Tobi's Nonprofit Management Blog

Why Isn’t Your Volunteer Recruitment Working? Are You Using Tactics or Strategy?

Attracting and retaining the right talent requires that you develop a strategic, versus tactical, approach.  Which are you using as your primary volunteer recrtuiment approach?

Tactics are akin to your "To Do" list -- they have to be done, but they aren’t necessarily going to help you solve the underlying reason why you don’t have an active and engaged team of volunteers on board.  

Strategy involves higher-level analytical thinking -- it requires you to make an objective assessment of what’s going on and develop a response that makes sense in your specific environment.  

Tactics are commonly used.  Strategy is rare, but more effective in the long-run.

Ready for some strategy?  Take a moment to review the list below.  Does anything resonate?  If it does, focus most of your recruitment energies on solving the most pressing problem you see.  If you’ve diagnosed accurately and address the root problem completely, you’ll get traction.

Self Diagnosis: Why Don’t You Have the Volunteers You Need?

• You haven’t spread the word past your inner circle.
• Your message isn’t compelling enough.
• Your call to action is too vague.
• There’s not enough background information up front.
• Your application process isn’t consumer friendly.
• You don’t tailor your opportunities to accommodate volunteer needs.
• Your organizational culture or identity is alienating to outsiders.
• People are not sure they can trust you.

If you want a quick shot of strategy, delivered in an action-packed hour, join me for this week’s webinar.

LAST CHANCE: Register for My Next Webinar!

Volunteer Recruitment: Attracting Committed People to Support Your Program

Tuesday, November 1, 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time/3:00pm-4:00pm Pacific Time

Register here.

 

10 Things Prospective Volunteers Worry About Before They Join

Volunteer recruitment involves more than just posting information about your job openings and waiting for responses.  It also involves some complex psychological processes, believe it or not.  

No matter how friendly your organization or how powerful your mission, volunteers must overcome a few emotional barriers and worries before they will commit (or even answer your recruitment ad).  Your recruitment materials must provide the critical information they need to calm their anxieties.  Then, and only then, can you set the stage for success.

Volunteer Applicants Have Unexpressed Concerns

The barriers volunteers experience vary from person to person, based on their own past experience and current set of life challenges.  They might also be precipitated by the volunteer’s own identity and sense of self.  If they are insecure about their capabilities, for example, they may be unable to ultimately make a commitment without some reassurance from you and others.

If you ask potential supporters what worries them, they likely can’t or won’t tell you -- anxiety is a private matter for most, and not easily shared with strangers.  Alternately, their concerns may be subconscious, nagging thoughts that they couldn’t put a name to if they tried.  So, as a volunteer recruiter, it’s up to you to predict the unexpressed concerns of your volunteer applicants and address them in your recruitment appeals.

10 Big Worries of Volunteer Applicants

1. Will they accept my application?
2. Do I really have enough time?
3. Can I afford it (the transportation, childcare, time off work, etc.)?
4. What, exactly, will they be asking me to do?
5. Will I be comfortable doing it?
6. Will I fit in with others?
7. Will I be treated kindly?
8. Will I know what to do and how to do it?
9. Will I be safe?
10. Will I be able to have a real impact?

What You Can Do About it

So, what can you do to calm any trepidations your supporters may have about volunteering?  First of all, take them seriously.  Think about the language and photos you use to describe your volunteer opportunities.  Can you use them to answer some of the questions that arise?  What about testimonials from other volunteers and people you serve; can they help?  Finally, although your volunteer postings are usually short, can you provide a link to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) on your website?  These are but a few things you can do to eliminate the internal psychological barriers that keep people from joining your team.

So, what do your volunteer fret about?  And how do you address these worries?  Share your ideas in the comments.

Want to learn more about how to recruit the right volunteers for your program?  

Don’t Miss My Next Webinar, Tuesday, November 1!

Volunteer Recruitment: Attracting Committed People to Support Your Program

Tuesday, November 1, 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time/3:00pm-4:00pm Pacific Time

Register here.

 

 

 

Webinar: Volunteer Recruitment -- Next Tuesday, Nov 1

Is your nonprofit’s work important to your community?  Are you still having a hard time connecting with interested volunteers?  The problem may be in your messaging and the recruitment strategies you are using.  Join us for a webinar that will help you diagnose and fix what’s broken in your approach to reaching volunteers.

In a recent bog post, Katya Andresen identifies three reasons nonprofit messages aren't getting through -- 1) assuming your mission alone will motivate people, 2) focusing on the organization versus the supporters, and 3) vague calls to action.  Do you suffer from any of these communications "ailments"?

If you’ve been doing the same thing and getting no results, you may want to take a look at your recruitment strategy.  Not sure where to start?  Join us for an on-line workshop where I’ll share the secrets to catalyzing community involvement.  You’ll also get a Recruitment Plan Template I developed especially for volunteer recruiters just like you. It focuses on the critical steps you need to take to reach your future supporters.  No extra fluff, just good stuff.

Don’t miss this opportunity to build the vibrant volunteer program you’ve dreamed about.  Volunteers are making a difference in communities across the US.  Why not with your organization?  Why not now?

Volunteer Recruitment: Attracting Committed People to Support Your Program 

Register here.

Who it’s for:

• New nonprofits who want to attract community volunteers and don’t know where to start
• Nonprofits who have tried to recruit volunteers to no avail
• Nonprofits who want to significantly expand their volunteer corps

What you’ll get:

• Volunteer Recruitment Plan Template
• Handout with Thumbnails of the Slides
• Access to a recording of the session, so you can review what you’ve learned 

What you’ll learn:

• Why do people give?
• What are the key characteristics of a high-impact volunteer? 
• What are four key things potential volunteers need to hear in your appeals?
• Crafting recruitment messages that move people to action
• How can testimonials and photos help build trust?

Volunteer Recruitment: Attracting Committed People to Support Your Program

Tuesday, November 1, 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time/3:00pm-4:00pm Pacific Time

Register here.

Want more?  Download my Free eBook

The New Volunteer Coordinator: The First 90 Days 

21 Big Picture Tips to Rock Your Volunteer Program

Download it here.

 

 

Deep Commitment: From the Volunteer’s Perspective

Note:  I submitted this post to the nonprofit blog carnival, hosted by Wild Apricot this month. Posts will cover tips, tactics, tools or strategies organizations use to improve the experience of their volunteers.  Check out the Wild Apricot Blog on October 27th for some good ideas.  

I often write about how organizations can improve their volunteer programs from the perspective of an experienced nonprofit consultant.  Today, I thought I’d write from a different angle and explore my current volunteer experience.

I'll look at the following -- Why did I start?  What do I get out of it?  Why do I stay?  And, why do I keep giving more? -- in order to better understand why it works from the volunteer perspective.  And, I’ll suggest some key takeaways for volunteer-led organizations. 

The Background

I’ve been volunteering for a local health care advocacy organization for almost two years.  It’s a tiny operation with only five paid staff to cover the entire state of Tennessee.  I started as a volunteer with the local organizing group.  I initially attended meetings and looked for ways to help out at events.  As I have grown with the organization, my levels of responsibility have expanded -- I started by attending meetings, then moved on to develop a training our local volunteer speakers bureau.  I later joined the board of directors, held a birthday fundraiser for the organization, became the fundraising committee chair, and recently joined the executive committee.

Through my work, I talk to many volunteer managers who would be overjoyed to encounter this level of volunteer commitment.  So, let’s take a look at why this volunteer gig works and what you can do to replicate it.

Why I Joined

I’d like to say that it was because the organization had a fantastically compelling volunteer appeal, but I’d be lying.  In fact, I’ve never seen their volunteer ads.  Two years ago, I had just moved to Tennessee.  I wanted to get involved in my new community and help move health reform forward.  Having provided services to the uninsured, and having been uninsured myself, it had become a personal passion.   

I was speaking at national conference for health care advocates in Washington DC and attended a workshop where, Viola!, there was someone speaking from Tennessee.  I introduced myself and mentioned my interests in getting involved locally.  By the end of that evening I had meet two friendly people who would help me get started volunteering.  And, as I continued attending conference sessions, I learned that many people knew and respected the organization to which I had been referred, thus giving me even more confidence that it might be a good fit.

The Key Takeaways -- 

• Work hard to be an organization that people look up to and talk about. 
• Let everyone know you are always looking for the right volunteers.
• Focus your activities and messaging around a core community problem you are trying. to solve, so that people can easily identify and send the right volunteers your way.
• Connect with people who have expressed an interest right away, and pounce on the opportunity to give a friendly greeting in person.
• If you are able to find volunteers who have a similar passion for your cause, the rest is pretty easy; they are already motivated without your “hard sell.”

What’s My Return on Investment?  

There were three main reasons I was looking for a place to volunteer -- 1) I wanted to have an impact on who received healthcare in my community, 2) I wanted to meet other nonprofit professionals in my new home state, and 3) I wanted to get out of my isolated office and socialize.  All three expectations were met early on.

At my first volunteer meeting, I met a group of friendly people who were happy to welcome me into their fold.  They took took time to chat with me and find out who I was.  Many worked for local nonprofits and volunteered for a number of causes.  And, I continued to learn more about the important work they were doing.  At one meeting we watched a slide show of the local volunteers in action at various events.  At subsequent meetings, the coordinator and volunteers reported back how many people attended presentations and which media outlets had covered pitched stories.  When I decided to host a fundraiser for the organization, many of my peers attended and supported it, which for the new girl in town was a relief.  The team was engaged, active, and supportive.  We were making a difference.   

The Key Takeaways -- 

• Never waste an opportunity to celebrate and share successes with your team.
• Always report back to volunteers on how you are progressing toward your goals. 
• Encourage a welcoming and relaxed environment.
• Be extra supportive to new volunteers as they acclimate.

What Keeps Me Coming Back?  

Like most volunteers, I have a busy work and home life.  I travel frequently and, due to the nature of my business, my workload fluctuates from season to season.  My volunteer schedule helps me plan in advance.  Our monthly meetings are held at the same day of the month, time, and place.  Our volunteer team also keeps in touch throughout the month via a Google group.  Meeting minutes are sent out via email, for those of us who missed the meeting.  My board meetings and committee conference calls are also scheduled out for the year, so I can reserve that time on my calendar way in advance.

At the same time, my volunteer work is very flexible.  I can volunteer to staff local events as my schedule allows.  Also, the organization is able to take advantage of my pro-bono skills because I can complete projects on my own time and in my home office.  I’ve developed fundraising scripts, board trainings, and forward ideas and tools I come across in my day-to-day work to interested folks at the organization each week.  My schedule works because I am driving when and how much I contribute to the organization, based on my availability, not the other way around.  And, although my volunteer productivity is down during busy work periods, I have a lot of time to give when I’m waiting for a new contract to start.

The Key Takeaways -- 

• Offer a mix of structured and unstructured ways for volunteers to help.
• Allow some volunteers to work from home, if they need to.
• Don’t push for extra time if the volunteer doesn’t have it at the moment.
• When scheduling, let volunteers be in the drivers seat.
• Make sure volunteer communication tools are in place that do not require gatekeepers and allow for free information flow.

Why Do I Stretch to Give More?

Although life can get very busy, I’ll often stretch myself a little just to help.  Why do I do it?  Simply, because I’m asked.  I know the organization needs our support.  And, usually all it takes is a phone call, which usually comes from a fellow volunteer leader.  What helps is that they usually can tell me exactly what I’m being asked to do and how much time I’m being asked to commit, and why I'm the right person for the job.  This gives me a place to negotiate from, if my schedule is tight and helps me feel secure that  I am taking responsibility for something I’m fairly sure I can complete successfully.  When I’m asked to do some vague task, I’m skeptical about committing.

Another reason I’ve stayed and grown with the organization is that I get a lot of positive feedback from staff and my fellow volunteers.  I get touching thank you cards and emails (not form letters or plaques), and people approach me after training to tell me how much they’ve appreciated my leadership.  It may seem small, but hearing how my work is helping the overall cause keeps me feeling good about what I’m doing.  It’s the human touch we all need.

The Key Takeaways -- 

• Involve volunteers in enlisting their peers to help with specific tasks or projects.
• When asking for support, clearly define the tasks, the expected outcomes, and the estimated time it will take.
• Also, communicate to the volunteer which of their special skills are being tapped for this particular project.
• Be open to negotiating what part of the project the volunteer chooses to take on.
• Never underestimate the power of a sincere and tailored expression of gratitude.

I’m not out of the ordinary.  There are many people in your community just like me -- people who have a personal calling and want to make a difference.  If you can connect your passions with theirs and accommodate their specific needs to the best of your ability, you’ll make it work for both of you.  And, you’ll go along way toward fulfilling your mission and vision for the future.  

Want to support your good cause with high quality volunteers?  Check out these resources.

Download my Free eBook

The New Volunteer Coordinator: The First 90 Days 

21 Big Picture Tips to Rock Your Volunteer Program

Download it here.

Don’t Miss My Next Webinar

Volunteer Recruitment: Attracting Committed People to Support Your Program

Tuesday, November 1, 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time/3:00pm-4:00pm Pacific Time

Register here.

Photo credit: Flickr/swanksalot

Six Ways to Convert Volunteer Recruitment from Blah to Bling

If your phone’s not ringing off the hook (or your email inbox isn’t full) with inquiries about  your volunteer openings, maybe it’s time to take another look at your recruitment ads...I mean a good, hard, honest look.  Are they boring or do they inspire you?  Would you answer your own volunteer posting?  If not, it’s time to renovate!

Here are six ways to transform a lifeless recruitment ad into a compelling inspiration to join the crowd that is making a BIG difference.

Pump Up Your Volunteer Recruitment Appeals 

1) Include Inspired Testimonials --  Drop in a couple of short and sweet quotes from current volunteers about why volunteering is so valuable to them.  Better yet, include testimonials from the people who have benefited from your program about how it has changed their life.  To protect their privacy, include their first name and last initial.  To make them more personable include the city or neighborhood where they live.

2) Use Eye-Catching Photos -- Spice it up with a couple of photos of your volunteers in action.  You don’t need to show a lot of detail.  Close ups of a group of diverse people smiling up at the camera is all you need.  Do not use stock photos, rather include real folks in all their glory.  

If you are trying to cultivate a specific group of people, make absolutely sure they are pictured.  If you haven’t reached that community yet, include a photo with a cut out and ask “who’s missing from this picture?” and then make a pitch for their inclusion.  Also, include a testimonial from someone from that community who can vouch for you 

3) Watch Your Words -- Remove all jargon, acronyms, taboo words, and complicated language from your appeals -- this includes your mission statement, if it is lackluster.  You make the call.  When you use jargon, nobody knows what you’re talking about, and they get turned off fast.  Your appeals should be written to a 6th grade reading level, regardless of who you are trying to reach.  You can check the reading level using your word processing software.

4) Always Use a Call to Action -- A call to action specifically describes what you would like the reader to do.  “Volunteer today!” is not a compelling call to action.  “Call Jennifer at (206) 756-1234 to get an application packet today!” gives more specific info.  

5) Connect with Real People -- Put the names, phone numbers, and emails of the person in charge of recruiting in each ad.  Prospective volunteers will be more attracted to you if they see they'll be able to connect with a real human being, versus a nameless, faceless switchboard or info@nonprofit.org inbox.

6) Leverage Your Organization's Web Page -- Use your agency’s web page to provide more in-depth information that you can’t include in a short ad, and provide the link in your appeal.  Also, make sure your agency’s home page has a highly-visible link to volunteer info.  Post volunteer applications, training program information, and recent successes, team photos, and videos of your volunteers in action.  Update this content often (a great job for volunteers!); this will demonstrate to applicants that you are a group that’s on the move and making a difference.

Interested in learning more about how to attract volunteers to your good cause?  
Don’t Miss My Next Webinars!

You Can’t Do It Alone: Designing a Magnet Volunteer Program

Friday, October 21, 3:00-4:30pm Eastern Time/12:00pm-1:30 Pacific Time

Register here.

NEW!!  Volunteer Recruitment: Attracting Committed People to Support Your Program

Tuesday, November 1, 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time/3:00pm-4:00pm Pacific Time

Register here.

 

 

Want Skilled Volunteers? Deciding What You Need & How to Get It in 10 Simple Steps

Skilled volunteering is certainly a hot topic lately, and there are new resources to prove it.  Volunteer Match just announced a new feature on their volunteer website, the Listing Wizard.  It allows you to choose the specific skills you need for each volunteer position you post.  And, the professional networking website LinkedIn just added a “Volunteer Experience & Causes” section that allows people to list the charities and causes they support in their skills and experience profile.  

Is your program ready to take advantage of the wealth of talent in your community?  If you don’t have enough skilled volunteers yet, or are having a hard time figuring out how volunteers can really help, it may be time to take another look at your team structure.  

Know What You're Missing

Don't leave it all up to chance.  Understanding your program’s specific needs, and then analyzing the volunteer skills required to meet those needs, will help you better connect with the right people to support your program.  And then, forming teams who work together toward common goals, will help your program make the most of what your supporters have to offer. 

Below is a simple process you can use to to do just that.  Ask your volunteers and staff to help you work through this process.  All that’s required is pens, post-its, a blank wall, and some thoughtful people.

Volunteer "Helpforce" Needs Analysis: 10 Steps

Step 1 -- Brainstorm all of the tasks that need to be completed at program.  Do not separate out paid and volunteer duties yet.

Step 2 -- Write one task per post-it, and try to be as exhaustive as possible.  Don’t yet decide who will be responsible for each task. Put them all up on the wall.

Step 3 -- Identify which tasks can only be done by paid staff.  Be open minded -- there are probably very few tasks that absolutely must be done by paid staff. 

Step 4 -- Remove paid staff responsibilities from the larger group, and cluster them together.

Step 5 -- Then, cluster the remaining tasks into groups of similar duties that make sense together.  These are your teams. 

Step 6 -- Name them, and type up a team description with a bullet list of tasks, transcribed from the post-its. 

 Step 7 -- Identify which paid staff will support which team.  Consider how you will use paid staff to fill in when there are volunteer vacancies or absences, or when there are a higher than normal service volumes.

Step 8 -- Create one-page volunteer position descriptions for the jobs that would be needed to perform each team’s tasks.  In them, describe the “must have” and “need to have” skill sets needed for each job. 

Step 9 -- Prioritize which positions need to be filled first.  You can't recrtui them all at once, so pick the ones that will have the most impact with the least trianing investment at the outset.

Step 10 -- Finally, recruit for those positions; be clear about what skills are necessary for each job.

Want to learn more about how to develop a volunteer program that attracts the high quality volunteers you need?  Don’t Miss My Next Webinar this Friday!

You Can’t Do It Alone: Designing a Magnet Volunteer Program
Friday, October 21, 3:00-4:30pm Eastern Time/12:00pm-1:30 Pacific Time

Register here.

 

Is Doing More with More Possible for Nonprofits?

As promised in my recent post, Nonprofit Leadership: Luxury or Necessity?, I’m sharing more thoughts on nonprofit leadership.  Today’s post is based on my reading of Doing More with More: Putting Shared Leadership Into Practice, a Nonprofit Quarterly article.  It offers a nice overview of the key ingredients needed to bring about collaborative leadership that in turn results in enhanced nonprofit capacity.

Has the Time Come for Shared Leadership?

As the authors explain, with shared leadership the distribution of responsibility and decision-making across an organization is expanded.  The idea is certainly appealing.  If we are more inclusive in our decision-making, will we be more effective organizations?  Can we do more with what we already have?  And, if so, what's holding us back?

As nonprofits are stretched to the limit in lean times, the responsibility to lead, for some, may have already shifted out of sheer necessity.  The community need for services is increasing, and budgets and staffing levels are not always adequate.  In a recent study, 62% of organizations with budgets of $1-million or less relied on their current staff members to support new programs last year versus hiring more people. So, something has got to give.

To further inspire change, the command-and-control supervisory style is losing its effectiveness.  Anyone who has tried that approach with volunteers lately knows what I’m talking about.  More and more, volunteers are expressing the need for autonomy and authority over how they get their work done; "envelope stuffing," or performing general office duties on demand, just doesn't hold the appeal it once did. 

Can We Do More with More?

Apparently, given the right circumstances, we can.  The Strengthening Organizations to Mobilize California, a capacity-building initiative to support leadership learning, found that “the organizations found that they could do more with less (funds) by doing more with more (leadership).”  They also found that most organizations defaulted to a hierarchical structure not because people are power hungry, but because they simply didn’t have an alternative model to work from.  So, what's needed?

Three Necessary Organizational Characteristics

The study noted three common characteristics of nonprofits that were able to make shared leadership a reality.

1) Ability adapt leadership style to situation -- In other words, use a top-down approach when it’s warranted (i.e., firing someone) and a shared leadership approach when it makes more sense (i.e., developing a strategic plan).

 2) Staff willingness to take ownership --  They must agree to take on greater responsibility and accountability for the increase in influence (and this can't be mandated).

3) Culture of trust -- Staff and volunteers must feel able to take risks without negative consequences, as they flex their leadership muscles.

Four Critical Organizational Pre-requisites

The researchers also identified four necessary ingredients that make a transition to shared leadership more likely.

1) A champion for change at the senior leadership level

2) An investment in time up front (with a reduction in efficiency at the outset)

3) Management fundamentals already in place

4) Explicit Leadership responsibilities in job descriptions

It’s clear that, for the organizations studied at least, shared leadership would not have come about simply because people wished for it or saw a need.  To make it possible, each organization had to have some crucial characteristics in their DNA at the outset.  And, they had to be willing to get the pre-requisites in place that would contribute to their success. 

So, is shared leadership a possibility for your organization?  What would need to happen for you to bring about the change?  Or, have you already make the switch?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

 

Free eBook -- The New Volunteer Manager: The First 90 Days

Today I’m pleased to announce the release of my first eBook -- The New Volunteer Manager: The First 90 Days - 21 Big Picture Tips to Rock Your Volunteer Program Right From the Start. 

I hope you’ll find some helpful tidbits inside, whether you are new to leading volunteers or are a seasoned volunteer coordinator looking for some fresh ideas.

Click here for your FREE copy.

Also, don't miss my first online training workshop this month.  You might find it a helpful companion to the eBook.  Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Webinar
You Can’t Do it Alone: Designing a Magnet Volunteer Program
When: Friday, October 21, 3:00-4:30pm Eastern Time 
If you've never joined a online training course before, give it a try.  It's super easy to log on.  All you need is a computer with internet access.  No phone needed!

 To register, click here.

 Who it’s for:

• New nonprofits who are ready to recruit their first volunteer
• Nonprofits who have been using volunteers informally and want to take their operations to the next level
• Nonprofits who already have a volunteer program and want to find ways to make it even better

What you’ll get:

• Volunteer Program Checklist
• Levels of Engagement Worksheet 
• Handout with Thumbnails of the Slides
• Lots of Great Ideas to Use Right Away

What you’ll learn:

• Is volunteerism obsolete?
• The evolution (or revolution) in volunteer expectations
• What are the key elements of a successful volunteer program?
• Why it’s about the people not the paperwork 
• The leadership qualities to look for in a manager of volunteers
• How volunteers are different than paid staff

For more information, click here. 

To register, click here.

 

Nonprofit Leadership Development: Luxury or Necessity?

Are We Prepared for Sector Brain Drain?

 Investing in nonprofit leadership development seems like a luxury nowadays, but is it?  Does it make sense to invest in proactively nurturing team leadership skills?  Or should we continue to let folks learn through endless trial and error, just like we did?  Do we have the time?  What happens when the large percentage of Boomers who comprise our nonprofit executive ranks are ready to retire?  Who will take the reins, and are they ready to succeed?

These questions, and more, were pondered at the Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s conference -- Research to Practice: Advancing Innovative Capacity Building -- held in Oakland a few weeks ago.  I participated in the leadership track, and it got me thinking about our future capacity to deliver the goods in our communities.  Over the next month, I plan to do more reading, unpack my thoughts, and share my discoveries with you.  Below are a few initial musings.

Our Higher Calling
In a recent article, Powerful Nonprofit Leadership: The D Factor, the editors of The Nonprofit Quarterly contend that “the main purpose of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations is to promote civil society. It does so by providing forums for people to take collective action and to involve themselves in activities to improve society overall.”  That's a pretty strong call to action.  

But, if our role is improve society, the nonprofit sector should be leading not following.  Are we there yet?  If so, where is the nonprofit voice in the national budget debates?  According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics there are currently over 1.5 million nonprofits in the US, an impressive number.  So where are the visible leaders advocating for our sector as our relevancy is questioned?  

In light of this apparent national leadership void, I would argue that we have more to learn about how to lead, and there's no time like the present.  So let’s get started.

Some Ideas to Chew On

I sat in on a conference session led by Ruth McCambridge, editor of The Nonprofit Quarterly, who gave a wonderful overview of current research about leadership.  Here are a few thought provoking ideas:

• Leadership is the ability to organize things within a group to move past the status quo.

• Leadership is not the same as management, even great management.

• Organizations need different kinds of leaders at different stages of their development.

• The traditional industry leadership model is a triangle with a charismatic leader at the apex.  A more innovative, and perhaps more effective, leadership model for the knowledge economy involves a network of people around a circle who filter information from the perimeter and feed it into the middle of the organization for action. 

• Making the shift to shared leadership is a paradox, because it takes the right kind of leader to make that happen.

• Successful leaders create crystal clear transparency about what they are doing as a leader to guide the organization.

• Leaders must be willing to live on the edge of chaos in one or another part of an organization on an ongoing basis, otherwise they are promoting a false sense of stability. 

• Leaders will be “marginalized, diverted, attacked, and/or seduced.”  If you give in to any of these, you lose your power as a leader.

I’ll be writing more about leadership and what the research says over the coming weeks, but I hope this got you started thinking about how leadership works in your organization.

If you have ideas, thoughts, or problems you just can’t seem to solve around leadership, post them in the comments, and I’ll be on the look out for answers as I do my research.

PS If you want to access some of the source articles on leadership and other topics from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management conference, click here.  They’ll only be posted for a short while, so if you want them get them now.

 

Volunteer Onboarding: Four Ways to Convert Joiners to Stayers

Much of the job of initiating volunteers is helping newcomers negotiate conflicting emotions – surprise, fear, ambiguity, etc. – as they work to settle into their volunteer jobs comfortably.  Unfortunately, too few organizations take a strategic and thoughtful approach to onboarding.   As a result, they become a revolving door for disappointed volunteers seeking a better fit elsewhere; and they are often left puzzling over why.

The onboarding process, arguably the most critical stage of the volunteer life cycle, is one of organizational socialization and acculturation.  As volunteers move through the process, they experience a wide array of emotions that will ultimately result in a change in perceptions about how their experience will play out and what it will mean to their life as a whole.  

Quite naturally, most volunteers start with a fantasy of what their volunteer job will entail.  When they agree to volunteer, they imagine, accurately or not, what the relationships with other volunteers and clients will involve, what they will accomplish, and how the world will change.  

As a volunteer’s tenure progresses, minor or major adjustments and internal re-negotiations take place as expectations evolve and become more realistic.  As reality replaces imagination, their new world will either be deemed acceptable, and they will chose to stay, or it will be judged as unacceptable, and they will move on. 

Stress, good or bad, is also often present as volunteers struggle to make sense of their new environment.  A well-designed volunteer onboarding process, therefore, helps volunteers both manage expectations and supports them as they negotiate uncertain and stressful waters.  Below are four ways to help volunteers with their journey.

Volunteer Onboarding Strategies that Work

1) Implement Regular Rituals -- By virtue of their repetitive nature, rituals establish safety because volunteers know what to expect.  They can also be designed to reinforce connections between values of the volunteer and the organization, thus strengthening the relationship over time.

2) Encourage Relationships -- As relationships between staff and volunteers grow, the obligation of volunteers also deepen.  Also, socialization and team building activities help new volunteers better understand the unwritten rules and culture of the organization they have chosen to support.

3) Offer Formal Training -- Formal training programs increase self confidence and help volunteers make sense of the whole.  They also help volunteers connect disparate dots that may be readily apparent to veterans but are a mystery to those who have recently joined.

4) Demonstrate Return on Investment Early and Often -- Volunteers, especially at the start, need to be convinced that the hassle and stress of socialization is worth it.  They are on the lookout for early wins and evidence that their work, and the work of the program is making a difference.  They should be invited to have an impact in a tangible way right from the start, even if their are still “in training.” 

Want to learn more about how to design a volunteer program that works? Check out my upcoming webinar at www.501c3univserity.com.

You Can’t Do It Alone: Designing a Magnet Volunteer Program
Friday, October 21, 3:00pm-4:30pm EST
Click here for details and registration information.