Dan is one of Feed My Starving Children's "super" volunteers. He faithfully volunteers in many areas, one of which is our Speakers Bureau. (Above: a Speakers Bureau training in Illinois. Dan not pictured.)  

Last year, more than 1 million volunteers used their own two hands to pack 270 million meals and turn hunger into hope, That is so awesome! If you were one of those volunteers, please come and pack again. 

But did you know there's another way to volunteer at FMSC? A small but growing group of volunteers are members of the FMSC Speakers Bureau. Our Speakers Bureau is a group of volunteers who share the same passion — advocating on behalf of starving children around the world.

I became a member of the Speakers Bureau about two years ago. As a Speakers Bureau volunteer I have given presentations to various audiences and I have also manned a booth at volunteer fairs and similar events. To be a successful Speakers Bureau volunteer you should enjoy public speaking and have a good understanding of FMSC. There are training sessions to help with the latter.

Presentations

I've spoken at schools, companies, a business networking meeting, a Kiwanis club meeting and been the intermission 'entertainment' during a play. The Marketing and Communications department of FMSC has prepared Powerpoint slide shows that I use, but I like to customize to the audience.  

A typical presentation is a half hour, and it is easy to talk about FMSC for that amount of time.

Volunteer Fairs

At these events I normally sit or stand at a table that has brochures and other FMSC materials. People walk by and I try to engage them with the objective of getting them to either volunteer to pack meals or donate or both. For this I have needed to develop a 30 second pitch as this may be all the time I get with someone.

One of my recent experiences was at a fifth grade class at a Minneapolis public school. In this case a student made the request for a speaker, not the teacher (although I'm sure she was in the loop).

When I arrived the student got me from the school office and escorted me to the classroom and then introduced me to his classmates. Afterwards he gave me a thank you card (see picture) and a donation. This student has a passion for FMSC that is unusual to find a a person of that age. I could tell the entire class was already into community service. Remarkable.

Speakers Bureau is a different kind of FMSC volunteer experience. As a FMSC Speakers Bureau member you become the face of FMSC.

Speakers Bureau FAQ

• Feed My Starving Children has Speakers Bureaus in Arizona, Chicago, and the Twin Cities.
• Last year, speakers represented FMSC at approximately 70 events, just in the Twin Cities.
• The majority of these were at schools, churches and corporations.
• FMSC’s Speakers Bureau speakers are some of our most passionate volunteers. Many have volunteered with FMSC for years and know our story and the stories of the children we serve well. Their excitement for FMSC’s mission is matched with public speaking skills that allow FMSC to reach audiences that would not otherwise be reached with staff alone. We cannot say enough how grateful we are for our Speakers Bureau volunteers!