Recommended
More Related Content
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (11)
Similar to Volunteer Training for Store Staff presentation
Similar to Volunteer Training for Store Staff presentation (20)
Volunteer Training for Store Staff presentation
- 1. Retail Store Guide To: Volunteers! Our INCREDIBLE* resource! *if used correctly!
- 2. First Impressions: In Their Shoes
- 3. Volunteers? What Do You Expect? Expectations: Reality:
- 4. Why Do People Volunteer? Volunteer Motivations
- 6. Working with Volunteers Be a clear communicator. People aren’t mind readers. ASSIST when necessary, STEP BACK when needed Sometimes volunteers need CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Give people the opportunity to grow & learn
- 7. 1. Orientation & Training Volunteers 2. Dress Code 3. Volunteer Opportunities/Jobs 4. Code of Conduct! The Ops Manual
- 8. a) Daily introduction b) sign-in (and why we NEED it) c) Twice Monthly Volunteer Trainings d) Daily Prep 1. Orientation & Training Volunteers
- 9. a) Blue Store T-Shirt & Nametag b) Sturdy (& comfortable!) closed toed shoes c) Denim, Khakis, or dark jeans in good repair 2. Dress Code
- 10. a) Mentor b) Repairs c) Salesfloor/Receiving d) Marketing 3. Opportunities for Volunteers
- 11. a) Customer Service b) Safety c) Compensation Policy d) Harassment/Dismissal 4. Volunteer Code of Conduct
Editor's Notes
- Did you know? Our Stores are currently logging volunteer hours at 9% of capacity. According to VolunteerHub, we are using 9% of the volunteer opportunities available, EVERY MONTH. 85% of the volunteers at the stores in the last year only served with us once. Recruiting, training, and KEEPING volunteers is an issue for most non-profits. It’s important to realize that volunteers that support us will not come back to our organizations if they feel that they are not supported by staff. This training is designed to help staff see volunteers as a RESOURCE, and not a burden or a challenge. DISCUSSION What issues do we have with volunteers at the Stores daily? What special talents/unique skills do some of our volunteers have?
- Here is a great video that depicts a “day in the life” of a store volunteer. Let’s watch! DISCUSSION What looks familiar?
- ***You should have projects prepared for your volunteers prior to their attendance**** If we are not prepared, they will lose interest. Be sure to incorporate the possibility that volunteers might be MORE capable than you were expecting, or less! DISCUSSION How can we make tasks in the stores more “volunteer friendly?” What tasks can we suggest for more skilled volunteers? What tasks can we suggest for less skilled/less able bodied volunteers?
- DISCUSSION: Why Do YOU volunteer? To help! Many people who come through our organization are looking for a way that they can give back to the community. The Habitat Stores offer a unique opportunity to do this. To network: Some of our volunteers are looking for experience or a learning opportunity for their professional lives. Sometimes volunteers (like AmeriCorps members, for example) use volunteering as a way to gain skills, knowledge, and meet people in their chosen career field. To connect & understand others: Some of our volunteers come to gain a new perspective and learn about other people and cultures. To feel better about their lifestyle: Sometimes people may feel guilty for being more fortunate than others and want to give back by serving people in their community with their time and effort.
- This is a challenging activity where participants are all blindfolded and receive instructions that should be strictly followed. The exercise enables participants to recognize the importance of communicating effectively, and understand the important aspects of communication. Tools/Items required: One blindfold per participant , one long rope per sub group Time: 25 minutes Directions and setup : Divide the group into sub-groups of ideally 5. If this is not possible, some delegates can be given 2 pieces of information, or some the same information, ensuring all information is communicated (The minimum number of participants required for the activity is 3) Clear the room as far as is practicable Give each person one piece of information, either verbally or on a piece of paper. Instruct them NOT TO SHARE their information. Blindfold each person, make sure they understand the safety practices of the exercise. Communicate the objective of the activity, which is to create a square out of a piece of rope. Be aware of time and inform delegates when they have 10 minutes of the 25 minutes left Rules to give participants : Participant A : All team members are blindfolded and must remain so for the duration of the activity. Participant B : The rope you are holding is approximately ____ foot in length. Participant C : The rope you are holding is knotted together to form a circle; it must not be undone. Participant D : You must not let go of the rope. Participant E : You will be told when you have 5 minutes of your 20 minutes left. Discussion Questions : 1. Do you feel as a group you communicated effectively? 2. During the activity, what communication skills did you use effectively? 3. During the activity, what communication skills could you have used to improve performance? 4. How important is communication? 5. What key points have you learned about communication? What's the point from this activity ? This tough challenging activity reinforces the importance of being able to communicate effectively with other team members while being blindfolded. It requires strong teamwork and planning as well as efficient use of all possible communication skills the team has to succeed in forming a square while blindfolded.
- 1. Speak clearly and concisely in giving directions, and prepare as best you can for a misinterpretation. Encourage volunteers to ask questions if they do not understand, and prepare to re-task struggling volunteers. 2. Monitor your volunteers: if you have a volunteer that clearly struggling, don’t hesitate to find a new job for them. It might be embarrassing for them at first, but they’ll enjoy the day better, and have an overall better experience. Alternatively, if volunteers are superstars, give them the space to shine. 3. Try to follow the “feedback hamburger” method: positive feedback (“I love how enthusiastic you are!”) CONSTRUCTIVE feedback (“but I don’t think offering employees free items is a good business strategy”) positive feedback (“keep thinking of ways we can market to customers, though! You’re so creative!”) Always remember, we can dismiss volunteers (though we want to avoid it!) 4. If people do not have an opportunity to increase their skills & knowledge, they will get bored and soon leave. Provide training for volunteers to improve: help them learn how to use a new tool, build something, merchandise the store, or work on creating an upcycling project to inspire our customers. (If we have people working on projects in the store, more people will be interested in buying merchandise to create those projects, and we can get the word out about volunteering!)
- The operations manual should be your guide while you work at Habitat. The volunteer section of the operations manual is split into basically 4 sections. You should read the full guide, but if you don’t, here’s a brief overview:
- The community engagement department works incredibly hard to recruit volunteers for us. They even have VOLUNTEERS recruiting more volunteers. We need to make sure the volunteers we have are following the process: -They need to be greeted every single day as they walk in the door. -They need to be signed into volunteer hub. This helps us apply for grants and track volunteer hours for recognition. -Twice a month, managers must host a training for volunteers. Volunteers must receive the volunteer manual and be given information on a designated task: maybe you choose to teach them how to use a certain type of saw, or hold quizzes to see “who can guess the tool,” it is up to the store managers to plan these trainings and set aside the time to get to know their volunteers. Store regulars may be able to assist with these trainings. -Managers must check volunteer hub daily to be aware of volunteers coming into the store. They should put all volunteers onto a volunteer calendar and assign volunteers with a staff member or regular to get started. Staff and regulars should be aware they should be checking the calendar for new volunteers.
- -All volunteers need to follow the same store dress code as staff. -We have provided volunteer and staff nametags so store associates are more easily distinguishable. Please make sure volunteers wear them and call volunteers by name. -Aprons can be worn for easy access to measuring tapes, sharpies, and other store tools. Do not put store merchandise in aprons unless you are approved by a manager.
- We have lots of jobs we need volunteers for. We should always keep in mind the abilities of our volunteers, and make sure they are handling tasks without getting overwhelmed. Evaluate what your volunteers are good at, and give them tasks that fit their abilities.
- Volunteers should be aware of policies in the manual that concern them. Customer Service: All volunteers should have a discussion with staff about customer service expectations in the stores. All volunteers are expected to treat staff, donors, customers, and other volunteers with the highest levels of respect and courtesy. Basic Rule: “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say it!” Safety: All volunteers are expected to follow safety practices from the operations manual. Staff are expected to teach volunteers safe practices in the stores, and follow them at all times. Staff and volunteers are expected to dial 911 in a major emergency, and to know the location of the store. Basic Rule: “stay alert and aware of those around you. ” Compensation: NO money, services, or donations will be offered in exchange for volunteer services. Volunteers OR staff do not get “first pick” of merchandise that comes through the door. Basic Rule: “Items are for CUSTOMERS FIRST” Harassment/Dismissal: Any harassment of employees, staff, donors, or volunteers will NOT be tolerated. Volunteers should report any harassment to management, and there will be no retaliation for reporting harassment. Volunteers are subject to dismissal if they do not follow this policy. Basic Rule: “If you see something, say something!”