2016 01 - Let's Get Organized
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Volunteer Training Team presentation on getting yourself and your team organized.
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2016 01 - Let's Get Organized
- 2. Volunteers
- 3. De-Clutter • If you have not used it in a year you do not need it • Toss expired food – you are not allowed to serve it anyway! • Get rid of the excess
- 4. A Place for Everything . . .
- 5. Plan
- 6. Prioritize
- 7. Make a List (and check it twice)
- 8. Make a Schedule / Keep a Calendar
- 9. Keep Notes
- 10. Keep in Contact • Clear • Concise • Concrete • Correct • Coherent • Complete • Courteous
- 11. Take Breaks
- 12. Learn to say NO
- 13. Today’s Take-Aways Volunteer Management Making the Most of Your (Holiday) Events to Recruit Volunteers Session 1 of 1
Editor's Notes
- In this session we are going to discuss the ways you can get you and your volunteer program organized
- So are you the before or after? Be honest! POLL: before or after? Today we are going to talk about 10 ways in which you and your volunteer organization can get to that “after” Declutter A place for everything Plan Prioritize Make a List Make a Schedule / Keep a Calendar Keep Notes Keep in Contact Take Breaks Learn to say NO
- Are you a hoarder? Do you worry if you throw something away you might need it next month or next week? Well, it’s time to stop. Sometimes this can be hard to do, especially if you have long time volunteers who can tell you what they used years ago or if a beloved volunteer donated the item. If your volunteer area has boxes and boxes of supplies, it is time to de-clutter. If you haven’t used it in the past year, get rid of it. If this is too much, toss anything that is 2 or 3 or 5 years old. Expired food MUST go, even if it is non-perishables such as coffee, sugar and creamer. You cannot serve expired food. Do you have 500 or 200 or something and only need 3? Get rid of the excess. Any other ideas?
- De-cluttering goes hand-in hand with - A place for everything and everything in it’s place. This sounds pretty basic, but does everyone know where things are in your volunteer area? I cannot tell you how many times I have been somewhere to volunteer and could not locate key items. Label makers are wonderful. Label where the coffee, filters and stir-sticks belong. If you have supplies in bins, clearly label the bins. If you can, put a sample of the item on the outside. Many places send out free materials, attach a sample on the outside of the box in a paper protector so it doesn’t get ruined. Label binders and other critical information. Give volunteers a tour so they know where things go. Better yet, involve them in the process and allow them to determine where things belong in their work area. Anyone have anything that worked well for them (at home or as a volunteer)?
- There are many different types of planning. Planning for an event – the who, what, where, when and why – is just one type of planning. Creating a plan for your volunteer program over the next year or six months that includes activities and events. Plan your work. What needs to get done? Prioritize and categorize. What are things you must do and what can you delegate to volunteers? Plan for your program. How will you make it grow. What do you want to accomplish this year, in 2 years, 5 years or even 10 years down the road. What is your vision? Use SMART goals as you develop your plans: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-bound
- You have a plan, but there is SO much to do. Can you realistically do everything? Maybe you and your volunteers can, but maybe not. So you do need to prioritize. President Dwight Eisenhower had an incredible ability be productive and prioritize. His most famous productivity strategy is known as the Eisenhower Box and it’s a simple decision-making tool that you can use right now. Eisenhower’s strategy for taking action and organizing your tasks is simple, you separate your actions based on four possibilities. Urgent and important (tasks you will do immediately). Important, but not urgent (tasks you will schedule to do later). Urgent, but not important (tasks you will delegate to someone else). Neither urgent nor important (tasks that you will eliminate). The great thing about this matrix is that it can be used for broad productivity plans (“How should I spend my time each week?”) and for smaller, daily plans (“What should I do today?”). It is a great way for you to prioritize your own tasks and your volunteer organization to prioritize its tasks.
- ! Ok, I know the holiday’s are over, but making lists can be extremely helpful. OK, so you have a plan and you have prioritized it – now it is time to write it down. People who write it down have an 80% higher success rate of achieving their goal! Yes, I said 80%! Why make a list? Writing it down will: Force you to clarify Motivate you to take action Helps you be more committed to the action Provide a sense of achievement – it feels GOOD to cross things off that list! Who is a list maker? What do you put on your list?
- So, now you have a plan and you know your priorities and even have a list, it is time to develop a schedule or calendar for you and your program. Keep ONE type of calendar, especially for your personal use. Do not try to keep a paper one, one on your phone and another on your computer. You are bound to miss transferring something. On your personal calendar, schedule your time, yes, even your volunteer time. When you schedule your time, you are more likely to be productive because you know your time is limited. Don’t forget to include important dates like birthdays and anniversaries. You might even want to include due dates of reports. When my 3 children were all in sports and school activities, I had a color coded calendar that showed who was where and when. My husband laughed, but when I was sick it was easy for him to figure out who had to be where when. I even scheduled my study time and volunteer time. This really helped me see what I could and could not do (we’ll talk about that later). When thinking about your volunteer program think about what works. Do you just need a list of events and activities in chronological order(with times) or is your group one that needs a schedule that includes times to work? What works for your volunteers? Are they all in their 20’s and want to use calendar invites? Do they prefer a paper copies? What works for your organization? What works for you? Keep a schedule when volunteers are going to be in. Treat it like a job. If they don’t show up call and ask if they are Okay. Set the expectation that if they cannot be there they will call ahead of time. Many organization require volunteers to find someone to fill in form them. Some other things you should include on your volunteer calendar are: Dates of events, battle assembly/drill weekends, annual training due dates for projects, reports, volunteer hours and awards nominations for your volunteers. volunteer birthdays (send them a card or give them something small Days and times volunteers will be working What did I miss?
- This is so important. I keep a notebook, one of those fancy journals that has a magnetic closure that covers the exposed pages because I would ruin a spiral one. I slap in post-it notes for the times I do not have it with me. When I am done, I label the notebook with the dates. Ideas to help you date your notes Write down name, phone and email Make notes about what was discussed If there is a tasker or someone has an obligation to do something, write when it is due. What should you keep notes on? Almost everything. Your interaction with volunteers (this may give you ideas how to help them grow or recognize them), issues you have, people you contacted that can assist. More than once was able to go back and connect a service member of family member to a vital resource all because I had taken the time to write down their name, number and a little bit of information about them. My notes also help me follow up. I put big stars or highlight certain things that need action. For some, using an app might work better. Do what works for you. Do follow the KISS principle, Keep it Simple Stupid.
- Communication. How often have we had topics on communication as a part of VTT? A lot! Communication is key. As a volunteer, I get frustrated when I do not have a clear direction or when those I volunteer for do not keep in touch. Think of the C’s: Clear Concise Concrete Correct Coherent Complete and Courteous Each of these is necessary. We could go into these, but then we might be here and extra 3 hours. The bottom line, is let your team know what is going on and you need to know what they are doing. When everyone is on the same page it makes things much easier. Follow up and check to see where they are. Sometimes people overcommit or something happens and they cannot do what they had thought they could. If you keep in contact you will know where things stand.
- Sometimes everybody needs a break. You may need a 10 or 15 minute get out of the office before you scream break, or even a total break from volunteering for a month or two. Did you know that studies show taking breaks improves productivity? Don’t be afraid to step back for a bit. If you are getting frustrated, it can help to take a break and look at the project or task with fresh eyes. Maybe it is even getting someone to help you and relieve the stress. You don’t have to do it all alone.
- Remember when I mentioned in developing a schedule or calendar that it would tell you what you could and could not do? Sometimes you have to say no, even if you REALLY want to do something. No one can do everything and it is OK to say no. Your organization can’t do everything either. Sometimes volunteers or a commander want something that is just not realistic. Be honest and tell them why you are saying no. It is OK to say no!!!
- Thank you for joining us for this one-part Volunteer Management webinar: Let’s get organized. I would love to hear how you will use some of the 10 ways to get organized to help you and your organization Declutter A place for everything Plan Prioritize Make a List Make a Schedule / Keep a Calendar Keep Notes Keep in Contact Take Breaks Learn to say NO Is there anything you would add?