Essential Volunteer Management

Overview of Volunteering

Topics:
Job Development
Recruitment
Interviewing
Orientation and Training
Supervision
The Recognition Process

Volunteering is one of the most pervasive activities in American society, one which has long been a historical tradition.

During the current era over half of the American population regularly becomes involved in some sort of volunteer activity during the course of the year. This amounts to over 100 million people donating time in excess of 19 billion hours a year, valued at over $150 billion per year.

The recipients of this time include organizations working in all areas, including religion, health, education, arts & culture, the environment, etc.

Recipients also include all types of organizational structure. While most volunteers work with non-profit agencies, a significant portion (almost 18%) are connected with some level of government. During the last 10 years, volunteering for government has been one of the fastest growing areas of volunteer involvement.

Volunteers come from all age groups, educational backgrounds, income levels, genders, and types of employment. It is quite correct to say that in this society almost everyone can be looked upon as a potential volunteer.

Probably the biggest change that has occurred in volunteering during the last twenty years has been a shift towards volunteers who prefer shorter-term commitments with agencies. This shift has been caused by a variety of factors, including greater portions of working adults and a greater demand by organizations for the available volunteers. It has now become necessary for those programs that wish to utilize volunteers to pay much greater attention to the needs and requirements of the volunteers, including providing assignments which require small commitments of time and greater flexibility in scheduling.

Volunteers become involved for a variety of reasons, depending upon both the individual and the cause they are considering. The basic motivations that are often cited include:

• Helping others.
• Interest in the work or activity.
• Wanted to learn and gain experience.
• Had a lot of free time.
• Devoted to the cause.
• Know someone who was involved.
• Religious concerns.

As you might expect, with over 100 million people involved, the potential reasons stretch across the entire range of human motivation.

It is particularly important in operating a volunteer program to retain a broad view of potential volunteer involvement. Do not assume that the only people who are likely to volunteer for the program are the same types of people who previously volunteered for it. If you limit your focus in this way you are likely to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The experience of other programs is that practically everyone can be persuaded to volunteer for a program if the right techniques are utilized. By retaining the broad view you will greatly expand your potential targets in volunteer recruitment.

Volunteer Program Design A volunteer program requires the same type of managerial effort that any other program operation would require. All of the basic steps in program development and design apply to it, with some additional care required because of the possible lack of familiarity and comfort of staff with the concept of volunteer utilization.

Program planning and design begins with an initial assessment of why the agency wishes to utilize volunteers and what the benefits and problems are likely to be of volunteer utilization.

Possible benefits that might be cited include:

• Delivery of services at reduced cost.
• Access to additional expertise.
• Better contact with the community.
• Better assistance to clients.

Possible disadvantages that are cited include:

• Lack of control and reliability of volunteers.
• Time demands for volunteer supervision.
• Potential negative impact on paid jobs.
• Difficulties in recruiting enough qualified volunteers.

It is essential that the agency and its staff have an overall appreciation that the utilization of volunteers will, on balance, be worth the investment of organizational resources that are required to make the volunteer program operate.

There are six basic stages in the design of a volunteer program:

1. Job Development and Design
2. Recruitment
3. Screening and Interviewing
4. Orientation and Training
5. Supervision
6. Recognition

A properly designed volunteer program will proceed through these six steps, handling each in turn. Attempting to short-circuit the system, or attempting to deal with the later stages before completing the earlier steps will only lead to later problems. Many programs, for example, rush to recruit volunteers before developing jobs for the volunteers to perform. This only leads to confusion for both the volunteers and the agency staff.

Approach the volunteer program just as you would any other program. Plan carefully, work systematically, and the effort will bear success. Approach the program in an unreal fashion, such as imagining that volunteers will be a totally 'free' resource, and you will only meet with trouble.

Job Development
Volunteers need clearly defined jobs that have been thoughtfully prepared. The keys to recruiting, motivating and supervising a volunteer are built into the job description.

A job description is a definition of a person's duties and responsibilities within the agency. It is the final product of the job design process. This process should reflect four basic elements, which once defined will promote greater efficiency and require less management effort. These elements are:

Responsibility
This is the actual task or tasks that the volunteer is expected to perform. It should include both the goal toward which the volunteer is working and types of activities which the volunteer will be performing.

• Authority: This defines the parameters that the volunteer must work within and explains the extent to which the volunteer can make decisions about how work is to be carried out.
• Accountability: The volunteer needs to have a goal that is oriented toward results. Not holding the volunteer responsible for producing results is a subtle way of indicating that the work is valueless and unimportant.
• Measurements: These define how the volunteer will know if he has successfully achieved the results. These should be discussed and agreed upon in advance with the volunteer.

This results-oriented approach to job design has definite benefits for you, your volunteers, and your agency:

• First, you can manage a well-defined program easier than a loosely-defined one.
• Second, your volunteers will have some of their need for a sense of achievement satisfied.
• Third, your agency will experience a program that is more effective because people are clear about what they are supposed to accomplish and therefore are more likely to do so.

The job description is your planning tool to help your volunteers understand the results to be accomplished, what tasks are involved, what skills are required and other important details about the job. A job description provides an organized means of creating continuity in a job from one volunteer to the next. It is also a living document that should be revised as your program changes, or as the volunteer develops during their service with the agency.

Job descriptions are the building blocks of your volunteer program, insofar as all recruiting, interviewing, placing, supervising, and evaluating is based on the information contained in the job description. The key to a good job description is to keep it short, succinct and clear.
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Recruitment
Recruitment is the process of locating volunteers. While a seemingly simple concept, effective recruitment is actually a subtle blend of only doing as much work as you must to get enough volunteers who are qualified for the positions you wish to fill.

Oddly enough, over-success in recruitment can be a serious problem for programs, since it results in either accepting volunteers that you cannot make use of, or else rejecting applicants and risking their resentment.

Recruitment Methods There are three basic ways of planning your recruitment program.

The first method is usually called "Warm Body Recruitment." This method is utilized when the volunteer positions you are attempting to fill fit one of two characteristics:

A very large number of volunteers will be required for a short period of time (as in a special event).

The volunteer job to be done lacks any special qualifications, and is one that most people can do if given some training.

The basic methods for this Warm Body Recruitment all involve simple dissemination of information about the program. These include:

• Distribution of brochures
• Posters
• Speaker's Bureaus
• Notices in periodicals
• Word of Mouth

The second method is called "Targeted Recruitment." Targeted Recruitment is the process of consciously planning a campaign the result of which is the delivery of your recruitment message to a small audience. Targeted recruitment is a desirable method when the job for which you are attempting to recruit requires some special skills or some characteristics that are not commonly found.

Planning a Targeted Recruitment campaign involves asking four questions:

1. What do we need?
2. Who could provide this?
3. How can we communicate with them?
4. What would motivate them?

By working through these questions you can develop for any volunteer job a means of identifying and locating potential volunteers who are likely to possess the qualifications that you need.

The third method of recruiting is called "Concentric Circles Recruitment." This method involves identifying populations who are already in contact with your agency and attempting to recruit them. Sample target populations might include:

1. Your clients, their families and relatives.
2. ‘Alumni’ of your program.
3. Friends of your volunteers and staff.
4. People in the neighborhood in which you operate.
5. People who have been affected by the problem you are attempting to solve.

The advantage of Concentric Circles Recruitment is that the target groups are already familiar with your agency or with the problem you are addressing, or are being recruited via their connection with a friend of theirs. These factors make it more likely they can be persuaded to volunteer.

The Recruitment Message Every recruitment campaign must also have a compelling message. This message is your explanation of why your organization is worthy of the donation of volunteer time that is being requested. The message should in a short, simple, and direct manner communicate to the volunteer the need that exists for their services and the good that they can do by volunteering. Be sure in this message that you strive to stress the need of the community, not simply the need of your organization.

Asking The final step in recruitment is actually asking someone to volunteer. The most effective recruitment technique is having your staff or volunteers ask their friends and acquaintances to volunteer. You can assist them by providing them with the information to make effective use of this "Word of Mouth" recruitment.   back to topics

Interviewing
Guiding the entire process of an interview must be the idea that you are looking for the best qualified person to fill the job. This requires that the interviewer plan very carefully to create an interview that elicits the information you need to know for judging the candidate's qualifications for a job.

 Every interview has several stages. They are:

• Pre-Interview
  This is the time to review your questions (that were prepared ahead of time), job description, and the potential volunteer's application form. It is also time to relax, because interviewers are often just as nervous and self-conscious as the applicant.

Be sure and secure an area that is free from interruptions for the interview.

• Opening the Interview
  Welcome the volunteer warmly and invite them to make themselves comfortable. The offer of a cup of coffee or a soda is often a good way to get over an initial awkward moment. The interviewer should make every attempt to establish rapport with the volunteer and make them feel at ease.
• The Interview
  In your pre-planning the design of your questions should reflect the job for which you are conducting the interview. You must think carefully as to whether this interview should be an 'oral test' or a 'friendly chat.' That decision is based on the skills needed for the job. If you have several applicants for the same job, be sure and ask each of them the core questions you have developed.

A critical issue in interviewing is to be sure and listen to what the candidate has to say. Allow the volunteer to answer your questions free of interruptions. And remember, the volunteer is also checking out you and your agency. Invite questions, comments, and concerns so that both of you will have gotten the information you need.

• Closing the Interview
  This is perhaps the most difficult task of the entire process and it is best to be concise and upbeat. Briefly review the interview to ensure that both parties understand the same information and then share with the potential volunteer what the next steps will be.

It is crucial that the volunteer have a clear indication of your interest and a projected date for a final decision. This is easy if you are interested in 'hiring' the applicant. If, however, you are not interested in the person, say so. We must be honest and upfront with people who come to us. They deserve to know why we want (or don't want) them.

• Lastly, thank the potential volunteer for their interest and effort.

Placement: The placement of a volunteer must be based on the information gathered in the screening process. It must be done with the consensus of both the volunteer and the position supervisor. Finally, the decision must be made with the understanding that both the volunteer and the supervisor can change their minds if the placement is not working out.

Contracting: We suggest that you consider contracting with your volunteers. This simply means creating a written agreement between the agency and the volunteer which defines what both parties are committing to for the volunteer job. You can be as creative as you want in creating the format for such an agreement, just keep in mind that it should include both the volunteer's and the agency's responsibilities in the volunteer relationship. A contract is an excellent reference point for settling disagreements, and it also forms a basis for evaluation. A final note: it is not a legal document, but it should be respected as a good faith effort by both parties.

"Lets Make A Deal" While the above description makes it sound as though the volunteer is being interrogated by the agency, this is not the case. The agency is equally being examined by the potential volunteer. The real intent of the interviewing process might best be termed "matching" - finding a proper and happy fit between the interests of the volunteer and those of the agency. The interviewing process is more one of negotiation, with each side attempting to find something which is suitable on the part of the other.   back to topics

Orientation and Training
Orientation and Training are the twin processes of providing volunteers with the information which they require to perform their work effectively.

Orientation
"Orientation" involves giving volunteers an adequate background on the agency, its operation, and its procedures. Orientation is required because the volunteer needs to be made a part of the organizational environment, a process which requires the volunteer to understand what the organization is and how it operates.

A good orientation program will provide the volunteer with the following types of information:

• Description and history of the organization.
• Description of the overall programs and clientele of the organization.
• Sketch of the organizational chart of the organization.
• Orientation to the facilities and layout of the organization.
• Knowledge of general policies and procedures.
• Description of volunteer management system.

The purpose is to provide the volunteer with a context within which to work. The better the volunteer understands what the organization is and how it operates, the better the volunteer will be able to fit his or her own actions into proper methods of behavior and to display initiative in developing further ways to be helpful to the organization.  back to topics

Training
"Training" is the process of instructing volunteers in the specific job-related skills and behavior that they will need to perform their particular volunteer job.

It is designed to tell the volunteer:

• How they are supposed to perform their particular job.
• What they are not supposed to do in their job.
• What to do if an emergency or unforeseen situation arises.

An effective training program operates by identifying those skills, knowledge and behavior which would be essential in good job performance and then designing a training format which instructs the volunteer. It should be practical, experiential, and tailored to the individual needs of the volunteer.

It is helpful in doing volunteer trainer to involve both other staff and volunteers in designing and delivering the training.  back to topics

Supervision
Supervision of volunteers is essentially no different in concept or execution than supervision of any other type of staff for an agency. It requires the same care and skills for interpersonal relations.

Some aspects of supervision, however, need an extra emphasis in the volunteer relationship. These include:

1. Who Provides the Supervision? Is supervision to be provided by the volunteer coordinator or by the staff person with whom the volunteer will most closely be working? Both systems work, but it is essential to make sure that all parties are in agreement upon whom the responsibility for day-to-day supervision and management lies.
2. Flexible Management Volunteers must be treated as individuals, with recognition that their motivations are different and their styles are different. The supervisor must be able to accommodate individual variations. This may often having to deal with situations that do not occur in paid-staff situations, such as those that arise because the volunteer position may have a lower priority that other things that arise in an individual's life.
3. Allocating Time for Management The pervasive myth that volunteers are 'free' is often the bane of good management.

Staff who are responsible for volunteers must recognize that their own time must be allocated to relating to, managing and dealing with the volunteers. Staff must have time to be available to volunteers, in order to relate to them on both a professional and a personal basis.

Recognition Volunteer recognition is the process of rewarding and motivating those volunteers who have contributed effectively to the organization.

There are two basic types of volunteer recognition efforts:

Awards
"Awards" are the periodic provision of tokens of recognition to volunteers, both in a group and a one-to-one basis. Awards generally fall into two categories. The first is 'things', including:

• Certificates
• Pins
• Group photographs
• Items of clothing, such as T-shirts, caps, etc.
• Small gifts

The second category is 'events', including

• Lunches and dinners
• Picnics
• Parties and celebrations
• Field trips
• National Volunteer Week celebration

Awards are particularly useful in generating a sense of group involvement among volunteers who do not often have an opportunity to gather together.

Rewards
"Rewards" are the more intangible day-to-day activities of recognition and motivation that are given to volunteers. These include:

• Saying 'Thank You'.
• Giving respect and equal status to volunteers.
• Involving volunteers in staff meetings on a regular basis.
• Maintaining a personal interest in the volunteer H Spending time and effort in supervision.
• Giving the volunteer more responsibility.

Rewards tend to be more effective long-run motivators of volunteers.   back to topics

The Recognition Process
In conducting both the above systems of recognition, there are a number of principles to keep in mind. These include:

• Granting recognition in a public forum, preferably among the peer group of the volunteer.
• Timing recognition so that it is as close as possible to the achievement of the volunteer that is being recognized. Recognition delayed is a much less effective form of reward. It is this factor that makes day-to-day rewards for good behavior so important.
• Tailoring recognition to the individual. Attempt to determine what type of recognition would be most meaningful to the particular individual. Some will prefer the more public type of 'thank you'; others will better appreciate the smaller private recognition.
• Making sure that recognition is given sincerely. An artificial or 'slick' ceremony will be detected and resented. If you don't really mean it, don't do it.
• Making sure that recognition is fair. If you reward volunteers who are not performing well you will de-motivate the volunteers who are performing well.

Volunteer-Staff Relations
Effective operation of a volunteer program requires that there is a supportive working relationship between staff and volunteers. If either group does not understand the needs of the other, or if either group is distrustful of the other, the volunteer program cannot function effectively.

It is a primary role of the volunteer coordinator to make sure that both volunteers and staff are able to work effectively and agreeably together.

In focusing on gaining staff support, the volunteer coordinator should concentrate on providing staff with two over-riding feelings that the utilization of volunteers by the organization. These are:

• A feeling that the utilization of volunteers is in the overall interest both of the staff person and the organization, i.e. , that the benefit gained is worth the work required.
• A feeling of control over the process of volunteer utilization, including the ability to shape how volunteers will be involved and even the ability to not use volunteers if that is desired.

In gaining this staff support, the volunteer coordinator should concentrate efforts in the following areas:

1. Conducting advance research about staff to learn about their previous experiences and history with volunteers, including whether or not the staff are involved as volunteers themselves.
2. Involving staff in the development and design of volunteer jobs. This will enable you to develop jobs that are directly of value to staff and that will be more meaningful overall to the organization.
3. Involving staff in screening, orienting, and training volunteers. This will reassure staff that volunteers are receiving information that will make them more qualified.
4. Making sure that the staff and the volunteer coordinator are in clear agreement over who is in charge of what regarding each volunteer. Having clear division of responsibilities will avoid confusion and resentment later.
5. Involving the staff in supervision of the volunteers. This could range from granting complete managerial authority to the staff or else consulting with staff in supervisory decisions. The degree of involvement may be worked out with each staff person and will depend to a great degree upon their own preferences for amount of authority over the volunteer.
6. Providing feedback to the staff on the results of their utilization of volunteers. Letting them now both about the benefits of volunteer use to their program and also letting them know about the effectiveness of their involvement and work with volunteers.
7. Giving rewards and recognition to those staff people who work effectively with volunteers.

It is equally necessary that the volunteers understand the needs and concerns of the staff. Follow the same steps above with your volunteers, making sure that they are matched with the appropriate staff person and have a clear understanding of their own role in providing assistance.

Think of the 'Volunteer-Staff Relationship' not as a contest between two groups of people, but instead as a triangular relationship involving the staff, the volunteers, and the volunteer coordinator. The role of the volunteer manager in the relationship is to keep working with both sides to maintain balance and understanding.

Adapted from Essential Volunteer Management by Rick Lynch and Steve McCurley, available from VMSystems/Heritage Arts Press, 1807 Prairie, Downers Grove, IL 60515 (708)964-1194