Managing Volunteers

ILW

Why do the volunteers volunteer?

The_One_Who

ohreally wrote: »

It sounds as though you want them to be employees and do what you tell them. It is not that kind of relationship.

Nope. I want them to do what is necessary for the service to continue to exist. I have been a volunteer and I have also worked with other voluntary sectors, and there has always been a level of expectation and responsibility from both parties.

whitewing wrote: »

Have you got a regular volunteer who could help prepare the reports so that people just had to spend 20 minutes telling her what to write on it, and then signing a printed off version.

We are an advice service (similar to a Citizens Advice Bureau), and so everything we do needs to be reported and recorded. I am going to look into having someone to assist with the typing up for those who really struggle, but it'd probably be a short-term measure.

ILW wrote: »

Why do the volunteers volunteer?

Everyone has their own reasons, but ultimately it is to help the public. However, without consistent staffing levels and proper recording, and doing so at the proper standards, we cannot do continue to do that.

Person_one

Volunteers need to get something back, they aren't getting paid so they need some other positive reinforcement to keep them there.

You really need to stop thinking of the volunteer roles as 'jobs', if they were jobs somebody would be getting paid!

If they've been getting things done on their own for a long time, I think its understandable that they resent you coming in and deciding they're all useless. Is there absolutely nothing worth keeping about the way they were working before you came along?

Annisele

The_One_Who wrote: »

We are an advice service (similar to a Citizens Advice Bureau), and so everything we do needs to be reported and recorded. I am going to look into having someone to assist with the typing up for those who really struggle, but it'd probably be a short-term measure.

Trying to play devil's advocate here...is it possible any of your volunteers are thinking:

I can give advice that's useful to people.
If I'm not here, the people won't get advice.
I hate writing reports so I won't.
Overall, it's better for people to get advice (but no report) than for them to get nothing at all.

I can see you might possibly have some sort of liability issue, or some problem with running the service at all in the absence of reports. But if the service has been running for a year with no reports and the sky hasn't fallen in, your volunteers might not be on board with the necessity of writing the things. So, I think either you need to find a way to persuade the volunteers they are necessary, or you need to accept that they aren't really necessary after all.

Savvy_Sue

Actually, I'd say there are many similarities between managing volunteers and managing staff ...bottom line is that this is what we do, this is the way we need to do it, if you don't want to do it in that way then it's time to part company.

However, since this is change for them, you need to present the change in ways they understand: "I know you've not done it this way in the past, but if we don't write these reports, then we WILL run out of funding and the service will have to close."

Nile

The_One_Who wrote: »

They are backing up the managers. It comes down to the fact that the charity needs to improve its recorded workload, for auditing purposes. Recording the work we do is also beneficial when it comes to getting funding, but I appreciate that that is normally beyond the scope of the volunteers.

We'd pay people if we could, but we can't. Writing reports is a part of the role, and they know that. I appreciate that IT skills are lacking in the office, and that not everyone likes to write reports. We are working on this, with extra IT training and possible ways to assist those who struggle with the written work.

The_One_Who wrote: »

I am somewhat similar to you in that without the volunteers the service won't run. But on the other side of the coin, if the reports and recording don't improve then there won't be a service either.

whitewing wrote: »

Have you got a regular volunteer who could help prepare the reports so that people just had to spend 20 minutes telling her what to write on it, and then signing a printed off version.

Have you considered a recording pen?

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/accessories-and-bags/smartpens/livescribe-apx-00008-echo-smartpen-2gb-black-12716795-pdt.html

The smart pen will record the advice given and help the volunteer advisor (or the typing assistant) to produce the written reports.




As a volunteer, what's important to me is feeling valued and appreciated............and a part of the team.

Funky_Bold_Ribena

The_One_Who wrote: »

With respect, I think you are taking my post the entirely wrong way. I am asking for advice with managing the volunteers, I am fully aware of the fact that they are not being paid and so the situation is different to normal, paid workers. Your attitude seems to be along the lines of "pay them", which we cannot do, or just let them run wild as they are giving up their time. We all have responsibilities, and we all want to work for the benefit of the charity.

No - I am responding to your comments. Hence responding to your comments. You are demanding that they 'do their jobs better'. Missing the vital issue which is that this is not their job. Until you realise that this isn't their job, it will be hard for you to mange them.

When you did your management training, you should have been given different management techniques for managing different people. What methods are you currently using?

GlasweJen

I used to volunteer for citizens advice and at the time we were expected to keep notes so that if customers complained that we had given incorrect advice we could prove otherwise.

To not keep notes in this setting is opening up for a law suit. Could you explain your situation this way to your volunteers?

Now would be a good time to change procedure as presumably there's training afoot for the new benefits coming in anyway?

SueC_2

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Actually, I'd say there are many similarities between managing volunteers and managing staff ...bottom line is that this is what we do, this is the way we need to do it, if you don't want to do it in that way then it's time to part company.

However, since this is change for them, you need to present the change in ways they understand: "I know you've not done it this way in the past, but if we don't write these reports, then we WILL run out of funding and the service will have to close."

Agreed.

In my experience, most people are not really motivated by money alone, and trying to get them to do their 'job' by saying, or implying, "you are being paid for this so do as I say" is actually one of the least effective ways of getting them to do it.

You need to work out what their motivations are, then play to them.

It may be that they volunteer so they can feel good about themselves, in which case, let them feel good about themselves - listen to their opinions, praise the good, implement their suggestions, find ways of making them believe your ideas were theirs, etc etc.

It may be that they volunteer because they want to help others, in which case, let them help others - let them find ways to do this more effectively, delight in the improvements with them, show what positive benefit the changes have on your service users.

It may be that they volunteer because their home lives are miserable and they'd do anything to get away from it for a few hours, in which case, don't let them bring their misery to 'work' with them - make yours a positive, interesting and exciting environment (where again, they will feel better about themselves).

Positive feeds positive, and negative feeds negative - quickly becoming a downward spiral where everyone feels hard done by and wretched. Find the good (there will be some - these people by the very definition of 'volunteer' are not all bad) and build on it.

I'm not saying it will be easy, managing a situation that has been badly managed or unmanaged previously never is. But don't let the fact that you are not paying these people get in the way of you being a good manager.

Gettingtherequickly

I volunteer for a charity and will honestly admit that reports were the one thing that everyone hated with a passion, volunteers at having to write them up & submit and the relevent manager at having to chase them them up and collate information.

Things improved dramatically when a new report format was generated. We had the form in sections with the most common aspects in tick box style and then space for more information as needed. Is this an option for you all? We then saw the data every quarter and could take pride in what had been achieved, especially when the numbers we were achieving were probably greater than the surrounding areas combined.

Things have changed over the last couple of years due to the way we are now funded and there was resistance to change, there always is in any organistion, but those who wished to continue volunteering simply put head down and dealt with it, I personally still hate some of the changes and think that they are of little benefit other than cosmetically, but I am not voluteering for the charity, it is for my clients.

Many years ago I volunteered with another charity and when I started the expectation of you was family, work, volunteer role in that order. When it got to the stage that my volunteer role was impacting very badly on family & work, it was time to leave, even if I had loved the role. Currently, it is expected of us to have our volunteer role after family & work and woe betide us if it isn't.