Meet Susan Raines, Volunteer Manager, Pathfinders and 2017 Wile Volunteer Management Award Winner. In the past four years, Susan built the Pathfinders volunteer program to support every department in the agency. Volunteers provide 21,000 hours of service annually, empowering youth confronted by homelessness, crisis, or trauma to be safe and connected in order to develop a path towards self-sufficiency, healthier families, and a stronger community.
 
NPC: Please describe the organization you work for and the work they do.
Susan: Pathfinders provides an array of services for vulnerable youth from ages 11 through 25.  Our continuum of services includes the Youth Shelter, Drop-In Center, Hand-In-Hand counseling services for young survivors of sexual abuse, and Southeastern Education Center, an MPS behavioral reassignment school. 

NPC: What is your role or title with the organization, how long have you been a volunteer there and what are your responsibilities? ​
Susan: I have been the Volunteer Manager for the past four years and a volunteer at the Drop-In Center for the year prior to that.  My role is to recruit individuals and groups of volunteers, provide an orientation to Pathfinders, and provide support to both staff and the volunteers.
 
NPC: What drives you to be a volunteer manager?
Susan: What drives me to do this job is all the amazing people I get to meet and engaging them with our youth and young adults.  Our volunteers are a diverse group and each has their own talents to share.  It is very rewarding when a volunteer mentor and student or young adult make a connection and you can see the positive impact that connection is having on the student’s or young adult’s life. 

NPC: What has surprised you the most about your work?
Susan: What surprises me the most is the willingness of our youth and young adults to make that connection and how willing some of them are to open themselves up to the relationship. 
 
NPC: What have you learned?
Susan: Being both a volunteer and a Volunteer Manager has allowed me to see the best in people.  I get to see how many people want to become engaged with our youth and just need the right place and support to be successful at it.  I also have the opportunity to see the best of our youth and their talents and needs and see how the two can successfully come together. 
 
NPC: Has volunteering changed your point of view?
Susan: I have been a volunteer for a long time and it has totally changed my life.  It led to a career change and I never looked back.  I have always had an interest in people and in the helping professions, and my volunteer experiences shaped my decision to enter the social work field, which then led to an interest in engaging volunteers. When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to have experiences that you may not ordinarily have.  It can be life changing.
 
NPC: What’s something you are proud to have accomplished as a volunteer manager?
Susan: Four years ago, Pathfinders had about 50 volunteers at the Youth Shelter and no real plan in place to foster volunteer engagement and provide support to all programs.  We now have over 300 volunteers bringing their time and talents to all our programs and are constantly coming up with new volunteer opportunities.  We have become an agency with a strong culture of volunteerism.
 
NPC: Would you recommend volunteering to someone else? If so, why.
Susan: If you want to have new experiences, grow and learn new things, become a volunteer!  

Meet Bill Buehler, a volunteer for Serenity Inns and winner of the 2017 Inspire by Example Adult Award.

NPC: What drives you to be a volunteer?
Bill: When I was 5 years old, we moved from a tiny house in Chicago to the country northwest of Chicago into a summer home. We started to upgrade and rehab the house into a four-season house.  

My Dad, when he was 11, got spinal meningitis and it went to his hips instead of his brain. It left him with fused hips for the rest of his life and his one leg was shorter than the other, so he had to walk with a waddle. He had to use his knees as the hips. He would not let this slow him down or stop him from learning how to repair and upgrade the house.  I learned first-hand what “Inspire by Example” means. I said to myself if he can do it, then I have no excuses not to learn and do things. I became my Dad’s little helper and learned to do a lot.

NPC: Describe the organization you volunteer for and the work they do.
Bill: Serenity Inns is a program for 12 men going through drug and alcohol rehab.  It's a 7-month program and it works at getting to the root cause or causes of the addiction.  It is modeled after a program in Washington DC called Samaritan Inns.

Serenity Inns was started in 2004 by 7 inner city Lutheran pastors and relies entirely on donations and grants.  It does not receive any federal government money. One of the best parts of the program is where a group, church, or individual brings a hot dinner cooked at home and sits down and eats with the 12 men.  There is a question for the residents and one for the guest. You get to hear the men’s stories related to the question and how the program is making them aware of things. You also learn things about yourself when you answer your question.

NPC: What is your role or title with the organization, how long have you been a volunteer there and what are your responsibilities?
Bill: I have been the volunteer handy man for Serenity Inns since 2010, when I was still employed.  I am now retired and usually put in 4 to 6 days a month on the repairs and upgrade of the rooming house on 29th and Brown.  It can be more when bigger projects develop.

In July of last year, Serenity Inns bought a 9-unit apartment building to begin the next stage of the program. After graduating from Serenity Inns' program or coming from other programs, the men can move into an Alumni House unit for an additional 18 months.

I also took up the challenge to be on the Alumni House committee and be the volunteer handy man to perform many of the physical upgrades, using other volunteers to help. We are replacing the kitchen and bathroom cabinets, removing carpet and vinyl flooring for the carpet installer, repairing walls and other items. We then scrape, prime and paint the walls, ceilings, and trim. Currently, I am putting in over 40 hours a week getting the Alumni House ready for residents.  

​NPC: What has surprised you the most about your work as a volunteer?
Bill: I discovered I was able to inspire some of the men at the house by all the time I spend in repairing the Serenity Inns boarding house and the Alumni House.  Once there was a resident who was a little on the cocky side and thought I got paid for all the work I did.  When I told him I did not get paid and I do it to help people with addiction issues, the director of the program said he changed his attitude after that.

NPC: How is volunteering the same or different to you from paid work?
Bill: Now that I'm retired, I have no more constant pressure, constant deadlines and responsibility to keep aircraft safe to fly.  I have the tools, talent, time and desire to help people, and I do that by keeping the Inn in good shape and updating the units at the Alumni House.  I can work at the pace I like and feel good by helping in this way. It puts some responsibility and structure into your day, just like my previous job did.  You also interact with people, such as the residents. 

NPC: Name something new you have learned as a volunteer for your organization.
Bill: In volunteering when you finally feel the joy in truly giving, in helping others less fortunate. You finally realize that “you have to give to receive”.  

NPC: Has volunteering changed your point of view or the way you view your community and its people?
Bill: Yes, I get to meet other people of different races, religions, and education levels who want to help make a difference in the community and volunteer their time, talent and money. It’s a side we do not see from the media presenting the latest bad news or the small world we can get stuck in. 

NPC: What are the benefits of volunteering? Has it helped you in any way?
Bill: Helping your fellow man or women to see that there are people who care about them.

NPC: Name something you are proud to have accomplished as a volunteer.
Bill: I am proud to be able to use my tools, talent, and time to help people who need a helping hand in getting their lives back in order.  Serenity Inns is not just a handout but a program that teaches the residents new ways to look at themselves and help them change their attitudes about themselves and others. There is a famous saying: If a person is hungry and you give him a fish, then you feed him for a day, but if you teach a person to fish, then he can learn to feed himself. 

The first Serenity Inns graduate to move into the Alumni House said that when he enters his unit, he feels safe from all the daily temptations and can relax a bit. This is the goal we set out to give them and we accomplished it.
​
NPC: Would you recommend volunteering to someone else? If so, why.
Bill: Yes.  Volunteering gives you a chance to help your fellow man in achieving his or her dreams - even if it is just staying sober for another day. It is a way to give back to society.  

Exceptional nonprofit boards recognize that diversity is essential to success. By now, it is commonly accepted that a homogeneous board can result in near-sighted decision making. By contrast, a diverse board with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives promotes creativity and innovation that impacts an organization's bottom line, programs and mission for the better.  
 
So why is there still a persistent underrepresentation of minorities and women on boards of directors?

Meet Tamara Johnson, Executive Director of Malaika Early Learning Center and recently elected to the governing board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  
 
Johnson joined Malaika in 2012, after working for Milwaukee Public Schools and COA Youth & Family Centers. Johnson, who holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Human Services, is considered a champion of quality early childhood education for low-income children. She's a member of NPC's Executives of Color Leaders Circle. 

We interviewed Johnson on her work in the sector and why board diversity is important for nonprofits. 

​NPC: What made you choose to work in the nonprofit sector?  
Johnson: There are many reasons, but if I had to choose one, it would be that I am passionate about the betterment of communities and most of the services provided in the nonprofit sector focus on that concept.   
  
NPC: What excites you most about NAEYC's mission?  
Johnson: NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. What excites me most about NAEYC’s mission is that it 1) focuses on birth through age 8 and 2) connects practice, policy and research - combining all pieces of the puzzle to make the greatest impact on the lives of children.    
  
NPC: What do you find most challenging about leadership in the nonprofit sector?  
Johnson: TIME and RESOURCES! The most challenging thing about leadership in the nonprofit sector is the need for strong leadership across all sectors, connecting on a regular basis to support the community. In my opinion, this is really about the resources available to the nonprofit sector to support and cultivate leaders.   
  
NPC: What is your most memorable moment as an Executive Director?  
Johnson: My most memorable moment was when I was recognized as a “Milwaukee Superhero” and in that same year for Boss’s Day all of my staff and a couple parents wrote superhero messages about me/my leadership and left them on my office door. I tend not to be an emotionally vulnerable person but I literally cried immediately. You never really know the impact you have on others. And the messages are still on my office door.   
  
NPC: As you look forward to your four year appointment on NAEYC's board of directors, what issues do you think will be most prominent?  
Johnson: Early childhood has been an afterthought for decades and really should be at the forefront of every community’s agenda. I am looking forward to supporting the work of NAEYC's strategic direction which includes but is not limited to: equitable access to high-quality learning, recognition of excellence in the profession and the vital role it plays in society (this includes compensation), and cultivating leadership that moves the field forward.    
  
NPC: What can organizations do to increase their board diversity, and why is that important?  
Johnson: Increasing board diversity is crucial in today’s society. Organizations could truly benefit by assessing the expertise, socio-economic status and generation of its members. All of the named areas will bring a different perspective to the work that the organization needs to accomplish. This is important because we live in a society where no one thing matters. The saying “Money makes the world go around” pretty much became obsolete once the world became so dependent on technology. So I’d say that yes, money is needed but you also need innovative thinkers who are able to keep up with the fast-paced digital world that we live in.   
  
NPC: Why is there a persistent underrepresentation of minorities and women on boards of directors?  
Johnson: In my opinion, minorities and women are sometimes underrepresented on boards because they are not always afforded the opportunities to add one more thing to their plate. They are already juggling work, family and in many instances, their own education. I can speak from my own personal experience that it was really hard as a single parent to add anything extra as I was already working full-time, always in school and making sure that my son participated in extra-curricular activities.   
​

The Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee offers an Executives of Color Leaders Circle. ​This cohort group of nonprofit leaders is designed to establish a network of peers to confide in and depend on for professional support and growth.  In addition, the specific goals of this Circle are: 

• To increase the personal and organizational effectiveness through the on-going applications of skills, encouraging accountability, receiving resources and support.
• To provide a network for executives of color to attain focused feedback, new perspectives, validation and renewal.

​For further information, please contact Joyce Mallory.