What I told the Junior League of Charlotte about volunteerism, social capital, and the race worth running
By Will Jones, President & CEO, Thompson
Key Takeaways
- The most valuable thing most people can give children and families in crisis is consistent, in-person time.
- Volunteers build social capital: the relationships, trust, and networks that families in crisis often lose first.
- Many nonprofits underinvest in volunteers. Volunteer engagement should be funded and staffed like any core program.
- Children who have experienced trauma often test the adults around them. Showing up again is what earns their trust.
- Individuals, families, and groups can volunteer with Thompson Child and Family Focus.
Earlier this month, I joined a panel hosted by the Junior League of Charlotte. Near the end, someone in the audience asked, “What’s the most important thing we can do?”
My answer came quickly: give your time.
I saw a few surprised faces. People expect a nonprofit CEO to ask for a donation, and I do spend a good part of my week making sure Thompson has the funding it needs. But after more than 30 years of working alongside vulnerable children and families, I believe the most valuable thing a community can offer them is its presence. Money matters. People matter more.
Why is volunteering your time more valuable than donating money?
Money pays for the work. Our donors keep the lights on, meet payroll, and fund the programs that keep children safe. We could not do any of this without them.
But a child in foster care never sees our budget. What they see is who shows up. A parent in the middle of a crisis isn’t thinking about line items. They notice whether someone came to the door.
Many of the kids and families we serve have been told, one way or another, that they are on their own. Circumstances told them. Systems told them. Sometimes the adults who were supposed to protect them told them. When a volunteer spends a Saturday tutoring, mentoring, painting a bedroom, or cheering from the bleachers, that message starts to change. The child learns that someone chose to be there.
A donation can fund a program. Only a person can tell a child, “You matter to this community.”
What is social capital, and why do families in crisis need it?
Social capital is the network of relationships and trust that helps people get through hard seasons and move forward. It’s the neighbor who can drive you to an appointment, the coach who writes a reference letter, the mentor who picks up the phone.
For families in crisis, social capital is often the first thing they lose. A check can replace a resource. It can’t replace a relationship, and it can’t come back next week. A volunteer can.
What do many nonprofits get wrong about volunteers?
I’ll say something that isn’t always popular in my field. Many nonprofits don’t act as though volunteers matter this much. I’ve seen it across our sector. We treat volunteers as a cost: training hours, background checks, scheduling. Or we treat them as a pipeline to future donors. Volunteer programs end up underfunded, handed to whoever has a spare hour, and cut first when budgets get tight.
I understand the spreadsheet logic. I also think it’s backwards. For the people we serve, volunteers are the clearest proof that their community is on their side. Volunteers also carry our story to their dinner tables, congregations, and boardrooms. Plenty of them go on to become donors, and we’re grateful when they do. That’s a side effect, though. What matters most is what their presence tells a child.
How can leaders in every sector support volunteering?
This isn’t only a lesson for nonprofits. Every leader has a part to play.
- Nonprofit leaders: Fund volunteer engagement the way you fund any core program. Give it dedicated staff, make it easy for people to say yes, and track the relationships built, not only the hours logged.
- Business leaders: Your employees’ time may do more good than your sponsorship. Give your teams room to serve, and go with them. People remember the boss who rolled up their sleeves.
- Public-sector leaders: Government systems can deliver services, but they can’t create belonging. Invest in the community partners and volunteers who can.
What should volunteers expect when working with children who have experienced trauma?
The second thing I told the room is the part I most want people to remember: volunteering is not always rewarding in the moment.
There will be days when you show up and nobody notices. The teenager you mentor may never thank you. They may push you away. You may run into resistance from a family, from a system, or even from the organization you’re trying to help.
Kids who have been through trauma often test the adults who seem most willing to stay. What looks like rejection is usually a question: Are you going to leave too? The only answer that works is coming back. Consistency is the message.
Keep running your race
I use that phrase on purpose. You don’t finish a race on feelings. You finish it on discipline. Some miles feel great, and some are miserable, and the runners who cross the line decided before the hard miles that they would keep going.
Volunteering works the same way. The difference you make comes less from one inspiring afternoon and more from the steady, unglamorous choice to return, week after week.
The payoff rarely arrives on your schedule. Anyone who has been in this work long enough has heard a young adult, years later, name the one person who kept showing up when it would have been easier to quit. That person almost never knew at the time how much it mattered.
Keep running your race, even when nobody notices and nobody says thank you. It matters more than you think.
How can I volunteer with Thompson?
For 140 years, we have walked alongside children and families, and today our work spans prevention, mental health, and foster care services, with foster care programs in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky. None of it has ever been done alone. Every chapter of our story has been written with a community that showed up.
So here is my invitation. Give an afternoon. Give a skill. Give a season. Bring your coworkers, your League, your congregation, or your family. You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing to come back.
Ready to give your time? Thompson is looking for people willing to show up for children and families, on their own or as a team. Visit https://www.thompsoncff.org/volunteer/ or email our volunteer team at [email protected] to find where your time will matter most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to volunteer or donate to a nonprofit?
Both matter, and they do different jobs. Donations fund programs, staff, and services. Volunteering builds relationships and shows children and families that their community cares about them. For children in foster care and families in crisis, that consistent human presence is something money can’t buy.
What is social capital?
Social capital is the set of relationships, trust, and networks that help people get support, solve problems, and find opportunities. Families in crisis often have very little of it, which is why volunteers and mentors can make such a difference.
Why do children who have experienced trauma sometimes push volunteers away?
Children who have been let down by adults often test whether a new adult will stay. Pulling away can be a way of asking, “Are you going to leave too?” Volunteers answer that question by showing up consistently over time.
How can I volunteer with Thompson Child and Family Focus?
Visit [volunteer page link] or email [email]. Thompson welcomes individuals, families, and groups.
Can my company, church, or organization volunteer as a group?
Yes. Thompson welcomes teams of volunteers. Contact the volunteer team at [email] to find an opportunity that fits your group.
