Convened by

National Conference on Volunteering and Service

Leading an Extreme Makeover of Volunteer Engagement

Facilitator: Betty Stallings www.bettystallings.com

Leading an Extreme Makeover of your Organization’s Volunteer Engagement

• Introductory thoughts– The mindset to approach the BIG task

• 6 Critical Elements– Change in the purpose of your role– Positive organizational philosophy supporting volunteerism– Staff-friendly volunteer engagement– Adapting to changing trends– MAJOR redesign of volunteer positions– Creative/effective use of technology

Introductory Comments

• A recent consultant job

“Let’s redo our volunteer training and that should enhance our volunteer retention…..”

Tinkering won’t produce the results we want!

We need to ask:•What does volunteer engagement that increasingly addresses our mission look like

•What will need to change to develop high impact, cutting edge volunteer engagement

•How can we lead this re-invention effort and gain the team commitment and support from executives, board and all staff

Key Elements in Extreme Makeover

1. Your role in the organization:•To have an opportunity to lead this effort you must be seen as a leader- the person who empowers the organization to have the best possible volunteer engagement

Consider:– Position in the organization– Is your role clear among those with whom you must

lead?– You see (or help define) your role as the expert in

volunteerism who is providing this leadership

Extreme Makeover Champion

• Leading involves:– Vision– Collaborative efforts– Change plan and strategy– Influence/persuasion– Delegation– Team work

Key Elements in Extreme Makeover

2. Positive Philosophy on Volunteerism - (Written document that articulates an organization’s belief in the value and role that volunteers play in carrying out its mission.)

– The value/purpose of having one– How to create one– Keep it alive as a guiding force for volunteerism– Examples in Leading the Way

Elements in Extreme Makeover

3. Staff-friendly volunteer engagement

Executives/Boards•What roles do they (need to) play?

•Where might their resistance be coming from?

•How can we support them to carry out these roles?

Elements of Extreme Makeover

3.Staff-Friendly Volunteer Engagement (cont.)

All staff who partner with volunteers– What are any causes for lack of commitment?

– What can we do to support staff in their roles?• Clarity of expectations• Training to partner/supervise volunteers• Involvement and planning for volunteers and evaluating it• Shown appreciation for effective partnering with volunteers

– How can we create TEAM buy in?

Elements of Extreme Makeover

4. Adapting to Changing Trends/Issues•Generational differences•Groups/families volunteering•Short term engagement•Technology•High skilled volunteering•Outcome based evaluation•Economy•Voluntolds•Competition for volunteering•Time

Elements of Extreme Makeover

5. Major redesign of volunteer positionsAsk:1.How can we best meet out mission combining talents of both staff and volunteers? (Clean slate thinking!)

2. What are some totally NEW ways we can begin to incorporate volunteers?

3. Who are potential volunteers who can meet our needs and how can we recruit and sustain their involvement in our mission?

Elements of Extreme Makeover

6. Effective use of technology(data collection, recruitment, training, communication, materials, etc)

•Use of IT Volunteers•Engaging volunteers to reach out through social media to their circle of friends/acquaintances•Developing on-line orientation/training•Use of portable training devices (I PADS, etc.) for small group/mentor type training•Collecting useful data/trends•You Tube, TED (ideas worth sharing), microvolunteering (www.sparked.com)•Virtual volunteering

Major Elements in Extreme Makeover

• Change nature of your role

• Positive philosophy statement

• Staff-friendly volunteer engagement

• Adapting to changing trends/issues

• MAJOR redesign of volunteer positions

• Creative/effective use of technology

Elements of Extreme Makeover

Challenge to Change:

“If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed” Chinese Proverb

Elements of Extreme Makeover

We must step up and then…… LEAD:

“You must be ready, at any moment, to give up what you are for what you might become” W.E.B. Dubois