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Working With Volunteers
Volunteers are the life-blood of any chapter. Learning to recruit, train and (most importantly) keep volunteers is essential to a chapter's success. Here are some ideas and resources to help you strengthen your volunteer base.
Volunteer Recruitment
Volunteers are an essential part of our mission in leading insurance business practices through education and advocacy.
Volunteers lead the organization at many levels and in many ways. From ASCnet board members and chapter officers to committee and task force members and those who hand out name badges at meetings and events, every volunteer is an important part of who we are and what we accomplish.
Your chapter needs volunteers to help with tasks such as planning meetings, creating newsletters and web pages, and managing finances, to name just a few. But finding, recruiting, and retaining volunteers can be a challenge. You know what your chapter needs, but what are the needs of the volunteer?
Every ASCnet member is a potential volunteer and it is important that you match an individual's skills and interests with the right job. Recruiting volunteers starts with engaging members in chapter activities and getting to know them on a personal level. This can help you cultivate their interests and ensure a mutually satisfying volunteer experience.
Find ways to make your new members comfortable and familiar with you and your fellow members. If they enjoy the experience of being a chapter member, they are more likely to contribute their time and talent as a volunteer.
Here are some points for recruiting and retaining new volunteers:
Identify the job
When you have a position to fill, be sure to have a job description available so you can let your potential volunteers know exactly what they are being asked to do and have a clear understanding of the amount of time they will be expected to serve.
Written instructions can be helpful for both recruiting and retaining new volunteers. Without written instructions, an individual may decline to volunteer - or they may volunteer to do the job, but misunderstand exactly what they have signed on for and back out at a later date.
A task is more likely to be completed and on time when your volunteers know that their contribution is important and that others are counting on them. Be sure to let them know the importance of what they are doing and how the job fits into the chapter's goals and plans. And be sure to let them know that they were selected because they were the best person for the job.
What can you do?
Hint: If a member complains about the way something is being handled, invite that person to take on a volunteer position. Offer them the opportunity to provide suggestions for improving the way things are being handled.
Making contact: One on one is the best way
If you wait for people to offer their services, you may have a long wait, so ask them! Try to avoid doing this as a general announcement at a meeting, in your newsletter, or by passing a sign-up sheet around the room. This communicates that anyone can do the job. You will get better results with one-on-one contact.
Try to reach out to as many sources of potential volunteers as possible and don't limit yourself to friends and current volunteers. Refer to resources such as meeting attendance sheets and results of interest surveys.
The "personal touch" works best. Start by approaching people at a chapter meeting. If more volunteers are needed (and they often are), phone calls can be made. Divide the task between your officers.
Try to match interests and motive for volunteering
Individual motives for volunteering are varried. Motives can include fulfilling social needs, looking for a challenge, self-improvement, or even being bored with the line-up of programs on television.
How can you find out what would motivate your chapter's members to volunteer? Ask them. Take time to speak with the members that attend meetings. Engage them in discussion about volunteering. Find out if the individual prefers to work alone or in a group and then look for appropriate tasks to assign. Take a survey of all chapter members.
To encourage a higher response rate to a survey, try this: enter your respondents in a random drawing to win a $25 gift certificate for a local technology store or restaurant. Others have found they receive a much better response when the members have an extra incentive.
Provide clear deadlines
It is important to set a specific due date, or end date, when assigning a job to a volunteer. This allows the individual to prioritize volunteer work with family and job commitments. It also lets them know that the job will eventually end.
The deadline should be confirmed in writing at the time you confirm the volutneer's commitment. Follow up with the volunteer on their progress and have them contact you as soon as possible if they cannot complete the task.
Hint: If you notice that you have people who want to volunteer, but are concerned about making a commitment for a full year (or more), consider a different approach. Consider asking people to volunteer to help with planning just one meeting, or working on just one issue of your newsletter. This will allow them to take on just what they have time for and helps relieve some of the overload stress from your long-time volunteers.
Training
Know what is needed to complete each job for the various chapter positions and make sure your volunteers have the material and information they need when they take on the job. Having the necessary tools increases the probability of success.
Training should be matched to the experience, needs and duties of the volunteer. Some volunteers may have experience in the job area and not need much training. Others may have volunteered in order to gain new skills and will need more help. Depending on the type and complexity of the job, the training can be one on one, in a group setting, or may simply consist of a list of step-by-step instructions. Planning ahead will help you anticipate the need for training.
ASCnet's Leadership Retreat provides a strong foundation for chapter effectiveness, including knowledge of roles and responsibilities, fiduciary stewardship, leadership acumen, strategic oversight and team building. You will discuss practical techniques for chapter development, learn skills to promote chapter growth and deal with your current issues, and develop your leadership skills. ASCnet provides free registration and hotel for one officer from each chapter, but you are encouraged to send additional officers at a nominal cost.
Another excellent source of information for current chapter volunteers is the Chapter Officer newsgroup. This forum allows you to discuss issues and ask questions about various aspects of chapter operation from others who are sharing your experiences.
Meeting Logistics: what is convenient for volunteers and potential volunteers?
As your chapter becomes more active, you will find that you will be holding more administrative meetings. While administrative meetings are important for the optimum running of a chapter, it should be kept in mind that if they are always held in the same place and at the same time, it might make it difficult for some potential volunteers to participate. If your chapter covers an exceptionally large area, or your volunteers travel for their jobs, have family commitments, or long commutes, they may need more flexibility in time and location of their volunteer responsibilities.
When planning your administrative meetings, be sure to consider accessibility, parking facilities, and cost. Meeting notices should contain the address of the meeting place and a telephone number (cellular phone) of someone who will be attending and knows the area.
Some other items to consider:
Careful planning will ensure that volunteers feel they are welcome and valuable members of the team. In addition, it will give them a positive image of the organization.
Your chapter might find that what works best for your volunteers is a breakfast meeting, or maybe lunch at a local restaurant. If you're conducting your meeting by conference call, you might decide to make it a brown bag lunch meeting.
In other words, do what works for your group.
Monitoring
Check the progress of the volunteer task and provide feedback, but don't hover. Keep in mind that volunteers are colleagues and partners, not subordinates or employees. Be positive, acting as coach and cheerleader, but don't allow yourself to get over-involved by doing the work yourself, even if it sometimes seems easier. If, despite your best efforts, a volunteer does not perform, you can release him from the commitment.
Solicit feedback
When the task is completed, or even if the volunteer is released from the commitment before completion, it is a good idea to solicit feedback. Volunteers appreciate the opportunity to share their opinions. In addition, the chapter will learn about any problems encountered and may be able to prevent potential difficulties in the future and possible loss of volunteers.
Show appreciation
Each volunteer should be thanked personally, preferably with a hand-written note or an e-mail, acknowledging specific contributions. You can also publicly recognize volunteers as appropriate, either at a chapter event or in the chapter newsletter. Another way to say thank you is to provide the volunteer with a position of more authority and responsibility.
Your chapter might want to hold an annual banquet at which tokens of appreciation, such as certificates or plaques, are distributed.
Take the next step
Do you have volunteer leaders in your chapter that are ready for the next step? Suggest they volunteer for an ASCnet Committee or Advisory Group. |
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