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By Anne Schink

Unsung Heroes Get Applause

While most of us know of organizations that use volunteers, very few of us know which of those organizations actually have an official Manager of Volunteers. November 1st is designated as International Volunteer Managers Day as a way to recognize the work they do to ensure that volunteers are recruited to fill real needs, that they are properly supervised, recognized and rewarded.

If you are a Manager of Volunteers who is feeling underappreciated, lift a glass to yourself on this day to recognize the work that you do, often quietly in the background, to ensure the smooth functioning of the volunteer program in your organization. We know you are there! We know the work you do and we celebrate you!

As a promise to yourself to honor all you do, take a moment to read a Blog, or find an article on a subject you need to learn more about, or buy a book on managing volunteers that will increase your sense of professionalism, and know that the work you do matters. Happy International Volunteer Managers Day!

Anne Schink is the Project INVEST Coordinator for the Maine Commission for Community Service and a featured blogger.

By Danielle Arbour

As knowledge of the Bangor Humane Society spreads throughout our communities and Maine, I find more and more people approaching me with interests in volunteering. It’s great to not have to worry about recruitment because we have enough interest, but I am faced with another challenge that I often struggle with. What do you tell those individuals with great intentions that might not be the right fit for an organization such as ours?

Working with animals and the public is very different from a lot of other types of volunteer work. There is a certain level of physical condition one must be in to ensure safety when lifting bags of pet food and litter, as well as walking dogs whose manners leave something to be desired. When I ask most of my applicants why they are interested in volunteering for the Bangor Humane Society, the most common response is “Because I love animals.” A wonderful reason, but not always enough. There are many heartbreaks that come with involvement in animal welfare – animal abuse and neglect, disease and euthanasia are not easy to deal with. I find even when I explain these things, and sometimes more bluntly than I probably should, most still don’t understand until they’ve been here. This wouldn’t be so much of an issue aside from the fact that while a few will talk with me about it, most just stop volunteering and I never hear from them again. As a volunteer coordinator with many other responsibilities and with open scheduling, I don’t often notice they have not been here for some time. Should I still follow up even if its been a month or more?

I’d love to hear some feedback if others have this same obstacle. There are some people you just know will burn out quickly and may leave with a sour taste in their mouth when finding the reality of what we’re faced with as a shelter is completely overwhelming and not what they expected. Do you evaluate volunteers for compassion fatigue? If so, how do you do it? I try to touch base with my volunteers, but don’t always have the opportunity to connect with them on a weekly basis. Perhaps an email or mailed survey at different points during their volunteer careers?

Danielle Arbour is the Volunteer and Events Coordinator at the Bangor Humane Society and a featured blogger.

By Noble Smith

You bet it will!

And do we as Commissioners, Volunteer Managers, elected or appointed officials in State Government or community leaders have any moral, ethical and support responsibilities given the current economic situations?

Absolutely and without question!

If we do not play increasingly participatory and involved roles, the critically important volunteer work force in this country will falter. If that scenario becomes “main stream”, it will take decades to recover, long after economic stabilization makes its impact.

Two words that must dominate the volunteer’s world today are leadership and coordination. Those two commodities, combined with enhanced volunteer training and management, form the quintessential platform for maintenance and growth despite the economic downturns that are effecting all segments of our society from Main Street to Wall Street.

In between those two streets are countless hundreds of non-profits whose very existence depends upon the unselfish contributions of millions of volunteers from high school students to those in their eighth and ninth decades. Economic factors for just Main “Streeters” - higher gas and food prices, lower and more expensive health care services, mortgage and housing challenges, education costs, and just the basic necessities of life – have a decided impact on both volunteers and those organizations who so desperately need volunteers to survive.

Although we cannot provide massive economic stimulation packages, those of us who enlist, train, manage, coordinate and energize volunteers have an urgent mandate to step back, reexamine, restructure (if necessary and appropriate) to insure that each and every volunteer is fully involved and invested in his or her volunteer task.

In essence, those who control the destiny of not only their own organization, but also those individuals or entities, whether in the public or private sectors, who are charged with protecting the lives of others now have new responsibilities when volunteers play participating roles in these devastating economic months and years ahead.

It is not OK to pass the responsibilities to others; those in top leadership positions must assume command. Particularly in these uncertain times when the well being of our citizenry is more than at stake and when we count on the continued involvement of volunteers, strong participatory leadership and well-structured coordination are of paramount importance.

There is no question that cutbacks, realignments, restructuring and resetting of priorities will be constantly in play during, at least, the next year. In my judgment, it is extremely important to involve volunteer leadership in the communication circles and, in some cases, in the final decision making discussions, particularly when the participation of volunteers is concerned. Seeking the advice, guidance and council of volunteers not only strengthens an outcome, but also it provides one of the critical elements of continued volunteer allegiance and support.

As we all are aware, the professional expertise of many of the newly retired volunteer force is much more that just the strengths, attitudes and experiences that most non-profits and governmental agencies need as financial curtailments force retrenchment and an realignment of priorities.

Over the past six months, and particularly since the Wall Street debacle and the resulting negative philanthropic impact for non-profits and the significant public sector budget reductions, the role of the volunteer becomes even more omnipotent.

All of us in leadership positions, at least in the non-profit sector, need to step back, reexamine our organizations, determine what is essential, what can be cut or postponed and insure that our strategic and business plans of action are error proof. For those organizations who depend on volunteers for success and societal impact, need not to keep volunteers are arm’s length, but embraced as family.

In my nearly 50 years in the business of working with volunteers, I look back to my experiences in the seventies, the late eighties and other economic trying periods. Many of us capitalized on the down times to insure that we were sensitive to the concerns, frustrations and hardships of our volunteer force and included them in our planning and decision-making processes.

Today’s economic slide, which some economists call the “Artic chill”, leaves all other downturns in the dust. None of us have all the right answers on what will happen next, but it will not be the same as yesterday. We will be blessed , however, that for generations there will be a growing volunteer force that will need nurturing

Therefore, you bet that we need to be concerned and proactive in the treatment and servicing of our family of volunteers!

Noble Smith is a Commissioner serving on the Maine Commission for Community Service and a featured blogger.

By Rochelle Runge

When you’re a busy professional it’s so easy to get “caught up in it all” and forget to take time to stop and seek out new ideas. I hope you find some of these sites useful and that it helps refresh your outlook.

Interesting information on Voluntourism:
www.voluntourism.org
An article on the subject: http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/volunteerism2008.jsp

Did you know Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News Columnist, writes frequently about activities in the volunteer arena? Check out her column.

A great overall resource:
www.energizeinc.com

Did you get a chance to take a workshop from Martin Cowling at the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism? Those that did thoroughly enjoyed it. Either way take a look at his website, www.pfts.com.au and the Global Volunteer Management Survey.

Rochelle Runge is a Public Relations Representative for the Maine Commission for Community Service and a guest blogger.

By Anne Schink

Last week Martin Cowling, a widely recognized expert on volunteer management from Australia, presented workshops at the Abromson Center at the University of Southern Maine for 50 volunteer managers from organizations of volunteer managers in York and Cumberland Counties.

One workshop he described the life cycle of motivation for volunteers. While traditionally we have considered three factors in motivating volunteers—affiliation, achievement, and power—Cowling looked at it another way.

He described the factors as: the organization (its mission, purpose, and goals), the benefits to them personally (learn new skills/work in an office), the job itself (the activities to be performed), and the people. As a result of research he found that motivation varies during the life cycle of a volunteer’s participation. At each stage one major motivating factor is more important than the others.

During (0-3 months) a new volunteer is most attracted to the organization and its mission. At the ‘honeymoon phase’ (3-6 months), a volunteer becomes much more motivated by in the benefits to them personally. This is the “What’s In It for ME” phase. During the establishment phase (6-24 months), the cycle shifts so that the volunteer is much more interested in the actual job they are doing. The job continues to be the primary motivator for long term volunteers who stay for more than two years.

This information provides opportunities for programs to be more strategic about the forms of recognition and reward they provide to volunteers. For one thing, initially it means that a volunteer manager should pay a good bit of attention to introducing the volunteer to the overall picture of the organization, its structure, its goals and its philosophy. By the end of three months the volunteer manager should be sure that the volunteer understands the personal benefits that the volunteer opportunity provides, such as access to the lunch room, invitations to events, reimbursement for mileage, official ‘gear’ representing the organization. After six months the volunteer begins to feel like a part of the organization and settles into the real work of the assignment. Now is the time for the volunteer manager to check to be certain that the actual work assignment is one the volunteer really enjoys. And that the volunteer receives the necessary training and reinforcement to do the actual work well. This may be a good time to offer additional training or an opportunity to attend a relevant meeting.

None of these factors ever becomes totally irrelevant, and the people the volunteer interacts with in the agency as well as any clients that are part of the project always affect the volunteer’s satisfaction, but may not have as big an effect on the motivation of the volunteer. Office climate, friendly and supportive relationships with peers and clients, all affect a volunteer’s overall satisfaction. When this is missing, no amount of motivation will overcome it. But even in the best organization, ignoring the factors that motivate individual volunteers will lead to a volunteer just walking away.

Anne Schink is the Project INVEST Coordinator for the Maine Commission for Community Service and a featured blogger.

By Gretchen Van der Veer, PhD

Nationally in 2007, 60.5 million volunteers contributed more than $150 billion in labor to the nonprofit sector, which in turn resulted in significant cost-savings and economic benefits for local communities. However, while more nonprofits are making use of volunteers, many still struggle to strategically plan for managing and growing this resource.

According to data released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, 1 in 3 volunteers who served in 2005 did not come back to serve in 2006. That means that collectively as a sector we have a retention problem—what we at the Corporation refer to as a “leaky bucket.” There are many possible reasons for this but one I would like to explore with you today is the possibility that we are not providing enough volunteers with tasks that engage their skills. If we want to keep them, we have to give them serious and meaningful work that affects the community, and we must treat them like we would any valued colleague. Often nonprofits assign their president to manage a $1 million gift, but assign the intern or a busy receptionist to oversee volunteers whose service could be worth 5 times as much. This is a mistake. Investing in volunteer recruitment, management, and retention along with changing the overall organization’s view of how to engage volunteers can yield vital long term benefits.

In Maine, the question is how can you move more of the state’s population to join the 33% already engaged? To deepen and broaden that engagement, Maine’s nonprofit sector should consider creating human capital solutions to help advance their mission. The good news is that the Maine Commission for Community Service with funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service has begun to address the leaky bucket through a human capital strategy called “Project INVEST;” a statewide professional development program that is academically based and coordinated in partnership with York County Community College, University of Maine division of Lifelong Learning, and the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service.

The implementation of this program has already begun through the work of Volunteer Maine. They created an online self-assessment called Competencies for Managers of Volunteers. The program is focused on 19 competencies that a well-prepared and competent manager of volunteers should possess in order to effectively manage a successful volunteer program. The purpose of this module is three-fold:

• Introduce Volunteer Management Competencies;
• Complete self assessments to check skill level; and
• Create a self-directed learning plan.

Having strong volunteer management structures in place will help retain existing volunteers, but how do you engage them over the long term and involve more of Maine’s citizens?

As nonprofits strengthen and professionalize the skills of their volunteer managers and as nonprofits become more and more critical to communities, there is increasing demand for them to operate more efficiently both programmatically and administratively. Nonprofits have a tremendous opportunity to leverage the diversity of skills that exist within their jurisdiction to help solve the myriad nonprofit human capitol challenges like fundraising, marketing, volunteer recruitment, and deliver the organization’s programs and services. The leaky bucket can be stopped and increase the growth of volunteerism if we:

• Give volunteers tasks they enjoy that allow them to use their skills.
• Match volunteers with opportunities that use their personal and professional skills;
• Expand our efforts beyond our current customer base to go where the growth is; and
• Manage the volunteers well.

However, another way to better leverage the personal and professional skills of your volunteers is to examine how your organization actually operates. If a volunteer manager has been recruiting volunteers to deliver meals in their own cars, but those volunteers can no longer do it because of rising gas prices, then re-evaluate the skill sets of your drivers to see if their talents can be used in a different way within the organization. For instance, perhaps the organization could contract for meal deliveries and use the volunteers in some other aspect of the organization’s functioning like resource development or marketing, which could fill a hole. The money saved from using volunteers in that job could be used for contracting the meal delivery service.

In order to explore these types of human capitol solutions more deeply, last year the Corporation for National and Community Service produced a report called Volunteering Reinvented: Human Capital Solutions for the Nonprofit Sector. The report shows that volunteering is not just nice but necessary – it brings value to an organization especially when there is a strategically thought-through plan to utilize the skills volunteers provide. It challenges organizations, their board of directors, executive directors, and other leaders to see volunteers as solutions to some of their most pressing challenges. It shows that volunteers can support infrastructure, in addition to helping deliver programs and services.

The report also offers suggestions on potential job functions for volunteers, including:

• Board/Leadership;
• Strategic Partnerships;
• Fundraising and Development;
• Organizational Development and Training;
• Marketing and Communications;
• Financial Management and Accounting;
• Technology and Information Systems;
• Legal Counsel;
• Administrative Support; and
• Program and Service Delivery.

In order to take on these tasks and to be effective, volunteers need effective communications with staff and see the “mission return” for their volunteer time investment – how their contributions result in a positive, measureable difference in someone’s life.

The report lays out a blueprint to help nonprofits achieve the above outcomes and increase the return on investment on volunteers. The blueprint suggests that nonprofits need to take the following steps in order to be successful:

• Market Research and Community Needs Assessments
• Strategic Planning to Maximize Volunteer Impact
• Recruiting and Marketing to Prospective Volunteers
• Interviewing, Screening, and Selecting Volunteers
• Orienting and Training Volunteers
• Ongoing Supervision and Management
• Recognitions and Volunteer Development
• Measuring Outcomes and Evaluating the Process

Two of the most critical among these steps are the strategic planning process and measurement. If an organization spends time planning and laying the groundwork for their volunteer engagement program and then measures the results, they will greatly increase their return on investment – maybe it will be more valuable than that million dollar contribution.

Once nonprofits have their volunteer management infrastructure in place then they can begin to explore how to engage more volunteers in their work. One area that the Corporation has been working on is pro bono skills-based volunteering where companies donate the skills and expertise of their employees. In fact, the Corporation is challenging companies to make $1 billion in pledges of their employee’s volunteer time through the Billion + Change Campaign (www.abillionandchange.org). From this type of volunteering, nonprofits receive the expertise many of them desperately need and an additional vehicle for engaging more volunteers. This provides everyone involved with a “double bottom line” benefit:

If nonprofits and companies get this right, they have an opportunity to leave a lasting mark in their communities, but also to create a vibrant civic life that America hasn’t seen since the greatest generation. At the Corporation, we take these issues very seriously and have not only invested in research, but this past summer we announced several grants to help with volunteer management and retention of which Maine was a recipient as mentioned earlier in this article.

Research shows that communities with high rates of volunteering are healthier. They have higher levels of parental engagement in schools, stronger local economies, less crime, and lower incidence of illnesses. We must continue to work together—government, the private sector, and nonprofits – to grow and strengthen the engagement of our citizens. Maine is doing s terrific job of engaging citizens. I applaud you for always looking at how you can do more and do it more effectively!

I was hoping to be with you all for the Blaine House Conference next week but due to a freeze on government travel, my plane has been grounded. However, in my absence Anne Schink, the lead on Project INVEST, will be furthering discussing the concepts in this article with some of you. I wish you all a terrific conference and look forward to being with you at future conferences and meetings where we can continue to explore these challenges together.

Gretchen Van der Veer, PhD is the Director, Office of Leadership Development and Training at the Corporation for National and Community Service and a guest blogger.

By Chris Wolff

For many organizations, a new program year has just begun. New volunteers have been recruited. You’ve been working with your host site supervisors- those who are chosen to manage your volunteer on a daily basis. For some organizations, you rely on a single volunteer to help out on projects. For other organizations, you recruit a cohort of volunteers who are either placed together or dispersed at several sites.

People generally volunteer because they believe in civic engagement or the mission of the organization. They want to feel a part of a larger cause and feel that their work is contributing directly to meeting the mission of the organization. Some projects require volunteers to work independently, while others require the volunteer to work as part of a team. It’s important for your volunteers to feel connected to the organization and feel welcomed and a part of your team. It’s also important for your volunteers to feel connected to a larger volunteer service network whenever possible. These connections will foster a greater sense of connection and will lead to higher volunteer retention.

There are many ways to ensure that your volunteers feel connected and appreciated. Having your volunteers participate in a formal volunteer orientation or training from the beginning will allow them to meet other volunteers and make connections. The orientation can be a day or a week depending on your budget and the level of training your volunteers will need. The orientation should provide a solid foundation for your volunteers to meet each other and learn about the different projects being accomplished. Team-building activities are great ways for people to get to know each other. When I conduct my orientation with new Island Fellows, my primary goal for the orientation week is that the Fellows will form a solid cohort and know that they will have other people to contact for advice, support, or just a place to stay on their travels. Don’t structure the orientation with a busy agenda. Make sure there is enough down-time for socializing, playing games and music, and just getting to know each other.

After the orientation, it is important to form communication networks where your volunteers can share their ideas, ask for advice, get support, and just have a friend to call upon if they are feeling lonely or frustrated. I’ve found, with most people in their 20’s and 30’s that they use their Face Book or My Space accounts to share communications with other volunteers. I’ve also created a listserv for Fellows where they can ask questions and get feedback from other Fellows and program staff. Fellows can use the listserv to ask about professional development and training needs. Since the Island Fellows are placed remotely, they also use the listserv to share their favorite books, movies, or cooking recipes for those long winter nights. Netflix is a lifesaver! Just knowing others are out there experiencing the same challenges can help ease the isolation and loneliness at can accompany remote placements.

If possible, it’s nice to schedule a mid-winter retreat or gathering for volunteers, even if it’s just a day together to receive further professional development or recognition. The winter months can be challenging, and providing an opportunity for fun can help lift spirits and energize your volunteer. Encourage your volunteer to seek out professional development as much as possible. Many conferences and trainings provide scholarships for volunteers. Adult education programs provide affordable computer and technology training. There may also be a chance to mentor with other volunteers to provide professional development.

As a manager, you may want to start the ball rolling on a listserv for your volunteers. Start by sharing your favorite books, movies, upcoming professional development opportunities. Encourage your volunteers to host geographic potluck dinners and invite other volunteers over. I try to schedule regional training opportunities for Fellows since they are placed from Bar Harbor down to Portland. My hope is that by gathering people together regionally, they will form a geographic cohort.

Start your program strong by building your cohort of volunteers. Make them feel appreciated and valued, and provide them with as many opportunities to get together with other volunteers as possible. By building a strong cohort, you will have stronger volunteer retention.

Great team-building resources:

Quicksilver: Adventure Games, Initiative Problems, Trust Activities and a Guide to Effective Leadership, Karl Rohnke

Affordable Portables: A Working Book of Initiative Activities & Problem Solving Elements, Chris Cavert

Team-Building Activities for Every Group, Alanna Jones

Team Challenges: 170+ Group Activities to Build Cooperation, Communication, and Creativity, Kris Bordessa

Cowtails & Cobras (A Guide to Ropes Courses, Initiative Games, and Other Adventure Activities), Karl Rohnke

Chris Wolff is Community Development Director at the Island Institute and a featured blogger.

By Larry Ullian

I’ve read somewhere and have heard that salaried people consider volunteers more trouble than they’re worth. This seems to be an opinion most often expressed by people in emergency management and related professions – e.g., firefighters, emergency responders, disaster-response professionals. Is this true or this just a myth of volunteering similar to “volunteers are free?”

I’m certain that volunteers are totally committed to their assignment. But paid workers have several things to do – not just the assignment or task the volunteer is totally committed to and wants to ask questions about. Is this how a volunteer becomes a burden? Or is it the need to take time from a job to train someone who won’t be around for more than a year? Is it worth it the salaried employee’s limited time?

There are other issues and problems frequently identified with volunteers such as how to screen for and keep the good ones and get rid of the bad ones. That’s not what this blog is about. This one is about figuring out ways to “sell” the host agency that volunteers are actually useful and can substantively contribute to achieving their mission and vision and ultimately, to the targeted community. Are you in a position to do that?

Have you or someone you know had these types of experiences? What did you do about it? Let me know.

Larry Ullian is a Director of Program Development at USM’s Muskie School of Public Service and a featured blogger.

Message from David Eisner

Dear Colleagues,

I admit it – I’m overwhelmed. The power of the last 10 days has demonstrated that the momentum we’ve felt for months around service and volunteering has only intensified and is getting stronger. Think about just a few highlights from the last two weeks: the President addresses thousands of volunteer leaders on the White House South Lawn and renews his Call to Service; both Presidential nominees pledge support for national service and volunteering in a televised candidates forum; our pro-bono initiative, A Billion + Change, exceeds $400 million in corporate pledges; Senators Kennedy and Hatch introduce the ambitious Serve America legislation with bi-partisan co-sponsorship; the ServiceNation Summit in New York brings unprecedented numbers of national leaders and celebrities together in support of service; the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation exceeds one million recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Awards; the State of New York follows California in elevating its State Service Commission to Cabinet-level status – and at the same time AmeriCorps members and other national service programs and participants respond heroically to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Can anyone imagine a more auspicious time for the Corporation for National and Community Service, as well as AmeriCorps, to prepare to celebrate their 15th Anniversary? That’s right – 2009 will represent the 15th birthday year for the Corporation, which began operating in 1994, based on legislation passed in 1993. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Corporation’s Board of Directors approved a resolution celebrating the milestone.

At the Board meeting, I announced my timetable for departure during the transition. I plan to leave the Corporation in November following the Presidential election. My exceptional Chief of Staff Nicky Goren will step into the role of Acting CEO, with the strong support and confidence of the Board. As an 11-year veteran with the Corporation, Nicky has the experience, judgment, and ability to ensure that we extend the gains we’ve made and bridge the organization as it prepares for a new CEO to be appointed in the next administration. I couldn’t be more happy, proud, or confident in this decision.
So, yes, I’m overwhelmed – with gratitude for the opportunity I’ve had to serve alongside you for nearly five years, with awe for the opportunities that lay immediately before the service and volunteering sector, with pride for the accomplishments we’ve had together that have contributed to this momentum, and with excitement about the changes that are coming and the possibilities they will soon enough reveal.

We have a lot to do in the coming months, and this will be a sprint to the finish. But I wanted to share some of what I’m thinking about, and it all boils down to “thank you.”

Here are links for the President’s speech, the First Lady’s speech, the President’s 9/11 video, ServiceNation, A Billion +Change, the Board Resolution on the Corporation’s 15th Anniversary, and a summary of the Serve America Act.

In service,

David Eisner
CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service