Pamela Atkinson, an adviser to the last three governors in Utah, an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church and a tireless advocate for the homeless and refugees in Utah, still volunteers her time actively and personally among Utah’s poorest people and counts them as her friends. She sat down with me recently to share her insights from her more than twenty years of humanitarian service. The following are the lessons I drew from her:
1. Ego has no role in service: Pamela describes herself as “an ordinary person” despite the fact that almost no one who knows her would describe her that way. Years ago, she helped rally the town of Logan, Utah to create a health clinic for the uninsured poor there. Although she was the driving force for the project, she focused on getting the community to own the project, which meant that she had to move quietly to the background as the community rallied to build their own clinic.
2. Collaboration: There are three important “Cs” in relation to service: coordinate, cooperate, and collaborate. Of these, “collaborate” is the greatest, she says. After she launched her homeless outreach program in 1991, visiting homeless in their camps each week, she welcomed the Utah Chapter of the Volunteers of America who wanted to run and expand the program. She continues to participate in the expanded program more than twenty years later.
3. Don’t “be afraid to speak out”: Serving as an advisor to three governors, she has learned not to be afraid to speak out. “If I feel strongly about an injustice, an issue that is not being addressed in a collaborative and focused way, then I need to speak out,” she says. She’s learned that even when everyone in the room openly opposes her, she’ll often get private indications of support from people who are grateful for her leadership.
4. Never let issues interfere with relationships: While lobbying Utah’s legislators for support for her programs over the years, she’s learned never to let disagreements interfere with relationships. She notes, “By not destroying relationships, I can go back again on other issues.” She does this by truly listening to opposing points of you, often with the invitation, “I never thought of it that way—tell me more.”
5. Transparency is the key to success: For social entrepreneurs, transparency is critical. “The more transparent [the organization] the more people will want to get involved,” she explains. People want to see and understand the impact that an organization is having.
6. Treat Volunteers with Respect: “Ask the volunteers, how are things going? Are you enjoying this? Ask volunteers for ideas to improve service,” she says, emphasizing that too many organizations fail to appreciate the value of their volunteers.
7. Don’t give up on someone when fundraising: When she hears “no,” she asks, “What can I do to help change your mind?” She offers to provide tours, introductions, whatever it will take to change a mind. Her approach has made her one of the most successful fundraisers in Utah.
8. Small Things Make A Difference: Over the years, Pamela has learned that “it doesn’t always have to be huge.” As an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church, she asks members to contribute small things to her effort to provide for the homeless. She collects socks, underwear and hygiene items, the latter often collected by members who travel and collect hotel amenities (soaps and shampoos) for her hygiene kits. She recounts a story of arriving at the home of a low income family, finding that the family had no hot water, no soap and no shampoo. She had a hygiene kit in the car and provided that immediately, to the joy of the family and later helped them to get their gas restored for hot water.
9. Everyone Can Do Something: Pamela often speaks to groups and always makes the point that everyone can do something. She notes that she was once challenged by a woman who said, “I’m 80 years old, I rarely get out of the house and I have a limited income, how can I make a difference?” Pamela challenged her to donate a can of soup to the food bank each week. She took the challenge and for several years thereafter, she did just that, ultimately providing hundreds of meals for people who otherwise might have gone hungry.
10. Power of Touch and a Smile: While volunteering with the Salvation Army years ago, she was assigned by the Major to greet each homeless person attending dinner that evening with a warm smile and a hearty handshake, noting that some of the homeless won’t have been touched in the last week. She’s never forgotten that lesson and makes a point to always greet people, especially the poor with a smile and handshake or other appropriate touch.
11. “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” Pamela notes that she sometimes feels guided and directed by a divine influence in her work, crediting her faith in Jesus Christ for her strength. She notes, however, that many of her non-churchgoing friends are among the kindest and most generous people she knows. Sometimes, she acknowledges that she says to herself, “I did make a difference. Thanks, Lord.”
12. If she can do it, so can I: It was many years ago that she was driving in Seattle where she lived at the time and heard an invitation on the radio to volunteer with the Salvation Army to serve dinner on Christmas Day. She asked her family and they agreed to help. It was her first experience as a volunteer. She says she was “taken aback by how grateful the homeless were.” She now describes herself as an addict, “I’m addicted to volunteering.” She hopes that people see that if she can do it, so can they.
13. Avoid Emotional Bankruptcy: It is important to take care of yourself. You can’t take care of others unless you do. “Your family and friends” support you and help you to carry on.
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