Tobi's Volunteer Management Blog

What are Your Greatest Volunteer Program Needs? Share and Win!

When I'm writing or designing content, my motto is "No fluff, just helpful stuff," and I work hard to delver on that promise.

We're expanding our website, and I'm asking our blog readers and fans to share their most pressing volunteer program needs, so we can create easy-to-use resources, products, training, and services that truly make sense for you and your organization. 

Help Shape Our Content & Be Entered to Win

To spice things up, we're raffling off Kivi Leroux-Miller's new book "Content Marketing for Nonprofits: A Communications Map for Engaging Your Community, Becoming a Favorite Cause, and Raising More Money."

Please respond by NOVEMBER 13. The survey is a short six questions.  Enter your info at the end of the survey and you'll be entered to win.

Take the Survey Now

Thank you for helping us create helpful content to serve you better!  We appreciate you!

(P.S. As always, we will keep your information private.)

"Let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations."  -- Ryunosuke Satoro

The Future of Volunteerism is Virtual AND Mobile: Part I

In recent years there has been a fair amount of discussion about virtual volunteers and how to engage them in the work of nonprofits.  However, little has been written about the changing nature of the workplace and how technological advances may directly affect how we lead volunteers.
Consider these fascinating statistics -- 

• According to data presented during a recent ASTD webcast, by the end of the decade one in five workers will never meet their supervisor in person, and 75% of the workforce will be virtual by the end of this year (this includes not only telecommuters, but staff placed at client sites and other workplaces). 
• 37% of nonprofits surveyed have a telecommuting/virtual work policy and, of those who did, the majority (61%) observed that the policy positively impacted their recruitment and retention of paid staff.
• 57% of American adults use their cell phone to go online, and 35% own a tablet computer.

A Changing Volunteer Workplace 

Clearly, we’re in the midst of a revolution in the work environment.  More and more of us work from home or at disparate offices at least part time.  Moreover, many of us communicate and gather information while on the go, relying on our screen-based devices to deliver the right information at the right time in the right format.  Flexibility is key, and it’s what we’ve come to expect.  Add social sharing tools to the mix, and the network of available info and ability to connect expands infinitely.

In the midst of the tech revolution, nonprofits have adapted, offering new ways to engage, neatly categorizing volunteers into “virtual telecommuters” and “on-site supporters.”  It’s become clear that these classifications don’t really capture the whole picture.  In today’s world, MOST volunteers (even those that volunteer in-person) are BOTH virtual AND mobile -- accessing online information, communicating, and collaborating whenever and from wherever they like, both while in the office and outside it. 

And, it’s not unreasonable to expect that many would like this ease of interchange to translate to their volunteer experience as well.  In fact, the defining factor of success for any volunteer program in the near future may be whether or not it is prepared to support the new way of working.

New Opportunities for Volunteer Programs

New realities also offer new chances for volunteer engagement.  Imagine how a mobile, technologically-equipped volunteer corps might add value in these scenarios (all do-able with today’s technology):

• Quick, video meet ups to check in on project progress between volunteers who live miles from the home office
• Online apps that track volunteer time, donations, and program expenses and automatically calculate the current ROI estimate (much more sophisticated than the basic donations thermometer, right?)
• Smartphone apps to check in when on duty that automatically remind volunteers to enter needed reporting data
• Smartphone apps that automatically input time volunteered and provide the opportunity to earn recognition badges (à la Foursquare)
• On demand videos and pre-recorded webcasts of volunteer orientations, trainings, and tutorials delivered via any responsive device to assist volunteers precisely when they need help
• Tailored recruitment opportunity offerings delivered to prospective volunteers who have indicated their specific interests in an online personal profile, rather than requiring volunteers to initiate the search.

New Volunteer Leadership Skills

At the same time, the adoption of new approaches also means new learning.  So, what do these tectonic shifts in the nature of work mean to our own core volunteer leadership competencies?  What is required of a virtual volunteer leader anyway? 

Two main needs come to mind --

1. Access to, and command of, a strategically curated set of technology tools that support program goals; and,
2. The leadership skills necessary to facilitate the fluid exchange of info and to reduce the perceived “affinity distance” between team members (a term coined by virtual leadership expert Dr. Karen Sobel-Lojeski that refers to how teams are connected emotionally and mentally).

In a mobile volunteer environment -- whether supporting rural volunteers across the miles or volunteers working a few cubicles over -- leaders of volunteers will need new skills and approaches to retain, and even surpass, the productivity of their traditional teams.  But how?

Stay tuned for Part II, where I’ll offer specific suggestions about what might work. In the meantime, feel free to sahre what's worked for you.  How have you engaged mobile volunteers?

Six Great Reasons to Get Your CVA

I worked throughout 2012 on the requirements for my CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration), and in early 2013 I was awarded my credential. 

As a seasoned nonprofit veteran, you might wonder why I invested the time and energy into getting my CVA.  After all, I've got pretty good handle on effective volunteer management practices, right? 

But, investing in my professional development, and keeping my skills on point, really made sense.  It may make sense for you, too.

Whether you’ve just started to build your volunteer administration skills or you’ve been at it for years, the CVA is a wonderful asset to add to your professional portfolio.  Here are a few reasons why I think the process of earning your CVA is so very worth it.

Six Great Reasons to Get Your CVA

1. You Learn What Drives You Personally -- The development of Philosophy Statement, a required piece of the CVA portfolio, is an eye-opening experience.  Writing it really helped me understand my personal values and unearth why I was so committed to this important work.
2. You Take Time to Reflect -- Writing the Management Narrative, another portfolio requirement, helped me assess a past project and pinpoint some approaches I would now chose to do differently.  Taking time out for reflection activities like these support my continuous learning and growth as a professional.
3. You Can See How Well You Stack Up -- Studying for the CVA exam, and reading the textbook, helped me address some of my knowledge gaps and blind spots in earnest.  Since most of us have learned volunteer management through self study and experience while on the job, it helps to compare what you know with a set of standard competencies developed by respected experts in the field.
4. You Make New Friends -- Finding someone to proctor my exam was a lot of fun.  It forced me to reach into my local network to connect, and I’m now great friends with the person who volunteered to monitor my exam -- in fact, now I play on her soccer team!
5. You Help Build the Strength of the Credential -- The number of people who have an active CVA internationally is relatively small.  By getting your CVA you help build the ranks and strengthen the trust in the credential as a way to demonstrate professional-level competence.
6. It’s Not That Expensive -- at $220 and $86 for the textbook, it’s less than a lot of training sessions, and your CVA will last for five years before you need to renew.  If you ask nicely, maybe your organization will help with the costs.

So, Just Go Do It!

I encourage anyone who works will volunteers on a regular basis to make an investment in themselves and embark on the journey toward their CVA.  You’ll be happy you did.

The CVA registration process is now open and will remain so until March 31, 2014.  Early bird discount rates are good until December 31, 2013.  For more info on the CVA, go to the CCVA website. 

If you have your CVA, please chime in.  How has it been helpful to you?

Does Self Preservation Trump Compassion? What the Research Says and What Volunteer Programs Can Do About It

As leaders of volunteers, we spend a fair amount of time on the business of persuasion – inspiring others to join our cause, recognizing volunteers for their efforts, cajoling volunteers to take on one more task.  In volunteer recruitment ads we seek to answer for volunteers “What’s in it for me?”  For volunteer appreciation, we offer perks, like gift cards and pins, to show our gratitude.  But, by focusing on the self-interests of volunteers, are we missing the boat?

By appealing to extrinsic motivators, many volunteer management approaches reflect traditional views of human nature as egocentric, motivated by self-interest and the will to survive. New research, however, shows the opposite may be true.  How does this new information change how we engage and inspire volunteers?

Altruism vs. Empathy vs. Compassion

Compassion is often confused with altruism, but it is different. Altruism is an action that benefits someone else, and it may or may not be accompany compassion.  Consider, for example, donated clothing or furniture. Does the donor feel compassion, or do they just need to clean out their closets?

Compassion is defined as the emotional response when suffering in others is recognized and results in an authentic desire to help.  Compassion, therefore, can be a key driver of altruism, but is not a necessary element.

Similarly, empathy is defined as the emotional experience of another person’s feelings, but may not result in compassion.  For example, we may tear up while watching a documentary about needy foster children, but may not feel a need to help.

The Compassion Instinct

Scientists have discovered that we are born with the instinctual urge to help others – some call it the “compassionate instinct.”  It has helped us survive as a species.

Researcher Dacher Keltner, a leader in the field, asserts that “compassion and benevolence…are an evolved part of human nature, rooted in our brain and biology, and ready to be cultivated for the greater good.”  For more of his views on compassion and evolution see his talk below:

 

Although cooperation has helped us survive as a group, we each individually benefit as well.  Studies show that connecting with others helps us enjoy better emotional and physical health.  The act of giving is also pleasurable, as much (if not more) than the act of receiving.  And, people who give regularly are happier than those who do not, regardless of social status. 

In short, giving makes us feel good.  So good, in fact, that when we perform behaviors associated with compassion, our bodies produce ocytocin, which leads to a feeling of warmth and connection.  This chemical reaction motivates us to be even more compassionate, thus creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

Does Compassion Promote Altruism?

We know that altruistic acts often rub off on others around us.  Consider many of the “random acts of kindness” that ignite a chain reaction of giving.  In addition, research has shown that compassion is a vital part of the social contract and can motivate helping behavior, even to our own detriment.

By the same token, worrying that others will see our altruistic acts as self-involved will prevent some adults from offering assistance at all.

Researchers have also found that compassion can be learned by example -- not surprisingly, compassionate parents are more likely to raise altruistic children.

Four Takeaways

Given this new take on human nature and the power of compassion over self-interest, here are a few things you might consider:

1. Instead of focusing your recruitment messages on what volunteers can get out of an experience with your organization, share stories that elicit compassion – both that vividly demonstrate the needs of those you serve and that depict altruistic volunteers in action.
2. Rather than offering extrinsic rewards as part of recognition activities, help volunteers feel even more compassionate – recruit donors to contribute to your organization in recognition of your volunteers' efforts.
   
3. Lead by example. Find ways to cultivate compassion and altruism to volunteers and staff at the office on a regular basis. Check out the Greater Good at UC Berkeley for ideas.
4. Finally, assume the best and be a champion of service -- we're hard-wired to help, so make the most of it by helping others get connected, make an impact, and feel good about giving.

So, to answer my question -- does self-interest trump compassion?  Smile Train co-founder Brian Mullaney, quoted in a 2010 New York Times article, asserts “The most selfish thing you can do is help others.”

Perhaps compassion and self-interest are running neck-and-neck, or perhaps they are one and the same.  I'll leave it to you to decide.