As a leader of volunteers, you know you possess all sorts of wonderful traits, but how do you exhibit them at work? Or, could it be that (as I’ve experienced more times than I care to admit) what seems obvious to you is not obvious at all?
Being zombified means through stressors, you’ve lost your vitality, your human essence. You’ve lost you.
Listen in as one of volunteer management’s thought leaders, Elisa Kosarin discusses strategic planning, moving up, adapting traditional volunteer roles into virtual and her favorite volunteer manager “hat.”
Think about a potential volunteer’s questions when navigating your site. “Who is the first person I will meet? Who will train me, direct me, encourage me, coach me, teach me what I need to know to succeed? Who will be there for me when I have an issue?”
In business, it’s all about acquiring and keeping customers. In nonprofits, it’s all about acquiring and keeping donors while using volunteers.
Are we, volunteer managers lone nuts? Is no one listening? Do we whine, cajole, beg, furiously educate, preach, go back and squeeze our stress ball, then start again?
In this episode, Corina Sadler shares her thoughts on an important, but seldom discussed topic: Volunteer managers’ personal and professional development.
When you hear a volunteer laughingly repeat, “I know, we’re all valuable in making this change work,” you’re on the right track.
It takes emotional time and energy to be an empathetic listener. Are we being emotionally drained or are we benefiting from empathetic listening?
Unlike HR folks, who contend with active staff, volunteer managers are tethered to every volunteer, whether they are actively volunteering or they’re rotating in the periphery.
