This document discusses building a pro-volunteer culture and environment at an organization. It provides perspectives on volunteers as both free labor but also as people serving an important role. It outlines expectations for staff to better serve volunteers and examples of small changes that can be implemented, such as greeting volunteers with a smile. The rest of the document discusses applying concepts from behavioral science research on habit formation and change management to motivate staff to adopt pro-volunteer behaviors through tweaks to the environment, scripts, rallies, and building new habits.

1. Building a pro-volunteer habitat
Margie Bradley
Abigail Elder
Jennifer Johnson

2. Volunteer Ecosystem
Who is at the top of the food chain?

3. Who does your boss
answer to?

4. Share an experience you’ve had as a volunteer.
What did you get from that experience? How did
the organization help (or hinder) you meet that
intellectual/emotional need?

5. • Expensive
• Time-consuming
• High turnover
• Take up space
• Unskilled
• Undependable
• Security risk
• “Free labor”
• Fear of
dependency
• Fear of unions
Volunteers
as Free
Labor

6. • Engagement
• Grow skills
• Socialize
• Meet new people
• Try something new
• Be recognized
• Give to a worthy cause
• Fulfill a requirement
• Valued
customers
• Part of
our
mission
Volunteers
as People
We serve

7. Tualatin Public Library

8. Tualatin Culture Change
Expectations of
staff for how we
serve volunteers
Betty
Stallings
Training
Grant-
funded;
year-long
training

9. MANAGE UP!
• You are the experts!
• Ask for what you
need!
• Be specific!
• Show me the
possibilities!
• Manage me and the
rest of the staff!

10. Kid President Pep Talk

12. Change & The Brain
The Elephant
has the strength
to move
The Rider
attempts to
direct the action

13. Good: Long-term planning, direction
Bad: Indecisive, limited power

14. Good: Energy, drive, instinct, motivation
Bad: lazy, skittish, short-sighted

15. People problems may really be
situation problems

16. Laziness may be exhaustion

17. Direct the Rider

18. Keep it simple

19. Resistance may be lack of clarity

20. Follow the bright spots
What’s working well?

21. Script the critical moves

22. What are some small moves that you
could ask of staff?
What are some small moves that you
could ask of your boss?

23. Tualatin’s Small Moves
• Smile and greet volunteers
• Wear your nametag
• Ask someone what they did the last time
they volunteered.

24. Point to the destination

25. Motivate the Elephant

26. Find the Feeling
Punishment loses its sting; help me feel good
about my role in serving volunteers

27. Find the Feeling
Help me to know volunteers as individuals

28. Shrink the Change
Tualatin: Don’t need to be best friends with volunteers.
Ask volunteers about their pets. Ask them about the weather.

29. Grow people

30. Link identity to serving volunteers

32. Shape the Path

33. How can you make the RIGHT
thing the EASIEST thing?

34. Tweak the Environment
Margie brought tours to me, rather than relying on me to initiate greetings.

35. Build Habits
Daily Stand-up Meetings

36. Rally the Herd: Behavior is contagious
We are off to a great start! Let’s build on that success!

37. Pro-Volunteer Habitat
MANAGE
UP!
Shape
the Path
Motivate
the
Elephant
Direct
the Rider