The ideas below will, of course, vary with how long your organization
has been in existence. If it was started within the last thirty years
or so, there's a good chance that you will be able to find people
with first-hand information on--or at least memory of--the early days.
The older the organization, the more you will have to rely on the
written record to discover your history.
Incorporators
Seek out your organization's incorporation papers. These documents
ought to be on file in the executive director's office, but may also
be held by your attorney or accountant. Otherwise, contact the State
Attorney General of the state in which your organization was incorporated.
What you are after is the list of original "incorporators"--the
people who filed the papers. These will be the first officers of the
board--and probably all but certainly most will have been volunteers.
Again, depending on the date involved, try to track down these people.
Think how much fun it will be to locate one or more of your official
founders. When you do, tape record an oral history with them. Ask
if they are still in possession of any memorabilia from the early
days--especially photographs.
If the founders have died or are otherwise not reachable, see if
you can trace any living descendants.
Agency Archives
Some organizations will have been meticulous about saving their
historical records, others far from it. This is your chance to find
out! Who has been the keeper of the records? The executive director?
Have the secretaries of the board been bequeathed each year with boxes
of papers upon assuming office? Is there a closet with boxes on the
third floor that no one has opened for a decade?
You are looking for:
- board meeting minutes that speak of major decision-making
- press clippings about agency events
- letters of various sorts that speak about projects in which volunteers
were involved
- old photographs
Obviously you should also hunt up past records on the volunteer program
itself--those boxes in the back of YOUR closet!
Local Newspaper Morgue
Every newspaper maintains a file of every issue it publishes.
Recent back issues are generally kept available, older issues are
placed in what is generally called a "morgue." Today you
can expect that newspapers older than a few years will be available
on microfilm or microfiche--or have perhaps been scanned onto a computer.
Enlist the help of the editor or a reporter in your project, if possible.
At a minimum, request that the person in charge of the newspaper's
archives give you (and some willing volunteers) an orientation to
how the collection is stored and retrieved. Then go to work finding
references to your agency over the years--with special emphasis, of
course, on volunteer accomplishment receiving publicity.
Search:
- feature stories covering news events
- special sections that today might be called "Living,"
twenty years ago might have been called "Women's Section,"
or even earlier might have been called the "Society" pages--this
is where many volunteer events, especially recognition ceremonies,
would have appeared
- weekly or monthly special inserts covering local happenings
- any magazine section that might cover community events with photographs
(like a big carnival for charity or a fundraising marathon)
If your geographic area contains more than one newspaper, you obviously
have to do this research for each publication. And don't forget weekly
neighborhood papers.
Local radio and even television stations might be willing to search
their recorded program files for you, as well.
Past Volunteers
Hopefully your predecessors will have kept records on volunteers
active in the past. Design a letter and/or a questionnaire that explains
your historical search and enlists their help.
We've provided a sample questionnaire to get you started <________>
Current Volunteers
Current volunteers ought to be engaged in the entire process of
discovering their historical roots. Enlist their help in speaking
to anyone and everyone who might have some memories of the early days
of your organization. Interview (and audiotape) any volunteers who
have been on board since the beginning, or who have been around the
longest.
Past Clients or Alumni
If you serve the public at large (such as a library, museum, school
system, etc.), get the word out that you are seeking historical information.
Anyone might turn out to have a great anecdote, or a relevant photo
album or some item of memorabilia. And chances are they'd be delighted
to share these with your research team.
If you have formal lists of past service recipients, program graduates,
or other "alumni," consider whether it would be fruitful
to do a questionnaire mailing to them similar to the one for past
volunteers. If you publish a newsletter or have other regular ways
of communicating with alumni, an article about "Look Back to
Look Ahead" or at least an ad calling for memorabilia would seem
relatively easy to do.
Social service agencies may feel less comfortable contacting past
clients who received counseling, therapeutic care, or other services
in times of need. Examine whether such reluctance is valid or a projection
of discomfort on the part of staff. Perhaps past clients have good
feelings about the help they received--particularly from volunteers--and
would welcome the chance to tell you. Talk to paid staff, volunteers,
and current clients to formulate a mutually-acceptable contact plan.
Neighbors
Depending on where your office or facility is located, it may
prove fruitful to speak to people who live in close proximity, business
owners in the neighborhood, local clergy, school officials--anyone
who might know something about your organization's early development.
Mayor's or Other Public Official's Office
Another potential source of information, particularly if you provide
services to the general public and interact with local political figures,
is "City Hall" or whatever government office is likeliest
to have come in contact with you. Are there any official proclamations
recognizing your work? official photographs of grant or award presentations?
minutes of city council/county commissioner meetings that mention
your agency?
Local Library
Your local library can be a treasure trove of memorabilia. Enlist
the help of the librarian who ought to know the types of materials
in the collection. Some resources to consider: old newspaper files
(particularly for newspapers no longer in publication); photograph
collections; books written about the region by local authors which
may have been privately published and donated to the local library;
etc.
Other Nonprofits Older than Yours
It is possible that your organization began as part of another
organization and was spun off, or that one or more local groups (perhaps
civic clubs, churches, or other types of all-volunteer associations)
were important in some way to the formation and funding of your first
What Others Have Done. If you discover this, and if these organizations are still
in existence, ask them for historical documentation, too.
Don't forget to contact your local Volunteer Center, if there is
one, for whatever early records they may have of volunteer What Others Have Done
in your agency.
National Headquarters
If you are an affiliate of a national or international organization,
don't forget to contact your headquarters and see what's in their
historical files!
Your Organization's Web Site
Since you never know who might be a cyber visitor, put out a call
for historical information and memorabilia via your Web site. Remember
to stress that you are looking for volunteer-related information.
Tips for Starting a Project |
What Others Have Done | What Is Look Back to Look Ahead?
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