Building Your Volunteer Program

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Building Your Volunteer Program
Rachelle Vettern Leadership Volunteer
Development Specialist
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You know youre in Extension when

• You can talk for an hour on a topic
• which you have five minutes worth of
• knowledge. Donna B. Edsel, North Carolina State
  Univ. CES

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When you dance out of here today you will be able
to

• List the elements of the ISOTURE Volunteer
  Management Model
• Identify 3 ways to recognize volunteers
• Commit to working on 3 pieces of ISOTURE in Your
  Volunteer program

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4-H/YD Professional Research, Knowledge,
Competencies (PRKC)

• 1) Personal Readiness
• 2) Organizational Readiness
• 3) Engagement of Volunteers
• 4) Education of Volunteers
• 5) Sustainability of Volunteer Efforts
• Youth Development professionals will understand
  the needs of adult youth volunteers have
  competency in volunteer management

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Volunteer Management Model-ISOTOUR

• Identifying
• Selecting
• Orientating
• Training
• Utilizing
• Recognizing
• Evaluating

Orientating
Identifying
Selecting
Utilizing
Recognizing
Training
Volunteer Management
Evaluation

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Identifying

• the need (do needs assessment)
• the position
• the position description (this is key!!!)
• the volunteer
• ex sports fishing volunteer to be key leader

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Differences in Generations

• Builders (G.I.) 1900-1922
• Silent 1923-1942
• Boomers 1943-1963
• Busters (Xers) 1963-1982
• Millennials (Gen Y) 1983-2000
• Post-Millennial (Gen Z) 2001-2020

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Messages that Motivate Builders

• Your experience is respected here.
• Its valuable to the rest of us to hear what
  has-and hasnt worked in the past.
• Your perseverance is valued will be rewarded.

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Messages that Motivate Boomers

• Youre important to our success.
• Youre valued here.
• Your contribution is unique and important.
• We need you.
• I approve of you.
• Youre worthy.

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Messages that Motivate Busters

• Do it your way.
• Weve got the newest hardware software.
• There arent a lot of rules here.
• Were not very formal.
• Personal/professional development.
• Contributing to greater good.
• Belonging to a community.

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Messages that Motivate Millennials

• You will be working with other bright creative
  people. (teamwork)
• Your boss is in his/her sixties.
• You and the other volunteers in your group can
  help turn this organization around.
• You can be a hero here. (Work that has
  meaning.)
• Fun
• Resume-building

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Identifying Exercise

• Think of a volunteer you wish you had in your
  county/community
• Use example position description form
• Write 1 position description for 1 volunteer you
  would like to recruit (ex crop improv. board
  member, new 4-H leader)

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Selecting

• the right person for the job
• recruiting
• (see attachments for more info.)
• screening
• (see 4-H Youth Protection Policy)
• placing
• Match recruitment efforts individual with
  position description
• ex Recruiting someone to assist with the 4-H
  Health project area _at_ clinic or hospital, EMT

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Selecting-Recruiting

• Ask- ex Invite current volunteers to bring a
  friend/colleague to an activity
• Make it a Family Affair-families who volunteer
  together do so regularly for longer periods of
  time than other volunteers.
• Explain-specific tasks involved who will
  benefit from their volunteering

Source Independent Sector Americas Informal
Volunteers based on results from 1999 Giving
and Volunteering in the US survey available
_at_www.IndependentSector.org
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Selecting-Recruiting

• Recognize Time Concerns-Design opportunities that
  offer short term commitments (short term can be
  the hook for long term)
• Connect- Work with social organizations
  entertainment venues, schools other community
  groups
• Show them how they benefit -job experience,
  resume building, socialization

Source Independent Sector Americas Informal
Volunteers based on results from 1999 Giving
and Volunteering in the US survey available
_at_www.IndependentSector.org Janet Fox
Presentation 1/22/02
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Selecting-Market, Market, Market

• Share Outcomes/Successes
• Highlight the ways people can be helpful.
• Discuss vol. contributions and progress made that
  would not have been possible without their help.
• Giving thanks in this way helps keep vols
  committed and motivated in their activities.
• This makes recruiting easier too. People want to
  volunteer for successful, well known
  organizations.

Source Independent Sector Americas Informal
Volunteers based on results from 1999 Giving
and Volunteering in the US survey available
_at_www.IndependentSector.org
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Selecting-Recruiting Informal Volunteers

• Major reason for not being involved formally
  they havent been asked
• Have lower-than usual rate of religious
  involvement channels other than religious
  institutions need to be explored to connect w/
  them
• Need volunteer organization to demonstrate
  accountability precision when reporting
  societal contributions, time dollars received
  to gain their trust participation .

Source Independent Sector Americas Informal
Volunteers based on results from 1999 Giving
and Volunteering in the US survey available
_at_www.IndependentSector.org
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Selecting-Latino Volunteer Recruitment

• Personally extend invitation to volunteer
• Supplement personal invites with print info.
  written in Spanish.
• Hold meetings in locations where people will be
  comfortable
• Offer food, door prizes possibly music as a
  part of meetings
• Consider busy schedules when setting meetings

Source Recruiting Supporting Latino
Volunteers EM 8754 2000 Oregon State University
Extension Service available _at_ www.osu.orst.edu/ext
ension/4h/oregonoutreach/volunteer_dev/print/recru
iting.html
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Selecting-Latino Volunteer Recruitment

• Accommodate language preferences
• Explain how your organization benefits Latino
  families their community
• Specifically describe how volunteering will
  benefit families community
• Emphasize your long term commitment to the
  community
• Initially recruit for short-term assignments
• Dont become discouraged by limited response-keep
  asking!!!

Source Recruiting Supporting Latino
Volunteers EM 8754 2000 Oregon State University
Extension Service available _at_ www.osu.orst.edu/ext
ension/4h/oregonoutreach/volunteer_dev/print/recru
iting.html
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Orientating

• Teach the basics of Extension 4-H (volunteers
  can be our best marketing tool)
• Share your program goals mission
• Talk about your expectations for the volunteers
  performance
• Go over their position description!!!

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Orientating Exercise

• Use the attached orientation form
• Develop the first orientation session for the
  volunteers you wrote the position description for
  in the Identifying exercise
• Share this orientation idea with your co-workers
  and set a date for the orientation session

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You know youre in Extension when

• You have more training manuals than the Library
  of Congress. Dee Furlough

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Training

• Volunteers should receive training which allows
  them to attain
• knowledge
• attitudes
• skills
• that improve the level the quality of their
  performance.

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Training

• Formal workshops or lectures on specific subject
  ex training technology volunteers to use a new
  computer program
• Informal one-to-one basis through phone, home
  visit, or on-the-job training
• Offer subject matter training
• Include youth development information- may know
  subject matter well, but not developmental levels

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Utilizing

• Using volunteers time effectively
• Use your volunteers or youll lose your
  volunteers
• Provide ongoing training, communication support
  to ensure volunteers success
• Never use dollar time on penny jobs.

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You know youre in Extension when

• Your car looks like youre moving to the next
  county, when in reality youre just going out to
  do a one-hour program. Donna B. Edsel

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• Good words are worth much and cost little.
• -George Herbert

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Recognizing

• Acknowledge jobs well done (paid or unpaid
  reward)
• Ex send them to special training, give community
  recognition, take to lunch, thank you notes etc.

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Recognizing

• How many thank you notes do you have that need to
  be sent?
• Recognition is essential to a successful
  volunteer program
• To a volunteer, recognition signifies that
  someone notices someone cares
• To an organization, recognition creates role
  models communicates standards

Pieces from Janet Fox hand out 1/22/02
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Recognizing

• Know your volunteer
• Achievement orientated -tangible awards, letters
  of recommendation, opportunities to utilize their
  ideas
• Affiliation orientated -Unexpected, creative
  thank you notes, social events
• Power influence orientated -impressive job
  title, featured seminar presenter, media contact
  or public relations roles

Source Red Taxi-Marlene Wilson The Effective
Management of Volunteers Janet Fox
Presentation 1/22/02
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Evaluating

• Determine how to evaluate the program
  volunteers (look back at job description for
  this)
• Compare volunteers performance to standards
  previously set
• Give volunteer feedback on his/her performance

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Retaining

• Have a Position Description Ready
• Give Adequate Training-from where coffee maker is
  to your programming expectations
• Recognize, Recognize, Recognize
• Share Results- Highlight ways people can be
  helpful. Discuss vol. contributions progress
  made that would not have been possible without
  their help. (Giving thanks in this way helps keep
  vols committed and motivated in their
  activities.)

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Retaining

• Create an esteem-producing climate give
  volunteers a sense of connectedness, uniqueness
  and power
• Give them a great place to work
• Give them what they dont have
• Give them a good time

Source Volunteer Management Steve McCurley
Rick Lynch 1996.
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Circle of Commitment

• Use the Volunteer Circle of Commitment form
• Think about the 3 pieces of ISOTURE you will
  commit to working on related to your volunteer
  management
• Be realistic make them simple
• Commit to checking up on your progress every 3
  months. Write this check up on your calendar.
• If you have extra time talk about how you will
  achieve these 3 with your co-workers

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Where to Get More Information

• Attend the Natl Conference on Volunteering
  Service
• Americas Promise
• Independent Sector
• Assoc. of Volunteer Administration
• Corporation for National Service
• Points of Light Foundation Volunteer Center
  National Network
• See handout attached for web sites
• Future ND Trainings

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Contact Information

• Rachelle Vettern
• Leadership Volunteer
• Development Specialist
• Center for 4-H Youth Development
• 219 FLC, Box 5016
• Fargo, ND 58105-5016
• Phone [phone] Fax [phone]
  rvettern_at_ndsuext.nodak.edu

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Go Forth and Strengthen Your Volunteer Program
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So you can spend more time at the
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Why People Volunteer

• To feel needed
• To share a skill
• To get to know a community
• To demonstrate commitment to a cause or belief
• To gain leadership skills
• To act out a fantasy
• To do a civic duty
• Because of pressure from a friend or relative
• Because of personal experience with the problem,
  illness or cause

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Why People Volunteer

• To keep busy
• For recognition
• To repay a debt
• To donate professional skills
• Because there is no one else to do it
• To have an impact
• To learn something new
• To fill up some free time
• To stand up be counted
• For fun

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Why People Volunteer

• To help a friend or relative
• For escape
• To become an insider
• Because of guilt
• To be challenged
• To be a watchdog
• To feel proud
• To make new friends
• To explore a career
• To help someone
• As therapy
• To do something different from their job

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Why People Volunteer

• For religious reasons
• To earn academic credit
• To keep skills alive
• Because an agency is nearby
• To have an excuse to do what they love
• To assure progress
• To feel good
• To be part of a team
• To gain status
• Because you were asked to test yourself
• To build their resume
• To be an agent of change