If you are a fan of superheros, you understand the concept of secret identities. By day the person is a serious newspaperman…billionaire…student…insert random occupation here. By night they are a caped…masked…or otherwise unidentifiable crime fighter.
Every employee or volunteer has a secret identity as well. There are things they do in their “off time” that can help (or hurt, but that’s a different blog post) your organization. Uncover these secrets by getting to know them and you might be surprised at how much stronger these hidden skills make your organization. Did you know your membership director writes novels on the side? Who better to tell the story of your association? Did you know your alumni director used to run a catering company and her culinary skills could be donated as part of your next auction? Uncovering the specifics behind what makes your people special not only helps your organization make the most of its resources, it also allows people to do something they love to help a group they believe in. Sometimes they don’t offer the service because they don’t see a tie-in between their hobby and your needs. Explore these possibilities with a little creative thinking and a lot of communication.
Your interest in them will make them feel valued and their uncovered skills will bring more depth to your offerings.
