Getting It RRRRight with Volunteers! Recruiting, Retaining, Recognizing and Reflection on Volunteer Management Mary Welch, Sr. Director US Affiliate Services Habitat for Humanity International

Let’s Get Acquainted! What shall we call you today? Which affiliate do you serve? What is your role at the affiliate? What do you expect from today’s session? Copyright © 2007

Setting the Stage Trends in volunteerism - Volunteers and volunteerism has changed dramatically over the past few decades Why do people volunteer? - Popcorn exercise – shout out some reasons! - From the list, which do your volunteers get from the HFH experience? Copyright © 2007

Motivators for Volunteers Praise Affiliation Accomplishment Power/Influence Copyright © 2007 Watch for the Clues!

Are You a Great Place to Volunteer? Recognize that volunteers are not simply folks with free time to kill. They are talented, hardworking and civic-minded people who volunteer because they care about the work the organization is doing Embrace the integral part volunteers play, not only in the work being done, but also in the general public image and community connections of the organization Copyright © 2007

Are You a Great Place to Volunteer? Understand that managing a volunteer program is neither free nor easy and has a skilled professional volunteer manager who is fully supported by the Executive Director, the board and his or her coworkers. Recognize that the most important thing they can give their volunteer is a chance to be successful, and makes sure the volunteers have the tools, resources, training, feedback and support they need to be successful Copyright © 2007

Steps to Successful Recruitment Identify needs Create job descriptions Identify prospects Interview Make the placement Do introductions Copyright © 2007

Identify Needs List all the needs. Samples: Construction Committees Attorney Special Events ReStore Be sure your list is comprehensive! Copyright © 2007

Create Job Descriptions Title, purpose, responsibilities of the job Length of commitment List of staff members/other volunteers that they will be working with Necessary qualifications Information of meeting time, required hours of training and who will conduct it Information on what resources are available to help complete the job responsibilities (AOM Manuals, HFHI contacts, brochures, training, materials, etc.) Copyright © 2007

Identify Prospects Start Identifying prospects for each position needed Keep in mind what the job requires and what skills and talents the prospect would like to share Be flexible to the needs and desires of the prospect or you’ll lose them! Copyright © 2007

Interview Be professional – set up a time to meet and state clearly why you are meeting Meet in person whenever possible Ask open ended questions (What do you know about Habitat? What kind of volunteer work have you done before? What type of work would you like to do with Habitat?) Clarify the details of the position and the demands it will place upon the volunteer. It is easier for someone to say yes when a job is clearly defined. It keeps volunteers from taking on responsibilities they can not fulfill. Make no promises for the position (You may need to get approval from the board of directors, chairpersons, supervisors, etc.) Copyright © 2007

Make the Placement Give everyone who is interested in working with Habitat a job that is meaningful in some way. How do you know if the volunteer has the ability to handle the job? Put them in low risk situations. Be sure the person that the volunteer will be working with has some background on the new volunteer Follow up with them in a few weeks to see how it’s going and validate the placement Copyright © 2007

Introductions Practice Welcoming Be ready when they report to work Give them the resources they need to be successful Be sure they have their supervisor’s name and phone number Keep them busy or they will leave you! Copyright © 2007

Turning a Job Description into a Recruitment Strategy Define the ideal volunteer(s) for your program Be as specific as you can Use a real person as your model. Name the person you define if necessary! Now brainstorm where you might be most likely to find and communicate with this/these ideal volunteer(s) Copyright © 2007

Marketing Ideas Walton HFH example Habitat Night Radio, TV Social Media Corporate Days What has worked for you? Copyright © 2007

How do we keep them once we have them? Immediately engage them in something meaningful Match them to the right job Give them more responsibilities Provide training Orientation for new positions Recognize them (a lot!) Provide them with what they wanted Copyright © 2007

10 Retention Commandments Challenge Research Vary Consult Brighten Praise Train Communicate Socialize Recognize Copyright © 2007

Recognition Praise Affiliation Accomplishment Power/Influence Copyright © 2007

Reflect in small groups Why is volunteerism important at my Habitat? What surprised me in today’s workshop? What will I try when I return to my affiliate? If I had one wish for my affiliate’s volunteer program, what would it be? How can I help make the wish a reality? Did I exchange names and addresses with those around me so I have a built in support system as I move forward in my work? Copyright © 2007

Closing thoughts, questions, comments, concerns? Thank you!