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If you have a sincere desire to improve the environment and quality of life where you
live, why wait? Here are the key steps to becoming an active and effective community
service volunteer.
1. Connect with your passion. Do you love to read out loud? Garden? Cook? Hike?
Do yoga? You can find opportunities to do what you love and help others at the same
time. Local schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and more may need exactly what you
have to offer.
2. Use your special skills. For instance, if you love to write and you feel passionately
about an issue, write to the editor of your local paper. Know a lot about tree health?
Volunteer to help the ailing trees in your local park.
3. Be realistic. Know your limits and operate within them. There is no sense in
volunteering 30 hours a week for something if you’re already working 50. Find ways to
give what you can, when you can. And never underestimate the power of getting others
involved, see below.
4. Enlist others. Any time we get others involved, it becomes cooperative, less
burdensome and stressful, and lots more fun. One of the whole points of living in a
neighborhood is to have a sense of community. Nothing creates a deeper sense of that
than just this sort of shared activity.
Seven steps to achieve effective volunteer support
tarting a Volunteer Program? Here are seven essential steps to help make it a long term success.
Every volunteer program must begin with an understanding of why your organization wants or needs
volunteer support. Ensure that you have the support of your board of directors and senior
administrators before embarking on a recruitment campaign. At the initial stage, it is also essential to
establish desired outcomes for volunteer involvement. Establishing these outcome objectives early
in the process will help to guide the types of volunteers that you recruit, and the way that you
manage them once they have come on board.
3. Recruit carefully
When you've designed your volunteer opportunities, target the appropriate audiences to recruit those
who are truly interested in the project. Understand the characteristics of your existing team, and
recruit volunteers to mirror this team. Be honest about the workload and time commitment involved
in the project. Above all, ask for help but don't plead - you want volunteers who want to be there.
As part of the volunteer training sessions, you should provide a general orientation to the
organization, including a discussion of its mission and philosophy. Outline the organizational
framework, and any codes of conduct that are enforced. Offer any project-specific training that is
necessary to develop needed skills, and don't forget to tour the work area and point out the
sometimes-not-so-obvious features like washrooms and water fountains.
6. Recognize. Recognize. Recognize.
Recognition programs show that your organization values volunteer support. They also provide a
motivation for continuing commitment from your volunteers. Recognition should be both formal and
informal, with events supported by the organization, as well as personal notes and communication.
Don't forget to recognize volunteers publicly when newspaper or other media opportunities arise or
when it's time to write the annual report again.
7. Follow-up effectively
A final element of a successful volunteer program is continual follow-up and evaluation. Effective
follow-up provides feedback to volunteers and staff and opportunities to improve service to both.
With a careful plan, and continual volunteer communication and training, it should be easy to
evaluate your success and improve your program with time.
Module 8: Effective Involvement of
Volunteers
In 2009, the estimated dollar value of volunteer time was $20.85 per hour.(1) However,
beyond this quantifiable figure, volunteers also bring intangible benefits to the host
organization such as community support and an improved public image. (2) Non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) and the public sector consistently recognize volunteers as
a crucial human resource. Effective volunteer programs can create mutually beneficial
relationships between the volunteers, the paid staff, and the host organization. Conversely,
poorly designed models or improperly implemented programs can lead to divisive rifts. Before
delving into effective volunteer involvement, let’s confront some common misunderstandings.
Volunteers are “free”. The host organization does not incur monetary costs: False
Volunteers are not “free”; necessary resources need to be allocated to the
volunteering program to fulfill its function, including financial support (for
recruitment and incurred expenses) and human support (for orientation and continual
training).
Three variables have been cited as determinants of job performance: motivation, ability, and
opportunity.(6) In 1976, Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham(7) proposed a model with five
job characteristics to produce high quality work and high personal satisfaction:
Skill variety: Utilizing different skills and talents to complete the job (e.g., analytical
skills, motor skills, interpersonal interaction)
Task identity: “Owning” the task and seeing oneself as important to the outcome;
the most “wholesome” condition is when a person completes a job from start to
finish and has clear results
Task significance: The task directly or indirectly impacts the lives of others or the
organization
Autonomy: Carrying out the work freely and independently; formal instructions from
superiors and step-by-step manuals can detract from this autonomy
Feedback: Obtaining clear and direct information on the effectiveness of one’s effort
and performance; the organization may extend this to involve recognition and
rewards
Research on successful volunteering programs has shown that the first step is to establish
the rationale behind the installation of unpaid positions. Determining why volunteers are
needed (organizational requirements and gaps) and why citizens should donate their time
(motivations of volunteers) should seed a volunteering program/position before its final
implementation.
What is the correlation between the best practices in volunteer program design and
administration and the benefits realized from volunteer involvement?
Written Policies: Clear policies serve as “psychological contracts” between the volunteers and
the host organization. This agreement reduces volunteer withdrawal and turnover.
Contracts, orientation handbooks, and training manuals are forms of tangible information
packets that formalize the volunteer-organization relationship. From the management end,
it holds the organization accountable for providing adequate volunteer support, such as clear
job descriptions, trainings and staff mentors. These can also facilitate the task of volunteer
management and help develop a consistent pattern of volunteer involvement. Explicit
guidelines should govern the volunteer program to “allay any apprehensions of employees and
volunteers alike regarding the involvement of lay citizens and the rights and responsibilities
of each party.”(17)
Job Descriptions: Specifications for volunteer positions, along with written volunteer
program guidelines, serve to clarify and differentiate what the unpaid worker is and isn’t
expected to do.(18) Well-defined job descriptions aid targeted recruitment campaigns and
effective applicant screening. From the applicants’ perspective, it gives them a realistic
expectation of what the position entails. With that in mind, job descriptions should include
the title, responsibilities, benefits, qualifications, and commitment (frequency and
duration). Volunteer managers should note a potential volunteer’s extrinsic motivation
(tangible external rewards such as gifts and awards) and intrinsic motivation (inherent,
autonomous desires such as to help the less fortunate). Nondescript postings may result in
volunteers feeling dissatisfied and worse yet, may lead to discontinuation of
involvement.(19)
Volunteer Support: Ranging from orientation and in-service training, to follow-up assessment
and post-volunteer feedback, volunteer support follows through from the initiation to the
maturation of volunteers. Regardless of the assignment, it is crucial for newcomers to
receive an orientation to introduce the organization’s culture and operation.(20) Basic
training may be provided to equip new volunteers with relevant skills, knowledge, and job-
related know-how.(21) Once the volunteer settles down and is comfortable in performing
the assigned tasks, further development and advancement can be sought. Whether it’s
participation in upgrade trainings, scheduled classes, or shadowing specialized workers,
opportunities for progression in the organization should be available and accessible. By
overseeing the growth of volunteers within the organization, boredom and burnout can be
prevented and attrition rates can be kept in check.
Advanced Roles for Mature Volunteers: One way to achieve the dual objectives of providing
support for new volunteers and stimulating senior volunteers is by the establishment of
volunteering administrative and leadership roles.(22) Experienced volunteers can lead
projects, run orientation sessions, coordinate activities, and serve as mentors for newcomers.
Not only does this form of added responsibility show volunteers that they are trusted and
their experience is valued, but it also creates a closed-loop, self-sustaining volunteer-driven
program.
Recognition and Appreciation: It is important for volunteers to feel that their efforts,
unique talents, and personalities are making a difference.(23) One inexpensive way to
recognize a volunteer’s work is through the distribution of volunteer newsletters.(24) By
receiving updates on exclusive events, job listings, and announcements (such as organizational
changes), volunteers can feel that they are important in the organization’s fabric resulting
in further commitment.
Evaluation and Reflection: Feedback on the service experience should come from the clients,
fellow staff/volunteers, and program leaders. (25) The primary purpose of this is not to
“judge” the volunteers or their performances but to evaluate what has been achieved and
what still needs to be done (or changed).(26) Formal records of contribution, such as logs
for volunteering hours, may be helpful to be used as metrics for evaluations. As well,
journals and annual reports written by the volunteers may serve as vehicles for documenting
personal growth and goal attainment.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
by Thomas W. McKee
The scene: Tuesday night at our monthly membership meeting. A frantic staff
member stands before the group of about 300 members and says, "If we don't get
any volunteers for this program, we will assume that you aren't interested, and we'll
just cancel it."
Some over-worked members feel guilty and raise their hands. Others groan and say,
"The trouble with our organization is that no one wants to get involved." Others say,
under their breath, "Good, it's about time we cancel some of our activities."
Sound familiar? We've all seen it happen. Well, if you are going to mess up in your
volunteer program, you might as well mess up bad. By committing one of the
following seven sins, you not only chase members away, but you burn them out.
The results were very disappointing. What was wrong? What had I done wrong? I
thought that the challenge would motivate leaders to get involved.
I went to lunch with a person who was a mover and shaker and asked him, "Why
didn't you volunteer for this project? I could see your name on it all the way." I'll
never forget his response. Bill said, "If you wanted me, why didn't you ask? I'd be
happy to work with you on this project, but I would never volunteer."
I learned an important lesson 20 years ago that I have not forgotten. Many people
will never volunteer. Why aren't people volunteering? Because people want to be
asked.
Sin Two: Go It Alone
One of the most effective recruiters I knew was my father. He was an Eagle Scout as
a teenager. When he and Mom were first married, he was a volunteer scout leader.
As I was growing up, he was always active in volunteer organizations. To meet the
demands of active recruiting, Dad established a recruiting task force from the
organization in which he was recruiting. His team would meet once a month with a
list of vacancies. With organization directories open, they would brainstorm possible
people who could fill these positions.
Objective one: Volunteers are more willing to say yes to a short-term commitment
with an end-date in sight.
Objective two: Volunteers have the opportunity to catch the vision of the
organization because they were working with a passionate leader.
Objective three: Leaders became mentors for future passion driven teams. We were
always looking for new leadership.
Sometimes the "no" means, "not now." Sometimes it means that the prospect
volunteer feels that he/she would rather do something else. When the answer is
"no," I often ask if there are any positions in our organization that they would love to
do, but were never asked.
Joan was recruited by an after-school teen center in the inner city. She loved to do
behind-the-scenes work and pictured herself scrubbing floors, painting walls and
stuffing envelopes. But she was placed on the finance committee at the first meeting
and was asked to go out and raise money. Although she had a passion for the cause,
she was overwhelmed, disappointed and quit.