Author, former chief tech evangelist for Apple, and perpetual entrepreneur, Guy Kawasaki has just published “Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions”. The book has generated plenty of buzz among tech fans, but his ideas easily translate to non-tech social sector work as well.
He argues that creating enchantment is the key to success in business. I think that also applies volunteer engagement. See if you agree.
Are Your Volunteers Enchanted With Their Experience?
Kawasaki poses three keys to enchantment. Here are my thoughts on how they relate to the volunteer environment. What do you think? Would these make your organization irresistible?
1) Likable -- Is your environment friendly and open? Are people generous with their smiles? Does everyone your organization greet volunteers every time they see them? Do people show they care about each other or just show up for work?
2) Trustworthy -- Can you be trusted? Do you follow through on every commitment made? Are your decisions transparent? Do you give accurate information, consistently? Do you always give the benefit of the doubt? Is “yes” your default answer to most requests? Are you focused on giving versus receiving?
3) A Great Product -- Kawasaki used the acronym DICEE to describe a fantastic product. Do these describe your volunteer program?
- Deep (lots of functionality, lots of features) -- Are there a number of roles for volunteers to choose from? Is there flexibility in where, when, and how they can contribute their time? Are there lots of resources and training to support their work?
- Intelligent (they understand me, anticipate my need) -- Do you know what drives your volunteers’ individual satisfaction with their experience? Do you persistently gather feedback on how you can improve? Do you change your processes to better respond to volunteer needs, or do you do things because you’ve always done them that way?
- Complete (moves beyond just product sales to post-purchase support) -- Do you provide solid attention and support through all stages of the volunteer life cycle, from outreach and recruitment, to training and placement, to retention and recognition, to saying goodbye?
- Elegant (a great user interface) -- Are your materials, forms, and tools well designed and user friendly? Are your publications and training materials crisp and clean? Is the volunteer work environment, either on-line or on-land, uncluttered? Are your technology tools easy to navigate?
- Empowering (results in peace of mind, brings joy) -- Are people encouraged to have fun? Do you celebrate successes, both small and large? Are volunteers able to fulfill their personal life purpose through their work with your organization? I would argue that this the most important of all.
Want to learn more about enchantment? Check out Guy’s talks and find out where to buy his book here.
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