Volunteer Spotlight: Khusbu Patel and Nishita Challa

The Volunteers Who Find–and Keep–Other Volunteers Going

by Carlea Bauman

Sambhali U.S. runs on volunteer power. From its founder and board chair to the most recent sign-up at our online form, every action taken is done by a person who has made Sambhali U.S. a part of their heart’s mission and who does it purely out of altruism.

In its first five years, Sambhali U.S. recruited over 75 volunteers. At the moment, 30 people are actively working in various capacities–development experts who do individual, foundation and corporate outreach and grant writing, finance committee members who analyze the organization’s financial situation, communications volunteers who keep the social media channels humming, and create the website, annual report, and newsletter, and the volunteer engagement team that searches for the talent to make it all possible.

However, there are challenges to finding and keeping good volunteers that can arise at any organization: a lack of communication between the organization and its volunteers, expectations that are not clearly laid out, or volunteers who do not feel appreciated. So, in addition to finding good people who have the time and willingness to help, Sambhali U.S. must also address those very real and valid needs.

Khusbu Patel

Nishita Challa

This is where Khusbu Patel and Nishita Challa shine. Khusbu and Nishita, both members of the Sambhali U.S. Board of Directors, also give their time to recruiting and training new volunteers as part of the Volunteer Engagement Committee.

New volunteers come into the organization through a variety of means, including LinkedIn, VolunteerMatch, and GivePulse, as well as word of mouth and through Sambhali U.S. events.

About 1 to 2 new volunteers come in per month. When someone applies to volunteer, they speak with either Khusbu, who heads the Volunteer Engagement Committee, or Sambhali U.S. president Shereen Arent to determine how to align their strengths with the organization’s needs. They then speak to the Committee chair of their area of interest and expertise, either finance, development, communications, or volunteer engagement.

“Every volunteer brings something different to the table. But they all bring dedication to the mission, and they always find a unique way to utilize their skills to contribute to our ongoing projects,” states Khusbu.

It can be overwhelming coming into a new organization, especially one like Sambhali where there are many programs, and the work is happening on the other side of the world. So, Nishita led the Volunteer Engagement Team in creating an “onboarding checklist” to guide each new volunteer through their first 30 days. After that first month, Nishita checks in with each one to see if they are feeling enabled, impassioned, and empowered.

One important element of the Volunteer Engagement Team’s recent work has been the creation of an internal Sambhali U.S. onboarding website, which launched in January 2025. It contains information that every volunteer needs to learn about and advocate for Sambhali U.S., including team biographies, a documents library, and links to information about the programs that Sambhali U.S. supports.

“When I first joined Sambhali as a volunteer, I realized there were gaps in the onboarding process including the lack of a centralized source for information about Sambhali U.S, the work we’re doing for Sambhali Trust, the impact we’re making, and guidance on tools we use like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. This realization was the spark that ignited the idea of creating a structured onboarding resource,” states Nishita, who led the project.

The website was a natural progression from a volunteer onboarding document for using Microsoft 365 that Nishita created last summer after gathering input from other volunteers. After its initial launch, additional testing was completed before a final document was distributed to all volunteers in October 2024.

Once the Microsoft 365 materials were created, “we determined that volunteers would benefit from a centralized website for all resources. So, we shifted our vision to make every piece of information just a few clicks away,” explains Nishita.

In addition to the online materials for new volunteers, Khusbu and Shereen lead a volunteer orientation every 3 to 4 months where they introduce the work of Sambhali Trust, Sambhali U.S.’s organizational structure, and volunteer expectations, and address questions from the new volunteers.

Khusbu spends much of her time making sure volunteers feel like they are making a difference. “A volunteer needs engagement,” she explains. “They come to an organization seeking a level of nourishment. We must make sure our volunteers have meaningful projects to work on. If there isn’t something that is lighting a fire within them, they will leave.”

As new volunteers come aboard, others who have been involved for several years can share their historical knowledge with them, and benefit from the fresh ideas the new volunteers bring. It is the healthy give and take that helps organizations thrive, and which ensures that Sambhali U.S. will continue to run on volunteer power for years to come.