Cultivating Volunteers

1
Cultivating Volunteers

• American Chamber of Commerce Executives
• Annual Meeting
• Cleveland, Ohio
• August 16-19, 2006

2
Volunteers

• Are pioneers experimenters
• Are reactive and proactive
• Represent all sides of an issue
• Are agents of change
• Are critical to your Chamber

3
The New Form of Volunteering

• Must present a win-win situation
• Prove well worth the investment of time, energy
  and brainpower
• To be an extremely positive experience
• To overcome everything else competing for their
  time and attention

4
Recruiting

• Be truthful
• Be clear
• Understand the issue
• Open communications
• Deal breakers

5
Create the OpportunitiesThey Want

• Express committees in terms of what they do, not
  what theyre called
• Areas of interest vs. general business to
  business
• Consider
• Development Growth
• Import/ Export
• Streetscapes
• Their company concerns
• Issues impacting their bottom line
• Find their passion

6
A Broad Mix of Talent

• Constant lookout for new talent
• Recruit for a wide variety of business types,
  skill sets
• Recruit for time and talent, not just talent
• Use all PR resources for recruiting
• Be clear about their benefits
• Staff overt in pitching opportunities
• Staff input from committee work
• Standouts from leadership class other programs
• Reach out for diversity

7
Celebrate Every Volunteer

• Its not just a line on a resume all volunteer
  roles are active
• Manage to their expectations
• Celebrate all levels of engagement lt100 to gt100
• Cultivating volunteers its all about
  relationships
• A family of volunteers

8
Recognizing Volunteers

• Recognize in front of peers superiors
• Thank you notes
• Pictures plaques
• Noted in publications
• Public thanks
• Public praise
• Recognize as investors, not just volunteers
  theyre investing time, energy brainpower

9
Eight Ways to Lose a Volunteer

• Dont get their names or companies right
• Dont listen to their ideas about other projects
• Dont include them in other things that come up
• Dont take them up on their offers to help
• Dont return their phone calls or emails
• Dont acknowledge them
• Dont thank them
• Dont praise them

10
Time for a Change

• Show you care address their issues
• Carrying non-participants on the roster
  de-motivates active participants
• Make it clean easy when they need to step back
• Recognize when theyre ready for something new
• Always leave the door open

11
Theyre Watching You

• Chamber staff are magical superstars
• Leverage your opportunities for influence
• Be aware of the messages you send
• Organization
• Timeliness
• Body language
• Facial Expressions
• Attitude

12
Success Stories

• What works best in YOUR Chamber?
• Some people strengthen our society just by being
  the kind of people they are.
• - John W. Gardner

13
Cultivating Volunteers

• Questions?
• Realize how good you really are.
• - Og Mandino

14
Resources References

• Janet Newham
• Senior Vice President, Membership Development
• Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
• 2750 Speisseger Dr., Ste. 100
• Charleston, SC 29405
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• jnewham_at_charlestonchamber.org
• John Seymour
• President CEO
• Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce
• PO Box 2003
• Decatur, AL 35602-2003
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• john_at_dcc.org

15
Resources ReferencesContinued

• By the People A History of Americans as
  Volunteers, New Century Edition, by Susan J.
  Ellis Katherine H. Campbell
• www.e-volunteerism.com
• www.volunteertoday.com
• www.community.ups.com/volunteerism