Re=Energize Your Volunteer Program: Creating Mission-Driven Opportunities
Download as PPTX, PDF4 likes2,757 views
This document discusses how to transition volunteer programs from being "nice to have" resources to being key components of an organization's success. It recommends focusing on volunteers' motivations rather than just thanking them, and including impact in recognition. Opportunities should be designed to create an emotional connection to the mission and emphasize outcomes over tasks. The organization should understand stakeholders' perspectives on volunteer value and share stories of volunteer impacts. Pilot programs can start small by learning what matters to volunteers and incorporating outcomes into role descriptions and conversations.
Re=Energize Your Volunteer Program: Creating Mission-Driven Opportunities
- 1. Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA CVA, Senior Manager, Education & Training
- 2. What we’re talking about today • Moving volunteers from a nice to have to key component in your organization’s success • Creating an emotional connection to the work • Transitioning to Mission-Driven volunteer opportunities • Share your mission-driven story of volunteer engagement • Getting started in your own program 2
- 3. Shifting how you think about volunteers • Think about volunteers as being a key component to your organization’s success – Shift away from a traditional, nice to have, resource • Instead of focusing on the “I just want to help” statements ask volunteers about their motivations – What are they getting out of volunteering? Can and should be personal. Ask them to answer Why? • Include impact and outcomes in your recognition – Don’t just say thank you, share “because you volunteered…” 3
- 4. Create a personal connection to the work When developing mission-driven work it is important to create a connection to the work • Some have the most personal connection – Support others in the same way they were supported – Can be powerful, but this motivation (like any other) needs to be managed and those volunteers need to practice good self-care • This emotion, gratitude, can be a good example of why this work matters • Volunteers, clients, families – this is where our stories about mission-driven work comes from 4
- 5. Mission-driven volunteer opportunities Making the transition to mission-driven opportunity design may take a shift in thinking • Some roles, activities, responsibilities, may not change, but the way we talk about them has to • Friendly Visitor becomes Patient Caregiver – Create a clear description of the responsibilities and the role on the team. – Work with physicians, social workers, etc. Support the patient and family emotionally. – Emphasize the skills, characteristics of a good patient caregiver, rather than it being just stopping by and saying “Hi” 5
- 6. Mission-driven volunteer opportunities • Office/Clerical Assistant becomes Record Manager, Organizational Wizard – Put the focus on why the work matters, not the specific work. – Must be able to type 50 wpm, instead put your organizational skills to use to help people during a difficult time. – Not everyone wants to, or can, provide direct client services. Organizational skills, strong attention to details allows for accurate reporting, easier process for clients and community. 6
- 7. Roles still need to be accurate Don’t misrepresent the work, but focus on the outcomes and impacts rather than the tasks. • Remember what your volunteers, clients, and community members told you about the work and their experiences – What mattered about the work? – How did the work make an impact? – Why are they volunteering with you in this way? • Match this information to the roles, activities, and responsibilities 7
- 8. Mission-driven opportunities • What work do volunteers do? – Think about the outcomes or deliverables not just the tasks. Stuff envelopes becomes prepare fundraising mailing • Who benefits from the work? – Think about both internal and external outcomes • What’s different or better after the work is done? – Deliverables or outcomes plus client interactions and impacts • Is the impact short-term, long-term, or both? • How can you count, measure or evaluate the impact? 8
- 9. Understand the story you need to tell Not everyone may have the same idea about the value of the work volunteers do. • Talk to your stakeholders – Volunteers, clients, community members, program managers, executive staff, leadership staff, etc. – Ask what they think about volunteers/work and listen. – Ask for examples but don’t try to defend or change minds • Use this information to start sharing the story of your volunteers 9
- 10. Understand the story you need to tell • Remember the goal is to help others understand that: – Volunteers have valuable (and invaluable) impacts on your organization. They are more important than just a head count or number of hours. – The work they do is mission-critical, not something that is just nice to have – Volunteers are doing real work – your job is not just to keep them busy and happy • You have complete control over how you talk about volunteers and the work they do! 10
- 11. Share this story with your organization and the community • Change the way you talk about volunteer accomplishments in day-to-day conversations and emails. • Include the impact and outcomes in recognition events – to the volunteers and to others. – Share these outcomes with stakeholders – especially leaders/decision makers. • Tell the story of why volunteers matter to your community. – Videos, interviews, narratives – include as many stakeholders as you can 11
- 12. 12 Getting Started! • Learn what matters to your volunteers – Consider recruiting a team of volunteers to help – Surveys, interviews, what they tell their friends & family, why they volunteer • Look at your current opportunities/position descriptions – Incorporate outcomes/impacts – Design new roles with your mission and impact in mind – Another great role for volunteers!
- 13. 13 Getting Started! • Change how you talk about volunteers – You can’t control what others think, but you can control how you talk about the work they do and why it matters – Tell your story every day and make sure to include the impacts and the Why! • Start small – Think about a pilot program or focus on one role/department at a time – You don’t have to change everything all at once – Don’t leave your volunteers out of the process. They are the most invested in how things are/will be.
- 14. Thanks for attending! Join us online: Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/VolunteerMatch Follow us on Twitter: @VolunteerMatch Visit Engaging Volunteers, our nonprofit blog: blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/ Learning Center http://learn.volunteermatch.org For any questions contact: Jennifer Bennett @JenBennettCVA [email protected] 14
- 15. 15