Volunteer Evaluation

Why Evaluate Volunteers?
Rather than dreading the prospect of evaluation, the smart volunteer supervisor should realize two important facts:

1. Most volunteers want to do the best job that they can. The absence of feedback and assistance is both demeaning and disturbing to them.
2. Most volunteers will 'win' in assessment situations.

Failing to evaluate a volunteer sends a clear message that you don't care about the quality of the work being done, and that you don't care much about the volunteer. Both volunteers who know they aren't doing well and those who think they should be congratulated for good work will think less of the volunteer effort, and of you, if evaluations are not conducted.

There are two basic reasons for conducting a volunteer evaluation:

1. To help the volunteer work closer to their potential.
2. To help the organization better involve volunteers.

And there is one key reason for not conducting evaluations: To deal with all the small performance problems that supervisors have been ignoring since the last evaluation. A periodic volunteer evaluation can help shape the overall performance of the volunteer, but it cannot and should not replace the day-to-day on-site coaching and supervision that must occur.

Setting Up the Evaluation System
There are a number of ways to develop an evaluation system. The first issue to be faced is what to call it. Here are some possibilities:

• Evaluation system
• Performance assessment system
• Work appraisal
• Progess planning
• Feedback

Clearly these have different connotations. Our suggestion is that you call the system by the same terminology as is used for paid staff, since this will send a clear message about job equality. You should also attempt to make the processes of the system congruent, if not identical, to that utilized with staff.

Whatever system you create should contain the following elements:

• A policy on performance appraisal and review.
• An initial trial period for all volunteers, before they are officially accepted and enrolled by the agency.
• A system for developing and maintaining current and accurate job descriptions for each volunteer.
• A periodic scheduled evaluation meeting between the volunteer and their supervisor to discuss job performance and satisfaction.
• A method for reviewing commitments to change made during the evaluation meeting.

This system should be explained to each volunteer during their initial orientation session, and should be reviewed with each staff person who will be supervising volunteers.

It All Starts with the Job Description
It is impossible to conduct good evaluations if you do not have accurate job descriptions for each volunteer. Remember Lynch's Law: "Lousy job descriptions produce really lousy evaluation sessions." Without a good job description which outlines the goals, objectives, and performance measures of the job, the supervisor will not know what they are asking of the volunteer and the volunteer will not know what is expected them. Remember McCurley's Rule of Thumb: "If you don't know what you want from the volunteer, why should they?"

We've included a sample of a job description form on page 1•, but it doesn't really matter what shape you follow. A paragraph is fine, as long as it tells the volunteer what they are trying to accomplish, what specific steps or work are anticipated, and how their success will be measured.

The most difficult part of this effort is getting supervisors to change the job descriptions of volunteers as time passes. You can encourage this by having them re-write the descriptions after each evaluation session, or as part of each annual planning session (making the jobs match the new strategic efforts of the department or program).

Conducting the Evaluation
The evaluation session should be a two-way meeting. It is your chance to talk about the volunteer's performance, giving either praise or suggestions for improvement. It should also be the volunteer's opportunity to talk about how their participation can be enhanced, which might even include discussing their moving to a new volunteer position.

The easiest method of conducting the evaluation session is to follow the RAP method:

• Review the past.
• Analyze the present.
• Plan the future.

And here are some suggestions:

• Don't get overwhelmed by forms. Forms are helpful (and can particularly be so for your poor successor who may be trying desperately to find out what went on before she got there), but they are not the major concern during the discussion.
• Start with the job description. Begin by finding out if it in fact describes what the volunteer has been doing. Take notes so you can adjust it closer to reality. The major 'problem' with highly motivated volunteers is that they produce rapid 'scope creep' in their assignments. You don't want to discourage this, but you do want to know about it.
• Stick to the basics: job proficiency, working relationships, comparison with last review.
• Listen as least as much as you talk. When you schedule the session with the volunteer, tell them this is their opportunity to evaluate the volunteer program and you want their ideas on how to make things better both for them and for other volunteers.
• Remember that the evaluation may show as much what you need to do as it does what the volunteer needs to do.

Dealing with Problem Behavior
If the evaluation does deal with some unsatisfactory performance by the volunteer, follow these simple guidelines when giving a reprimand:

• Don't smile. This is a serious subject, and you will simply confuse the volunteer if you are saying one thing and acting in a different manner.
• Don't gunny sack; i.e. don't save up a lot of small criticisms and drop them all on the volunteer at the same time. These should be dealt with in smaller segments during regular volunteer/supervisor conversations.
• Be specific. Talk about what the volunteer is not doing in the way you want them to.
• About vague comments, particularly if they are about the volunteer's attitude or motivations as opposed to the volunteer's action or behavior.
• Let the volunteer know how you feel. Indicate that both you and program expect quality performance and that you are disappointed by the unsatisfactory work.
• Put the reprimand in perspective. If the volunteer has done good work in other areas or at other times, remind them of that good performance.
• Don't repeat the reprimand. Cover the area that needs improvement and move on.

©1995, Steve McCurley. All rights reserved.