suspicious of any meeting lasting more than 75 minutes. This allows for 15 minutes for introductions, warm-up, setting the stage, then getting down to work for an hour…60 minutes.
5. Begin meetings on time and end on time. Do provide coffee, sodas and bottled water. ‘Working lunches’ with quality food are welcome… we have to eat anyway.
6. If you are doing community fund raising, make sure your board and volunteers are not the main object. Some people are involved in many organizations and cannot afford to make a $1,000 contribution to each. Eight of us once spent 12 weeks fund raising and we brought in $6,000. Not a good use of time.
7. Please work hard to develop and recruit new, additional volunteers. Contact Leadership Kitsap. Ask friends to bring like-minded friends and expand the pool of volunteers. Invite high school and college students, church groups. We need many more young people and minorities in every organization where I participate.

   When I sat down to write this, I wanted to be fair and objective and not harsh or overly critical. I DO think we need to look at how volunteers are used. I’d like to find a way where I can expand my scope, to try to assist more organizations. There are several I would like to become active with.

But until we change the system and this preoccupation with process over productive effort, it’s going to be the same people at the same meetings often being asked to do things that are non-productive, or unsatisfying. And there will be less and less of us to ask.

If you serve on a board, volunteer, or need volunteers from the community, take this column to your next meeting and spend a few minutes with the ideas. Maybe we can come up a Volunteer Manifesto. Send your thoughts to me.

(Editor’s Note: Bill Hoke is a Manette-based marketing and sales consultant and volunteer. He can be reached at hoke@hokeconsulting.com).