Every nonprofit leader has days when a burning question makes you wish you had an IT expert, HR pro, or data analyst on speed dial. Since most of us don’t have contacts in all these industries to call when we’re in a bind, Taproot Sessions help fill that gap! Learn more about how to connect with a skilled volunteer who can help diagnose or solve your challenge in just one hour.
What is a Session?
Taproot Sessions are one-hour virtual calls that connect nonprofits with skilled volunteers to brainstorm, project plan, or problem solve. These short but mighty consultations function like virtual “office hours,” allowing you to ask questions and pick the brain of an expert in the field. From How can I improve my standard interview questions? to How can I get QuickBooks to do this task?, Sessions are great when you have specific questions or need advice on how to approach a challenge.
Sessions function similarly to Projects on Taproot Plus, except that their scope is much narrower. Once you’ve honed in on what you want to get out of the Session (see tips on that below) you’ll submit your Session request on Taproot Plus. Skilled volunteers will apply for your Session and you’ll be matched up for your 60-minute call. With a well-scoped ask and knowledgeable volunteer, you’ll be amazed at how much impact can be packed into just one meeting!
Getting the Most Out of Your Session
Stay focused
Keep in mind that these calls are one hour long. Make sure your ask is centered around a key challenge that you need advice on or a question that you would like answered. Ideally, this challenge or question will involve one core skill set. If you have a question that involves HR and Marketing, for instance, you will need more than one Session. The good news: there are no limits to how many volunteer requests you can make through Taproot Plus!
Clarify your goal
Define what success looks like for your volunteer and how you’ll know if it’s been achieved. What information would you like to have at the end of the call that you did not have at the start of the call? Having a clear goal and communicating it to your volunteer consultant will set the call up for success.
Be specific
Define the problem or question in plain language. Aim to avoid generalizations and use concrete details about the challenge or question. What kind of professional experience would your ideal consultant have?
Tell a story
Communicate what the stakes are to prospective skilled volunteers. What will happen if you are not able to get this question answered or if you don’t have a better understanding of the challenge? How does getting the answers you need move your organization closer to achieving its mission?
Be honest
Don’t be afraid to admit ignorance. If you don’t even know what question to ask or have the background to see exactly where a challenge lies, say that. The goal of the Session could be to simply explore what the right questions are.
Crafting Your Request
Coming up with a focused and specific pitch will help you attract the right volunteer and give your Session the best chance of success. It may seem counterintuitive to write a paragraph-long pitch for such a short consultation. In fact, including the context and goals up front will help potential volunteers decide whether they’re the right fit. That information will also allow your consultant to know what to expect and how to prepare for your conversation.
Below are three examples of the same Session pitch to get you thinking about how to craft yours for maximum impact:
Good
We would like to speak to someone who can give us advice about crowdfunding.
Better
We are trying to fundraise to hire our first full-time position. We tried crowdfunding through social media, but we fell short of our goal. We would like to get more advice about the basics of crowdfunding and what resources are available for us to use if we try crowdfunding again.
Best
I would like to speak to a marketing expert with experience in crowdfunding who can give us the high-level best practices, tips, and “do’s” and “don’ts,” along with any important red flags we should look out for. Our organization is hiring our first full-time program manager which is a strategic goal in our next fiscal year. As part of our fundraising effort for this position, we recently attempted a crowdfunding campaign on social media. We achieved mixed results. It would also be nice to know what other resources might be out there for professionals attempting crowdfunding that we currently don’t know about. With this information, we will be much better positioned to tackle a crowdfunding effort in the future so that we can raise the funds to expand our capacity and scale out our programs.
Let’s Do This!
Taproot Sessions are a great tool to help you approach challenges facing your organization. Whether you’re new to skilled volunteering and want to start small, looking to get feedback before posting a full Project on Taproot Plus, or tackling a conundrum that’s outside your expertise, Taproot Sessions can help you get the support you need, for free!
