INCREASING VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION

MICHELLE HOLCOMB, WB-100

ASST. SCOUTMASTER, TROOP 874

CARROLLTON, TEXAS

AN ANNOUNCEMENT…

• WE NEED A VOLUNTEER

• WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• WE DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF IT

• YOU MIGHT NOT BE WORKING WITH ANYONE YOU KNOW

• WE DON’T KNOW FOR HOW LONG YOU WILL BE NEEDED

• WE CAN’T TELL YOU WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU

• YOU WILL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW IF ANYONE APPRECIATES YOUR HELP

• BUT IT WILL BE FUN!

WHY VOLUNTEERS?

• SETS THE EXAMPLE OF VOLUNTEERISM AND SERVICE FOR OUR YOUTH

• SCOUTING IS A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION!

• SCOUTING IS A COMMUNITY SERVICE BASED ORGANIZATION

• VOLUNTEERING AND SERVICE ARE CORE VALUES OF SCOUTING

• VOLUNTEERISM IMPROVES LIVES

IN GENERAL…• THE MORE COMMITTED AND EFFECTIVE VOLUNTEERS AN

ORGANIZATION HAS, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAT ORGANIZATION WILL BE

• IT’S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT YOU WILL EVER HAVE TOO MANY VOLUNTEERS

• ATTRACTING AND KEEPING SKILLED VOLUNTEERS IS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR OUR PACKS

BOOK

• THE NEW BREED: UNDERSTANDING AND EQUIPPING THE 21ST CENTURY VOLUNTEER

• JONATHAN MCKEE

• THOMAS W. MCKEE

MOTIVATION

• WHY DO PEOPLE VOLUNTEER?

• BASIC LEVEL: SELF-SERVING DRIVE

• SECONDARY LEVEL: RELATIONAL DRIVE

• HIGHEST LEVEL: BELIEF DRIVE

BASIC LEVEL: SELF SERVING DRIVE

• DRIVEN BY A NEED OR WANT THAT THE VOLUNTEER HAS INTERNALLY

• SOCIAL BELONGING

• BUSINESS NETWORKING

• DEVELOP NEW FRIENDSHIPS

• TIME WITH OUR KIDS

• STRESS THE PERSONAL BENEFITS THAT PEOPLE GET BY VOLUNTEERING WITH YOUR PACK

SECOND LEVEL: RELATIONAL DRIVE

• THE INDIVIDUAL VALUES AN EXISTING RELATIONSHIP ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THAT PERSON INTO A VOLUNTEER ROLE

• SPHERE OF INFLUENCE IS EXPANDED

• ENTHUSIASM IS CONTAGIOUS

HIGHEST LEVEL: BELIEF DRIVE

• HIGHEST LEVEL OF POSSIBLE COMMITMENT

• BELIEF IN THE CAUSE OF THE ORGANIZATION

• PEOPLE MAY JOIN AT LEVEL ONE OR TWO, BUT THEY STAY BECAUSE OF LEVEL THREE

• HOW DO WE MOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS TO THIS LEVEL?

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS

• SIN ONE: EXPECT ANNOUNCEMENTS TO GET VOLUNTEERS

• SIN TWO: GO IT ALONE

• SIN THREE: RECRUIT LIFE-TIME INDIVIDUALS—NOT SHORT-TERM PROJECT TEAMS

• SIN FOUR: ASSUME THAT "NO" MEANS "NEVER"

• SIN FIVE: FALL INTO THE BIC TRAP

• SIN SIX: BE PEOPLE DRIVEN RATHER THAN POSITION DRIVEN

• SIN SEVEN: GIVE THE POSITION THE WRONG JOB TITLE

SIN ONE: EXPECT ANNOUNCEMENTS TO GET VOLUNTEERS

• A PERSONAL INVITATION TO VOLUNTEER IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS

• PEOPLE DO NOT RESPOND TO ANNOUNCEMENTS TO A WIDE AUDIENCE

• THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT IS REALLY ADDRESSED TO EVERYONE ELSE

• PEOPLE ARE FLATTERED WHEN THEY ARE PERSONALLY INVITED!

SIN TWO: GO IT ALONE

• PARTNER WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM TO IDENTIFY VOLUNTEER NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

• IDENTIFY (TAG) PEOPLE WHO COULD POTENTIALLY FILL THOSE ROLES AND THEN…

• PERSONALLY ASK THEM – AS A TEAM!

• THE VERY DEFINITION OF A “TAG TEAM”

SIN THREE: RECRUIT LIFE-TIME INDIVIDUALS

• PEOPLE ARE MORE WILLING TO MAKE SMALL COMMITMENTS

• INVITE PEOPLE FOR SPECIFIC SHORT TERM PROJECTS AND TASKS

• PROVIDE SOME TIMELINE OF THE COMMITMENT

• 3 DAYS, 3 WEEKS, 3 MONTHS

• PROVIDE AN END DATE FOR THE PROJECT

• LIKE DATING – DON’T ASK FOR MARRIAGE ON THE FIRST DATE!

SIN FOUR: ASSUME THAT "NO" MEANS "NEVER"

• “NO” MIGHT JUST MEAN “NOT NOW”

• ASK WHEN

• “NO” MIGHT JUST MEAN “NOT THIS POSITION”

• ARE THERE ANY OTHER POSITIONS THIS PERSON MAY BE INTERESTED IN?

SIN FIVE: FALL INTO THE BIC TRAP

• "BUTT IN THE CHAIR“

• THE BELIEF THAT ANY WARM BODY IS BETTER THAN NOBODY AT ALL

• SOME POSITIONS ARE BETTER UNFILLED THAN FILLED BY THE WRONG PERSON

SIN SIX: BE PEOPLE DRIVEN, NOT POSITION DRIVEN

• KNOW - AND BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN - WHAT YOUR VOLUNTEER WILL BE EXPECTED TO DO.

• HAVE A JOB DESCRIPTION

• BSA HAS JOB DESCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR MANY LEADERSHIP VOLUNTEER ROLES

• FILL THE POSITION WITH THE PERSON WHO CAN DO THE JOB, RATHER THAN PUTTING A VOLUNTEER IN A POSITION HE DOESN’T HAVE THE ABILITY OR DESIRE TO PERFORM

SIN SEVEN: GIVE THE POSITION THE WRONG JOB TITLE

• IS A PARENT COORDINATOR THE SAME AS A BLUE AND GOLD COORDINATOR?

• JOB DESCRIPTIONS SHOULD BE SHORT, SWEET AND TO THE POINT – NEVER MORE THAN A PARAGRAPH

• MATCH THE TITLE TO THE JOB

KEEPING VOLUNTEERS

• BE FLEXIBLE WHEN ASSIGNING DUTIES OR SCHEDULING

• RESPECT OTHER PEOPLES TIME BY MAKING MEETINGS USEFUL AND PRODUCTIVE

• COMMUNICATE – EMAIL STILL HAS NOT REPLACED PHONE CALLS

• TREAT OTHERS IN KEEPING WITH SCOUTING’S VALUES

• RECOGNIZE YOUR VOLUNTEERS

• GIVE YOUR VOLUNTEERS EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE FEEDBACK

• IMPROVE YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP SKILLS

RECOGNIZING VOLUNTEERS

• IF YOU ARE NOT RECOGNIZING YOUR VOLUNTEERS, YOU ARE HIDING THEM

• PARTICIPATE IN DISTRICT AND COUNCIL LEVEL RECOGNITION PROGRAMS

• AWARD CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION ON A REGULAR BASIS

• RECOGNIZE ADULTS WHO HAVE DONE TRAINING OR PERFORMED SERVICE TO THE PACK AT EVERY MEETING

• A SIMPLE “THANK YOU” CARD FROM THE REST OF THE LEADERS GOES A LONG WAY!

IN SUMMARY…

• STRESS THE PERSONAL BENEFITS THAT PEOPLE GET BY VOLUNTEERING WITH YOUR PACK

• INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, OR HAVE FRIENDS INVITE THEIR FRIENDS

• SHARE YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND PASSION FOR THE CAUSE

• INVITE VOLUNTEERS PERSONALLY TO PARTICIPATE

• TAG TEAM WHEN SEEKING AND INVITING VOLUNTEERS

IN SUMMARY…

• ASK VOLUNTEERS TO COMMIT TO A SPECIFIC PROJECT OR TIME SPAN

• DON’T ASSUME THAT NO MEANS NEVER

• FIND THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB

• BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE JOB IS

• BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A CLEAR JOB DESCRIPTION TO YOUR VOLUNTEER

• RECOGNIZE YOUR VOLUNTEERS!

A THOUGHT…

THE ONLY THING STANDING IN THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE

IS PERFECTION