The 3 r's of a volunteer management system

The Three Rs of a Volunteer Management System Recruitment, Retention and Recognition1 www. OneOC.org

On September 15, 2010,Volunteer Center OrangeCounty transformed to OneOC.Why OneOC? Because volunteering is just one part of thesolution for creating stronger and healthier communities.Every nonprofit is passionate about its mission. But desire aloneis rarely enough to propel an organization to achieve its goals.Building on a 50-year history of mobilizing volunteer action forsocial change, OneOC is the expansion of our services to helpnonprofits become as effective and efficient about their mission,as they are passionate. www.oneoc.org 2

Our services are fully integrated, strengthened throughcommunity and corporate partnerships. Together we workto accelerate the success of Orange County nonprofits with:Volunteer Services – Mobilizing Training Services – Advancing boards,individuals, families, groups and executives, staff and volunteers throughbusinesses to discover their power to educational forums that enhance nonprofitmake a difference through service. leadership, professional development and the use of leading business practices.Consulting Services – Maximizingnonprofit capacity and impact through Business Services – Extending legal,our affiliated pool of nonprofit expert corporate and fiscal sponsorship toconsultants specializing in volunteer innovative community initiatives andmanagement, board excellence, finance emerging nonprofits.& human resources, leadershipadvancement, and fundraising andmarketing. www.oneoc.org 3

Two Main Reasons People Volunteero They were askedo They want to do something good for others and their community4 www.OneOC.org

Barriers to Volunteeringo Timeo Need for flexibility, unable to commito Costso Locationo Lack of childcareo Type of service (homeless, prisoner, etc.) 5 www.OneOC.org

Why Do People StopVolunteering?#1 Reasono They feel that their skills and time is not being utilized well.6 www.OneOC.org

Why I am not going to Volunteer for YOUR organization...o I’ve never heard of you.o I don’t really understand what you do.o I’m not clear how my time and effort will make a  difference.o I don’t know anyone else who volunteers with you.o I can’t figure out how to sign-up to volunteer.o It’s too hard to sign-up to volunteer and I don’t know if I’m really the right type of person.o You haven’t asked me to volunteer.   VolunteerMatch Blog by Shari Ilsen, Sept 2011 7 www.OneOC.org

What Do Your Volunteers Want?The 10 Ways to Make Your Volunteers Happy!o You to be prepared for them.o To feel welcomed.o Good training.o To do interesting work.o To know up front how much time the job will take.o To be appreciated.o To be communicated with.o To know that they are helping to make the world a better place.o To be socially connected.o To learn something new.8 www.OneOC.org

Recruitment is…...the process of enlistingvolunteers to do the work of yourorganization.9 www.OneOC.org

Steps to Effectively Recruit & Place VolunteersStep 1Use Strategically Defined PositionDescriptionso Ensure that they meet the organization’s priority, needs, goals, and mission.o Ensure that they maximize the use of underutilized volunteers.10 www.OneOC.org

Sources of Underutilized Volunteerso Episodic volunteerso Corporate volunteerso Studentso Senior and RetireesWhat are potential pools of underutilizedvolunteers in your community?11 www.OneOC.org

Youth and Family VolunteeringSince 1989:o More than twice as many youth are volunteeringo Volunteering with educational or youth organizations is up around 75%  A young person from a family where at least one parent volunteers isalmost twice as likely to volunteer as a young person from a familywith no volunteers  Family Volunteering…o Strengthening family communication and bondso Allowing family members to be role modelso Providing quality family timeo Building shared memorieso Increasing commitment to volunteering and community 12 www.OneOC.org

Tips for Writing Position Descriptions for Underutilized VolunteersCreate positions that . . .o last one dayo are early morning, evening or weekend positionso don’t require certain skills (offer training)o will be attractive even to those not interested in volunteeringo can be performed remotelyo are attractive to groups that do not normally volunteer13 www.OneOC.org

Steps to Effectively Recruit & Place VolunteersSTEP 2: Sell the benefits and share thefeatures of the volunteer positions.A. Identify the features and benefits of the volunteer position(s).B. Craft a powerful message that will grab and hold your audience’s attention.C. Design a communication strategy that will reach your target audience.14 www.OneOC.org

Design a communication strategyWhat knowledge, skills, attitudes &attributes do you want in thevolunteers? Who are you targeting? Wherewill you find your target audience?How will your message get to youraudience?15 www.OneOC.org

Local Recruitment SourcesVolunteer Centerso OneOCLocal Media Outletso Orange County Business Journalo Orange County Registero News, Seniors Todayo Specific to cause or event (Race Pace magazine for your next Fun Run)Chamber of Commerce Current Staff & VolunteersCivic Organizationso Kiwanis, Rotary, City Citizen Group etc.16 www.OneOC.org

Technologyo OneOC.org/volunteero Volunteersolutions.orgo Volunteermatch.orgo Idealist.orgo Facebooko YouTubeo Twittero LinkedIn17 www.OneOC.org

Steps to Effectively Recruit & Place VolunteersSTEP 3: Match the Right Individuals to theRight Positionso Screen applicants, as needed.o Interview applicants.o Modify position description, as needed.18 www.OneOC.org

Retention Begins w/Interview & Orientation Processo Retention begins when you have accurately described the volunteer position and assessed whether the potential volunteer is right for the job.o Provide an atmosphere that is welcoming to volunteers.o Allocates sufficient resources to support them.19 www.OneOC.org

Volunteer Retention Principleso Volunteers stay if their tasks and procedures are clear.o Volunteers stay if they feel welcome and appreciated.o Volunteers stay if they bond to someone within the  organization.o Volunteers stay if they receive feedback that connects  their job to program success.o Volunteers stay if they have a voice in the organization.o Volunteers are motivated by opportunities to learn new  skills.o Volunteers are motivated by opportunities to “change the world.”20 www.OneOC.org

When volunteers return to a program, the program managers have more time to be creative in carrying out the mission of the program. Trained, experienced volunteers are able to provide better services to clients.21 www.OneOC.org

Basic Rules of Retentiono Retention doesn’t happen in a vacuum.o Retention is an outcome, not a task.o Don’t waste the volunteer’s time.o Let volunteers do the work they want to do.o Thank volunteers for their efforts.  REWARD + RECOGNITION = RETENTIONo Don’t automatically assume you’ve lost a volunteer.22 www.OneOC.org

Volunteer Motivationo Listen to your volunteerso Give volunteers a reason to participateo Comes from the person within o Cannot be created but you can provide an environment that will encourage volunteers to motivate themselves.o Skill Development/Personal Growtho Challenge/Goalso Contact with Clientso Recognition of Serviceo Rewardso How ‘Not’ to Motivate Volunteers?23 www.OneOC.org

Recognition Tipso Make sure volunteers are doing work that is meaningful to themo Invite volunteers to participate in decision making.o Promote volunteers to other roles that take better advantage of their talents (i.e., volunteer ladder)o Let the volunteers know about the outcomes from the programo Ask volunteers for feedbacko Provide professional development opportunities24 www.OneOC.org

Recognition Ideaso Host a community block party or picnic for volunteers and their familieso Plan to hold one recognition event per yearo Give volunteers a framed photograph from the service evento Tell the volunteer’s supervisors about their involvement.o Work with local media to highlight outstanding  volunteer stories.o OneOC’s Annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards25 www.OneOC.org

Recognition Ideas Continuedo Highlight a volunteer on your websiteo Engage senior staff to send a thank you note to theo Submit a letter to the editor of your local papero Secure a proclamation from your governor, state representative, or mayor to honor a special volunteer26 www.OneOC.org

Some Practices Tied to Greater Volunteer Retentiono Make sure the vision, mission, goals and objectives of the project are clearly communicated.o Providing training and professional development matching them to organizational tasks. These practices all center on enriching the volunteer experience.o Invest in volunteer management or consulting 27 www.OneOC.org

Why do Volunteers Leave?o Inadequate supervision or leadership qualityo Lack of trainingo Nonexistent or ineffective communicationo Lack of feedback or recognition28 www.OneOC.org

Preparing Volunteers for Successo Reality-based training — case studies, real experienceso Match expectation with reality — show what a reasonable accomplishment would beo On-the-job training and assistance — “real, usable information on what to do”o Supportive materials and adequate equipment29 www.OneOC.org

Retention Tips - SummaryIssues of volunteer retention are directlyimpacted by how clearly volunteers havebeen recruited, how fairly they aresupervised and how effectively they arerecognized and rewarded.30 www.OneOC.org

Retention Tips - Summaryo Contact and acknowledgmento Regular feedbacko Celebrate and recognize them for their accomplishments and contributionso Express appreciation for their serviceo Ensure personal goals are meto The final key to volunteer retention – operate a well-managed program.31 www.OneOC.org

Is it worth it?o Estimated dollar value of volunteer time for 2010 is $21.36 per hour*o According to the Corporation for National and Community Service: o 62.8 million American Adults or 26.38% of the adult population gave 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth $173 billion for 2010o Relationships connecting community and your organization o Diversity o Stakeholders o Extend mission   *Calculated by The Independent Sector 32 www.OneOC.org

Questions33 www.OneOC.org

Name: LaVal Brewer ~ LaVal Brewer ConsultingPhone: 949-945-3508E-mail: LaVal@LaValBrewer.comWebsite: www.LaValBrewer.comTwitter: @LaValB www.oneoc.org34

The 3 r's of a volunteer management system

by LaValBrewer on Jan 31, 2013

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