Leadership: Volunteer and

Board Nourishment

Rhonda Sciarra, Director

Kim Arnold, ABC, Deputy Director

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“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. “

- John Quincy Adams

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What Volunteers Want

• Self-improvement

• Professional development

• Influence within the organization

• Recognition

• Networking

• Fun

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• New skills

• Personal interest

• Career planning

• To achieve something/growth

• To be challenged

• Sense of duty

A Model for Nourishing Volunteers

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Volunteer Turn-Offs

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• NEVER BEING ASKED TO VOLUNTEER

• Lack of time

• Unclear expectations

• Little or no recognition

• Mismatched skills

• Burnout

• Didn’t seem important enough

Overcoming Turn-Offs

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• Ask, ask, ask • Match volunteers with opportunities they can

do – one hour vs. One board year • Set clear expectations – document volunteer

roles and time needed per month • Recognize, recognize, recognize • Have 1:1s; ask for resumes • Watch out for signs of burnout – head off before • Convey importance of every task or position

Lessons in Volunteerism

from the Grinch

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• Get the view from the top

• Cultivate good company

• Assess and evaluate

• Prepare for the

unexpected

Adapted from 5 Lessons in Public Relations Courtesy of the Grinch, Amy Whilldin of Domus Inc.

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Ways to Show Appreciation

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• What are your chapter leadership needs?

• It’s not one person’s job but one person should have overall responsibility

• It is a continuous, on-going process

• Job descriptions with time commitments

• Ask, if you don’t ask they can’t say yes

Have a SUCCESSion Plan

Board Nourishment

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If volunteering is the

IABC chapter equivalent

of the appetizer course,

how do you convince

them to stick around for

the main course—

becoming an IABC

chapter leader?

Food for Thought

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• It doesn’t have to be a heavy meal

– Carve roles/jobs/projects into bite-sized pieces

– Help them see the entire menu, but also help them understand the whole course isn’t expected all at once

– Set expectations at the beginning—no surprises, no confusion: “This isn’t what I ordered!”

Food for Thought

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• They don’t have to eat food they don’t like*

– Put them in a role/job that suits/interests them

– When people don’t like what they’re doing or are bored doing it, it shows

*But as your mom always said, you don’t know if you like it or not unless you try it!

Career-Building Training Ground

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“One of the most powerful ways for younger managers to understand and experience the type of leadership needed for the C-Suite is to do volunteer work early in their careers. This is because the type of leadership at the top is akin to being a leader of volunteers, it is not about carrots and sticks but about persuasion and getting people to grasp and follow your vision.”

“Volunteering—A Great Way to Learn Real Executive Leadership,” Forbes.com

Communication is Key

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• The head chef always checks in with his or her staff

and patrons throughout the service to ensure needs

are being met.

– Touch base with board members regularly

– Do they need help? Are there obstacles standing in the

way of their success?

– They may be afraid/embarrassed to admit they need help

or are overwhelmed

– Make it safe for them to admit they need help getting

something done

Word of Mouth

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• Word of mouth can make

or break you

• Your board is your brand—

take care of your leaders

and they’ll grow the brand

• Continually review and

refine your menu

– If something isn’t working,

CHANGE IT

Customer Experience

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• Apply Customer Experience principles to your board recruitment, nourishment, growth

• Look outside in, not inside out – What does the board member need to be a success?

• Make it easy to not only commit to IABC leadership but to believe in it

• What defines their experience? – As an IABC member

– As an IABC volunteer

– As an IABC leader

Customer Experience

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• What can you offer IABC leaders that no

other professional development organization

can?

– Value adds

– Training opportunities

– Connections

• Ask for—and listen to—feedback

• Empower your board members

Save Room for Dessert

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• Reward, encourage

and celebrate

• Demonstrate the

advantages of

leadership in your

chapter

Helpful Resources

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• Four Keys to Volunteerism (IABC Leader Center)

• Leadership Development Award of Excellence: IABC British Columbia (large chapter) work plan

• Leadership Development Award of Excellence: IABC Toronto (large chapter) work plan

About Rhonda Sciarra - Director IABC Pacific Plains Region

Rhonda Sciarra is a communications manager at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. Her prior roles span Peabody Energy, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and as a newspaper reporter in Chicago and St. Louis.

Rhonda completed an undergraduate journalism degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and remains a fan of Saluki basketball. She earned a Master of Arts degree in media communications with a PR emphasis from Webster University in St. Louis, where she taught journalism and served as general manager of the student newspaper. Rhonda is a former IABC St. Louis past president and board member.

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About Kim Arnold - Deputy Director IABC Pacific Plains Region

Kim has nearly 30 years of corporate and marketing communications experience. She is currently director of Marketing Communications for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska.

Kim is a past president of IABC/Omaha and served as director of the former IABC District 4 Board. An accredited member of IABC, she holds a BA in English with a minor in Journalism from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Kim is a voracious reader, so in addition to assisting chapter leaders with IABC matters, can be depended upon to provide an immediate and enthusiastic response to the question, “What book should I read next?”

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