Great Expectations

As the crowd settled down, introductory comments and an explanation of the event were offered by Claire, Chris and Harris from YIP, The Inquirer and Penn respectively. The evening’s “A City that Works Forum” is designed build on previous Great Expectations events by eliciting citizen input on the Nutter administration’s five strategic goals: Public Safety, Education, Jobs and Economic Development, Healthy and Sustainable Neighborhoods, Ethics and how the emphasis on Customer Service will be integrated into the pursuit of progress toward each goal. Following the prologue, Philadelphia Budget Director Steve Agostini laid out some background information (Check out slides from the presentation here and stressed that participation by members of groups like Young Involved Philadelphia is critical to the city’s success. Afterward, attendees broke into groups to discuss one of each of the five strategic goals.

I joined the Jobs and Economic Development group and frankly we didn’t get much done. With the limited time available, we were only able to fully explore the first two of our three assigned questions and never really developed quantifiable customer service metrics. Regardless, I walked away from my experience at the forum with the feeling that it may be more difficult to enlist members of groups like YIP to help move Philadelphia forward.

Granted I didn’t speak with everyone, but here are a few observations and suggestions:

Many are busy starting careers, families and lives – Everyone leads busy lives and younger, well educated Philadelphians are no exception. How can we make it easier for these people to volunteer? Potential volunteers want to know what they’re getting themselves into. Community groups need to write job descriptions explaining the duties and time commitment required. Volunteers, on the other hand, must set limits for themselves and communicate those limits to the organization if they are to be productive and enjoy their experience.

Few actively participate in community groups – Why? My guess is a combination of things. First, recent graduates generally haven’t lived in their neighborhood or city long enough to “set down roots” or develop relationships with other residents; this normally comes with age & kids. Second, many civic associations haven’t done a good job of promoting themselves and their purpose. Third, volunteering is work. Community groups must make a better effort to reach out to younger residents and workers by interacting with groups like YIP on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, organizations and their potential volunteers must acknowledge that volunteerism is work and do their best to make it fun. Organizations should be flexible in creating positions while potential volunteers should search for opportunities to perform functions in which they have an interest.

For those willing, few know where to start. Facing a sea of potential volunteer opportunities, some feel overwhelmed at the prospect of picking one. The phrase “Paralysis by analysis” comes to mind. The City of Philadelphia can help by promoting existing vehicles to match volunteers with opportunities and improving them if needed. Reluctant to wait for the city, I think potential volunteers need to make the effort to do some research: groups like Philadelphia Cares, Volunteer Match, Greater Philly Environmental Network,Habitat for Humanity or The United Way would be great places to start. Take a page from Nike and “Just Do It.”

Culture of immediate gratification may reduce patience – With the evolution of our increasingly connected society, everyone has grown accustomed to instant gratification and immediate results. Google – instant information, cell phones – instant conversation, Blackberry – instant email, the list goes on and on. By itself this wouldn’t normally be a problem, but most organizations and their missions rarely provide immediate results. In addition, many spoke of “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” with seemingly little thought devoted to the daily grind of execution. Therefore, Community Groups and volunteers must focus on short and intermediate goals with an eye on the BHAG to stay motivated and be successful.

In conclusion, a successful Philadelphia renaissance depends on the participation of many groups throughout the city, especially younger, well educated residents and workers. Involvement of this of group holds both incredible promise and unique challenges. If we want to be successful as a city, community groups and potential volunteers, we must attempt to understand, anticipate and avoid challenges that stand in our way. A good place to start might be the use of empathy, clarity and communication.

“We have a real opportunity to do something great” exhorted Budget Director Agostini and I think he’s right. However, only by understanding the needs of organizations and volunteers alike can we hope to construct a long-term, “win-win” situation to make Philadelphia the next great city.