Selling the opportunity

At the Franklin Farmers Market last week, I was honored to answer a variety of questions about volunteering with TriTogether. What do we look for? What do we expect? But what they really wanted to know was… what am I getting myself into?

Luckily, volunteering with us was a subject I had promised to write about. And after telling no fewer than thirty people in one day, I feel well prepared. That being said, this is a really complicated post for me. I’m not a sales person—I would, in fact, be very bad in that career. Some people would probably say I should “sell the opportunity.” After all, TriTogether only exists because of our awesome volunteers. Without them, we would just be a nonprofit with a waitlist.

That’s where it gets complicated. I do want to sell this opportunity. I want everyone reading this to go fill out our volunteer application. But our students deserve something more than a feel-good pitch.

When I founded TriTogether, I thought, “I’ll be lucky to find volunteers at all.” It turns out, there are a lot of people passionate about equity and education out there, and it is my responsibility to set high expectations for our volunteers.

So back to that question: What are you getting yourself into?

That’s exactly the question I want prospective tutors to ask. Because the mismatches we’ve seen have been when either the student or tutor didn’t fully understand what they were signing up for. A tutor who doesn’t finish the school year because life got busy, a tutor who isn’t prepared for a disengaged student, a tutor who isn’t responsive to changing circumstances… These are signs that I didn’t set the right expectations.

So let me be clear: tutoring with TriTogether is rewarding and fun, but there is more to the story. What we do is fundamental to the student’s success. What we provide is consistency when life may otherwise be unpredictable—and you, as a tutor, have a unique chance to be the spark that makes a student think, “Oh wait, I can do this.” This is a flexible volunteer opportunity, but it is also one where your consistency and empathy can make or break the student’s experience.

This is not said to scare prospective tutors away. It is meant to let you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Yes, you’re only committing to one hour a week for the school year. Yes, there are only a few emails in between. Yes, you’ll only work with subjects and age groups you’re comfortable with. But you’re committing.

I believe many of you reading this would absolutely enjoy volunteering for TriTogether. You’re reading our blog, so you’ve already heard of us. Maybe you’ve even contemplated signing up. I hope you do. Our students are 100% worth that commitment.

— Hannah