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| SEPTEMBER 1998 |
When preparing for success, nonprofit leaders should take into account the agency’s volunteer program. This informative guide assists with helpful hints to consider when defining the volunteer job descriptions through orientation, to the training, mentorship and evaluation process.
It is crucial to prepare for success of your recruitment campaign before you implement the plan. It is better to have no volunteers and provide fewer services than to dive into a volunteer program ill-prepared.
Take your time! the upfront work is tough and time consuming. Convince yourself and the top administrators of how important the process is to positive outcomes. Think of yourself as an architect. You cannot begin with the penthouse. You must get the foundation and basement in order before you can get to the good stuff. And you do not invite company over until your house is in order!
Make sure everything flows. All the pieces need to fit together - everything from forms and policies to personnel must be connected, make sense and be defensible.
1. Preparedness is the name of the game.
2. The image or the look.
3. The message (internally and externally).
4. Ethical behaviors, statements and philosophies.
5. The outcome as interpreted for your boss, funders, volunteers and the board.
6. The credit (internally and externally). Thank your staff, volunteers and any colleagues who helped you along the way.
Your philosophy of volunteerism is a very personal and reflective piece of work. A good way to begin is to write a series of belief statements which illustrate your values and beliefs about volunteers and volunteerism.
Remember, you need to invest in yourself in this effort. What drove you, personally to become involved in this profession? What, above all else, do you believe to be crucial to a good volunteer program? What do you consider some universal truths about volunteerism? Your answers will reflect your ethical compass. A statement or series of statements will serve as your guide as you are involved in policy and decision-making. You may begin by writing the top three things you believe about volunteerism and volunteers.
Is job designing an inclusive process?
Yes & No.
Yes:
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Stakeholders in your organization should provide input regarding duties and qualification for the volunteer positions which impact their area or department. This may mean seeking input from staff, board members, current volunteers or administrators. If you already have volunteers working in a given position but your are looking at revising or creating a new job description, current volunteers are your best resource for designing meaningful job descriptions for existing jobs. this may also be a good time to do a reality check: how is the job going? Once you have broken the job down and put a description in writing, you may be shocked to find you are asking way too much or too little of your volunteer. No job description is carved in stone. Hopefully, you will always be open to suggestions and comments and include volunteers or others interested in the updating process as positions evolve. |
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You may have certain criteria or certain pieces of job descriptions dictated to you by virtue of existing, overall personnel policies in the agency or by insurance and risk management policies already in place (the immovable object!). All good job descriptions should include some basic information and guidelines - no matter what. |
1. Job title
2. To whom accountable
3. Work team and/or organizational chart
4. Mission of the organization and where this job fits within the mission
5. Objectives: What is the purpose of this position? Why did we need this job in the first place?
| Examples: |
* provide a welcome environment for patients in our clinic * complete and deliver patient intake forms in a timely fashion * limit patient waiting time * provide a liaison between patients and medical staff |
| Examples: |
* greet patients according to policies in volunteer handbook * complete intake forms with the patient according to outlined procedures in training manual * answer phone according to phone skills section of volunteer manual * lift boxes weighing up to 50 lb.. (physical aspects of the job i.e. bending, walking, stand, seeing). |
| Examples: |
* people person * outgoing * creative thinker * independent worker |
A few things to consider...
A job description is not a training session or manual. Do not get too carried away with details. Make reference to forthcoming training and rule books.
Risk management issues are important. However, do not get so busy protecting yourself that you forget to be practical and approachable.
Be realistic. Would you do the job you are describing?
1. Philosophy statement
| 2. |
General handbook (specific handbooks for various jobs may be presented later). This handbook should include the following: * ethics statements * safety issues * agency rules and policies * organizational chart * names of key players and what they do * background/history of organization * funding sources * outline of agency programs and services * policy on non-discrimination, harassment in the workplace, etc. * confidentiality or any other BIG issues you want to emphasize should be highlighted * map or diagram of the facility - what is off limits and where the volunteer will be working |
| 3. |
Introduce key players * Preferably ask the Executive Director or CEO to give a brief description of the mission of the agency and the role volunteers play in the mission. * Department heads should introduce themselves and briefly describe their departments and how they utilize volunteers. * The volunteer coordinator should describe the support systems in place for volunteers and an overview of the types of jobs for which you are recruiting. * Current volunteers should be on-hand to greet recruits and answer questions as well as provide testimonials. |
4. Tour of the facility - include basics such as location of restrooms and smoking areas.
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What’s next? * Never get people fired up and then leave them hanging? Always let recruits know what the next step will be. * Briefly outline training procedures and time commitments for different types of jobs and let the recruits know what to do next, depending on their area of interest. |
6. Tracking - follow-up to be sure the trainee takes the next step.
Don’t train in a vacuum.
Consider a mentorship program.
Utilize a tracking/training coordinator.
break training down into manageable pieces.
Don’t give trainees more than they need to know...or less.
Provide resources and get out of the way!
Delegate training...utilize your talented, experienced volunteers.
``Remember, you can’t be all things to all people. You may lose a few volunteers through the training process. But that is not a bad thing!
Times change! If you are training in the same way, with the same materials which you have used for the past 5 or 10 years, wake up and smell the coffee!
Get people into action as soon as possible. Nobody volunteers to sit still! consider on-the-job training whenever possible.
LOOK and LISTEN as you are training. If your trainees are falling asleep, you may need to work on your presentation skills.
Be a strong and enthusiastic advocate for your agency and your program at all times. If you are not motivated, you cannot motivate other!
Tell your experienced staff about the program and ask for volunteers. Do not force the issue if someone is not interested. Good volunteers are not necessarily good trainers, nor may they want to be.
Hold a training session for potential mentors
* outline the purpose of the mentorship program
* define mentorship - what it is and what it is not
* demonstrate any forms or other tracking tools used in mentorship
* tell mentors exactly what is required of them and what is required of the trainee with whom they will be working
Don’t Assume
* Give mentors all the tools they need to be good mentors.
* Include hints on presentation and people skills perhaps even provide sample scripts covering what to say to a new trainee on the first phone call or when things are not working out well.
Assign Mentorship Teams
* Begin by providing both the mentor and the mentee with basic information about one another.
* Use an introduction sheet which includes: phone numbers; best time to be reached; job for which they are being trained; when available for volunteer work; previous experience or training already completed; some fun facts related to special talents or hobbies. Fun facts are good ice breakers.
Training Tracking Sheet
* completed by the volunteer coordinator and trainee and copied to the mentor
* includes training to be completed, timeline, and evaluative steps along the way
Q: What type of evaluative tools are best for my program?
A: A variety of evaluation styles are necessary in order to get an honest idea of what is happening with your program and your volunteers.
Q: What if I do not have time to do evaluations?
A: Make time! Accountability is crucial. You may need to simplify the evaluation process but always have a process.
Q: What if my agency forces me to use evaluation tools which are difficult or inappropriate for my purposes?
A: Do not waste your time and don’t get fired! It’s a bummer. Fill out the form to get the rubber stamp from your superiors, but don’t waste any more time on the process than is necessary. Then, create your own tools and invest time and effort in getting meaningful information and providing practical feedback.
Q: Face-to-face evaluations are ideal but I have hundreds of volunteers. What are some alternatives?
A: 1. Ask for help. Adopt a decentralized model of management and ask department heads to evaluate their volunteers. 2. Consider peer evaluations. 3. Conduct open forums in which any volunteer may offer input or ask questions. 4. Design written surveys or self-evaluations.
Things to remember...
Meaningful evaluations go back to meaningful job descriptions.
Evaluations are a two-way process! Cover the measurable outcomes and performance aspects of a volunteer’s work and then ask incisive questions.
Pay attention! This is prime-time to really listen and attend to non-verbal cues. Focus on your valuable volunteer!