Current e-Journal
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March 10, 2026
Stop asking for volunteers and START INVITING JOY!
In this week’s Systems Change Newsletter…
- Invitations and Announcements
- Catalytic Thinking Exercise: Stop asking for volunteers and START INVITING JOY!
- Resources to Further Your Practice
Invitations & Announcements:
Be a more effective changemaker
If you’re ready to step into your potential as a changemaker, Creating the Future offers self-paced classes to help you create that change. Those classes are all pay-what-you-can, to make sure that money never stands in the way of your learning. Nothing to lose and tons to gain! See the classes here…
U.S. Nonprofit Update
The Trump Administration has proposed changes to the online application system for federal grants. The changes require applicants to sign certifications under penalty of law, that you will comply with the president’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) orders. This won’t just affect nonprofits – it is any entity that receives federal funds (including state governments). The National Council of Nonprofits published a guide to those changes, with how-to steps for fighting these changes. Find that guide here…
Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
Stop asking for volunteers and START INVITING JOY!
Hildy was sharing a story from her neighborhood last week. Years ago, her neighbors turned a weed-filled drainage-way into a park. That park is maintained entirely by neighbors, who act as true stewards of the park. They even chipped in to purchase a riding mower and other amenities like benches and solar-powered lights.
Because the folks who initially cared for the park are now in their 80’s, the neighborhood was looking for younger folks to take over that job.
Here’s what they did NOT do:
They did NOT put out a call for volunteers.
Instead, they posted the following sign:
Hey teenagers!
Want to learn to drive the riding mower?
Marketing teaches the importance of seeing the world through the point-of-view of the person you’re trying to influence. Asking for volunteers is the opposite of that point-of-view.
When you ask for volunteers, you are thinking about your work, your needs, your budget cuts.
And that is what you tell the world. “We need help. We need volunteers.”
What happens when you consider not what you want, but what your prospective volunteers want?
- People want to know how to fight the horrors they are all seeing around them.
- People are craving fun in these times. Joy. Happy connections with folks who care about the things they care about.
What if those two desires became a path to building strength in your work AND a path to building joyful connection for the people in your community?
This week’s exercise, then, is simple and direct:
Stop asking for volunteers.
Start inviting power and joy.
Try this:
One of our team members was telling us about their weekend.
“It was such fun! A friend was turning 50, and when we asked what she wanted, she told us, 'You want the truth? I need help fixing up my house! I've been so busy lately. I've been putting off a lot of maintenance stuff that really needs to be done.' "
So we all got together and called it a home-improvement party. It winds up a lot of her friends have all sorts of mad skills. There was even a guy who used to be a plumber! We had such a blast!”
Whether it is a work party or learning to ride the lawn mower, the thinking is the same. Connect your needs to what people want.
And fortunately, you have the questions of Catalytic Listening to guide you:
- What do your prospective helpers aspire to? What do they really want, deep inside?
- What do they care about? What is important to them?
- What are their strengths? What are they good at?
With the answers to those questions in mind, now it’s time to invite folks to join you in an activity that will bring out the best in them – that will reach for their joy, their passion, their power.
So many people are feeling alone these days. Perhaps it is an invitation to make friends. Or an invitation to spend time with people who care about the things that they care about.
So many people are feeling powerless in the face of current politics. They may respond to an invitation to step into their power, their agency, to be able to make a difference right there at home.
So many people are feeling afraid these days, and many are feeling deeply sad. Perhaps this is an invitation to not just make a difference, but to have FUN. A party. A chance to learn a new skill (the riding mower). An opportunity to play, to bring the family. An invitation to JOY.
Asking for volunteers with X and Y skills is all about you and your needs.
When instead you meet people where they are - listening for their aspirations and for what is important to them – you are inviting them to something they already want to do. And you are showing them that the things that interest them are actually strengths to build upon. That they do have power. That your work is a tool they can use to step into that power – with JOY.
Celebrating people from that place of joy and power, you will be bringing out the very best in them. That is why listening for and inviting people's aspirations, values, and strengths is at the heart of Catalytic Thinking.
Resources to Further Your Practice:
- WATCH: This short video explains why we jump to conclusions about other people – and what we can do about it. Watch here…
- READ: The basics of Catalytic Listening are explained in this brief article. Read it here…
- LEARN: Want to become a Catalytic Listener? Take your first steps here…
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