The following workshops are based on material
from Rick Lynch and Steve McCurley's book Volunteer
Management , the best selling book in
the field. Each can be presented in a variety
of time frames.
Moving from Supervision to Leadership
Today's volunteer is less likely to
respond to traditional forms of supervision than
volunteers of yesteryear. In order to engage them
productively, we need to lead them not supervise
them. In this session, the five functions of
creative leadership are explored, and participants
improve their skills in leading others. These
skills enable volunteer program managers to create
a better future for their volunteers and for the
people served by the organization.
Strategic Volunteer Management
An effective volunteer program supports an
organization's strategic plan. In this session,
participants learn the five steps of the strategic
planning process and how they can build a
strategic volunteer program even when the
organization doesn't have a strategic plan. Such
a program enables an organization to engage
volunteers in mission-critical activities that the
organization cannot afford to pursue with paid
staff alone. By adopting this strategic focus,
organizations can escape their financial
constraints and have a greater impact than ever
before.
Measuring Volunteer Outcomes
One of the reasons volunteer programs are undervalued is
that they do not measure the volunteer impact. Most
programs can tell you the hours volunteers put in and
many can tell you the dollar value of those hours, but
they are too often at a loss to describe what was
accomplished through those hours. In this session,
participants will learn how to define the desired
outcomes of the volunteer program. They will then learn
the two key steps to measuring those outcomes. In the
session, participants will apply the information to
their own programs.
Moving Beyond the Human Resources Model of Volunteer
Management
Everything is changing in volunteer management. Today's
and tomorrow's volunteers are very different than the
people who have traditionally volunteered, and as a
consequence, volunteer management must change as well.
In this session, participants learn why this is so and
learn six changes they will need to make in in their
volunteer programs in order to attract and retain
volunteers in the future. In the workshop, all will
participate in formulating a new model of volunteer
involvement and gain skills in making it work.
Strategies for Keeping Volunteers in the 21st Century
Today's volunteer is different than the volunteers for whom the
standard model of volunteer management was developed. As a result,
new strategies for retaining them need to be employed. In this highly
interactive workshop, participants learn how to tap the key
motivations of volunteers so that they will want to keep coming back.
Participants learn management and communication skills that enhance
volunteer self-esteem, create a strong sense of volunteer loyalty, and
create an environment that helps volunteers look forward to
contributing.
Targeting the Recruitment Message to Specific
Populations
In this workshop, participants will learn to think
through a targeted recruitment campaign from design to
implementation. Using this process, the volunteer program
manager will be able to tailor a powerful recruitment
message that speaks directly to the motivational needs of
a particular segment of the community. This method makes
it easier to diversify the volunteer pool and to reach
populations that are hard to find. Participants will
learn the seven steps of the targeted recruitment process
and will receive help in applying them to their own
situations.
The Customer Service Principles of Volunteer Management
Excellent volunteering projects treat their
volunteers in much the same way that outstanding
customer service organizations treat their customers.
In this workshop, participants will learn some of the
basic principles of customer service and will learn how
to apply these techniques to enhance their retention of
committed volunteers. Participants will examine what
volunteers think about as customers during different
points of their relationship with the organization, and
learn how to adjust their system of working with
volunteers to better match their needs.
The Key to Retention
Volunteer turnover creates a constant, time-consuming
need to recruit, interview, and train new
people. In this session, Volunteer Program
Managers learn how to create a positive motivational
climate that keeps volunteers coming back.
Participants learn management and communication
skills that enhance volunteer self-esteem,
create a strong sense of volunteer loyalty,
and create an environment that helps volunteers
look forward to going to work.
High-Impact Recruiting
In this workshop, participants learn to create
a powerful recruitment message that attracts
motivated and competent volunteers. Participants
will learn to use marketing techniques to
diversify their volunteer force. In the workshop,
they will create messages that will increase
the proportion of qualified candidates they
attract.
Designing Volunteer Jobs for Results
Although most managers are unaware of it,
many volunteer jobs are designed so that they
make communication and supervision difficult,
obscure the quality of performance, and even
lead to volunteer alienation. In this workshop,
participants will learn how to create a job
that is intrinsically motivating. Participants
learn to design volunteer work so that volunteers
feel pride, accomplishment, and a sense of
personal effectiveness. Following the four
principles laid out in the workshop, participants
will be able to develop jobs for volunteers
(or staff) so that results are achieved as
economically as possible and so that the volunteer
gets maximum satisfaction from his or her
work. Participants also learn how to design
high-impact work for volunteers and to make
the volunteer program an intrinsic part of
the agency's strategic plan.
The Customer Service Principles of Volunteer
Management
Excellent volunteer programs treat their
volunteers in much the same way that outstanding
customer service organizations treat their
customers. In this workshop, participants
will learn some of the basic principles of
customer service and will learn how to apply
these techniques to enhance their retention
of committed volunteers.
Communicating with Volunteers
Communication is vital to maintaining a successful
volunteer program. The way you talk to volunteers
and keep them informed will impact their decision
to stay or leave. This extremely practical
workshop answers questions that commonly occur
in the minds of volunteer program managers,
such as: ”How frequently should I contact
my volunteers?” “How do I give volunteers
bad news?” “What information should be included
in a newsletter?” “How do I determine what
information is vital for volunteers to have?” and “What
are the major methods of communicating with
volunteers?”
Developing an Environment that Supports
Volunteers
This highly interactive, advanced level session
builds on the knowledge participants will
have acquired in past workshops and in their
careers. This unique session equips participants
to create a work environment in which volunteers
are welcomed and valued and make the maximum
contribution to the agency. In the session,
the instructor will help participants take
a holistic approach to the involvement of
volunteers, bringing together learning on
customer service, leadership, self-esteem,
and volunteer-staff relationships.
Volunteer Interviewing: Selecting the
Right Person for the Right Job
The biggest difference between volunteer
management and managing paid employees lies
in the interview process. In fact, the principles
of effective volunteer interviewing are in
some sense the opposite of those that work
for paid people. In this highly interactive
workshop, participants learn the techniques
of effective interviewing and learn to insure
the motivation of their volunteer force by
selecting the right person for the right job.
Involving Professionals as Volunteers
Charities can achieve much more of their
potential through the systematic involvement
of volunteers with professional skills. Doing
so enables an organization to escape many
of its financial constraints. By engaging
volunteers in non-traditional roles — as graphic
designers, marketing experts, web site designers,
or management coaches, for example — a charity
can take advantage of skills it could never
afford to buy. This workshop equips volunteer
managers with the ability to identify jobs
for professional volunteers, recruit them,
and work with staff to overcome barriers to
involvement.
Coaching Volunteers for Performance Improvement
Sometimes, volunteers may need a little coaching
to do their roles well. Too often, the attempt
to help volunteers learn their role happens
in a way that seems like criticism to the
volunteer, and volunteer discouragement or
turnover may result. In this workshop, participants
learn and practice skills in improving volunteer
performance through the application of coaching
techniques.
This workshop, which can be presented in
either three or four day formats, is conducted by two of
the world’s leading authors and trainers in the field
of volunteer management. The seminar is a
comprehensive, skill-building experience that prepares
participants to succeed in all aspects
of managing a volunteer program within an organization.
This workshop, which can be presented in either three or four day
formats, is intended for those who have been to a basic course in
volunteer management and want to develop advanced skills. The
workshop is conducted by two to four of the world’s leading authors
and trainers in the field of volunteer management. The seminar is a
comprehensive, skill-building experience that prepares participants
to bring out the full value of their volunteer programs.
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