Category Archives: volunteer background checks

Innovation and Sustainable Volunteering

30 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by in charities, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, sustainable volunteering, Uncategorized, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer recruitment, volunteer retention

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Innovation and Sustainable Volunteering

What would sustainable volunteering look like? Besides many of the innovations already being implemented, what would nurturing a volunteer garden shared within our communities involve? Is this a 180 degree leap or is it more of a naturally occurring shift that we have been moving towards all along? Are we, volunteer managers coming together in an organic movement to help one another and therefore all volunteers and all good work?

What can we try? Will this take extra work, headache and heartache to achieve? Just as in gardening, there are necessary steps to achieve a bountiful crop.

I’m going to list some ideas in a season of planting using the gardening metaphor.

TILLING THE SOIL (preparing to garden):

  • Make a list of agencies and organizations in your area that utilize volunteers and reach out to introduce yourself to each leader of volunteers
  • Join any clearinghouse agencies such as United Way, and Volunteer Centres in your area
  • Join a DOVIA (Directors Of Volunteers In Agencies) or a similar group in your area or if none exists, reach out to another volunteer manager and start a peer group
  • Create a list serve or simple newsletter to share with your fellow volunteer managers in your locale

PLANTING (seeding the way):

  • Share your volunteer opportunities with other volunteer managers (at your peer group and by list serve) and ask for theirs-regularly check in to gauge the fluidity of roles, etc.
  • Discuss volunteers’ skills and interests at peer group meetings. Offer other volunteer managers the opportunity to contact one of your volunteers if their mission or opportunity more closely aligns with your volunteer’s passion
  • Share background checks if you are able in order to cut costs
  • Pair up with other organizations to conduct a visible volunteer project and involve local media to cover the event
  • Create volunteer educational conferences with other volunteer managers to benefit all volunteers in area-share space, costs of snacks or printed materials creating more bang for the buck
  • Share cost of a national speaker with other volunteer programs and invite all volunteers in area-have plenty of information on volunteering opportunities available

FEEDING (nurturing the collective):

  • Bring your volunteers to another organization on Make a Difference Day or another day of service and help that organization-build that camaraderie, use positive press to show cooperation:   Days of service include:
  • Good Deeds Day – April 15, 2018 (USA)
  • National Volunteer Week – April 15-22, 2018 (USA)
  • 911 Day of Service – September 11 (USA)
  • Make a Difference Day – October 28, 2017 (USA)
  • Family Volunteer Day – November 18, 2017 (USA)
  • MLK Day of Service – January 15, 2018 (USA)
  • Volunteers’ Week -June 1-7 (UK)
  • National Volunteer Week -21-27 May 2018 (Australia)
  • National Volunteer Week -April 15-21 2018 (Canada)
  • International Volunteer Day -5 December 2017 (UN)
  • National Volunteer Week -18-24 June 2017(2018 not published yet) (New Zealand)
  • Create a summer circle of volunteering for out of school students so they can sample the various opportunities in your area and participate in a well-rounded service learning experience
  • Conduct partner training sessions with other organizations
  • Partner with another organization to create a group of volunteers to cross-volunteer (a really rudimentary example – library volunteers + homeless shelter volunteers = a reading program for school aged children in the shelter. Library volunteers finding appropriate books, shelter volunteers utilizing them and perhaps some library volunteers venturing out to read to the children while shelter volunteers conduct a fundraiser for the library-and no this isn’t simple or easy but it can be a start)
  • Mentor new volunteer coordinators in your area
  • Offer your highly seasoned and trained volunteers to train/mentor volunteers at another organization
  • Partner with other volunteer managers to create a presentation that educates organizational staff on the nuances of volunteer engagement-allow all volunteer managers in your area to utilize
  • Create partnership recruitment efforts by sharing speaking engagements

Future Bounty (what might come of this?)

  • Increased satisfaction and sustainability of volunteers
  • More flexible options for prospective volunteers
  • Sharing of best practices between leaders of volunteers
  • The showcasing of cooperation between non-profit agencies
  • Increased volunteer involvement in organizational planning and innovations
  • More good work accomplished within communities
  • Cooperative think tanks springing up
  • Less stress on volunteer managers

We, volunteer managers are unique, innovative and forward thinking. Why wouldn’t we bond with one another and forge a new, co-operative garden in order to create sustainable volunteerism?

Besides, we are generous and big picture oriented by nature. Let’s co-op.

-Meridian

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, There Is No Parade

24 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in charities, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, Uncategorized, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer recruitment, volunteer retention

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Sometimes, There is No Parade

Awww, you shouldn’t have.

 

 

Not everything volunteer managers do will be visible. Rather, in reality, most of our meaningful work is not about measurable numbers or stats. For this out of view work, there will be no awards, no pay raises and no parades. Yet, when recalling the moments that matter, these are the ones that usually spring into our minds.

Helga was a volunteer who came to America after WWII. She married an American soldier, left her home in Germany to forge a new life in a new country with her new husband. Helga still retained her German accent. She was a tiny woman with a smile that reached up to her eyes, even after her beloved husband had died. I asked her to take a shift on the reception desk.

We were in the process of initiating fingerprinting (Level 2) for our volunteers. It is a cumbersome and tedious process and the digital prints are hard to capture. Until this point, I submitted background checks (Level 1), read each report and challenged every anomaly I found. With Level 2, a central system approved or disapproved our volunteers, taking it out of my hands.

We slowly filtered all of our volunteers, new and existing through the fingerprinting process. And, Helga was rejected. The rationale was that fingerprinting picks up “things” that a level 1 does not. I had to call Helga and tell her. I remember calling her and asking her to come in and talk to me. She knew immediately that it had to do with her fingerprints. She started to cry.

We made an appointment for the next day. I hung up and felt…….. enraged. I wanted to know why this beautiful lady was being rejected, so I found an empty office and began to call the reporting agency, bouncing from person to person. It took the afternoon to get through to someone who could spend a minute to help me. She put me on hold, then came back on the line. “What’s her social security number again?” she asked. I told her. After another long hold, she came back. “Well, it seems it was a computer error. Your person has a clean record.”

I called to tell Helga the good news, but something told me to keep our appointment. She did not answer so I left the message to please come in so I could explain in person what had happened.

Helga came in the next day. I found a secluded spot to talk with her. We sat, knees to knees and I explained to her that it was a computer glitch. She burst into tears, crying deep and long as though a dam had given way. I hugged her. “Are you sure it was a mistake?” She asked.

I wondered if this was about something other than her volunteering. “It was just a mistake, Helga. Do you trust me?” I said. “I would not lie to you.”

She nodded and dabbed at her eyes. “I thought you might,” she said, “think I was a Nazi.”

Suddenly, the present fell away.  I could see her, a young hopeful bride after the war was over, arriving in her new home. I could feel her trying to ignore the suspicions while desperately proving she was a good person. I could imagine that the past did not lie buried.

We cried together for a good, long time. I called her the next day. “Helga, do you still believe me? Do you really, honestly know how much we love you?” At that point, I did not care how much time I had to spend convincing her.

“Yes,” she said in a clear voice that removed my doubt. We did not speak of it again.

That day I learned, for most of the time we spend doing our work, there will be no parade.

But, my heart does not really want parades. It wants to hug Helga.

-Meridian

Maybe We Have Some Splainin’ To Do

16 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in charities, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, recruitment, Uncategorized, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer retention

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

maybe-we-have-some-splainin-to-do

What is the great question of the ages? Forget about “What is the meaning of life?” Pffft to “is there life on other planets?” Is that all you got to “What really happened to those adorable dinosaurs?”  And finally, oh puh-lease to “Is Spam really a food product?”

Here is the question of the ages: Can we possibly make it any harder for people to volunteer?

I thought about this a while back as I chuckled along with this video from musician and songwriter, Dave Carroll: There’s Got to Be a Better Way

In this clever video, Mr. Carroll laments the extra crazy legal steps he has to endure in order to volunteer at his son’s school. Somehow, he shares a birthday with a person who has a criminal record, so, well, you know how that can go. He tries to have his fingerprints taken at a local police department and of course, the LiveScan equipment fails to capture a clear reading, so they advise him to go home and put lotion on his hands while wearing gloves to bed. Mr. Carroll takes that advice to the extreme and tells himself, “it’s for the kids.”

It’s really a cute video and the hilarity illuminates how frustrating and seemingly ridiculous it can be for someone who just wants to volunteer. Or wait, let’s amend that: For someone who doesn’t have ulterior motives who just wants to volunteer.

And there you have it. We, volunteer managers, especially those of us who regularly deal with background checks, fingerprinting and drug testing, understand that all the time spent on these legal requirements adds hours to our workweek. But we plod on because we are working to protect our vulnerable populations. And frankly, background checks are here to stay, unlike the vacuous idea that volunteers sit around breathlessly awaiting our calls. (Pick your battles.)

The question, “Can we possibly make it any harder for people to volunteer” has an answer. Yes, we can, and probably will. For any organization that does not yet require volunteers to submit to background checks, enjoy yourselves while it lasts. The first time an unchecked volunteer does something bad, you will be instructed by a senior manager with pulsating temples to institute this requirement. Most likely, we are not going to make it easier to volunteer. So, what do we do?

Explaining the whys of background checks goes a long, long way to assure prospective volunteers that we are not suspicious of them, not unduly peering into their private lives, and not trying to keep them from volunteering. Using verbiage that focuses on the vulnerability of our clients moves the emphasis from volunteer hindrance to client protection. A few ways of framing this shift in focus are:

  • Would you want us to allow just anyone off the street to volunteer with your child?
  • If we placed a volunteer with your elderly or sick grandmother, would you want us to be certain that this person is completely vetted?
  • When you donate money to help a cause, are you comfortable with random persons handling your money?
  • If just one out of a hundred volunteers is here for nefarious reasons, what if that one volunteer is alone with your son, or daughter?
  • In a perfect world, everyone volunteers because they want to help. But we don’t live in a perfect world, do we?
  • If you, or your loved one needed our help, what would you want us to do to make sure our volunteers have altruistic motivations?

Life for volunteer managers would include tea breaks if we weren’t required to make our new volunteers jump through so many hoops. The enormous time and effort we spend on interviewing, checking backgrounds, training and explaining rules and regulations heaps hour upon hour of getting things right.

But no matter how cumbersome vetting volunteers can be, the time and effort spent cleaning up a mess created by an unchecked, untrained volunteer who has done harm to our clients is vastly greater and more importantly, will shake our faith in our ability to provide the best volunteer care.

So the next time a prospective volunteer is asked to complete a background check, think about explaining the whys to them. Because, just as Dave Carroll said,  it really is for the kids.

-Meridian

They Laughed at My Wall of Binders Until…

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by in charities, group volunteering, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, Uncategorized, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer retention

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

binders

“I took over from a really nice older lady,” volunteer manager Meghan says, “but one thing I couldn’t understand is why she kept all these reports and sign-in sheets from meetings that were two and three years old. I shredded those in an attempt to keep a cleaner office. Then one day we needed to find a volunteer log from a couple of years ago. I had to admit that I got rid of it.” Meghan’s eyes got bigger, “I mean, what were the chances that we would need it?”

Oh, the stacks and stacks of paper we create. Information on prospective volunteers, sign-in sheets from meetings, policies reviewed, applications, surveys, new volunteer interviews and volunteer logs are just some of the records kept in volunteer management. But are they necessary?

For years I was teased about my “pack rat” behavior and folks laughed at my bookcase full of binders that held all the signatures and information I gathered. The binders were in addition to the personal files on past, present and future volunteers that were kept under double lock and key in several file cabinets. These files included background check results,  addresses and phone numbers.

Did I need it all? Most of the time, no, but once in a while, it proved pretty handy,

So here are just a few of the occasions when my “pack rat” binders helped out.

Lawyers for a family needed access to care center front desk sign-in sheets to see if a prohibited family came to visit a client.

A volunteer was reprimanded for breaking new policy. She claimed she and other volunteers were never informed until the policy she signed at a volunteer meeting was produced.

The executive director wanted to know if his neighbor actually came to a volunteer informational session.

A new volunteer insisted that she came to an advanced training but remembered that it was a meeting when shown the sign-in sheets for that training.

Auditors arrived unexpectedly and requested proof of volunteer trainings. (the actual signatures of volunteers)

Odd stats concerning volunteers were needed to apply for a grant application.

A representative from a group of workers that volunteered wanted to know who actually signed in so that they could recognize those employees at the annual company picnic.

Newer volunteer reporting systems have replaced many of the old binder systems. But the point is, the proof that signatures provide may just come in handy one day. Keeping records of meetings and asking volunteers to sign new policies help keep track of those who are and those who are not yet informed of important regulations. And if a volunteer does not attend an important informational meeting, then a copy of the meeting minutes and policies can be mailed or emailed to the absent volunteer with a request of acknowledgement. (and a friendly encouragement to ask questions or give feedback so that you can explain those regulations).

While reports and sign-ins may not be flashy volunteer management, they do serve a useful purpose. Signatures are legal proof that you have done your due diligence when it comes to the proper training, conducting educational meetings for and providing necessary information to your volunteers.

It’s no easy day when you have to prove something and you cannot. Binders and folders on hard drives do not take up that much room.

Besides, when the CEO wants to know if her second cousin once removed was informed of the new dress code, those boring but carefully maintained wall of signatures will give you the answer in a pretty impressive short amount of time.

Who’ll be laughing at the binders then?

-Meridian

 

 

 

May I “Trouble” You For a Plan?

29 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by in charities, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, recruitment, Uncategorized, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer retention

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

plan
“There was something about Jules,” Jake recalled, “something just off. She didn’t seem to connect with the program nor with other staff and volunteers. She never looked me in the eye. She made off the wall comments to other volunteers.She even started to call me after hours with odd requests about volunteering; for example, she called me one Sunday night to see if it would be okay to bake doggie cookies to bring to any staff that owned dogs . Frankly, I had an uncomfortable feeling about her but had no idea what to do about it because she passed our background check.”

Oh boy. We deal with all types of people who are potential volunteers. And unless we are conducting clinical psychological testing sessions with each one, we have to pretty much trust our instincts and judgement when working with volunteers who set off that gnawing gut feeling that something is just “off.”

But. on the flip side, we also walk alongside some pretty amazing people who might be going through common personal issues that render them sensitive such as:

Loneliness/Socially ostracized

Grief/Loss of job/Loss of home/Loss of identity

Illness/Caregiving

So, if the overwhelming majority of volunteers are wonderful, then isn’t it overkill to treat every volunteer as potentially snapping? On the other hand, do we blissfully think we can fix everyone’s challenges by our cheery encouragement? Or is there a professional medium?

I recall a brand new volunteer, Kristof, who had a very strong, almost in your face personality. He passed all background checks. He said the right things in training. But a long-term volunteer, Jim, who was a fellow member of a club Kristof belonged to, told me in confidence that Kristof had threatened to hit a fellow club member.

Now what do we do with second-hand knowledge? Could I hold that against Kristof? Was he a violent man? I hadn’t witnessed violent behavior, but proactively,  I assigned Kristof to a seasoned, mentoring volunteer. Also, in the agreement that Kristof and all other new volunteers signed, it stated that he was under a six month probationary period during which he would be evaluated and could be terminated at any time for rule violation, including threatening or inappropriate behavior.

Sure enough, after about three weeks, one of the mentoring volunteers came to me and said that Kristof had made a threatening gesture towards him. It seems that Kristof did not appreciate being told that he could not go and do whatever he wanted.

So, I called the head of security, Charles and asked him to accompany me and a senior manager in a meeting with Kristof. Thank goodness for Charles. He stood like a statue in the closed doorway, saying nothing, but speaking volumes about our seriousness. I talked with Kristof about the presumed threat. He got angry and said to me, “I see what this is about. I know what you are doing.” I reiterated our policy and he looked at Charles. “I don’t want to be here anyway,” he said. “I quit.”

We walk a fine line here. Being proactive with volunteers prevents surprises and even tragedy down the line. Here are a few things to keep in mind when those little red flags start to flutter before your eyes:

  1. Be aware and monitor-enlist trusted volunteer mentors to help monitor all new volunteers
  2. Have expectations and rules written out and signed by each volunteer
  3. Put probationary periods in place for all new volunteers
  4. Never counsel volunteers alone
  5. Involve security if necessary
  6. Document all “red flag” behavior
  7. Create a step by step procedure to address situations before one arises
  8. Script a conversation that is neutral, professional yet firm
  9. Involve appropriate staff members within the organization
  10. Know risk management assessments, volunteer rights and legal pitfalls

While volunteer managers excel at coaching, inspiring, mentoring and cultivating volunteers, we cannot stick our heads in the sand. Nice people and nice organizations can sadly sometimes be a place that feels right for folks with less than honorable intentions.

Was Jake wise to be concerned about Jules? Yes, because he trusted his instinctive ability to lead. With his heightened awareness, he could then proceed to monitor and/or cultivate Jules’ volunteering. Having a plan in place to act quickly and professionally does not mean that you are suspicious of everyone and everything. It just means that you are prepared to handle difficult situations should they arise. And you are prepared to be a leader.

-Meridian

 

 

 

Hands On Network Tokyo: The Ease of Volunteering

11 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in charities, group volunteering, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, recruitment, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

IMG_2321
http://www.handsontokyo.org/en/home

I was incredibly fortunate to have spent the month of September in Japan visiting my daughter who teaches English as a second language. While visiting this amazing and beautiful country, I was honored to be able to spend some time at Hands On Tokyo, the volunteer center affiliated with the Hands On Network and the only Points of Light affiliate in Japan.

The Japanese people are incredibly kind, generous and considerate, from the man who left his train car to steer my husband and I to our destination to the couple who shared their dinner with us at the Hanshin Tigers’ baseball game. I imagined that the directors of Hands On Tokyo would be welcoming, and they were not only welcoming, but enthusiastic and infectious.

My gracious hosts, Mimi Yoshii, Co-Director and Aya Higa, Co-Director warmly welcomed me to their office in the Minato area of Tokyo. The office was bright, full of schedules and deadlines and event planning. But these two dynamic ladies took time from their busy schedules to tell me about Hands On Tokyo’s many activities.

Hands on Tokyo was founded in 2006 by a group of volunteers including a woman who had been active at Hands On Atlanta. The really neat thing about Hands on Tokyo is their model of partnering the needs of the community with their 5,000+ corporate and individual volunteers. Mimi Yoshii said with understandable pride, “we are unique in that we are the go between for corporate projects and those who need help.” Hands On Tokyo is also distinguished by Japanese and foreign nationals volunteering side by side and as Aya Higa related, “about 60% of volunteers are foreigners living in Japan.”

Interest in Hands On Tokyo really took off after the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Many foreigners stepped forward to offer help, which, under the dire circumstance, was quickly accepted. I asked if the foreigners were viewed in a positive light and Aya Higa stated that the Japanese recipients of help truly appreciated all the faces from other lands. I could only imagine the monumental tasks this organization faced at that time.

I asked about the challenges they face today and as you would expect, they have the same challenges we all face. Background checks are becoming a necessity as is the need for new and meaningful projects. They too experience lopsided periods of time in which there are more volunteers than projects.

Mimi Yoshii emphasized their desire to create an ease of volunteering to encourage the Japanese people to become more involved. One of the barriers to volunteering is the desire by the Japanese people to not shame their friends and neighbors by highlighting the fact that they are in need, a practice referred to as the “culture of shaming.” It reminded me to be more careful when working with clients, so as not to let our desire to help overshadow clients’ need to be treated with dignity and respect.

Mimi and Aya lit up when talking about the interns they work with primarily during summer. These young volunteers, even though they may initially join to work in the office, bring fresh new ideas, something Hands On Tokyo loves to cultivate. One intern, they recalled, a dancer, began a program that brought dance into a nursing home. The residents not only loved it, they asked “when can we do it again?” It quickly became a staple at that nursing home.

Hands On Tokyo cultivates their volunteers by encouraging them to become volunteer leaders. Every project has a volunteer leader on hand. These volunteers demonstrate leadership abilities and possess the skills and experience needed to lead a team. Every month team leaders meet to discuss issues, challenges and methods of motivating and keeping the volunteers on track. A few of the many projects include Special Olympics bowling and basketball, senior home activities, English lessons for the blind, assistance to farmers, rice ball making for single mothers and excursions for Down syndrome children.

Crane made and given to me by a total stranger

Crane made and given to me by a total stranger

Hands On Tokyo volunteers can conveniently sign up for an activity through the website portal. Besides the ongoing projects, there are volunteering events such as “A Taste for Volunteering,” and the “Spring charity concert for Tohoku.”

Recruitment for Hands On Tokyo is through their website and by corporate partners providing interested employees. Aya Higa said that in Japan, if a crowd of people is asked to volunteer, no one will raise their hand, and so their strategy is for volunteers to ask people they know directly, face to face, a practice that yields much better results.

All in all, it was encouraging to find volunteer management in Japan mirroring the same challenges and solutions that we face in the US. I was deeply impressed by the dedication, excitement and pure joy of Hands On Tokyo’s co-directors, Aya Higa and Mimi Yoshii. Their hospitality was so appreciated.

Thank you ladies for sharing your passion for volunteerism with me and for showing me that the rewards and challenges of volunteer management are universal. Visiting Hands On Tokyo is a treasured moment from a wonderful trip to an amazing country.

Arigatou gozaimasu!

-Meridian

Face It: Fit, Attitude, Change, Expectations, by Intervention within a Timeline Part 2

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by in charities, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, recruitment, resale shops, staff and volunteer relationships, thrift store, treatment of volunteers, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer retention

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”
…Kahlil Gibran

You have a volunteer that is problematic and you are at the point where you believe you have done everything possible to integrate that volunteer. You’ve examined your personal feelings on the situation and feel that you have removed emotion from the equation and are dealing with the challenge in a logical way. So, now what to do?
Well, think of this acronym- Face It:  Fit, Attitude, Change Adaptability, and Expectations through Intervention within a Timeline. I know it’s a mouth and mindful but hopefully it will help in remembering how to go about working with challenging volunteers. When integrating a volunteer becomes difficult, use this acronym to see if, after interventions within a timeline, there is improvement. Let’s look at each letter in FACE IT.

Fit: How well does the volunteer fit, not only within the organization, but in her role, with other volunteers, and in the mission? Is the job just the wrong fit or does her philosophy not mesh with the organization’s mission? Does her personality clash with all other volunteers and staff? Is she there for some underlying agenda?

Attitude: Does the volunteer have a troublesome attitude? Does he incessantly complain? Does he undermine? Is he excessively negative? Is he disrespectful to his supervisors and co-workers? Does he feel that he is superior to the tasks and to the mission?

Change Adaptability: Is the volunteer able to weather change? Does she dig in her heels when faced with a new policy? Does she refuse to adjust and claims that because it was always done a certain way, you have no right to progress? Does she subvert the mission because she cannot accept new ways and new people?

Expectations: Is the volunteer meeting clearly defined expectations? Is he chronically late or a no-show? Does he ignore rules and regulations? Does he do whatever he wants without regard to organizational needs? Does he feel that it is not important to communicate with you? Is he a Lone Ranger, but without the white hat?

These are four pillars of excellent volunteering. When one or more pillars become troublesome, an intervention with that volunteer is necessary. Sometimes it’s just life’s stress that causes great volunteers to go off course. Intervention is never mean but instead, indicates that you notice a change in the volunteer’s behavior and that you respect this volunteer’s contributions and want to help him succeed.

But help without clear objectives and timelines is futile, so let’s look at the second word in the acronym and the steps of implementation.

Intervention:
1. Meet with the volunteer to discuss the area(s) that need(s) improvement.
2. Point to your rules and regulations, policies and procedures to illustrate your concerns.
3. Present your evidence, but emphasize your desire to help the volunteer succeed. While note keeping on volunteers may seem underhanded, without details on egregious behavior, your “case” is broad and hearsay.  Besides, specifics help a volunteer see the exact behavior that needs improvement.
4. Reiterate your commitment to working with this volunteer and then lay a course for how the volunteer can improve.

Timeline: I can’t emphasize this enough-Timelines are critical. How long do we give a volunteer to improve? Having a clear deadline is effective. Having some random phantom goal in the future will doom your intervention every time.
1. Set follow up meetings at intervals to monitor improvement.
2. Make sure you collect evidence of the volunteer’s performance for further steps.
3. Always meet on premise.
4. Have at least one other staff member present. This not only gives you another set of eyes and ears, but limits the “he said, she said” aspect and shows the volunteer that you have the support of the organization.
5. Always leave interventions after asking if the volunteer understands the steps outlined, because if you don’t, that volunteer can easily say that he did not comprehend what was being discussed.

Interventions are usually enough to motivate a volunteer to succeed, especially if the volunteer is new (having a clear six month probationary period for all new volunteers helps too). But for the minute number of volunteers who do not improve, a “parting as friends” and a “wishing you well” is in order.

Without upfront, clear instruction and expectations, no manager can assume that volunteers know what is expected of them.
Rules, job descriptions, termination policies and the steps of intervention must be written and signed by each and every volunteer.
Infractions must be recorded and addressed immediately with volunteers.
Often, we view ourselves as too nice to point out egregious behavior. But really, we are not being too nice, we are just practicing confrontation avoidance.
Instead, the nice thing to do is to help a volunteer excel, not languish, unable to improve, isolated and ostracized by staff and peers.
The nice thing to do is to create an atmosphere of excellence, of lofty expectations, of volunteer quality so that your volunteers are proud to contribute and your clients are served by the very best.

Yes, I want to be tender and kind, and I will by being strong and resolute.
-Meridian

Oh, next time: Collecting Evidence

The Evolution of Thought

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in charities, NGO, non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, Uncategorized, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

2014-09-29 11.46.26

All things evolve, says science and who am I to disagree although I frankly wish scientists would figure out how the brain can answer emails during REM sleep. (Don’t bother me now with your question, I’m flying! Hey! Is that a pig?) Anyway, it’s interesting to note how much volunteerism has evolved over the years and keeping up with trends is now a large part of a volunteer manager’s job. I often think back to how I viewed things twenty years ago and compare that to how I view things today. For better or worse, you can’t help but marvel at how your thoughts evolve with the times. In particular, I’m referring to the concept of good old risk management.

Risk management is one of those things that we must pay attention to, like it or not. It’s kinda like the caloric information on a caramel smoothie or your mother’s voice in your head when you’re about to follow that stray dog down a dark alley. (“But ma, he might need a home!”)

I’ve learned to view everything through the lens of risk management, no matter how corporate and sell-out it seems.  I was never too happy being hauled up into the CEO’s office because a volunteer stole a client’s credit cards and went to Vegas. Nope, would rather not have to explain that one.

So, I looked back at my years as a volunteer manager and here’s how risk management evolved in my thought processes.

20 years ago: “Wow, you want to volunteer, that is so amazing, thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am you chose us. My gosh, look at you, you are so wonderful! What? You want to bring your gun with you when you volunteer? Ummm, I don’t see the harm in that, the point is, you want to volunteer, I am so happy!! And have I said thank you?!”

15 years ago: “Hello and thank you for volunteering, we certainly can use a person with your skills. You are going to do so well here, I am convinced of it. What’s that? You wanted to tell me about your recent incarceration for grand theft? That is so honest of you, thank you for sharing that with me. Well, yes, we do a teensie background check, but we really want you to volunteer, so I will make sure that we get you started.”

10 years ago: “Welcome to our volunteering orientation. According to our volunteers, it is a privilege and honor to work with our clients and I trust you will feel the same. Now let’s learn a little about you. Uh huh, uh huh, what was that? Oh, you have made some mistakes in the past, I see, well, let’s move forward and I must tell you that we do background checks, but we will see what happens and deal with it when we have to. But now, let’s talk about how excited we are to have you volunteer.”

5 years ago: “Hello and welcome, I am so glad you are taking this first step towards volunteering with our great organization. Why don’t we take this opportunity to go over our rules and regulations. Because our volunteers are crucial members of the team, we do require them to pass background checks, fingerprinting and abide by the guidelines that allow all of us, myself included, to work with our clients in a professional manner. We are so glad you are here and want you to be at your best because that’s what our clients deserve and what will make your experience memorable.”

1 year ago: “Hello and let me preface this by saying that we only take squeaky clean volunteers here. You will be put through a rigorous screening, including drug testing, psychological profiling and searches every time you come on property. You will obey the rules at all times. Any infraction will require immediate termination. Do you understand? Now give me some hair strands for the drug test. You heard me, pull ’em out!”

All right, that last one was a bit exaggerated. And even though I still cringe when my first thoughts are, “what is the risk involved here,” I have learned to live with my corporate shill side. I still am thankful for each and every volunteer, and still feel warm and fuzzy towards the magic of volunteering.

I’ve just learned that when you expect excellence from volunteers, they step up and provide it. And any risk in striving for excellence is well worth it.

Hmmm, evolution doesn’t have to hurt so much.
-Meridian

Let’s Just Have Tea, Shall We?

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, prospective volunteer, recruitment, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management, volunteer retention

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

teaMarlene has been a volunteer coordinator for ten years. She’s adventurous, loves rock climbing, extreme sports and her idea of a pleasant evening is a demolition derby. It’s only natural that she would bring her sense of adventure to volunteer management.

“I like to try new things all the time,” she says with the tiny grin of a child caught in the act. “I like to see the things others are doing and try to incorporate that into my volunteer program. Here at my hospital, it’s easy to get into a complacent stage where you think all people who come to volunteer in a hospital setting are pretty much the same type of person. I’m constantly being told to find retired nurses and health care workers, because they would naturally want to continue their line of work after retiring, wouldn’t they?” She laughs easily. “I mean it’s this kind of thinking that breeds a stale environment. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that a retired nurse would be easy to train because she knows the system so well and can follow the rules. But,” she adds with a mischievous gleam in her eye, “what about the retired nurse who was so fed up with obeying the rules, and she wants to volunteer to break the constraints wide open? Huh, what about that?”

Marlene has a great point. Organizational administrations who tend to lump potential volunteers together will most likely also make the mistake of lumping actual volunteers together in a “them” mentality. Ignoring the subtle complexities of volunteer management will foster this stale and outdated thinking.

“When it comes to interviewing potential volunteers,” Marlene continued, “I’ve tried everything from quizzes to group interviews to structured questions. Sometimes these techniques work, and sometimes they don’t. We’re in an age when background checks are not enough, not if you really want to get to know the motivations of the volunteers working within your system. Do background checks uncover mental illness? Does a quick call to a reference on an application reveal the tendency to get over-involved with children? Will an interview question about the reason a person comes to volunteer actually produce the real answer?” Her grin widens. “And what is the real answer, now that is the question?”

Marlene has had some experiences she wanted to share with us. “Look, I tried a list of good, solid questions, but what I often found was that I immediately put the volunteer on the defensive. For instance, I asked a man why he wanted to volunteer with us and he shrank back like I hit him with a bat. I could see in his eyes that he was searching for to the correct thing to say, so I knew right then that I wouldn’t be getting an honest answer. Now, mind you, this man became a great volunteer, but that interview question did not help me in any way. Actually, it hindered the rest of the interview and it took some time to get to know him.”

Marlene looked for the right words. “But, I knew that I wanted answers to certain questions so I started experimenting with peppering the questions into a casual conversation. The whole process took a bit longer, but I found that in the majority of cases, it was well worth it. My mother was born in England and so I began to create in my mind what I termed the ‘spot of tea’ scenario. I would invite potential volunteers in for a twenty-minute chat and a cup of tea or coffee.

At first I started by asking them simple questions and I found that even that put them a bit on the defensive so I experimented with trying to put them at ease. And now I begin by first explaining our program to them. It works so much better and puts them at ease. I start by introducing myself and talk about how the program works, our volunteer jobs, and some of the benefits of volunteering. I make sure that I tell them how rewarding our existing volunteers find their work to be. Then, and only then, do I start to ask some questions in a conversational manner. I’ll reword the questions every time so that it doesn’t sound so rehearsed.” Marlene laughs. “If you don’t think most potential volunteers can spot a canned question, then you don’t know volunteers!”

She continued, “when people are comfortable, they will naturally open up, much more than when they are put on the spot by invasive questions like why are you here?” Marlene then recalled an incident during the beginnings of her ‘spot of tea’ interview. “I remember one young man who came in. We were talking, really getting to know one another and he told me that he had been fired from his last job. Because a red flag went up in my head, I carefully asked him what had happened and he told me. I was shocked that he confided in me, but it turned out to be a reason that prevented us from taking him as a volunteer. A background check would not have revealed that information to me. He did.”

Assessing potential volunteers is something all volunteer managers want to do well. There really is no perfect question, technique or method involved in getting to know volunteers. Whether you have a set of specific questions or not, Marlene advocates first putting prospective volunteers at ease. “Make them comfortable with you so that they can be honest. That way, you’ll not only get some honest answers, but you’ll also have a leg up on figuring out a fit for them. And besides, it’s gratifying learning the volunteers’ stories. It helps you and it makes them feel a part of the organization right from the start.”

This is why volunteer managers are so incredibly good at their jobs. Even the simplest of tasks such as interviewing a prospective volunteer is viewed as crucial to organizational success. Volunteer managers like Marlene may not try to be perfect, but in striving to do the best possible job in every situation is surely as professional as it gets.
-Meridian

And Now for Something Completely Different

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in non-profit, organizations, part time volunteer manager, Volunteer, volunteer background checks, volunteer coordinator, volunteer management

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

MontyPythonsFlyingCircusREB73MI am a huge Monty Python fan. My husband and I, when first married would stay home, out of clubs and restaurants to watch Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It was brilliant. (ok, I’m giving up my age, but don’t care).  The lexicon from those shows and subsequent movies became part of his and my vocabulary. We talk about spam (in shrill voices), used to tell our children that “it’s just a flesh wound” (only during minor injuries of course) and diffuse an argument by saying, “I didn’t expect the Spanish inquisition!”

So what on earth does this have to do with volunteer management you ask. It’s a fair question. I came across an article on a Python reunion and had to grab a cup of coffee, close the door and get into a comfortable chair to read it. It was like being contacted by an old friend. I just wanted to reminisce (and maybe find out how the dead parrot was doing). See, to me, humor and silliness have a place in everything, especially irreverent humor. Think of the doctors who save lives, but bandy jokes back and forth about death. Finding the absurd can alleviate stress and the Flying Circus cut through so much seriousness and let us laugh.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/silly-monty-python-reunites-weekend-tribute-30566428

But the part that struck me most about this article was Eric Idle’s theorem of comedy: Idle: “Comedy is a theorem. You write it, and think, ‘In theory if I say this like that, and I wear that, and I stand in that place, the result will be laughter.’ So it’s a theorem. And then you actually prove it. And that’s the nice thing about comedy: They laugh or they don’t. So I think of it as algebra.”

Algebra. Hmmm, really smart people can do algebra.

Many years ago, I did an unscientific poll on what people thought of volunteer coordinators. I was just curious and at the time, the words that were used to describe us were words like caring, compassionate, nice, considerate and helpful. While these are wonderful attributes, not one person said volunteer coordinators are “smart”. So, Eric Idle (who is brilliant, not just smart) got me to thinking. Is volunteer management a theorem like comedy? Well, maybe the Ministry of similarities can show us how we are very similar to the brilliance of comedy.

In theory, we take a need and we postulate that volunteer Y, coupled with circumstance X will equal the desired result Z. On the proactive flip side, we postulate that volunteer A, coupled with circumstance B can create program C to meet future needs. And, as Eric Idle pointed out, the theorem works or doesn’t. If the need is not met, we go back to the blackboard. equationsprofesseurtableauchalkboardlessonslearnedblackboard-8516aadf23e9e2986c04a766fdd620a2_h

If volunteer managers simply called every name on their list for every need, there would be no theorem involved. (Now sometimes we get desperate and actually call every name, but not routinely). A robot could accomplish that task. Instead, we begin to postulate the most workable theorem in our heads.

The algebraic equation, when we start to analyze who and how best to meet a need looks something like this:

The Need: A volunteer to drive an elderly lady client to doctor’s appointments.

Begin with a Volunteer (Y) from the list:

Volunteer Joanne does not want to work with clients.

Volunteer Claire loves to work with clients.

Volunteer Betty will occasionally work with clients if you are in a bind.

Volunteer Sadie will only work with clients who live in her mobile home park.

You’ve already eliminated all the male volunteers because you do not place male volunteers with female clients.

Add Circumstance (X): The client lives on the same block as Joanne, far from Claire, a short distance from Betty and near Sadie but outside of her park.

Joanne + circumstance = she will say no.

Claire + circumstance = a burden on Claire.

Betty + circumstance = a real possibility.

Sadie + circumstance = a possibility if you can point out that taking this client is almost like taking someone in her mobile home park.

The Z (meets the need or sum of Y+X) is most likely calling Betty first, then Sadie, then Claire, then perhaps Joanne. Or, you, being a problem solver might ask two volunteers to split the assignment or you might pair Joanne with Claire so that she can be mentored for later assignments (thus solving a future equation at the same time). There are many combinations, but the point is, the volunteer manager is constantly formulating. Now that’s smart.

I know what you’re thinking. The above example is so kindergardenly simplistic, it’s laughable. You, an experienced volunteer manager, are working at college level math. Within these volunteer equations are variables such as personality traits, availability, current volunteer load, the need for a break, social obligations, family emergencies, other activities, level of training and experience and so many more. Add to that the variables such as clients’ personalities and specific needs and voila, your mind’s blackboard looks like the scribblings of a madman.

Is volunteer management nothing more than a call down list, or is volunteer management a well thought out algebraic equation created to serve clients, volunteers and society in the best possible scenario? I think we know the answer but we need the non-profit world to realize that we are more akin to mathematicians than robo-callers.

So, ok, in this career, I’m glad we are being referred to as nice, considerate and helpful. But I’d also like for us to be recognized as smart.

-Meridian