MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR VOLUNTEERS

September 9, 2016

Deborah O’Rielly

 

Most non-profit organizations function largely with the help of volunteers, from volunteer board members, to fund raising committees, and coaches, programming committees and special event volunteers. The list goes on.

In most instances, volunteerism is critical to the success of an organization and it is what makes it operate smoothly, helping to fulfil the various mandates of your local groups. But what is your volunteer strategy? Does your organization have one in place, and if so, who is managing it?  Volunteer resource management plays an essential role in driving any volunteer-involving organization’s mission.

Perhaps you think that, among all the other work necessary to operate a functioning community group, managing the volunteers is just more work and you don’t have the resources to do it properly. Or, maybe you believe you are already doing a fine job keeping your volunteers in check.

Whether you are flush with extra help, or are struggling with keeping things going, here are some strategies that can help your organization make the most of your volunteers.

START WITH YOUR BOARD OR GOVERNING BODY

  • Create a volunteer committee within your board. It needn’t be a large committee, but it should have the sole mandate of recruiting and managing volunteers for any event or need you may have.
  • Put volunteer recruitment on the agenda for your meetings and give it 5-15 minutes worth of conversation. Discuss what you are looking for and who/where you can possibly recruit new volunteers and take action. Create a list of people who have agreed to help out in various ways – some may be long term commitments and others may agree to give just an hour or two. All of these kinds of volunteers are important for any organization.
  • Plan your volunteer program. It starts here. Know what it is your organization needs, understand what is reasonable to ask volunteers to do, and create a clear statement that explains what your expectations are for volunteers.

CREATE A VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT PACKAGE

  • Treat it as an opportunity to promote the importance of what your organization does, or the difference it makes in people’s lives.
  • Clearly explain what your organization does and what kinds of roles are available for volunteers.

SET CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES FOR VOLUNTEERS – I.E. JOB DESCRIPTIONS

  • Job descriptions must include:
    • A list of expected tasks
      • Volunteers need to know what they are supposed to be doing. Many will go above and beyond, but it can be very frustrating for them to show up to do a job with no direction or guidance.
    • A realistic estimate of time required for the job
      • Be honest. Don’t say writing a newsletter will take 2 hours if you know it takes a week.
    • A set term or time limit
      • your volunteer can always renew, but give them an ‘out’ if they need to move on or try a new job.
  • The Community Sector Council NL has a great online resource to get templates and ideas for job descriptions here.
  • Recruiting volunteers will be easier when you use job descriptions, because people are more likely to contribute their time when they know what they will be doing. To be satisfied, they want to see their work contributing to the goals of your organization.
  • Give the job a title. For example, Youth Sports Mentor, or Fundraiser, or Craft Assistant. Job titles and descriptions should be written in order to clarify what skills you need from people who will volunteer their time.
  • Today’s volunteer wants to know what kind of job you have for them. Don’t just vaguely ask someone to help out at the rink, or help sell some tickets. Job descriptions are as important for volunteers as they are for paid staff. Anyone who contributes to your organization needs a clearly defined role within it.
  • Skills needed to perform the job
    • Your volunteer will know their own limitations and desires to learn new things. Be specific and detail what you need from a person who is going to help.

SECURITY AND SCREENING

  • So, you’ve got volunteers lined up, they are ready to help out and you have lots for them to do. But first you need to know more about them. Perhaps you’ve asked for a resume, or a letter of interest for why they want to be involved. Maybe you’ve checked references. These may seem excessive, but they are important steps to knowing who your volunteers are.
  • As important as those things are, you may also be required to run security and background checks, especially if your organization involves a vulnerable sector. You will need to get your volunteers to complete RNC Criminal Record Background and Vulnerable Sector Checks. You can make this easy on your volunteers by providing the documents and submitting them on their behalf. As non-paid workers there will be no fee to pay.

VOLUNTEER CONTRACT AND ORIENTATION

  • You are nearly there. You have your volunteers, they’ve been checked out and they are good to go. You have created job descriptions for them and they know what they are expected to do, but you can’t just point them to the door and tell them to get started.
  • Create a simple contract that shows them you are professional, and can put them at ease by outlining their expected tasks. Here is a good example of a contract template and a sample code of conduct.
  • Of course, in some instances you can get them started right away. If you have a couple of people selling tickets at a table in a store, or selling concessions at the rink they can jump right in with minimal training.
  • But to get the  most from a volunteer, and to create the best experience for them, you should create a training program:
    • You need to create an orientation and training period to help your volunteers get off on the right foot. Training helps new volunteers get to know the people, the program, and the job quickly and efficiently.
    • Training your volunteers establishes that there is a minimum competency that all volunteers are expected to obtain.
    • Some organizations use training as a “weeding out” technique, making sure that volunteers who have signed up will be likely to live up to their commitments.
    • Training publicly acknowledges a necessary level of proficiency. By training your volunteers, you are making the statement that the organization is professional and capable of doing important work and doing it well.
    • Many volunteers see training as a benefit of being part of an organization. Training teaches them skills that may be helpful to them elsewhere, and may even help them get a paying job.
  • Decide who will do the training and supervising.
    • Will it be staff, or can you use long-term volunteers to help train newer ones?
    • Once trained and sufficiently oriented, your volunteers can get on with their jobs. Consider who will be managing the volunteers, who will be supervising them and who will be finding alternates for when a volunteer is unable to help. This should be covered by your volunteer committee, and they should have already put into place the necessary resources for this role.
    • Consider that training and education can be an ongoing thing, and your volunteers may benefit from extra opportunities that may arise which you can make available to them.

ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR VOLUNTEERS

  • Volunteers may be working for no monetary compensation, but they certainly do like to be thanked for the work they do. Be it publicly or privately, consider how to thank the people who do good work for you. Make it meaningful and heartfelt and you will have happy volunteers who will continue to work on your behalf.
  • Volunteer recruitment and training are important, but in order to retain your volunteers you will need to act as a good manager and consider their needs.

 

Do you have any questions? I can help! Contact me to discuss workshops for volunteer management. dorielly@mountpearl.ca

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