From Volunteer-Run to Grass Roots

How do you judge an organization? Is it solely on the merits of its programs; the effectiveness of its field staff; the quality of its donor outreach? Well, ideally. But a name goes a long way. If a program helps feed people, does it matter if the program is “addressing food insecurity” or “fights hunger”? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, but what if it was called “stink blossom”?

Perhaps all of these are after-thoughts as long as non-profits are being responsible, are sustainable, and have a positive and empowering impact. Still, for an organization like More than Me that relies on small grants, social media, and direct outreach, the words we use in the limited space and time we have are important.

For as long as More than Me has been around, it has relied on a broad network of volunteers. This is one of the greatest things, to me, about the organization. This group epitomizes collective action: people coming together to make a difference. We haven’t been shy about promoting the fact that we are volunteer-run, either. The fact that More than Me has been so effective with no paid staff and limited resources is not just a success story by the standards of the “DIY aid” narrative, but is a triumph by normal business standards. It is difficult to get paid workers to do things efficiently, but More than Me has inspired a fairly well-functioning organization, complete with a board, spokesperson, programs with expanding impact, and a gift shop.

This success is not just paying off for the girls of West Point who are getting more support than ever, but has also allowed More than Me to find the best people in Liberia to work with us. In August, the core team hired More than Me’s first ever paid staff.

Cyrus “Murbah” Cooper and Macintosh Johnson have been long-time More than Me volunteers. Both are from the communities where More than Me works, are natural leaders, and are indispensable to our work on the ground. Hiring Murbah and Macintosh is an exciting development for More than Me. It means we are maturing as an organization.

Katie, Macintosh, and Murbah

The benefit of not paying anyone to work is that all of the money raised can go right to girls. This model worked in the early stages of the organization because it allowed us to make decisions quickly and makes getting our finances together (slightly) easier. However, this model limited what More than Me can do, how well we can monitor our programs, and means we have to rely on people having a steady amount of free time.

Now that we have paid staff, we can no longer say that we are volunteer-run. “Volunteer-majority” just sounds weird, “mostly volunteer with two great paid field staff” is a bit too long. I don’t think we have officially come up with a slogan or label, but for now, I think “grassroots” fits More than Me well. In fact, “grass roots” has always fit More than Me.

We work with community groups and community leaders in West Point, rally people all over the world to help spread the dream of education, and work from the ground up. We are the social-media era non-profit. While a core team of volunteers helps direct and design what More than Me does, we are driven by the needs of girls who want to learn, not by the needs of a chief executive.

Whether we are volunteer-run, grass roots, DIY, basic outreach, or any other label, More than Me will continue to try to inspire people to work for more than themselves. In fact, our name speaks for itself.

100 girls. Dancing in the Street.