volunteerplaintalk

Tag: volunteer retention

  • Volunteers and the Game of Complaints

    Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels.com

    I’m revisiting an old post from 2013 because Volunteer Appreciation Weeks are upon us and one way we can appreciate volunteers is to give them the gift of loving the mission. And by that, I mean, shielding them from nonsense.

    Volunteers: A head-pat will do

    I remember this incident vividly, because organizations often view volunteers as “our little helpers” and not as members of a professional team. It’s easy to pat volunteers on the head, and toss the “Boundaries and Good Practices for Dummies” book aside when dealing with volunteers because, hey, they are so cuddly (codeword-ignorant and therefore, harmless), they don’t need to be treated with anything resembling….intelligence and professionalism.

    A few years back, I sat in a meeting with long-term, respected volunteers Darla and Jo, and the supervisor of their department, Cindy. I was shocked when Darla and Jo brought out a list of complaints against Kay, their immediate supervisor. They hadn’t brought any issues to me before this meeting, so I was a bit skeptical, especially when they produced a list of Kay’s shortcomings, including how she treated staff unfairly. (Hmmmmmmmmmm)

    Volunteers: Professional team or pawns?

    During the conversation. Darla and Jo mentioned they often went out for drinks with a couple of staff members under Kay’s supervision. (Really?) And those staff members shared their difficulties with Kay. (Well, how convenient) So, what that means is, when out socially, away from work, these staff members let loose and talked about the organization and other employees in front of volunteers, drawing volunteers into the politics of their department. (What a great way to make volunteers feel part of the team, right?)

    In private, I said to Cindy, “It’s a terrible idea for staff to socialize with select volunteers and air grievances. If staff is going to invite the volunteers to a function, then they’d better invite all of them and they’d better not make the volunteers pawns in some personal battle with their supervisor.”

    So, Cindy, who is the supervisor of all in question, shrugged and said, “they’re on their own time, what can I do?” (Really? How would you like it if the CEO invited a couple of staff members out for drinks and they trashed you?) (oh, and then enlisted volunteers to file a complaint?)

    Go on record…really go on record

    I then said. “I’m going on record as saying that allowing staff members to fraternize with select volunteers on off time and discuss work issues makes for a harmful work environment and should be stopped immediately.” (And, I will be noting this conversation for the time this all goes south, which we know it will.)

    Taking care of the volunteers is everyone’s business, not just the volunteer department’s. Write a policy that says your employees will treat volunteers with respect and will not suck volunteers into conflicts. They don’t deserve that. (And this chess game is what you get. It won’t resolve itself on its own.)

    I had a volunteer who helped me in my office. From day one, I said to her that “it’s not that I don’t want you to be privy to things, it’s that I don’t want you to be burdened with junk. You’re here to do good work and you deserve to be shielded from the nonsense.”  She took that to heart and ever after, when I had a conversation with someone in front of her and it got a bit deep, she excused herself before I had a chance to, and she laughingly said, “I don’t need to be a part of this.” (Bravo to her!) But, you know what? She knew staff had political conflicts, personality clashes, and sometimes back-stabbing incidents, but she chose not to become embroiled in them, which lead to more love for the work.

    Let volunteers love the mission

    The question becomes, “for whom does our volunteer volunteer for? Um, the organization, right? But often, volunteers’ loyalties can be steered away from the mission and to select staff or other volunteers. This is why boundaries exist; to ensure volunteers are connected to mission impact and not to any cult of personality borne from feeling sorry for or loyal to one or more individuals.

    So, when staff thinks they’re being nice or cute or they just want some pawns in their game of complaints, they need to realize that fraternizing might be great for them, but it’s always a bad idea for the volunteers. Let the volunteers see the greatness of the organization, not the back room where stuff is all chaos and disjointed and frankly sometimes back-stabbing. And if staff want to grouse about their jobs, then make sure that volunteers are left out of it.

    -Meridian

    and here’s the old post

  • Volunteer Programs: Incubators or Coops?

    Carla answered my volunteers wanted ad and arrived for our interview early, her potential shining like the buttons on her business suit. She was one of those “oh my gosh, how did I get so lucky” volunteers. Sadly, my organization wasn’t ready for her extensive management skills, but I happily slotted her at the front desk. Bingo, the front desk had a professional-looking person representing us and, gotta be honest, she made me look good for “finding” her.

    Meanwhile, one of the volunteer managers in my peer group was recruiting volunteers for a start-up. He needed a volunteer who could help manage fledgling projects. I immediately thought of Carla. Did I offer to ask her if she would be interested in helping him? Nope, I kept her to myself. After all, I found her,(yeah, ok, she found us, but hey, I wrote that clever attention grabbing ad) trained her, supported her, right? After all that work? She was mine. And if I sent her away, then, whoa I’d have to put a less polished volunteer on the front desk and suffer the ire of my superiors, so I held on to her like a half-eaten surfboard in a sea of sharks.

    Hatch and keep, right?

    A few years later, when outstanding patient volunteer Yosef started to pass on assignments, I knew he was reaching his shelf life with us. I carried guilt from the whole Carla thing (yeah, I know, guilt is bad, blah, blah, bur we, volunteer managers do feel guilty over stuff at times, and that time I was truly guilty of hoarding) and so Yosef and I started looking for an even more challenging volunteer position (yep, offered him all sorts of leadership roles, but none excited him in the way patient volunteering had). He ended up jumping to child advocacy and thrived. And guess what, I felt great about it because he incubated his volunteering with us (just wished I had put that into my reports).

    Brittany McGarry, who recently shared her wisdoms on the VPT podcast, (you can listen here) does this incredible mapping a volunteer’s journey. We want our volunteers to aspire to do more, to be more and we have to be comfortable with letting them sprout wings in order for them to succeed. We should be proud of them when they leave us because they have become so good at volunteering, they move up, whether that occurs within our organizations, or they join a new mission.

    When a volunteer moves up in our organization, we are understandably proud of our hand in incubating them, but when they move to another nonprofit, we may feel like we’ve failed to retain (I hate the word retention, BTW) them. We can’t record their hours. We can’t rely on them to drop everything and come in when we’re desperate. We feel we’ve lost, because our jobs are to get and keep volunteers, right?

    Volunteers are always temporary

    We have to stop the misconception that volunteers are possessions, and until we throw them out, they will keep coming back up to the moment they wear out or die. Instead, let’s speak of volunteers as temporary from the start. They are with us for the time that benefits us and them, not forever or until we dump them. Let’s speak about the privilege to have them for one event, one week, one season or one year. Never forever.

    Fleeting is more always precious

    If volunteers are viewed as permanent fixtures, why bother working hard to keep them? But if we know they are fleeting, it makes sense to work hard to engage them. Their worth increases because they will leave. We must change the lexicon and use “volunteers are temporary” verbiage to change the perception. Simple shifts in language, such as:

    • “while they are with us, our volunteers will…”
    • “as long as they are engaged, they can…”
    • “we are privileged they are sharing their time with us for now, but it won’t be forever.”
    • “for the time they were here, they did xyz”
    • “they moved to a better fit for them and we had a hand in developing their love for volunteering. What a win for everyone!”
    • “yes, they moved on, but they remain advocates for our mission because we made sure their needs were met on an even par with our needs.”
    • “they haven’t closed the door on us because, as advocates, they will continue to us in other ways.”
    • “we are investing in each volunteer so our community benefits. That makes us leaders in sustainable volunteering.”
    • “volunteers don’t leave us, they just change the way they support us.”
    • “volunteering is only one way someone advocates for our mission.”

    Volunteering teaches volunteers about… volunteering

    Each time a person volunteers, they learn something about volunteering. What might they learn in a coop?

    • They expect me to treat this like a job.
    • I have to wait until they find a fit for me.
    • It’s about their needs, not mine.
    • Supporting the mission means doing the grunt work.
    • There is no upward movement.
    • They like me, but don’t include me in things that matter.
    • I’m not in control of my volunteering.
    • I have to be flexible, but they don’t.
    • Sometimes I’m not important.
    • They talk team, but I’m not included, not really.
    • I’m a commodity.

    Volunteers don’t stop helping because they leave us

    Volunteering is more fluid than in years past. Citizen helpers (think the people who rush to help neighbors during a crisis) thrive because they learn that volunteering means immediate action and immediate results. Then, when they sign up to formally volunteer, they discover that volunteering is cumbersome, drawn out, rigid, and limited. And when a volunteer leaves our organization for those reasons, they don’t stop helping, they just stop formally helping our organization.

    I realize we can’t just scrap all our systems in place. But what we can do, is chip away at archaic conceptions of volunteering. We can point out that fluid volunteers move between informal and formal, between organizations, between activity and inactivity. We can ditch terms such as retention (Bleeeech), permanent (that’s a hoot, right?), even long-term volunteers and move towards fluid terms such as active and inactive, advocate vs. former volunteer (see reject a volunteer, gain an advocate).

    Incubate vs. coop

    We, volunteer managers are good at helping one another. We support each other in peer groups, in forums, in phone calls and zoom meetings. We believe that by helping one another, we help ourselves too.

    Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com

    Our community pool of volunteers is there for us to nurture, engage and incubate. By ending the ancient “My volunteers” sentiment, we let go of the struggle to retain a volunteer at all cost. We put the volunteers’ needs on an even par with organizational needs which creates a symbiotic system that not only sustains volunteers, but creates a replenished garden. (more in my book, The Disruptive Volunteer Manager). And it strengthens our partnerships with our fellow volunteer managers, because we are helping one another regrow our volunteer common. (see Innovation and Sustainable Volunteering).

    We are in an unprecedented change era, so let’s make changes that work for us and our volunteers, are forward thinking and position our profession to lead. It’s time for us to be leaders of a sustainable volunteer movement.

    We’ll thank ourselves later.

    -Meridian

  • 10 Things Organizations Don’t Know About Volunteer Management

    I’ve always wanted to see a shareable pamphlet entitled “Volunteer Management, The Cliffs Notes.” It would list all the things we want organizations and senior management to know about volunteers and volunteer management. Here’s 10 of them:

    10. Volunteers do not sit by their phones waiting for us to call. We don’t just “order up” when staff asks for eight volunteers who can work twelve-hour shifts, outside, tomorrow at 8 am. No one wishes it were that easy more than we, volunteer managers. Take volunteer Charles for example. Asking him to volunteer at the last minute when he has a job, other volunteering activities, managing his elderly mother’s affairs, and a family is unrealistic. He can’t drop everything to help us. It takes a wise volunteer manager to know how to sustain volunteers’ involvement so that volunteers are not overwhelmed and look forward to coming in to help.

    9. Managing volunteers is not like managing staff.  Volunteer managers engage two to ten times the number of paid staff. Instead of a paycheck to dangle, volunteer managers must inspire volunteers. Volunteers typically spend 4 hours a week volunteering while staff spends upwards of 40 or 50 hours a week working for the organization. That’s at least ten times the amount of “plugged in time” staff has over volunteers. Therefore, volunteer managers must be able to “plug-in” volunteers every time they arrive on scene, motivate them to keep that connection and keep them informed of changes and updates.

    8. Volunteers are everyone’s responsibility.  Staff doesn’t necessarily see working with volunteers as part of their jobs, but any staff can make or break a volunteer’s experience. Let’s make a comparison. What if the CEO cultivates a donor and then another staff member comes along and insults or ignores or abuses that donor? There would be heck to pay. We need our administrations to set the same tone for the treatment of volunteers.

    7. Volunteer managers are real managers.  No matter what titles are given, coordinators, specialists or team members, volunteer managers are as much a manager as anyone on staff. Volunteer engagement skills are a not a “jack of all trades, master of none” haphazard bunch of chaos skills, but rather a carefully constructed combination of the ability to inspire, listening with empathy, the ability to match talents with opportunities, and so much more.

    6. Volunteers want meaningful work. But organizations often need meaningless stuff done. Who will do it? Volunteers do not want to only do things the staff doesn’t want to do, they want experiences that make a difference. And since we don’t pay them, we should consider meaningful work as pay. But, a great volunteer manager with awesome engagement skills can lead volunteers to occasionally do tedious work if tedious work isn’t all that is offered.

    5. Volunteers want sincere appreciation from more than just the volunteer department. Volunteers see through the once a year speech at a luncheon that is just lip service. Volunteers want CEO’s and staff to acknowledge their contributions. They want to be included in reports, grant applications, websites, and media coverage as contributing members of the team.

    4. Volunteers are not just elderly ladies drinking tea.  Volunteers are diverse in every way, including age, background, culture and experience and it requires major skills to manage a group of diverse people. But even if some volunteers are older, they are former executives, professors, leadership experts and full of wisdom and great ideas. And they’re more than willing to share their wisdom for free.

    3. Volunteer managers are not lap dogs.  Are volunteer managers treated that way by staff? Is there an “order up” culture in which volunteer managers are expected to get volunteers without having any meaningful input into volunteer requests? Volunteer managers have their fingers on the pulse of the organization and are privy to every aspect of the mission via volunteer involvement. A volunteer manager has ideas and solutions that will move the organization forward.

    2. Volunteers are aware and talk. When a volunteer hears negative speak from staff, or sees something less than perfect, they talk, to each other, to friends, relatives, and the cashier at the Quick-Mart. Volunteer managers keep volunteers motivated and inspired and mediate constantly to make sure the volunteer’s concerns are resolved and their experience is positive. In this world aching for transparency, volunteers are the town criers who can proclaim the worth of an organization or do damage to its reputation.

    1. Volunteers don’t stay forever. No, they don’t. Does staff stay until they die? Neither do volunteers. We should recruit, train and cultivate our volunteers just as we do staff, but not expect them to continue until they’re carted off in an ambulance. And, just like staff, sometimes we don’t want volunteers to stay, so that’s why the volunteer manager’s professional skill-set is crucial. A volunteer manager’s professional resolution to a challenging situation is an organization’s best chance to avoid legal woes and negative publicity.

    So, there you have it. Ten things organizations should know about volunteer management.

    And yes, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

    -Meridian

    This is an update from 2015: The Top 10 Things Executive Directors Need to Know About Volunteer Services.

  • No, Volunteer Management is Not an Open World

    Is this how organizations view requesting volunteers?

    If non-profits were a video game, the mechanics would be pretty simple. Everyone in the game would stick to their function. Clinical staff would stick to their missions. Support staff would stay in their lane and build home base. Fundraisers would hold tightly onto asking everyone for money. Volunteers would be the toolbox like the above picture that could be summoned up when needed.

    But the world is changing and volunteer programs are the place to test new ideas, pilot new programs and find innovative solutions. Our volunteers are a sandbox gift that non-profits can either set aside or open up to a world of new possibilities.

    Innovative companies continually set new directions. They pay employees to pilot initiatives that will help their companies expand and grow. Non-profits don’t have that luxury so they tend to recycle the same methods that may have worked years ago. And tragically, non-profits tend to overlook the impact potential of their volunteer programs.

    But the more we push our organizations to view volunteers as solutions, the more we volunteer managers must be able to put reasonable limits on volunteer requests. We can’t do everything. We are not an infinite open world. If we insist that our volunteers want to be creative, expect to be episodic, then our organizations will counter with, “hey, if your volunteers are so creative and skilled, why can’t I find a creative type who will jump at a last minute assignment?” We have to change the narrative.

    But what is the current narrative? Volunteers are the ultimate support toolbox, right? They aim to please, right? They think we’re goodness personified so they want to help in any way they can, even if it means putting off necessary surgery for our walk/run, right?

    Championing a sandbox does not mean offering an anything goes program. It means redefining the purpose of volunteer involvement. Even open world games have limits and and it is up to the volunteer manager to successfully set volunteer program limits while focusing on the modern volunteer’s role. How do we do that?

    • Elevate mission priorities. Ask, how does this request further the mission? For example, does asking volunteers to drop everything for a last minute event request rank as high in the mission as placing volunteers with clients? (for more on this, see The Volunteer Department Has Ground Rules)
    • Be clear about volunteer availability. Don’t lump all volunteers into one vague number. Instead, categorize volunteers into groups based on location, training, interests, etc, which gives a clearer availability picture. (for more on this see The Dangerous Numbers Game)
    • Be unapologetic when explaining volunteer preferences. Methodically dispel the mindset that volunteers are willing to do whatever they are asked. (for more on this, see Expecting Different Volunteering Results is Organizational Insanity)
    • Push back against unreasonable or frequent changes to volunteer requests. Explain that any change pushes the request back in priority. (for more on this see The Disruptive Volunteer Manager )

    The point is, we need not be afraid to offer volunteer solutions based on engaging modern volunteers. We need to realize that our roles as volunteer managers must change from implementing volunteer programs to controlling the direction of volunteer programs. In the non-profit video game, we must take the lead in programming volunteer involvement. If we take the steps towards controlling our programs and the perceptions surrounding our volunteers, then we can offer more volunteer help without being overwhelmed by unreasonable expectations. (for more on this see, Do volunteer managers implement or manage volunteer programs)

    Let’s invite the non-profit world to come play in a volunteer sandbox that we create and manage, one that engages today’s volunteers. Let’s forge a new narrative and help further our missions by offering the best our volunteers have to offer.

    Let’s move our volunteer programs from one of toolboxes to one that reflects modern volunteers and their tremendous potential.

    -Meridian

  • Volunteer Management: A Kiddie Pool or an Ocean?

    Volunteer Management: A Kiddie Pool or an Ocean?

    Photo by Matthias Zomer on Pexels.com

     

    “Coffee break again?” Clara laughs. “Yeah, this is my 6th coffee break today and I’m wired from all the caffeine. But each so called ‘break’ is with a volunteer who needs my attention. I’m not on break, I’m sustaining volunteers.”

    Volunteer managers universally struggle with showcasing the complex work involved in the 3 “ainings:” Attaining, Training and Sustaining volunteers. We keep stats on all sorts of volunteer activities. We may even include anecdotal stories to illustrate volunteer impact. But how do we show everything we bring to the 3 “ainings” table? (Sometimes it feels like bringing a kiddie pool filled with water to describe the ocean.)

    What if we had a report form that showcased the soft work required to attain, train and sustain volunteers? It would explain why our hard stats (shown in bold) are fluid, like an oceanic ecosystem:

    DAY 1 at 9AM:  Trusted my instincts to spend extra time with a 5 year volunteer whose partner has just been diagnosed with cancer. I can see he needs to take some time off and I have placed him on the inactive list thus reducing the number of active volunteers. He may or may not resume volunteering, but, due to his positive experience so far, will remain an advocate forever. I will be spending time to check in on him periodically because I hope he returns to volunteering, but also, because I care about him as a person (and make no mistake, our volunteers know the difference between sincerely caring about them versus giving them lip service). My personal attention to volunteer needs increases the overall number of active volunteers. It also creates satisfied volunteers who will advocate for us no matter whether they continue volunteering or not.

    Day 2 at 2PM:  Realized that a situation requiring a volunteer was overwhelming for just one volunteer so took the extra time (three days) to find and enlist the right two volunteers who could support one another while dealing with a very difficult and challenging assignment. Did not meet goal of finding a volunteer in 24 hours, but instead, created a better outcome that avoided placing an excellent volunteer in a difficult situation. I retained two key volunteers, ensured our client received excellent care and thwarted a potential misstep.

    Day 3 at 11AM: Temporarily removed a marketing volunteer from staffing events because of recent health challenges. Although volunteer insists that he is physically able to carry boxes, his wife informed me that his doctor has prescribed no lifting or standing for three months. As a result, I reduced the number of available marketing volunteers but salvaged this volunteer’s future potential and eliminated the substantial risk for a workman’s comp claim should this volunteer injure himself while under his doctor’s orders. More importantly, we sent a message to all volunteers that their health and well-being is important to us and we view them as valuable assets, thus increasing overall volunteer sustainability.  I am currently exploring other areas with this volunteer and he is interested in moving into a deeper volunteer experience, so with additional training, we will have a new client volunteer who, BTW already has proven himself to be a great volunteer.

    Day 4 at 3:15pm: Spent 45 minutes with a prospective volunteer who admittedly can’t volunteer until sometime next year. This prospective volunteer’s father was helped by our organization and she is interested in giving back, although current commitments are preventing her from taking training. I have set reminders in my calendar for scheduled contact with her throughout the year as I perceived her as an excellent future volunteer. Rushing her at this time will only increase her overload of responsibilities and will cause her to quickly quit. As a result, no new volunteer stat has increased but time spent will pay off in the future because this potential volunteer also belongs to several key civic groups that I have been recruiting. She’s already booked a speaking engagement for me next month. I expect several new volunteers from forging a relationship with this group.

    Day 5 at 6pm: Attended funeral of long-term volunteer who retired due to health reasons more than two years ago. No stat will be affected, but I did it because this is the right thing to do. *Addendum: Received a phone call from the volunteer’s son whom I spoke with at his mother’s funeral. He is a VP at the largest investment firm in our area and is very interested in setting up a corporate volunteer program with me. There will be substantial work involved. And, BTW, he and the firm will be donating in his mother’s name.

    The soft work we do is an ocean compared to the kiddie pool stats we report. Our instincts flow like a current, over and under the waves of volunteer requests. We create an ecosystem in which results are symbiotic and may take up to weeks or months, sometimes years to see. We nourish relationships that reach beyond volunteering and affect donations, future staff, community standing, and so much more.

    It’s time we begin to connect the hard results from the ocean of our soft work.

    -Meridian

    This post is an update of an original post in 2016 but don’t feel like you have to read it-this new one is hopefully better anyway 🙂 https://volunteerplaintalk.com/2016/07/20/huggable-book-of-volunteering-stats-or-why-a-kiddie-pool-cant-explain-the-ocean/

     

  • Volunteer Motivation: Past, Present and Future

    architecture building city concrete
    Photo by Juhasz Imre on Pexels.com

    Alana clicked the wireless presenter and the slide advanced. “Here,” she said, “we have a list of awards our volunteers have won.” Photos of volunteers holding certificates popped up on the screen. “As you can see,” Alana said, “the work we do is impressive.”

    A young trainee in the front row raised his hand. “When did they win those awards?” He pointed at the picture of a smiling lady, her silver hair shining in the stage lights.

    Alana glanced at the screen. “I wasn’t here at the time, but Marge won that award in 1999 I believe.”

    For some volunteers, 1999 might as well be 1899. Past performances are the equivalent of telling your children that “when I was your age, I walked to school. Five miles. Uphill. In the snow. Both ways.”

    It’s old news. But woah, hold on, wait a minute. So, when recruiting and on-boarding volunteers, should we just ditch mentioning our volunteer awards and heck while we’re at it, should we just forget about talking about our accomplishments too, because that stuff happened last week? Should we hide our best volunteers in the closet because hey, they’re so yesterday?

    No, that’s not even close to what I mean. I am all for showcasing awards and accomplishments and sharing volunteer achievements with anyone and everyone. I am all for nominating volunteers for awards. In a previous post, Awards: The Bridge to Inspire I listed reasons for nominating inspiring volunteers. I am all for exposing new volunteers to passionate and inspiring experienced volunteers. So, what do I mean?

    Past awards and achievements are like a building’s foundation. They illustrate the strength of mission worth and goals achieved. They show the new volunteer that your organization has a solid base and has worked hard to lay down an infrastructure on which to continue building.

    One thing I discovered when parading “accomplished” volunteers through training sessions was, there seemed to be a growing sense among the new volunteers of “what do the accomplishments of this seasoned volunteer mean for me? Am I supposed to duplicate their ways or will I have my own volunteering path and is there anything left to be done?”

    The modern volunteer needs to get excited about their volunteering journey. Much more than in years past, volunteers are looking at the future instead of being content with the present. It’s a subtle, but significant shift.

    What does that mean for us then, when it comes to recruiting, retaining and on-boarding new volunteers? It means balancing past volunteer awards and accomplishments with present goals and visions of the future. It means setting the foundation and then inspiring new volunteers to put up the walls, or decorate the interior or construct another floor. It means focusing on continually moving forward.

    Getting in on the ground floor of any enterprise is always exciting. There’s a sense of ownership, of possibilities, of seeing an idea take flight. As a society, we love start-up successes because those stories are filled with grit and vision and frankly, we imagine that those people could be us.

    Even though we may not work for a start-up organization, we can capture that feeling by introducing expansion, new programs and future vision to the new volunteer who may be sitting there wondering, “why, exactly do you need me when you already have all these great volunteers doing all this great work?”

    By balancing accomplishments with future goals, we infuse a sense of organizational history with a vision for the future. And nothing is more infectious than an inspiring vision. It gives new volunteers their own identity. It means that they won’t feel as though they have to mimic past volunteers in order to win an award. Instead, they will look forward to making their unique mark.

    Past infused with future looks something like this:

    “As you can see, our volunteers have won numerous awards for their work, something we are extremely proud of. Now, let me tell you about the exciting direction and future plans for our organization, which needs your passion and help to accomplish.”

    “Our volunteers have given over 70,000 hours in the past 5 years. It’s a testament to their belief in our mission. That’s why we are expanding our programs. These new programs are innovative and we’re really psyched about all the future possibilities. That’s where you come in.”

    “Thank you for listening to our volunteer, Kenya. She has been instrumental in getting that program off the ground. You may choose to volunteer in her area, or we have some new and I think, pretty out-of-the-box opportunities in the infancy stage you may find suit your skills and interests.”

    New volunteers learn a great deal about mission work and goals from the past, but they are motivated by the excitement of what’s to come and how they fit into visionary plans.

    They want to own the future. Let’s make sure we give it to them.

    -Meridian

     

     

     

     

  • Volunteering and the Goldilocks Margins

    Volunteering and the Goldilocks Margins
    photo courtesy of https://gratisography.com/

    Do volunteers wander from organization to organization, sampling the volunteer porridge or sitting in different volunteering task chairs, looking for the opportunity that is “just right?”

    Some volunteers do exactly that, while others might taste a cold volunteer encounter and walk away for good, equating all volunteering with their one, less-than-perfect experience. Some volunteers are undeterred and will continue searching for an opportunity that fits. The point is, the more we set a foundation for finding a “just right” volunteer experience, the more volunteers will at least try us out.

    Our earth exists in the Goldilocks zone, the habitable area around the sun. In this zone, conditions are optimal to sustain life such as presence of liquid water, luminosity of the central star, gasses etc. In other words, there are variables, which when combined, create the optimal backdrop for life to form and thrive.

    Can this be applied to volunteer engagement? Do we need more than a friendly face to recruit volunteers, and to sustain them?

    Well, let’s examine these common statements about “getting volunteers”:

    • “Just ask.”
    • “There are lots of people out there with time on their hands.”
    • “You can’t tell me that a few hours on a Saturday is a big deal.”

    What is so wrong with the above statements? For one thing, they are simplistic extremes (like hot and cold porridge) and do not take into consideration the conditions that must exist for volunteer engagement. Volunteering conditions, like the Goldilocks principle have to fall within certain margins in order to attract and sustain volunteers.

    Just as distance from star, liquid water and atmosphere are the major conditions for a habitable planet, there are major conditions for engaging volunteers. When our volunteer programs fall within the optimal margins in the following three conditions, we have created a volunteering Goldilocks zone.

    1. Volunteering must be seamless. Not easy, but seamless: A prospective volunteer needs a response within 24 hours (48 on weekends) or else our “urgent need” is meaningless. Steps to volunteering must be clear, relatively simple and able to be completed in a timely manner. Any glitches, or unreasonably long waiting periods will dim a volunteer’s enthusiasm. This doesn’t mean we need to accept any person without reservation, vetting or orientation. It means the process must make sense to the volunteer and not fraught with unnecessary obstacles. If we proclaim we want volunteers, we have to show it by a seamless onboarding process. We must not advertise volunteer roles and then use bait and switch to get volunteers to fill roles we need to fill. We can’t over-onboard or under-onboard volunteers. We need a system that is practical, understandable and frankly adaptable.
    2. There must be meaning in the volunteer work: Volunteers want to make a difference. Every task or role needs a direct connection to the mission. Every task or role must be explained so volunteers clearly understand why their help is crucial, why their time is valuable and why we wanted them in the first place. Even less exciting volunteering roles support the mission. It is imperative we convey the impact roles and tasks have on furthering our work. Not enough conveying of meaning drives volunteers away, but so does gushing over them and treating them as though anything they do is the most amazing thing in the history of volunteering. Volunteers need meaning that focuses on the work and how they have contributed.
    3. Communication is crucial: This is probably the most basic condition. Volunteer communications must be clear and on point. Impact on mission, appreciation for their time, clear instructions, organizational policies, changes in org policies are all examples of the areas that volunteers need clear and direct communication. Obviously too little communication begets disaster but bombarding volunteers with too many emails, or phone calls also can turn them away.

    These margins are only the beginning. Just as in the Goldilocks zone where other, more subtle influences determine if and how life can be supported, there are unique volunteering influences that can impact whether a volunteer decides to share his/her time with us. Some of these variables are:

    • Does the task fit within an acceptable time frame?
    • What skills are necessary to do the task?
    • How far away is the task site?
    • Is the task recurring, one time or sporadic?
    • What support can be expected?
    • How much training is involved?
    • What responsibility level is involved?

    Each one of the above variables contributes to a volunteer’s commitment. When the “just right” foundation is in place, then the above variables can be adjusted for an optimal experience.

    Volunteering needs a Goldilocks zone, one in which careful planning creates the favorable conditions for engagement. It’s not about luck, or happenstance or just asking anymore. It’s about the creation of an engaging atmosphere, followed by attention paid to all the other, unique conditions that might drive a volunteer away.

    It takes a knowledgeable, experienced and fearless volunteer manager to push an organization into the volunteer Goldilocks zone. Optimal margins for volunteer engagement require the participation and buy in from the entire organization, not just the volunteer department.

    So, as we consider the conditions in which volunteering engagement is optimal, we can begin to lay our Goldilocks foundation.

    Let’s be a habitable volunteer planet. Let’s be just right.

    -Meridian

  • “We want to work with staff who have drunk the Kool-Aid,” an interview with Laura Rundell, CVA

     

    An Interview with Laura Rundell, CVA
    Laura Rundell, CVA with a mug of Kool-Aid

     

    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.

     

     

  • The Volunteer Ripple Effect

     

    I’m convinced. We, Leaders of Volunteers (#LOVols) hold in our hands more power to affect positive change than we can even imagine.

    We have the opportunity to impact the world beyond filling tasks and adding to our volunteer base. The intuitive feelings within each of us are spot on: There’s so much more going on than our excel spreadsheets show.

    I remember long ago struggling to find volunteers who could be with clients while loved ones attended church or synagogue or temple or mosque. I would look for volunteers of that same faith and hoped that they would be willing to give up their own attendance to help someone in need. It was the way it had always been done and it was frankly, exhausting.

    Then one day, a volunteer stepped forward. Hannah offered to sit with Christian clients on a Sunday morning. (I’d love to take credit for thinking this solution up, but, no, it came from this wonderful, selfless volunteer.) Bam! The light went on.

    I feared that mixing faiths (or cultures, or beliefs) would be a challenge in itself, but you know what? (Of course you know what comes next) It ended up uniting people in mutual respect and a desire to understand one another. The mere act of reaching across a cultural or spiritual divide created its own sense of wonder.

    And here’s the thing. For the volunteers, it was never about, “oh, I’m so enlightened that I want to transcend these differences.” No, it was, “you know what? I’m free on a Sunday morning and you need someone, so what could be a better fit?”

    The deep meaningful by-products of volunteering are seldom the initial goals. They just naturally evolve because the volunteer ripple brings out the best in everyone: Clients, families, volunteers, volunteer managers, staff, neighbors, community, everyone.

    Think about that. Volunteer programs impact society in rippling positive ways beyond the delivering of meals, or escorting a tour group or passing out information. Our programs share love. Our programs open the doors for unity, connection and understanding to naturally take hold, and not just during holidays.

    We often witness a profound change in people. We glimpse moments of powerful interconnection through the simplest of assignments. We stand, watching that small pebble create ripples of inspiring stories.

    As you are running around this holiday season, scrambling to fill tasks, stop for a moment and think about the societal change you are helping to bring about. Because you value the innate worth of each human being and believe in their ability to transcend, you are spreading that change like a ripple in a vast sea.

    Volunteerism is a rippling movement.

    And leaders of volunteers are tossing the pebble into the water.

    -Meridian

  • Press “2” For That Volunteer Question

    Press 2 For That Volunteer Question

    “Yeah, so, this is Ginny from donor relations,” the voice on the phone sighs. “My next door neighbor’s fourteen year old daughter, April has a volunteer assignment for school. Why they are coming to me, I don’t know but just because I work at a non-profit, they think I’m free to help with all their little projects. When is the next volunteer training, or better yet, you call them. I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

    “Hey, I’ve been calling you for an hour. Where are you? Anyway, this is Jazz from administration.”  The voice message plays, Jazz sounding out of breath.  “I need volunteer stats ASAP for a grant for our project that, oh, never mind, I just need some stats and fast to complete this application.  How many hours did volunteers give last quarter? This is the last component on the grant and it’s due today so I need this right away. Call me immediately.”

    “Yo, this is Dean in records. The new volunteer, Charles, the one you sent us last month hasn’t been logging any hours, at least I don’t think so. I thought these volunteers knew what they were doing. Anyway, where does he fill out his paperwork again? And should he just make up hours for the time he worked?”

    Do you get tired of answering the same questions over and over? While we are conditioned to give that personal touch, our time is pretty precious and continually answering simple questions can eat into our efforts spent cultivating volunteers, forging new recruitment avenues and solving challenges.

    Taking a proactive approach can help. Think about all the standard questions repeatedly asked by staff and volunteers. Can these be put into a cheat sheet? Where can these cheat sheets be stored for maximum viewing?

    We have to remember that folks don’t necessarily remember something told to them one time. Volunteers will forget specifics taught to them in orientation. Staff is too busy with their own pressing duties to remember the date of the next volunteer training. So, storing these cheat sheets in multiple areas will cut down dramatically on repetitive phone calls.

    For volunteers, some visible places to store cheat sheets:

    • on a designated area of your website
    • as reminders in your newsletter
    • posted in your office
    • included in your welcome packet
    • given to volunteer mentors to share with newbies

    For staff:

    • on an internal website
    • sent out as a quarterly email blast
    • given to department heads to post
    • at departmental meetings (ask to attend other department’s meetings to answer volunteer related questions, explain policies, intercept issues etc. )
    • on surveys sent to staff
    • posted in your office in case you are not at your desk
    • training dates posted prominently in your office (whiteboard, poster etc)
    • training dates printed on flyers, cards etc and given to staff (great recruitment tool also)

    Besides cutting down on repetitive questions, posting core volunteer information creates an informed team of staff and volunteers who will disseminate correct information to potential volunteers. And, if volunteers have to constantly try to pin you down for simple questions, or if they always receive incorrect information from uniformed staff, they will quit out of frustration.

    Elevating our vocation includes creating a comprehensive base of information visible to staff and volunteers. The more we polish the fundamentals of our volunteer programs, the more we can build upwards.

    So, go ahead and press “2” for that volunteer question. But press “1” to leave the name and contact information of a prospective volunteer.”

    Let’s make our systems work for us.

    -Meridian