Managing the Volunteer Process

Originally Presented By

Dr. Timothy F. Johnson, President

Leadership 101, LLC

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Agenda Session One

Identifying The Motivated Volunteer

Motivating Your Volunteers for Service

Preparing The Staff, Other Volunteers For New Volunteers

Training Volunteers For Success

Session Two Establishing Service

Description Understanding The

Episodic Volunteer Recognizing Your

Volunteers Managing Risk

Management Evaluating And

Promoting Volunteers

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What comes first?

Recruitment or Retention

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Is Your Organization Ready?1. Agency Evaluation

Community Assessment Agency Needs Assessment Establish Volunteer and Staff Relations

2. Create a Service Description Aligning your agency needs with the skills of your potential volunteers

3. Understanding and Supporting your volunteer Motivating and inspiring the volunteer Providing training and inclusion in Agency mission

4. Limitation and Liabilities Insuring Agency and Volunteers are protected (i.e. insurance/safe environment) Knowing your volunteers limitations (i.e. background check/mental and physiological health)

5. Evaluating your volunteer Promotion, Reassignment, or Dismissal

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Organizational Readiness Self-Evaluation Sample

Author: J eanne Bradner

INDICATOR ALMOST ALWAYS

SOMETIMES RARELY DOES NOT APPLY

TO OUR ORGANI ZATION

COMMENTS

1. The organization periodically conducts a community assessment.

2. Leadership and staff support the involvement of volunteers.

3. We understand that a budget is necessary to provide support for the volunteer program.

4. We believe volunteers can be as responsible as paid staff.

5. Staff members understand that the working environment they help to create is critical to volunteers’ satisfaction and retention.

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Agency EvaluationRecruitment Self-Evaluation Sample

Author: Nancy Macduff

INDICATOR ALMOST ALWAYS

SOMETIMES RARELY DOES NOT APPLY

TO OUR ORGANI ZATION

COMMENTS

1. We maintain a data base with demographic information on our volunteers: age range, gender, education, geographic location, how they learned about the organization, and other appropriate information.

2. We involve staff in assessing the need for more volunteers in current positions on annual basis.

3. The recruiting effort is guided by a volunteer recruiting team, staffed by the manager of volunteers or designee.

4. All volunteer position descriptions are reviewed annually for accuracy.

5. Volunteer positions are reviewed annually for relevance to the mission of the organization.

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Preparing the Staff and Other Volunteers for New Volunteers

There needs to be an understanding that;

Staff and volunteers who are asked to lead volunteers must clearly understand the organization’s expectation of them.

People who are competent supervisors of salaried and non-salaried staff share key skills and characteristics.

Although principles of leadership for volunteers and staff are very similar, there are some unique aspects of volunteer supervision.

Depending on formality, size and style of the organization, type of service, etc., supervision systems and methods can be quite varied.

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Volunteer and Staff Relations Evaluation Sample

Author: Georgean J ohnson-Coffey

INDICATOR YES NO SOMETIMES NOT SURE COMMENTS

1. Management staff can articulate the roles of volunteers in the organization.

2. Management staff is strongly committed to the volunteer services program.

3. Management staff can articulate their own philosophy of volunteerism.

4. Management staff has been assessed as to their experience in working with volunteers.

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Major Challenge: DelegationMany difficulties in delegation arise from:

(1) Our attitudes toward releasing work It is important for the staff to understand and appreciate the potential

benefits of delegation for them, the volunteer and the organization.

(2) Not understanding what delegation is By understanding and practicing the cardinal rules of effective

delegation the chances of success are enhanced.

(3) Lack of organizational rewards for effective delegation The key to effective delegation often lies in deciding on the proper

level of control to release when delegating a task to someone.

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Training Volunteers for Success Assess the work requirements and abilities of volunteers Orientation with staff, current volunteers (integrate) Communicate your expectations clearly Assess their understanding Build confidence and success Encourage decisions and suggestions Be reasonable and flexible Build Openness and accessibility Provide responsibility Monitor progress Expect improvement, not perfection Provide feedback and recognition

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Exercise

Partner with someone and describe how your organization processes from potential volunteers to active and engaged volunteers?

Each team will report out their process What works and why? What doesn’t work and why? What changes (if any) need to be made and why?

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Motivating Your Volunteers For Service

Who is responsible for inspiring your volunteers?

Scenario 1:

If a volunteer has a high need for achievement and he sees little to accomplish or "win" in his service, he may choose to set up a win-lose situation with those in authority.

i.e. A volunteer might go to the board of directors every time there is a disagreement, seeking to get the decision overturned. This so-called "unmotivated" behavior meets the volunteer’s need for achievement, providing a challenge, thereby creating an opportunity for the volunteer to win.

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The Inspiring Environment Create a volunteer experience that allows individuals to meet

their motivational needs in ways that are productive for the organization and satisfying for the individual.

Remove barriers to success by designing satisfying work experiences and create systems that allow the volunteer to meet their needs.

Make sure the volunteer receives their “paycheck” for the valuable contributions they make to the work of the organization.

“This is the essence of volunteer retention”

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What Motivates Your Volunteers? I know my volunteers are motivated…….? I ask open ended questions like……? Our agency works hard at……? I know I have a successful volunteer

program….?

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Modern Motivational Concepts

1. Understanding who volunteers and why. Identifying what motivates a volunteer can lead to

effective job placement, supervision, and recognition.

2. Simultaneously meeting the needs of the staff, organization, and volunteer. Retention of volunteers is enhanced by recognizing their

changing motivational needs.

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Identifying The Motivated Volunteer

People are motivated to volunteer by a variety of reasons. Many organizations never ask why a person is

volunteering. What someone prefers not doing, is what someone else

may love.

If your motivational needs are taken care of, you will most likely continue to volunteer.

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BREAK

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Recap From Session One Preparing The Staff, Other Volunteers for

New Volunteers Inspiring Your Volunteers for Service Training Volunteers for Success Identifying The Motivated Volunteer

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Screening Volunteers Evaluation Sample

Author: Linda Graff

INDICATOR YES NO SOMETIMES NOT SURE COMMENTS

1. We conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to determine where volunteers should be involved in our organization.

2. Paid staff is invited to participate in volunteer position design.

3. We ensure that all volunteer positions only involve work that is appropriate for volunteers.

4. Every effort is made to identify and reduce risks in all volunteer positions before we recruit volunteers to do the work.

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Establish Service Description Good volunteer service design is pivotal to the ultimate

success of a volunteer program

Understanding trends in volunteering should impact the service design and re-design in your organization

Expanding the ways volunteers are utilized within your organization will enable it to more effectively reach its mission

Service descriptions should include all essential information

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What should be included in a Service Description?

1. Volunteer Title 2. Duties/Responsibilities3. Expected Outcomes for Volunteers4. Qualifications5. Training6. Responsible to7. Time required8. Length of time commitment

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Service Description Considerations Clear understanding of what is expected Marketing tool for recruitment Guide for screening Basis for supervision and evaluation Contract between volunteer and agency Volunteer services understood by co-workers

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SAMPLE VOLUNTEER SERVICE DESCRIPTION

Volunteer Service Title

Contact Person Phone Email Position Responsibilities Skills Needed Training Required

This position could be filled by a (check all that apply): Youth (min. age ) Senior citizen Non-English speaker Person at home Family unit Court referral Group of volunteers Person with a disability

Time commitment expected: Short term Beginning Date Ending Date Ongoing Starting

Days and hours needed: Mon. Wed. Fri. Sun. Tues. Thurs. Sat.

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Understanding The Episodic Volunteer An Episodic Volunteer is defined as an

individual who volunteers on a sporadic basis Provide assistance annually for an event Students seeking real-world experiences Professionals who provide one day of volunteer

service to a special project Individual looking for something to do for a few

hours

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Key Influencers

Episodic Volunteering influencers are; 1. Increase in the number of women joining the

labor force.

2. People changing jobs quite rapidly.

3. Employers relinquishing responsibility for their employees and their communities.

4. Mass media and culture becoming international, and accessing information through the internet.

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Recognizing Your Volunteers Recognition is an ongoing, integral part of the

management process.

Recognition can be formal or informal and can be given often.

Recognition should be meaningful to the recipient.

Recognition can be creative and fun to give and receive.

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Exercise How does your organization recognize your

volunteers? How often? What is done for Long Term Volunteers

versus Episodic Volunteers? How involved is the staff when it comes to

recognizing the volunteers they personally supervise?

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Managing Risk Management Preventive risk management is essential for all organizations serving the

community.

All staff must be familiar with and follow agency policies and procedures for risk management.

All staff must understand potential risks unique to their organizations and know preventive strategies in service design, screening, training and supervision to address and minimize these risks.

Organizations need written/shared procedures regarding liability and emergency situations.

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Risk Management Sample SurveyAuthor: Mary Merrill

INDICATOR YES NO SOMETIMES NOT SURE

DOES NOT APPLY TO OUR

ORGANI ZATION COMMENTS

1. A written position description exists for each volunteer position, including short term, special events and group projects.

2. Risks are considered when each new volunteer position is created.

3. Screening protocols for more demanding volunteer positions or positions of trust are more thorough.

4. Police record checks are required for volunteers in positions of trust.

5. Questions asked in a volunteer interview are consistent with the requirements of the written position description.

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Liabilities To Volunteers Liabilities

Volunteer Agency To the agency due to action by volunteers

What’s at risk? People Property Income Goodwill

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Liability Waiver Example

HANDS ON ATLANTA Community Service Partner

Release of Liability 1. __________________________ its affiliates, successors and assigns (collectively, the "CSP"), is or will be working with Hands On Atlanta, Inc. ("HOA"), and its volunteers for purposes of community service activities. The CSP hereby releases and discharges HOA, and any of its directors, officers, employees, partners, affiliates, successors, assigns, agents and volunteers (collectively, the "HOA-Related Parties") from any and all liability or responsibility for any accident or injury to person or property which may occur during the course of such community service activities, except for any liability or responsibility resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the HOA-Related Party claiming release. 2. The CSP hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the HOA-Related Parties from and against any damage, claim, loss, liability or expense occurred in connection with or arising out of any accident or injury to person or property which may occur during such community service activities, except for any damage, claim, loss, liability or expense resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the HOA-Related Party seeking indemnity. 3. The person signing this Release on behalf of the CSP and on behalf of HOA each represents that s/he is duly authorized to do so. HANDS ON ATLANTA, INC. CSP By: _____________________________ By: Print name: _______________________ Print name: Title: ____________________________ Title: Date: ____________________________ Date:

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Evaluating and Promoting Volunteers Successful performance reviews provide for a periodic opportunity for

communication between a person who assigns work and the person who performs it.

There are numerous benefits to volunteers and organizations when volunteer performance reviews are incorporated into the volunteer management system.

At the heart of a good volunteer performance review is a clear delineation of volunteer responsibilities/success indicators and a shared view of the outcomes and factors contributing to those outcomes.

Outcomes from volunteer performance reviews can range from “applause” to dismissal - by the organization or volunteer.

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Sample of Volunteer EvaluationSample Volunteer Evaluation Form

VOLUNTEER EVALUATION FORM Part A: Completed by Supervisor

Name:_____________________________ Position: __________________________

Period of Evaluation: ___________________________________________________

Total # of hours contributed: _____________________________________________

Supervisor: __________________________________________________________

Rating scale: 1 = needs improvement 2 = fair 3 = good 4 = very good 5 = superior N/A = not applicable

I. PROFESSIONALISM

_____ Understands purposes and goals of Organization _____ Understands and complies with confidentiality in client relationships _____ Relates well with public _____ Exhibits poise in handling difficult situations _____ Exhibits sincere interest and enthusiasm towards clients and work

Comments: ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

II. RESPONSIBILITY

_____ Reliable about schedule and time commitment _____ Completes assignments in a timely fashion _____ Pays attention to detail when necessary _____ Willing to take on assignments

Comments: ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

III. EFFECTIVENESS

_____ Welcomes opportunities to learn information or procedures that will make work more effective _____ Follows through on assignments _____ Willing to ask questions when in doubt

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Summary Know Your Needs, Know Your Volunteers Keeping Them Happy, Keeps Them Engaged Your Staff and Seasoned Volunteers are Critical to Your

Overall Volunteer Program Success Training Begins with the Posting of Service Opportunity In Order for Them to Get to Where They Are Going, They

Need to Know Where They are Headed Episodic Volunteers are the Future Recognition Starts with the Application There are Risks Involved in Volunteering Evaluate Them. They Expect It and Need It

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What Are Your Questions?