Strategizing priorities when receiving volunteer requests ensures that volunteers are engaged in meaningful, mission critical work. (see Attention: The Volunteer Department Now Has Ground Rules ) By creating a weighted system around organizational priorities, volunteer services becomes focused on mission centric volunteer engagement. But there is one huge caveat that needs to accompany the priorities for volunteer requests. One very big one.
After strategizing mission centric volunteer engagement priorities, the areas that rise to the top are most likely:
working directly with clients
supporting the smooth day-to-day running of the organization
supporting work with key stakeholders
These three areas are where organizations spend the vast majority of their time, resources and efforts and the areas where volunteers’ contributions create the biggest impact.
So, why a caveat in these three areas? What is missing?
It is the inclusion of the volunteer manager in the planning, creation and continued input into the volunteer positions within these areas. Edicts, directives and mandates that exclude the input of leaders of volunteers are doomed to be ineffective or worse, fail.
Creating volunteer positions without the volunteer manager’s input is like a team showing up to a baseball game without bats, balls or gloves. The players just stand there, unable to hit home runs and unable to catch a ball. The gear is integral to playing the game with success. We, volunteer managers possess the gear.
We, the equipment holders have to take a stand. Our volunteers need us to champion their involvement. Our organizations need our knowledge. Our clients need the excellence only we can provide. When advocating for a seat at this planning table, continually refer to the benefit of having you there.
My knowledge of our volunteers’ skills and motivations is necessary to strategize the most effective volunteer involvement. I bring our volunteers’ passion and will elevate the ways we can move forward while saving time, money and effort. I will shape these positions so that our volunteers are invested and will not only stay, but want to do more. I have the experience necessary to design each position in order to boost volunteer interest.
The most important volunteer positions must be defined by the person who leads volunteers, not only to maximize program results, but in order to ensure volunteer satisfaction and sustainability. Volunteer managers have the equipment needed to unlock volunteer potential while increasing results and retaining volunteers.
What happens when organizations fail to include the volunteer manager in planning volunteer engagement?
skilled volunteers quit due to lack of meaningful roles
potential game changing programs never get created
a vicious cycle of recruiting volunteers as “warm bodies” is perpetuated
the organization is viewed as archaic and out of touch
highly motivated volunteer managers quit
clients are denied excellent support
a toxic negativity borne from frustration prevails
organizations become stuck in outmoded ways
We, volunteer managers have to be willing to lobby for our seat at the planning table, not only for ourselves, but for our volunteers, clients and communities. Our organizations promise to deliver quality service and it is up to us to ensure that the volunteer piece provides excellence.
Mission Centric Volunteer Engagement means strategizing the priorities that further the mission, deliver the most bang for the buck, and ensure volunteer sustainability. None of this can happen without volunteer manager input at the planning table.
“I need 8 volunteers or maybe 9, no wait,” she says, grabbing your arm in the hallway, “yeah, make it 10, the more the better, right?” Her attention is on the person down the hall, but she glances over her shoulder. “Have them at the Reed Center at 9 tomorrow.”
Well, hello ground rules. Continuing the conversation from last week, (and a big shout out to everyone who weighed in here and onLinkedInwith great ideas on their excellent ground rules) here are two ways to look at setting them up.
MY OWN PERSONAL FANTASY GROUND RULES:
Three staff members request volunteers. Count the number of letters to determine which request gets top priority: The smallest number of letters wins.
Amy: A
Roz: R
Herschel: H
As you can see, Herschel clearly wins even though he only gave 3 days’ notice to find volunteers versus the week Roz gave. And Amy, well, it will be a cold day in Honolulu before she gets a volunteer, unless it’s the guy that has to do court ordered volunteering, the one that talks incessantly about how he only had two beers when he crashed into that tree. Yep, Amy, I got your back.
Ok, now for real. What are some of the priorities that can actually be weighed against less important requests? When proposing the adoption of priorities versus non-priorities to upper management, bring a few examples of how you look at prioritizing volunteer engagement.
And don’t be afraid to drop the “S” word: Strategy. As in, “in order to better serve the mission, let’s strategize our priorities.”
Your list of examples will spur senior management to adopt a “Priority Principle.” Setting priorities means asking the following questions and assigning a weight to each one. Weight determines priority status.
Do the clients come first, no matter what? What does the mission say? Clearly, the client’s needs are the reason we exist. This is a great place to start, because weight should be the highest.
What does the organization need to run smoothly? Volunteers are vital in keeping the organization running. Do volunteers fill in for staff when they are absent? Do volunteers take weekend shifts? Do volunteers occupy roles that must be filled in order to serve clients? The weight here has to be really high.
Which stakeholders count the most? Donors, dignitaries, potential clients and influencers all carry weight. What events or strategies involve the most bang for the buck? This is where weight will flesh out low priority requests. Staffing a booth at a last-minute weekend fair carries little weight against an annual festival with high visibility attended by key stakeholders.
Is the time frame reasonable? Weight needs to balance up and down between last-minute and timely requests.
Is the request feasible? It may be hard to define feasibility, because we typically entertain all requests. (which does not imply all requests will be met) Having a listing or report outlining the skills, availability and interests of the volunteers can be applied against requests. Weight is equal to feasibility. For example, you can say…
At this time, we do not have any volunteers who have an interest in washing the board members’ cars as a ‘thank you.’ Time spent trying to convince our volunteers that this activity is more meaningful than engaging with clients or keeping the reception desk staffed will deplete precious time from requests that further our mission.
What is the amount of work involved when enlisting volunteers? Work=time=there’s only so much, even if you work sixty hour weeks. How many volunteers are requested? How specialized are the skills needed?
Are any of the following factors within the request out of the norm? (timeframe, location, ability to get to assignment, duties, weather, duration, stress level, etc.) Complicated requests require additional time and if the complicated request holds a high priority, then the weight of other requests is reduced by a factor reflecting the extra effort needed to obtain volunteers.
How does this engage volunteers? We must add this one into the mix. Volunteer retention or sustainability is directly related to engagement. Strategizing retention must be highly weighted and given top priority.
We may not agree with all of the decisions made when administration strategizes priorities, but we have to be flexible because having administration’s ‘stamp of approval’ will be worth it the next time a flurry of requests are dropped on your desk.
Volunteer services is not a buffet of ordering without end. Actually, even buffets have a limited number of choices if you think about it. I can’t get Tantanmen at any of the buffets in my area, although I crave it. So, why should anyone be able to “get” a volunteer to sit outside the chapel “just in case an upset family member should enter?”
Professional, efficient volunteer departments need ground rules in order to ensure the priority requests are met. After all, at year-end, the organization is no better off because you ‘got’ five volunteers to dress up like clowns at some poorly attended event, right?
Sometimes misdeeds are huge, indefensible and devastating. Take the ongoing scandal involving Oxfam for instance. It’s big.
But slippery slopes lurk everywhere, like alligator eyes floating above the river, waiting to take you down. Misdeeds can begin innocently and maybe they won’t make the front pages, but they will ripple through your water when that gator pulls you under.
Melanie was a volunteer coordinator who cared deeply for her volunteers. She personally interviewed each one to get to know them and understand their strengths. She attended birthdays, took volunteers to appointments and helped when volunteers needed assistance.
One of her volunteers Dorothy, was a widow, her husband having died a few years before. Melanie invited Dorothy over for dinner a few times a month and introduced her to her husband and children. They welcomed her, making Dorothy an honorary family member. Taking care of Dorothy made Melanie feel really good about her role as a volunteer manager.
But one day, Melanie came to work and was called into the CEO’s office. It seems that Dorothy’s daughter, who lived out-of-state, came to visit her mother and went through some of her mother’s finances. She discovered Dorothy had loaned Melanie money to pay for a soccer clinic for the kids. Innocent, right? Melanie was put on probation, paid the money back and more tragically, never recovered her exuberant spirit. She became cautious, bitter, not sure how she could ever be close to her volunteers again. She quit.
What is your gift/loan/money policy at work? Does it include volunteers? We tend to make sure our volunteers know their boundaries, but do we have policy regarding staff’s (including us, the volunteer manager) boundaries with them? (for an example of employee gift policies, see the balance)
While we seek to forge deep relationships with our volunteers, we have to keep this in mind: We are the volunteers’ supervisor. Not a peer, not a friend, not a counselor, not a family member, not the fixer of their lives. We are their boss.
As their boss, we must define gifts to and from a volunteer. Is a card ok? A cup of tea? Seriously, these items all have a monetary value and defining value helps to create policy and creating specific policies regarding gifts between staff and volunteers will save any misinterpretation down the road.
If a volunteer offers money, or a gift card, tickets to an event, a new blouse they bought but don’t like, say no. All of these items are alligator eyes peering at you from beneath the water. They all have monetary value. Instead, ask that volunteer to donate the money or item to the organization in your name and for heaven’s sakes, ask them to write a note accompanying the donation saying how awesome and ethical you are.
But NEVER take money from a volunteer for any reason. It’s the grand poobah of slippery slopes. And having that policy in writing gives you all the backup you need to say a polite but firm “no.”
Some misdeeds will be headline news, will damage a charity’s reputation and set the great work done by so many other dedicated staff and volunteers back by years. That’s a tragedy. These misdeeds may be so egregious that they are obviously wrong to the rest of us, but, then, there are the minor little innocently begun misdeeds that also damage good intent in subtle, but very real and lasting ways. Every day simple mistakes ruin good careers.
Be involved with and care about your volunteers, but when it comes to money, Don’t. Do. This. Ever.
Brrr, when its bitter cold outside, we dress for the “feels like” temperature index, right? This apparent temperature takes into consideration the way wind speed, relative humidity and actual temperature feel like on the human body. If humidity is low and the wind is strong, 38 degrees feels like 19 degrees.
Maybe we, volunteer managers need our own “feels like” index based on the “feels like” temperature index utilized in weather forecasts. Let’s call it the “Intent Index.”
Our “feels like” intent index is based on the addition of tone, (TO) and preconceived notions (PN).
So, in other words, what someone says to us can feel quite different from their words alone convey, based on their tone and preconceived notions. We, volunteer managers are really used to hearing these underlying intents.
Some examples are:
Volunteer Todd: So, that was an interesting assignment. I suppose you had a good reason for putting Humphrey in charge of us. (did you just feel the temperature drop?)
click to hear what Todd is really saying:
Marketing staff member Zoe: Thank you for getting those five volunteers last-minute. We managed to muddle through. (get your coat, it’s getting colder in here)
click to hear what Zoe is really saying:
Corporate volunteering partner Dana: I’ve already been told by other volunteer coordinators that volunteer organizations can’t accommodate fifty people on short notice. I guess we can send twenty. I’m sure our CEO will understand. (oh my, the temperature just plummeted!)
click to hear what Dana is really saying:
When you feel the tone and preconceived notions at play, the question then becomes, should we ignore the intent index and just let these things go? Or, just as we dress for the “feels like” temperature outside, shouldn’t we be prepared to address conversations that have underlying messages?
What to do? Well, when we feel someone utilizing tone and preconceived notions as a not so subtle message, it’s ok to ask about it, to get these intents out in the open so as to find their origin, dispel the myths and clear the air.
We can counter with statements and questions such as:
“Thank you for that feedback, but I’m hearing something else too. Can you tell me what you felt went wrong?”
“That’s very helpful. But I’m wondering about your other statement which seems to imply something else. Did you experience something or hear someone’s negative experience that makes you think that?”
“I’m glad you brought that up. I’m perceiving some dissatisfaction and it’s my goal to provide excellent volunteer experiences. I’d love for you to share with me the reasons you are dissatisfied.”
Now, none of these responses mean that we have to fix or agree with everything we hear. These are simply meant to open a dialogue so as to understand these underlying intents. From openness, we can begin to show, educate, resolve and repair.
When it feels like 19 degrees outside, we get out the gloves and mittens. There’s no reason we can’t also prepare ourselves for the drop in meaning when confronted with the “intent index,” and take charge to address the intent.
Feels like something a leader of volunteers would do.
Recently I had the pleasure in chatting with Laura Rundell, CVA, the Volunteer Coordinator at LifeBridge Community Services in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
VPT: Laura, tell us a little bit about your background in the volunteer management sector.
L: I’ve been involved in the volunteer sector since 1999. During grad school where I received my Master’s in History, I worked part-time for the Park service. I have also worked for several other organizations, including the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in Weston, Massachusetts, the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania and I am currently the Volunteer Coordinator at Life Bridge Community Services in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
VPT: And how long have you been at Life Bridge?
L: I’ve been here since 2014.
VPT: What brought you to volunteer services?
L: It was at the Phipps Conservatory that I began to fall in love with volunteer management. I had come from a smaller organization to Phipps and found out they had over 500 names on their volunteer list, so the scope changed dramatically.
VPT: And how did you come to be at Life Bridge?
L: I moved to Connecticut and landed at Life Bridge in 2014.
VPT: You’ve had a number of experiences thus far. What have they taught you?
L: Not all my experiences were perfect. An already challenging job is much harder when the goals for the program and the roles for volunteers are less defined.
I appreciate where I am as a volunteer manager now and loved my time at Phipps because they support the volunteer program and there are clear expectations and specific roles for volunteers.
VPT: Can you give us an example?
L: Yes. When I was invited for an interview at Life Bridge, I noted that the person who would be my supervisor had the CVA credential. It was clear they had put thought into their volunteer program and knew what it would take to make it successful. In my third interview, I was sitting at a table with all of the staff who would utilize volunteers in their programs. I was really impressed that they put so much thought and effort into recruiting for this position and knew then it was an organization I really wanted to work for. I was delighted to be offered the position.
VPT: That is impressive.
L: And, just recently, our Executive Director asked for a volunteer to be involved in researching best practices for a project. That shows commitment to engaging volunteer help at all levels of our organization.
VPT: I’ve noticed you are weighing in on articles and blog posts more and more and that is great; we need more voices. What do you feel is the future of volunteer management?
L: I see so many non-profits stretched thin and need more volunteers to take on a greater role.
VPT: That’s a good thing for increased volunteer participation, right?
L: Yes it sure is, but I think the number one challenge for most volunteer coordinators is recruitment. It will be an even bigger challenge moving forward to keep filling those roles with qualified and committed volunteers. It means we all have to “step up our game”.
VPT: Are you seeing changes in the volunteers who are stepping forward?
L: There are more episodic volunteers, more students who are seeking career experience, and more individuals in the midst of a career change seeking resume enhancers and references. There are also more opportunities to recruit corporate and college groups.
VPT: Are there inherent challenges with episodic volunteers?
L: We have had some really great short-term volunteers. Not every role is appropriate for someone who may only be with us a short time though. Some roles require clearances that can take 4 weeks to get back, so we really hope the person in that role can stay with us for at least a year. We’ve also gotten some really great college and corporate groups. However, walking that balance between offering the flexibility large groups may require and making it a meaningful opportunity that adds value to the organization is a challenge.
VPT: What have you discovered about recruiting volunteers that you can share with us?
L: You have to respond promptly when an applicant contacts you. When I relocated to Pittsburgh from Massachusetts, I contacted several organizations to volunteer and never got a return call. That was really frustrating. After that first contact though, the applicant has to be invested — it has to be their choice to move forward. I have learned you can waste a lot of time spinning your wheels if an applicant doesn’t respond to a request to meet with you, doesn’t show up for an appointment or doesn’t follow up afterwards.
VPT: Changing direction, do you feel as though volunteer managers are starting to build a community with one another?
L: By the time I became a CVA, I was linked to a community of volunteer managers. But, often, a volunteer manager is a department of one and is isolated. When I was in Pittsburgh, I reached out to similar volunteer organizations and we volunteer managers would get together a couple of times a year to have lunch and share best practices. Here in Connecticut, we have Volunteer Square and they have done a wonderful job in creating a Professional Development Series for volunteer managers. I’m honored to serve on their advisory board.
VPT: So, there are some steps being taken.
L: You know there is an Association of Fundraising Professionals (www.afpnet.org/) for those who are in the fundraising end but we have no association for volunteer managers. I wish we had one nationwide organization. Not everyone can attend a national conference, but if we had a national association, we could have branches in our areas that we could connect with and could set national standards for our profession.
VPT: What do you see as future challenges for our profession?
L: As non-profit funding continues to decline, there will be more and more dependence on volunteer programs to pick up the slack and organizations will be utilizing volunteer services more. As everyone scrambles for a piece of the ever-shrinking pie, we need to have a unified voice instead of competing against one another for limited resources. For instance, if we all required that courts who refer mandated community service applicants to our agencies provide the funding necessary to fully vet, train and supervise these applicants, we might make some real changes in how court mandated service is assigned nationally.
VPT: What advice do you have for new volunteer managers?
L: After I moved to Connecticut, I remember talking to a volunteer I worked with in Pittsburgh and the volunteer said, “We want to work with staff who have drunk the Kool Aid.” If staff is unhappy, or does not believe in the work, then volunteers pick up on that. If an agency has a lot of turnover and has difficulty retaining paid staff, than recruiting and retaining volunteers may be an uphill battle.
L: I would also say, make sure you connect with other volunteer managers in your area. I have learned so much from my colleagues. Just an hour spent talking with another volunteer coordinator over lunch or coffee can be invaluable. You can learn “It’s not just me…others have this problem too” Also, obtaining the CVA (certified volunteer administrator) is very helpful. I feel like the CVA credential has given me more of a standing in my organization. The CVA gives me ethical standards to adhere to and by virtue of my having it, my volunteer program is elevated.
L: Also, you need to have rules and policies in place and stick to them. If someone wants you to waive the requirements for a new volunteer, remember this: There are bad actors who seek out vulnerable populations. This is why we don’t bend the rules. Make sure you have a volunteer manual, written policies, and an agreement letter for the volunteer to sign.
VPT: What makes a difference for you?
L: I feel blessed to do what I do. Yes, there are challenges, yes there are frustrations, but a well-run volunteer program can leverage the passion and talent of volunteers.
L: I’ll leave you with my favorite story about a volunteer. Before I was at Phipps, I was in charge of an exhibition opening of student art work in Pittsburgh. The students, their parents and the artist they worked with were all on their way, along with a volunteer to help at the reception. Right before the event, we had a severe storm warning and most of our staff left the building. Meanwhile, our volunteer drove through the storm to be there. The kids and their parents all had a great time at the exhibition opening because the volunteer made a commitment and the storm wasn’t going to stop her from coming! That is just one of the stories that keeps me motivated and gets me up in the morning.
VPT: Thank you Laura for your insights and for sharing with us today. We look forward to hearing more of your voice in the volunteer management arena.
Oh those 3 innocent words, words we utter in good faith. We’ve made sure the assignment is solid, and we’ve handpicked the volunteer. What could go wrong?
Yuri, a new volunteer manager excitedly forwarded the city council’s emailed invitation to her volunteer, Chase. He had been chosen to receive the Samuel P. Goldman annual award for charitable work.
Yuri sent the email, adding that she would meet Chase there. She arrived early that day and took a seat in the audience. When the council meeting got underway, Yuri kept glancing towards the door, watching for Chase. With growing unease, she finally tiptoed out of the room and stood in the outer hall, where she pulled out her address book, and dialed Chase’s number. “Where are you?” She whispered into the phone.
“I’m here, at the Goldman Center,” Chase answered, “and there’s no one around. Where are you?”
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, crap. The email she had forwarded wasn’t particularly clear on details. Chase had assumed that the award ceremony would take place at the Goldman building instead of the city council chamber. Since it was too late for him to get there on time, Yuri accepted the award in Chase’s absence, all the while kicking herself. Not only was there a missed photo opportunity, there was the disappointed council and now she had a dejected volunteer who had lost a chance to be recognized for his hard work. It was a trifecta of volunteer management disasters.
One lifelong habit learned the hard way from managing volunteers is to be clear and repeat, as often as necessary. Even now, my emails or conversations with friends contain the repetition I developed as a volunteer manager.
“Hi, Linda, thanks so much, it sounds like fun, would love to get together. I’ll see you next Tuesday the 27th at 3pm at Barnaby’s, the one on Mission street near the stadium. I’ll grab a table if I’m early and let the hostess know you are coming. It’s not a shiny, new, bold idea, but in the back of my mind I can still see the time I arrived at the county building while everyone was at the district court building for the event, over thirty miles away. Yeah, missed my volunteer’s naturalization ceremony as a new US citizen. Can’t get that back.
When a pattern of miscommunications pile up, (and it doesn’t matter whose ‘fault’ it is, it just matters that it happens) we, volunteer managers quickly develop a system to prevent miscues and false assumptions. Usually, the system entails:
transcribing the volunteer task, repeating it, then emailing the requestor with the details to make sure we have all the correct facts.
emphasising each detail with the volunteer, making sure that time, date, place, length of task, expectations and any particulars such as “the front door will be locked, go around to the side entrance,” is understood.
repeating the volunteer confirmation back to the requestor, usually by email, with the added benefit of asking for any changes they may have neglected to pass along.
a reminder to the volunteer, highlighting the details again, and asking if there are any questions or issues.
framing conversations and correspondance to highlight necessary details.
It only takes a few disasters to force us to find a better way. While repetition may seem old school, it can mean the difference between smooth volunteer engagement and costly missed opportunities or errors.
Luckily, technology helps.
Calendar reminders to “check with Giovanni for Wednesday’s event” aids in the process, especially when a volunteer agrees to an assignment more than a few days out.
Blast emails about a large event with clear, emphasized details in bold can be sent daily, right up to the event, with each new email eliminating fluff and narrowing down to time and place.
A volunteer making “reminder calls” can intercept problems before they occur. They can go over details with the volunteers or leave messages reiterating the particulars. When the assignment or event is over, the volunteer can then make “feedback” calls and ask for future availability.
Good intentions cannot guarantee success. Instead, the habit of clearly stating directions, and repeated checking in may be cumbersome up front, but in the end, it saves us from embarrassment and disastrous outcomes. And when it becomes a routine habit, it doesn’t take much time at all.
There’s a whole science out there that studies why we make resolutions and the deep psychological implications of why we don’t keep them. It’s called FeelGoodForOneMinuteAfterMidnightEveryYearology and researchers have forged careers observing this phenomenon.
There are so many reasons why we fail to keep our resolutions including:
we have unrealistic expectations
we hate being told what to do, even if we are the person doing the telling
our motivations are not in sync with the resolution
habits are very hard to break
we don’t like change or we’re afraid of change, or we’re resistant to change or we can’t change or we don’t know how to change or we think change will actually change us and we’re pretty much ok with who we are at this point in life. (fine, I made that last one up.)
The point is, there are lots of factors working against us, even if we have the best of intentions. We make resolutions to feel good, at least for the moment. Hmmmmmm, kind of like that second cupcake hidden under the covers…
So, if we aren’t going to keep our resolutions anyway and the whole resolution thing is about instant gratification, then why don’t we just make enormous impossible, overblown hidden cupcake resolutions and feel super good for an instant, right? Yeah!
With that in mind, here are my Volunteer Manager New Year’s ENORMOUS, IMPOSSIBLE, OVERBLOWN HIDDEN CUPCAKE resolutions for 2018.
The next time I’m in a staff meeting and the discussion turns to new year housekeeping which means shredding all the reports that are over seven years old and someone says, ‘I know, let’s get a volunteer to do it,” I’m going to flip the table over, spilling all the caramel macchiatos and cinnamon lattes, and storm out, fist raised, yelling, “I’ll bet you want volunteers to clean up this mess too!”
I’m going to wear a Guy Fawkes mask and make my own protest sign that reads, “Volunteers are No Longer the Tools of Your Authoritarian Requests in 2018” and stand in front of my building every day until my list of demands are met. I won’t bathe, so this should end pretty quickly. My list of demands includes designating all the upfront parking spots, “For Volunteers Only, Because Their Time is Valuable Too” and renaming the office building “Volunteer Towers, The Office that Volunteers Built.”
I’m going to put together a “Staff Appreciation Luncheon” this year instead of a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. The volunteers will walk around, and they will flippantly throw out phrases such as “we couldn’t do the work without the help of staff,” and “we love our staff, no really, we do.” The volunteers will all sit together at the front table, eat their lunch while chatting and ignoring everyone else and then they will excuse themselves before any awards are given out, claiming that they have “important work to do.”
I’m going to rip up all my ROI reports and next time I have to present stats, I will calmly get up and say, “in lieu of standard reports, I am going to sing a song about volunteers, in hopes that you feel their value in your heart and not on paper, which really does no justice to all the intangibles they bring.” I’ll proceed to sing “You’ve Got a Friend and change the word friend to volunteer. I’ll sing every verse acapella, although I might be able to coerce volunteer Gordie into accompanying me on his harmonica, just for added effect.
The lyrics go something like this:
You just call out my volunteer name, if you know what it is, and you know wherever I am like at work or even at my own wedding I’ll come running or maybe I’ll drive or take the bus cause the car’s in the shop to volunteer again
Winter, spring, summer, or fall or during last-minute events that you forgot to tell me about until the morning of All you got to do is call or email or even send me a letter where you misspell my name again and I’ll be there to volunteer You’ve got a volunteer
Ahhh, I’m not going to lie, those resolutions felt pretty darn great, at least for the moment, but I know I won’t be keeping them, except for the hidden cupcake, that is.
So, now what?
How about, we just make a resolution to work together to keep the momentum from 2017 going.
We most definitely can keep that one. Cheers to an even brighter 2018.
I had a different post all ready to go, and it just didn’t feel right today, not after the lunch I had yesterday with a very good friend and volunteer manager. Ironically, I had just read the brilliant post by Elisa Kosarin on her blog, Twenty Hats about a note to self: When your volunteer mindset needs a boost.
Elisa talks about the disparity between a volunteer manager’s salary and the value we assign to ourselves. Are we valued? Can we overcome the perception that we are not worth much?
But back to my friend. She’s done. She’s looking for another job, outside our field.
And she is one of the most naturally talented volunteer managers I have ever met. She knows people. She understands motivations. She is passionate about her mission. She embraces projects. She works hard.
She told me she just wants to be in a place where her talents are cultivated. She just wants to stop having to explain over and over her worth and the worth of her program, just to be shot down when she needs resources. She just wants to feel supported by her supervisors. She said she felt like a prop, one in which her caring face hid all the cavalier attitudes behind her. She just wants to be paid a fair wage.
It hurt to the core to hear how miserable she is and even though a part of me wanted to say, “But the work! The work is why we do this,” I couldn’t. It would have rung hollow, after all she has been experiencing.
So I agreed with her. Leave. Find a job where they appreciate your talents. If that is at another non-profit, then great, but if not, go where your soul is happy. We talked about how she could help a for profit company invest in community service. With her list of skills, enthusiasm and creativity, she will shine somewhere if just given the chance.
Thankfully, not all organizations that engage volunteers are as difficult. Most are serious about cultivating volunteers. Sadly, though, some just give lip service to volunteer programs.
Now, I wish for my friend a position in a company that recognizes her talents and I weep for the volunteers at the non-profit that caused her to feel this way.
She deserves better. Their volunteers deserve better.
Our profession deserves better.
And what’s really sad is that even though we are making great strides in elevating our profession, it’s too little, too late for my friend.
Sometimes, you just have to go where you will shine.
Do our volunteers connect us to those unexpected moments, the ones that last?
Greg had volunteered to help Roy, the brother of one of our hospice patients. Roy’s brother had died and as the only living relative, it was Roy’s job to empty out his brother’s house. It was a hot summer afternoon and I left work early to stop by. “Can you use some help?” I asked. Greg wiped the sweat from his face and said, “yes.”
Some of the household items went to our thrift store, the bigger ones were given to neighbors and the rest were placed at the curb for trash pickup. As I was carrying a box to the street, I noticed Roy placing a plastic blow mold snowman in the pile. It must have been the way I studied the old Christmas decoration, because Roy looked at me and said, “would you like to have it?’
I touched the snowman’s hat, the jaunty band of yellow circling the snow-covered brim. “I would if you don’t mind.”
“My brother Michael loved Christmas,” Roy said wistfully and looked around at the remnants of his brother’s life scattered in so many directions.
I lifted the snowman, taking in his smile. “If it is all right with you,” I said, “I’m going to name him Michael.”
Roy nodded. The cars zipped by us, the garbage bags flapping in their wake.
“And every year, I will bring him out, light him and I will say, Merry Christmas, Michael. Is that ok?”
Roy put his hand on my shoulder. “I’d like that.” He touched the old plastic face, his fingers tracing a farewell of sorts. I carried the snowman to my car.
**********
Every holiday season, for more than 10 years now, I’ve brought out the snowman with the jaunty hat and lit him up.
“What can I get my non-profit staff, especially that mysterious volunteer manager, who seems to run around a lot?” You, my dear ED or CEO have come to the right place.
Let me help you gift your hard working volunteer manager this year with something he or she will actually treasure.
Forget that inflatable unicorn horn you wear on your head. Forget that sweater that depicts Santa in a magician’s hat. Forget that self help book on “How to Field Criticism and Still Feel Validated.”
Forget two extra weeks vacation, uh meh. No. Give a gift that really resonates with your VM. And, the best part is, it doesn’t cost you a thing, only a sheet of paper, a printer and a pair of scissors. And, as a bonus, in typical cooperative volunteer manager style, I’ll even throw in the template!
Here are my three top picks for a Volunteer Manager Holiday gift:
Get Out of Event Free Card:
Budget Increase Steal of Choice card:
Immunity from Assignment Card:
Well Executive Directors, there you have it, the top three gift coupons for your volunteer manager. A few moments, a pair of scissors and you are done shopping!
And, oh, volunteer managers? Feel free to slip these under the door of your executive director.
Unless you really want that coffee mug that says, “World’s Greatest Office Worker.”
volunteerplaintalk 