getting it rrrright with volunteers! recruiting, retaining, recognizing and reflection on volunteer...
TRANSCRIPT
Getting It RRRRight with Volunteers!
Recruiting, Retaining, Recognizing and Reflection on Volunteer Management
Mary Welch, Sr. DirectorUS Affiliate ServicesHabitat for Humanity International
Let’s Get Acquainted!
• What shall we call you today?• Which affiliate do you serve?• What is your role at the affiliate?• What do you expect from today’s session?
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Setting the StageTrends in volunteerism
- Volunteers and volunteerism has changed dramatically over the past few decades
Why do people volunteer?- Popcorn exercise – shout out some reasons!
- From the list, which do your volunteers get from the HFH experience?
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Motivators for Volunteers
•Praise•Affiliation •Accomplishment•Power/Influence
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Watch for the Clues!
Are You a Great Place to Volunteer?
Recognize that volunteers are not simply folks with free time to kill. They are talented, hardworking and civic-minded people who volunteer because they care about the work the organization is doing
Embrace the integral part volunteers play, not only in the work being done, but also in the general public image and community connections of the organization
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Are You a Great Place to Volunteer?
Understand that managing a volunteer program is neither free nor easy and has a skilled professional volunteer manager who is fully supported by the Executive Director, the board and his or her coworkers.
Recognize that the most important thing they can give their volunteer is a chance to be successful, and makes sure the volunteers have the tools, resources, training, feedback and support they need to be successful
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Steps to Successful Recruitment• Identify needs• Create job descriptions• Identify prospects• Interview• Make the placement• Do introductions
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Identify Needs• List all the needs. Samples:• Construction • Committees• Attorney• Special Events• ReStore
Be sure your list is comprehensive!
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Create Job Descriptions• Title, purpose, responsibilities of the job• Length of commitment • List of staff members/other volunteers that they will be
working with• Necessary qualifications• Information of meeting time, required hours of training
and who will conduct it• Information on what resources are available to help
complete the job responsibilities (AOM Manuals, HFHI contacts, brochures, training, materials, etc.)
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Identify Prospects• Start Identifying prospects for each position
needed • Keep in mind what the job requires and what
skills and talents the prospect would like to share
• Be flexible to the needs and desires of the prospect or you’ll lose them!
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Interview• Be professional – set up a time to meet and state clearly why you
are meeting• Meet in person whenever possible• Ask open ended questions (What do you know about Habitat? What
kind of volunteer work have you done before? What type of work would you like to do with Habitat?)
• Clarify the details of the position and the demands it will place upon the volunteer. It is easier for someone to say yes when a job is clearly defined. It keeps volunteers from taking on responsibilities they can not fulfill.
• Make no promises for the position (You may need to get approval from the board of directors, chairpersons, supervisors, etc.)
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Make the Placement• Give everyone who is interested in working with
Habitat a job that is meaningful in some way. • How do you know if the volunteer has the ability
to handle the job? Put them in low risk situations.
• Be sure the person that the volunteer will be working with has some background on the new volunteer
• Follow up with them in a few weeks to see how it’s going and validate the placement
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Introductions• Practice Welcoming• Be ready when they report to work• Give them the resources they need to be
successful• Be sure they have their supervisor’s name and
phone number• Keep them busy or they will leave you!
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Turning a Job Descriptioninto a Recruitment
Strategy• Define the ideal volunteer(s) for your program• Be as specific as you can • Use a real person as your model. Name the
person you define if necessary! • Now brainstorm where you might be most likely
to find and communicate with this/these ideal volunteer(s)
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Marketing Ideas•Walton HFH example•Habitat Night•Radio, TV•Social Media•Corporate Days•What has worked for you?
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How do we keep them once we have them?• Immediately engage them in something meaningful
• Match them to the right job• Give them more responsibilities• Provide training• Orientation for new positions• Recognize them (a lot!)• Provide them with what they wanted
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10 Retention Commandments
•Challenge•Research•Vary•Consult•Brighten
•Praise•Train•Communicate•Socialize•Recognize
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Recognition•Praise•Affiliation•Accomplishment•Power/Influence
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Reflect in small groups• Why is volunteerism important at my Habitat?• What surprised me in today’s workshop?• What will I try when I return to my affiliate?• If I had one wish for my affiliate’s volunteer
program, what would it be?• How can I help make the wish a reality?• Did I exchange names and email addresses with
those around me so I have a built in support system as I move forward in my work?
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Closing thoughts, questions, comments, concerns?
Thank you!