May 2008

Viva Volunteers

Our great nation has always been one with a strong and unique volunteer tradition. But as the number of organizations competing for people’s time grows, every group, including Main Street Chillicothe, must work harder to create an interesting, rewarding experience for those willing to donate their time and skills. Volunteers are a community-based organization’s greatest assets. They are the backbone of the organization, staffing committees, fueling events and activities, making decisions, forging the future of the organization but they are only as effective as the program that “hires” them. It is because of this little known fact that Main Street Chillicothe is currently undergoing an internal evaluation to strengthen the core of its program and the people within it.

The key to a successful volunteer program is organization. People are willing to donate their time and talents for a group to use, not to waste. Main Street Chillicothe is in the middle of the work plan process and the resulting work plan will have sufficient detail to enable all four of Main Street’s standing committees (organization, design, promotion, and economic restructuring) to complete concrete projects. Once these plans are in place, it is matter of filling the human void to see each project to fruition.

A common complaint about volunteer recruitment is that the same people end up having to do all community projects. We often joke that the purpose of the meeting changes, but the same five people are still in the room. Not only is this complaint legitimate, but it is not easily solved. It is a fact we have to accept; the same 5 percent of the population is usually a community’s strongest volunteer base. So in a town the size of Chillicothe, we are looking at approximately 500 people who serve as the core of community volunteers. To put a positive spin on the situation, remember the old adage, “if you want something done, ask the busiest person in town.” The same people may do everything, but they are also the most effective volunteers because they enjoy making a difference. Main Street volunteers are giving their community a gift that gets repaid over and over, through increased hometown pride, successful businesses, restored history and more. When we ask people to join us in this work, we are inviting them to take responsibility for our community.

If you are interested in serving as a volunteer or committee member for Main Street Chillicothe, call us at 660-646-4071.

To learn more about the Main Street Program, both locally and nationally, visit the following sites: www.mainstreetchillicothemo.com and www.mainstreet.org.