Volunteers: The Backbone of Community Initiatives
Participant's Manual


Major Sections
Agenda Edmund Burke Quote
Norms Roles of Volunteers
Relationships, Rights, and Responsibilities Motivational Research
Maslow's Theory McClelland's Theory
Volunteer Trends (A) Volunteer Trends(B)
Strategies for Increasing Citizen Participation Ways To Ask
The Stage Of An Ask (A) The Stage Of An Ask(B)
Recruitment Steps Recruitment and Retention
Retention Components And Now A Word From Erma Bombeck
Bibliography

Agenda

9:00OPENING SESSION
Welcome/Introductions
Objectives/Norms/Expectations

9:30
INTRODUCTION TO VOLUNTEERS
Trends and Challenges
The Importance of Volunteers
The Roles of Volunteers
Relationships, Rights, and Responsibilities

10:00
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
Motivational Research
Psychological Factors

10:30
BREAK

10:45
Strategies to Increase Citizen Participation

11:15
"THE ASK" AND RECRUITMENT
Ways to Ask
The Asking Process
Recruitment No No's
Recruitment Steps

12:00
LUNCH

1:30
Recruitment Steps (continued)
Planning
Outreach
Interview
Placement
Inclusion

2:45
BREAK

3:00
RETENTION
Introduction
Orientation
Training
Climate
Recognition
Assessment

4:20-4:30
EVALUATION AND CLOSURE

"All that is required for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing."
-Edmund Burke

NORMS


Roles of Volunteers

Role of leadership volunteers









  • Role of unpaid staff volunteers










  • Relationships, Rights, and Responsibilities

    Staff, unpaid staff, and leadership must each have ...


    Motivational Research

    The Key Elements to Maslow's Theory
    1. People want to satisfy their unmet needs.

    2. People have five levels of need:

        Level #1 Physiological (food, water, air)

        Level #2 Safety (shelter, defense, skills)

        Level #3 Social (friends, relationships, etc.)

        Level #4 Esteem (to be valued, admired, etc.)

        Level #5 Self-actualization (to reach one's potential, to use one's talents)

    3. People are motivated by their lowest level of unmet need, for example ... safety before social.

    4. Only unmet needs motivate, therefore, once a need is met, it no longer acts as a motivating factor.
    The Key Elements to McClelland's Theory

    Affiliation................................................................................................... Relationships

    Achievement...................................................................................................... Success

    Power/Influence................................................................................................... Impact


    Maslow's Theory

    Level #1   Physiological

    Level #2   Safety

    Level #3   Social

    Level #4   Esteem

    Level #5   Self-actualization

    McCLELLAND'S THEORY

    Affiliation

    Achievement

    Power/Influence

    Volunteer Trends (A)

    -from "Americans Volunteer," Gallup Poll, 1992

    Why People Volunteer:

    1. They were asked-42%
    2. Organization participation-41%
    3. Because someone they loved was involved-28%
    4. Sought out activity on their own-21%
    5. Ad or media information-6%
    Why People Do Not Volunteer:

    1. Too busy-57%
    2. Unable to honor commitment-15%
    3. Time is too valuable; already done enough-13%
    4. Health reasons-11%
    Why People Who Would Volunteer Don't:

    No One Asked Them!


    VOLUNTEER TRENDS (B)

    Why People Volunteer:
    1. They were asked - 44%

    2. Group participation - 31%

    3. Because someone they loved was involved - 29%

    4. Ad or media information - 6%
    Why People Do Not Volunteer: Why People Who Would Volunteer Don't:

    No One Asked Them!

    Data from "American Volunteer," a Gallup Poll, 1992


    Strategies for Increasing Citizen Participation

           Factors:        Related Strategies:


















    Ways To Ask

    1. Eye-to-eye

      • Most effective
      • Personalized
      • Demonstrates commitment and importance
      • Establishes/reinforces relationship
      • Uncovers objections.

    2. Pitch to group

      • Convenient and efficient
      • Research group's history with issue and request
      • Prep group's leaders to respond positively to request>
      • Follow-up is essential.

    3. Pitch by phone to individual

      • Need to target calls to people who know the issue or caller
      • Timing is critical.

    4. Direct mail

      • Use to reach large numbers of potential recruits
      • Use to build initial base
      • Use to cultivate supporters
      • Minimal response if "cold appeal" (1-3%).

    The Stage Of An Ask (A)

    1. Research and preparation

    2. The opening-establish relationship.

    3. The presentation-explain mission and needs, frame presentation from prospect's perspective, capture their hearts and minds.

    4. Discover their interests, needs, motivations, skills, gifts.

    5. The ask-describe what the prospect can do to help advance the mission, address the needs, and satisfy their interests; define the roles/jobs that match prospect's interests; ask for a specific commitment.

    6. Listen for overt and hidden objections.

    7. Overcome objections.

    8. Reach agreement/understanding.

      • If prospect makes a commitment, set date for orientation and follow-up immediately.

      • If prospect is not interested, attempt to establish opportunity to make contact at another time. Follow-up.

    The Stage Of An Ask(B)

    1. Research and Preparation

    2. The Opening

    3. The Presentation

    4. The Discover

    5. The Ask

    6. Listen

    7. Overcome Objections

    8. Reach Agreement/Understanding

    Recruitment Steps

    1. Planning

    2. Outreach

    3. Interview

    4. Placement/Selection

    Recruitment and Retention

    -Worksheets-

    Developed by Steven Rivelis, Campaign Consultation, Baltimore, MD


    PLANNING

    Type of volunteer needed:

    ____ Leadership:

    ____ Project/unpaid staff:

    Project Description:



    Primary responsibilities/task assignments:










  • Skill requirements:






  • Where can you find volunteers with these skills?



    What can you offer these potential volunteers that might motivate them to work for your partnership?



    Who in your partnership should make the pitch?



    OUTREACH

    Which outreach approach would you use?

    ____ Wide-net

    ____ Targeted

    Which vehicle(s) will you use to reach out to the type of volunteer you need?



    INTERVIEW

    List a few of the open-ended questions you may use during an interview with a potential volunteer:







  • PLACEMENT/SELECTION

    If you determine that the volunteer is not right for the job you are trying to fill, what will you do/say to this person?



    INCLUSION

    What specific things can you do to help to attract volunteers from different segments of the community? What will make them feel wanted, welcomed, and needed?













  • ORIENTATION

    How soon after the selection process should your orientation program be held?



    Who will be invited?



    What information should be presented?


    Topic
    Presented by


    		•










    • TRAINING

    List the things that a volunteer must learn in order to be able to successfully do one of the tasks that you have identified.

    Task: ______________________________________

    Need to learn to ...

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Who will conduct the training for each of these topics?












  • How and when will this training session be held?



    What can you do to empower these volunteers to have them feel like they own their work?



    CLIMATE

    What can you do to make working for your partnership more fun?








  • What can you do to increase interactions between the volunteers?






  • How can you help the volunteers achieve small, short-term successes as they work on this specific, long-range project?








  • What can you do to help these volunteers feel more connected with the full partnership?






  • RECOGNITION

    List a few things that you can do to provide recognition in an informal way to these volunteers:






  • Describe a more formal recognition program that you would like your partnership to institute.



    What would be the criteria for receiving the recognition?



    ASSESSMENT

    If you determine that the volunteer is not right for the job you are trying to fill, what will you do/say to this person?



    OTHER NOTES


    RETENTION COMPONENTS

    1. Orientation

    2. Training

    3. Climate

    4. Recognition

    5. Assessment

    And Now A Word From Erma Bombeck

    I had a dream the other night that every volunteer in this land had set sail for another country. I stood smiling on the pier, shouting, "Goodbye, phone committees. Goodbye, disease of the month. No more getting out the vote. No more playground duty, bake sales, and three-hour meetings."

    As the boat got smaller, I reflected: "Serves them right, that bunch of "yes" people. All they had to do was put their tongues firmly against the roofs of their mouths and make an 'o' sound ... no. It would certainly have spared them a lot of grief. Oh, well, who needs them?"

    The hospital was quiet as I passed it. The reception desk was vacant. Rooms were devoid of books, flowers, and voices. The children's wing held no clowns, no laughter. The home for the aged was like a tomb. The blind listened for a voice that never came. The infirm were imprisoned on wheelchairs that never moved. Food grew cold on trays that would never reach the hungry.

    The social agencies had closed their doors-unable to implement their programs of scouting, recreation, drug control; unable to help the retarded, crippled, lonely, and abandoned. Health agencies had signs in their windows: "Cures for cancer, birth defects, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, etc., have been canceled because of lack of interest."

    The schools were strangely quiet, with no field trips and no volunteer classroom aides. Symphony Hall and the museums that had been built and stocked by volunteers were dark and would remain that way.

    The flowers on the church altars withered and died. Children in day nurseries lifted their arms, but there was no one to hold them in love. Alcoholics cried out in despair, but no one answered. The poor had no recourse for health care and legal aid.

    I fought in my sleep to regain a glimpse of the ship of volunteers just one more time. It was to be my last glimpse of a decent civilization.

    (Reprinted from the Fort Dodge Voter who reprinted it from the Chicago Sun Times, 1976)


    Bibliography

    American Red Cross, Relationships, Rights, and Responsibilities, 1983.

    American Red Cross, Taking Volunteerism into the 21 Century, 1989.

    Drucker, P., Managing the Nonprofit Organization, Harper Collins, 1990.

    Macduff, N., Building Effective Volunteer Communities, Macduff/Bunt Associates, Walla Walla, WA, 1986.

    MaKenzie, M., Dealing with Difficult Volunteers, Heritage Arts Publishing, Downers Groves, IL, 1988.

    Vineyard, S., Marketing Magic for Volunteer Programs, Heritage Arts Publishing, Downers Groves, IL, 1984.

    Wilson, M., The Effective Management of Volunteer Programs, Johnson Publishing Company, Boulder, CO, 1983.