How to Work with Volunteers

1. How to Work with Volunteers ? Review the Learning Objectives. Let the audience know the program will take about 45 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes, if you are going to use the supplemental activity). Learning Objectives Participants will leave the session with ideas on how to recruit new volunteers. Participants will understand how they can meet the needs of volunteers to make the volunteer�s experience a good one. Participants will learn to pick the right person for the job and how to help someone do the job they are asked to do. Participants will learn some strategies for dealing with unproductive volunteers. Before bringing up the next slide, ask the group why they volunteer. ? Review the Learning Objectives. Let the audience know the program will take about 45 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes, if you are going to use the supplemental activity). Learning Objectives Participants will leave the session with ideas on how to recruit new volunteers. Participants will understand how they can meet the needs of volunteers to make the volunteer�s experience a good one. Participants will learn to pick the right person for the job and how to help someone do the job they are asked to do. Participants will learn some strategies for dealing with unproductive volunteers. Before bringing up the next slide, ask the group why they volunteer.

2. Why do People Volunteer? To give back to society To meet people (network) To gain skills To gain experience To gain recognition To participate To get ahead professionally ? Go through the list on the slide. Acknowledge where someone has already expressed the idea. Ask the group if they can think of anything else to add to the list. ? Go through the list on the slide. Acknowledge where someone has already expressed the idea. Ask the group if they can think of anything else to add to the list.

3. What is Different about Today�s Volunteers? Less time to volunteer More competition for that time Looking for the greatest payoff (bang for their volunteer buck) ? Explain that finding ways to make the experience fulfilling to the prospective volunteer is critical, given that: ? Volunteers have less time with new technologies, more things to do, two working-parent families, etc. ? For the time people do have to volunteer, there are more options than ever before, at schools, community groups, and other professional organizations, etc. ? In this environment of less time and more to do, volunteers look for a place that gives them the greatest opportunity to make a difference and to grow personally. This means that the burden is on AWWA to demonstrate to the prospective volunteer that this is the place to give their time. Before moving to the next slide, transition to this topic by saying something like �Knowing these facts, what do we need to do to get people to volunteer?�? Explain that finding ways to make the experience fulfilling to the prospective volunteer is critical, given that: ? Volunteers have less time with new technologies, more things to do, two working-parent families, etc. ? For the time people do have to volunteer, there are more options than ever before, at schools, community groups, and other professional organizations, etc. ? In this environment of less time and more to do, volunteers look for a place that gives them the greatest opportunity to make a difference and to grow personally. This means that the burden is on AWWA to demonstrate to the prospective volunteer that this is the place to give their time. Before moving to the next slide, transition to this topic by saying something like �Knowing these facts, what do we need to do to get people to volunteer?�

4. How Can We Recruit New Volunteers? Make a personal request for assistance (make it specific) Advertise for volunteers (but make sure you follow up on offers) Talk to people about the qualities, skills, and traits you need in a volunteer (they may know someone) ? After the audience provides a few comments, show the slide and go through each point. ? Make a personal request for assistance (make it specific). Ask the group to think of how they feel when they are asked to do something. It shows the person has confidence in them. However, it can also concern them. Start out by asking someone to do something small and limited in time. Don�t ask them to be the section secretary-treasurer for the next three years to start. ? Advertise for volunteers (but make sure you follow up on offers). For example, if you are going to advertise in the section newsletter, make sure you have a way to deal with responses. Don�t leave people who have offered their support hanging. They will give up on you. ? Talk to people about the type of people and skills you are looking for. They may know someone. ? After the audience provides a few comments, show the slide and go through each point. ? Make a personal request for assistance (make it specific). Ask the group to think of how they feel when they are asked to do something. It shows the person has confidence in them. However, it can also concern them. Start out by asking someone to do something small and limited in time. Don�t ask them to be the section secretary-treasurer for the next three years to start. ? Advertise for volunteers (but make sure you follow up on offers). For example, if you are going to advertise in the section newsletter, make sure you have a way to deal with responses. Don�t leave people who have offered their support hanging. They will give up on you. ? Talk to people about the type of people and skills you are looking for. They may know someone.

5. How Can We Recruit New Volunteers? (continued) Make volunteering exciting and rewarding. Show section members what they are involved in! Make sure you know what you want the volunteers to do and how it fits into a larger plan. ? Make volunteering exciting and rewarding. Show section members what they are involved in! People want to be on a winning team. The more you can show that they will be part of something that is making a difference, the more likely they will want to be part of it. ? Make sure you know what you want the volunteers to do and how it fits into a larger plan. Be able to demonstrate to the volunteers how the small task they are doing fits into the bigger picture. Give them some perspective. ? Make volunteering exciting and rewarding. Show section members what they are involved in! People want to be on a winning team. The more you can show that they will be part of something that is making a difference, the more likely they will want to be part of it. ? Make sure you know what you want the volunteers to do and how it fits into a larger plan. Be able to demonstrate to the volunteers how the small task they are doing fits into the bigger picture. Give them some perspective.

6. How Can We Meet the Needs of Volunteers and Help Our Section? Break jobs down into manageable tasks (short-term, small projects) Provide opportunities to work with others Provide recognition to colleagues and employers Respect volunteers� time ? Break jobs down into manageable tasks (short-term, small projects). By keeping things small and manageable, you prevent overwhelming the volunteer, and it gives you a list of small tasks you can give to new volunteers. ? Provide time and opportunities to work with others. Since people want to network, make sure you give them time to do that. ? Provide recognition to colleagues and employers. Don�t forget to recognize the work people are doing. Also, don�t forget to give credit to their employees. One way to do it is to contact the volunteers� employees and praise them for their work for the section. Since people aren�t all the same and don�t want to be recognized in the same ways, do what you can to find out what works for each volunteer. ? Respect volunteers� time. As mentioned before, time is an issue for today�s volunteers. Make sure you are using it wisely.? Break jobs down into manageable tasks (short-term, small projects). By keeping things small and manageable, you prevent overwhelming the volunteer, and it gives you a list of small tasks you can give to new volunteers. ? Provide time and opportunities to work with others. Since people want to network, make sure you give them time to do that. ? Provide recognition to colleagues and employers. Don�t forget to recognize the work people are doing. Also, don�t forget to give credit to their employees. One way to do it is to contact the volunteers� employees and praise them for their work for the section. Since people aren�t all the same and don�t want to be recognized in the same ways, do what you can to find out what works for each volunteer. ? Respect volunteers� time. As mentioned before, time is an issue for today�s volunteers. Make sure you are using it wisely.

7. How Can We Meet the Needs of Volunteers and Help Our Section? (continued) Provide opportunities to gain experience and skills Pick the right person for the right job (make sure the skills, personality, and resources of the person match the job) Show the importance the job has and its place in the bigger picture ? Provide opportunities to gain experience and skills. People want to learn and to grow. Volunteering for the section gives them this opportunity. Do what you can to learn about their interests, and provide them with the opportunity and support needed to learn a new skill. ? Pick the right person for the right job (make sure the skills, personality, and resources of the person match the job). Don�t set someone up to fail. Make sure they have what they need to succeed! ? Show the importance the job has and its place in the bigger picture. Help volunteers understand how what they do supports the larger goals of the organization and, in turn, how that helps the profession or the public.? Provide opportunities to gain experience and skills. People want to learn and to grow. Volunteering for the section gives them this opportunity. Do what you can to learn about their interests, and provide them with the opportunity and support needed to learn a new skill. ? Pick the right person for the right job (make sure the skills, personality, and resources of the person match the job). Don�t set someone up to fail. Make sure they have what they need to succeed! ? Show the importance the job has and its place in the bigger picture. Help volunteers understand how what they do supports the larger goals of the organization and, in turn, how that helps the profession or the public.

8. How Can We Meet the Needs of Volunteers and Help Our Section? (continued) Take the job seriously. Expect results. This will show the volunteer that the work they are being asked to do is important. Create a sense of a team working for a greater whole. Don�t burn out volunteers. Recruit new volunteers. ? Take the job seriously. Expect results. This will show the volunteer that the work they are being asked to do is important. By accepting poor work from a volunteer, you disparage the job and the volunteer doing it. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well! ? Create a sense of a team working for a greater whole. The more people feel they are part of a team working toward shared goals, the more interest you will have in volunteering and the happier your current volunteers will be. ? Don�t burn out volunteers. There are always those people who are willing to do the difficult, tedious, and demanding jobs. Those volunteers are extremely valuable to the organization. However, they can and do burn out. Don�t let people take on more than is reasonable, and recruit new volunteers so that the work can be equitably distributed! ? Before bringing up the slide, ask the question, �So what do you do with unproductive volunteers?�? Take the job seriously. Expect results. This will show the volunteer that the work they are being asked to do is important. By accepting poor work from a volunteer, you disparage the job and the volunteer doing it. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well! ? Create a sense of a team working for a greater whole. The more people feel they are part of a team working toward shared goals, the more interest you will have in volunteering and the happier your current volunteers will be. ? Don�t burn out volunteers. There are always those people who are willing to do the difficult, tedious, and demanding jobs. Those volunteers are extremely valuable to the organization. However, they can and do burn out. Don�t let people take on more than is reasonable, and recruit new volunteers so that the work can be equitably distributed! ? Before bringing up the slide, ask the question, �So what do you do with unproductive volunteers?�

9. What to do with Unproductive Volunteers Set up a system to check on progress � offer assistance (information, resources) when needed Consider reassignment (find a committee they are suited to) Find an alternative stand-alone project they can do ? After a few answers from the audience, go through this list. Make sure you point out when someone in the group made the point on the slide. ? Set up a system to check on progress � offer assistance (information, resources) when needed. This can and should be a pretty informal system. Really, it is just a way to stay in touch with the individual and to insure they have the support, training, and other resources they need to get the job done. More often than not, something is not getting done, because someone doesn�t know how to do it or lacks something they need to get it done. ? Consider reassignment (find a committee they are suited to). If that doesn�t work, find out more about what the person likes to do and what skills they have. Then look for an assignment in the section that fits them. ? Find an alternative stand-alone project they can do. If they don�t play well with others, see if there is a project they can work on by themselves. ? After a few answers from the audience, go through this list. Make sure you point out when someone in the group made the point on the slide. ? Set up a system to check on progress � offer assistance (information, resources) when needed. This can and should be a pretty informal system. Really, it is just a way to stay in touch with the individual and to insure they have the support, training, and other resources they need to get the job done. More often than not, something is not getting done, because someone doesn�t know how to do it or lacks something they need to get it done. ? Consider reassignment (find a committee they are suited to). If that doesn�t work, find out more about what the person likes to do and what skills they have. Then look for an assignment in the section that fits them. ? Find an alternative stand-alone project they can do. If they don�t play well with others, see if there is a project they can work on by themselves.

10. What to do with Unproductive Volunteers Be up front with the individual Limit the terms on committees Establish an absenteeism policy Create an atmosphere that expects volunteers to be productive ? Be up front with the individual. Honesty is the best policy! A person cannot correct a problem if they aren�t aware of it. It is your job, as the leader of the group, to make them aware in a nice and constructive way. ? Limit the terms on committees. Have policies that prevent people from serving too long in one position. This way, if you have a problem and you have tried everything you can think of, at least there is a limit on how long they can serve. ? If attendance is a problem, establish an absenteeism policy. This can be done within the committee, but it will have more force if it is a section-wide policy which everyone supports. This will also prevent someone with an attendance problem from just moving to a different committee which doesn�t have a policy. ? Create an atmosphere that expects volunteers to be productive. Make it difficult for a slacker to operate. Make sure that everyone expects performance and play a role in enforcing the rules. This concludes this Leadership Series module.? Be up front with the individual. Honesty is the best policy! A person cannot correct a problem if they aren�t aware of it. It is your job, as the leader of the group, to make them aware in a nice and constructive way. ? Limit the terms on committees. Have policies that prevent people from serving too long in one position. This way, if you have a problem and you have tried everything you can think of, at least there is a limit on how long they can serve. ? If attendance is a problem, establish an absenteeism policy. This can be done within the committee, but it will have more force if it is a section-wide policy which everyone supports. This will also prevent someone with an attendance problem from just moving to a different committee which doesn�t have a policy. ? Create an atmosphere that expects volunteers to be productive. Make it difficult for a slacker to operate. Make sure that everyone expects performance and play a role in enforcing the rules. This concludes this Leadership Series module.