Please, no more workshops called how to recruit and retain volunteers. Not unless each is about six hours long. Because to recruit volunteers is one function, but to retain volunteers – to keep volunteers beyond just a few days or weeks, to prevent sudden and frequent turnover – requires doing well in all aspects of effective volunteer engagement, and those aspects can’t be taught in an hour or two.
And I believe that all of those functions frequently and regularly intersect – you cannot think of them as entirely separate activities.
If you aren’t retaining volunteers, if volunteers are leaving before they even start a task, or they are leaving soon after joining, the reasons probably lie in one of these three areas:
they signed up to help but there was a big gap between that time and when you held your first meeting with them or got them started on a task,
they did not have realistic expectations or understand what you expected because roles and tasks weren’t in writing, or
they did not feel adequately supported or prepared for the volunteering role.
Another big reason for volunteers leaving is that they do not feel appreciated or that their service doesn’t seem to really be of value. I count that under support for volunteers, but you could certainly do an entire workshop just on that aspect of effective volunteer engagement (I certainly could).
Of course, the only way to know for sure is to ASK VOLUNTEERS WHO LEFT.
The principles of effective volunteer engagement, including identifying appropriate roles and putting them in writing, onboarding volunteers quickly and providing appropriate and regular support for volunteers are the basis for the recommendations detailed in The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: Fully Integrating Online Service Into Volunteer Involvement. This is the most comprehensive resource anywhere on working with online volunteers, and on using the Internet to support ALL volunteers, including those you might not think of as “online” volunteers.
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Sinet Chan of Cambodia shared her lived experience in a Cambodian orphanage, where she was placed when she was 10 years old after her parents died of AIDS in a presentation, about 7 minutes, that was given as a part of the “Beyond Institutional Care: Rethinking How We Care for Vulnerable Children” conference addressing the issue of care reform.
While at the orphanage, she was “badly neglected.” The orphanage was set up to attract foreign volunteers and donations, but the children rarely benefitted from this – children were denied food, medical care and education. She and other children were forced to do manual labor, and she and other children were regularly raped.
Sinet Chan’s own words are so powerful:
During this time, we had many volunteers and donors coming and going. We would always entertain them, singing them a song, and playing games with them, to encourage them to donate money… the volunteers were nice people trying to help us, but now I realize it was a form of exploitation: using children to generate funding.”
All the other children in the orphanage – they all had parents who were alive and they missed their families… all the coming and going of the volunteers and visitors then compounded our feelings of loss and abandonment. The love and affection we feel from the visitor initially feels nice. Some visitors and volunteers would come for one day, some for a few weeks, and some for six months or more. It was always very traumatic when it was coming time for them to leave. We would be very (unintelligible) and cry a lot. I think it is a trigger memory of the loss and separation we have all suffered already. Having adults coming in and out of our lives feels like we were constantly being abandoned. They would always say they were coming back but, they never come back.
I think the uncomfortable truth behind the reason why white people feel like they need to participate in voluntourism is they have a white savior complex. The white savior complex is caused by the unconscious belief in the incompetence of the people they are trying to help. That belief justifies why they feel they must come and do it for us, like building our house, digging our wells, saving our children…
So, in order to combat voluntourism white people must examine their unconscious bias and learn how to be a white ally instead of a white savior.
Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits, NGOs and other organizations that involve volunteers were leveraging a variety of tools to communicate with those volunteers, and understood that ALL volunteers are, at some point, remote: even if all of their volunteering service is provided onsite, much of the communications with them happens when they are in their homes or work places. For organizations that were relying solely on onsite meetings, physical bulletin boards in the break room and paper letters and paper newsletters, the pandemic meant they had to quickly catch up and implement new ways of keeping volunteers informed (not to mention engaged) and to hear back from those volunteers regularly.
How do you effectively communicate with volunteers remotely? It takes much more than email – though email remains oh-so-important:
Have a web site that has all the info current volunteers need. Absolutely, you need information on your web site to entice new volunteers and a way for candidates to express interest in volunteering via that web site, whether via an application they can submit online or an email address of your manager of volunteers. But current volunteers also need information from your web site: the list of current staff members, the profile of your executive director, the history of your organization, evaluations of your programs, the latest news about your organization, etc. Volunteers need to have that central place they can go to for reliable, complete information about the program they support.
Keep your social media up-to-date & encourage volunteers to follow your accounts Your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other accounts shouldn’t be focused on just encouraging people to donate money; your social media channels should have regularly-updated information about upcoming events, the results of events that just happened, breaking news about your organization, etc. Your social media audience includes your CURRENT volunteers, and they need to be kept up-to-date about what’s going on so they can properly represent your organization while they are volunteering. Your social media should also talk about the cause: a nonprofit theater should be posting about how students involved in performing do better in school, a nonprofit animal shelter should be posting about studies that show how a family’s health can improve if they have a dog, etc. Again, this helps volunteers become better advocates for your organization, including in casual conversations with friends and colleagues.
Building a team culture among remote workers Coming together face-to-face, in the same room, does not automatically create team cohesion and a strong sense of team. Yet, many people think having online meetings automatically means it’s difficult for staff to have a strong sense of team. People feel a part of a team if they feel heard and included, whether online or off. And they will attend meetings and pay attention to those meetings if they feel the meeting is relevant to their work – on or offline. This resource offers ideas for live events, asynchronous events & activities that can build a sense of team among remote workers.
Recognizing Online Volunteers & Using the Internet to Honor ALL Volunteers Recognition helps volunteers stay committed to your organization, and gets the attention of potential volunteers — and donors — as well. With the Internet, the Cloud, cyberspace, whatever you want to call it, it’s never been easier to show volunteers — and the world — that volunteers are a key part of your organization’s successes. This resource provides a long list of suggestions for both honoring online volunteers and using the Internet to recognize ALL volunteers that contribute to your organization.
If you want to learn even more about how to leverage online tools to communicate with and support volunteers, whether those volunteers are mostly online (virtual volunteering) or they provide service mostly onsite at your organization, and to dig far deeper into the factors for success in supporting online volunteers and keeping virtual volunteering a worthwhile endeavor for everyone involved, you will not find a more detailed guide anywhere than The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook. It’s based on many years of experience, from a variety of organizations. It’s available both as a traditional print publication and as a digital book.
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One of the many, many things I loved about working at nonprofit theaters and at newspapers, before I started doing what I do now… whatever that is… was the constant striving in each of those environments for perfection with each production and each publication, along with the team ownership when mistakes happened. Our goal with every stage show or every newspaper was for it to be flawless – and it never was. But after every show or every publication, we made a list of everything that went wrong and looked for ways to prevent it in the future. And we bonded over that effort. In fact, we often bonded over mistakes.
Were angry words said? Did tempers flare? Absolutely. But there was, ultimately and in most of those places where I worked, a belief that everyone was doing their best and that we all needed to support each other to be successful. There was also a belief that, at some point, each and every one of us, from the star on the stage to a volunteer usher, from the executive editor to the typesetter, and everyone in between, would make a big mistake we would all have to address in some way. If you work with humans, that’s just how it is.
I’ve not worked in an environment like those in decades, I’m sad to say. Most of the workplaces I’ve worked in since have been focused on blame and shame, as though there is a way to avoid any misstep 100% of the time, and any mistake is because of a person’s recklessness or laziness.
I thought about this as I re-read Meridian Swift’s excellent blog from 2020, Thanks to the volunteers who lied, stole and created havoc. It’s a fantastic take on how to view mistakes by staff – and not just volunteers. But as I wrote in the comments section of her blog,
Sadly, when these things happen, senior management isn’t as “thankful”, and wants answers as to how this volunteer “got through” (even if they made you scale back the screening you wanted to do of new volunteers that might have set off some red flags had you been able to use it with all volunteers) and reprimands the manager of volunteers per a belief that all problems are 100% preventable.
And it’s not just a senior management approach regarding mistakes with volunteers – it’s one many also have regarding all employees and consultants.
When a mistake is made at your organization, here are some things to consider:
What did this mistake cost the organization, your clients, and/or any one staff member or group of staff? Was the cost in terms of money, time or public relations? How much time and money will it take to address the issue?
Was the mistake made by inexcusable negligence or inappropriate behavior, or was it one person’s or a team’s misjudgment, a misstep, or quick decision that the person or team wouldn’t have made had they given it more thought? Is the person primarily responsible overworked? Do they need better support?
Can the staff member, and the entire organization, learn from this mistake and prevent it in the future?
Explore and weigh the answers to all of those questions before you take action, so that your reaction is truly proportional to what’s happened and why. Always remember the human on the other end of your tirade, and that once something is said, it cannot be unsaid. Remember that people can improve with time and support – you yourself have, haven’t you?
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I also note that most of the reasons in that list are, in fact, appropriate reasons to volunteer locally, in your own community or region, and why that is.
I also address on this page the pushback comment I often get when I make such a list: “Oh, then volunteering abroad should be ONLY for the privileged?!?”
I’m tired of seeing volunteering, locally or abroad, that’s more focused on volunteers and their feelings and personal needs and ambitions than on the people and communities to be served.
I’m tired of seeing local people excluded from decision-making and participation that is supposed to positively affect their lives. Because I’m tired of seeing the remnants of white colonialism and supremacy present in volunteering and other nonprofit/NGO activities. Because I loathe vanity volunteering (volunteering that’s all about the ego of the volunteer).
I really do want volunteers to help, not hurt.
There are lots of links on the page about how to approach volunteering abroad ethically, and where to find credible programs, as well as links to all of my posts against unethical voluntourism, vanity volunteering, etc.
And if you disagree with what I’ve written, by all means, comment below (but please read the ENTIRE page first), or write your own blog or web page and then contact me and let me know the link. I’d like to read your thoughts.
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Rob Jackson is a volunteer engagement consultant based in the United Kingdom. Rob was a manager of volunteers himself for many years, and his training and writing is based in reality and practicality. We met online back in the 1990s when he started UKVPMs, an online community for managers of volunteers in the UK, and have been colleagues (and good friends) ever since.
Rob wrote this on his Facebook page, and with permission, I’m reprinting it here on my blog:
It’s time for a new way to think about local volunteering infrastructure.
In recent months I’ve read stories of how lockdown volunteering was especially effective where local groups (formal and informal) were connected to their local volunteering infrastructure organisations (Volunteer Centres).
This comes as no surprise to me. For six years I worked closely with Volunteer Centres as part of the team at Volunteering England. I’ve been a trustee of two Volunteer Centres in my time. I know their value and importance.
Yet too often local infrastructure is seen as either an encumbrance or an irrelevance. Why fund a Volunteer Centre when people can volunteer without them? Surely technology can do the work of a Volunteer Centre better than a human? Who needs a Volunteer Centre when we have the internet?
These arguments miss a crucial point. Volunteering infrastructure isn’t a building or office, a snazzy website or matching software.
Volunteering infrastructure is people. It is connections. It is relationships.
Cuts to Volunteer Centres may realise a quick financial saving, but it’s far more expensive to have to rebuild them down the line.
Volunteering infrastructure is a valuable investment in the underlying and enabling fabric of a thriving, vibrant local community.
It’s time we saw it that way and supported it properly.
Perfectly said, Rob. And not just for the UK. You can comment here, but please also comment on Rob’s original post if you are on Facebook.
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A week ago was Valentine’s Day in the USA, and it’s not too late to talk about LOVE for the people at your program that support volunteers, and a great way to show them some love is to pay for what’s needed to fund effective volunteer engagement!
I talk a lot about funding volunteer engagement, how if communities – including corporations, foundations and governments – want for more people to volunteer, and want more nonprofits and community programs to involve volunteers, they are going to have to pay for it, in cash. What would funders be paying for to increase community engagement, to increase volunteerism?
Salaries for part-time or full-time managers of volunteers.
Training for ALL staff in effective volunteer engagement (not just the person in charge of volunteer engagement), like how to create meaningful, appropriate assignments, how to appropriately support vounteers, how to report safety and quality concerns, etc.
Training for the person in charge of volunteer engagement in skills that could help in better support and recruit volunteers, like basic video or audio editing skills, so they can produce simple YouTube videos, podcasts, etc., or classes in another language, such as Spanish, or classes in facilitation, conflict management, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), etc.
Subscriptions to services that have the information and news they need, like Engage.
Volunteer management software, computers, smart phones, video conferencing software (free versions often don’t provide a manager of volunteers all they need to effectively work with volunteers), etc.
Registration fees and travel expenses for staff to attend conferences that provide speakers and learning experiences that can help improve volunteer engagement.
Renting meeting or event spaces for volunteer-related activities.
Funds for volunteer recognition: gift cards, swag, etc.
All of the above is the “overhead’ that too many corporations and foundations refuse to fund. When I say volunteers are NOT free, these are the expenses I mean. Let me say it once again: if communities, corporations, foundations and governments want more people to volunteer, and want more nonprofits and community programs to involve volunteers, they are going to have to pay for it, in cash.
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An online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and “live” in an online virtual world. Avatars interact with places, objects and other avatars, exploring the virtual world, meeting other residents, socializing, having business meetings, hosting events, participating in group activities, building, creating, shopping, collaborating, even trading virtual property and services with one another.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse? No! I’m talking about Second Life, which launched back in 2003. The image at the top of this blog, and the image below, are of me, as an avatar, leading an event in Second Life for TechSoup back in 2014:
TechSoup was an early and passionate adopter of Second Life, hosting numerous online events there. If you do a search for Second Life on the TechSoup forum, you would find numerous references to the platform and TechSoup activities there over the years.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook (now Meta), said to much fanfare that he wanted to launch his own metaverse. The new virtual-reality app Horizon Worlds is Facebook’s first foray into the much-hyped “metaverse” for Facebook parent company Meta. Horizon Worlds, a beta version of which featured prominently in Zuckerberg’s announcement, launched Dec. 9 in the United States and Canada on the company’s Oculus virtual-reality platform and represents its first major attempt to deliver on his vision.
Were you on Second Life? Are you still on Second Life? Did you participate in TechSoup’s events on Second Life, or any other nonprofit-related activities? What do you think emerging virtual worlds, including Meta’s projects, can learn from Second Life? Comment below!
Second Life is so thoroughly steeped in conditions that have impeded the development of successful social norms in other communities that any system of social norms in Second Life will ultimately fail. Because social norms will likely fail to successfully maximize resident welfare, regulatory schemes imposed both by the operators of the virtual world and by real-world governing institutions are needed to enhance the functioning of this particular alternative reality inhabited by millions.
Do you think Meta’s virtual world is addressing this issue? Do you think they need to plan for how to address such?And are you worried about safety at all with any online platforms? Comment below!
Nina Jane Patel was targeted with sexual harassment in Facebook/Meta’s platforms. “Within 60 seconds of joining — I was verbally & sexually harassed — 3–4 male avatars, with male voices, essentially, but virtually gang-raped my avatar & took photos…” The 43-year-old mother said it was such a “horrible experience that happened so fast” before she even had a chance to think about using “the safety barrier,” adding that she “froze.” She continued by confessing how both her “physiological and psychological” reaction was similar to it happening in real life. “Virtual reality has essentially been designed so the mind and body can’t differentiate virtual/digital experiences from real,” Patel wrote.
This is similar to assaults that happened in Second LIfe. Examples:
Horizon Worlds is supposed to be limited to adults 18 and older. In practice, however, very young kids appear to be among its earliest adopters. Some say the presence of children in Meta’s fledgling metaverse raises a grave concern: that by mixing children with adult strangers in a largely self-moderated virtual world, the company is inadvertently creating a hunting ground for sexual predators.
When new online forums arise that attract kids, sexual predators “are often among the first to arrive,” said Sarah Gardner, vice president of external affairs at Thorn, a tech nonprofit that focuses on protecting children from online sexual abuse. “They see an environment that is not well protected and does not have clear systems of reporting. They’ll go there first to take advantage of the fact that it is a safe ground for them to abuse or groom kids.”
Could nonprofits that engage in an online metaverse be putting their clients or others at risk by asking them to be there too? Comment below!
There’s one more consideration: accessibility. If you engage with people in a graphics-based environment, you are leaving out people who have sight-impairments. How will auditory displays work for graphics-based environments to address accessibility issues (I’m asking because I really don’t know)? Or is it a matter of ensuring you never limit your service delivery and volunteer engagement to only a graphics-based environment?
There is section devoted to virtual volunteering and avatar-based environments in The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook. The section offers some examples of nonprofits using Second Life to engage with clients and volunteers, and offers specific advice on how a nonprofit should get started using such environments, considerations to explore and pitfalls to avoid – all of which is relevant for any graphics-based virtual world. The rest of the book is easily adaptable to engaging with volunteers in graphics-based/avatar-based virtual worlds as well.
Looking forward to hearing your comments!
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The Communications Initiative is a resource I rely on regularly. I cannot say enough fantastic things about it. Over the last several months, I have been unsubscribing from a lot of email newsletters and unfollowing a lot of pages on Facebook, trying to declutter my online life, but I continue to make time to read the Communications Initiative updates. If you work in any capacity regarding communicating with clients or the general public regarding your nonprofit, NGO or government agency, this is a must-use resource.
Your outreach seeks to educate, involve, and engage your organization’s stakeholders. Outreach that honors diversity, equity, and inclusion is no different, other than the intentionality of your decisions. It requires you to understand who your audience is beyond the data points. It requires you to know what their priorities are, and then to craft messages and engagements that are inclusive to them. DEI outreach goes beyond reaching out, it requires them to bring people in.
We’ve created these nine tips with the communicator in mind. It’s flexible, so use it as a checklist, a launching point for a discussion, or even an assessment survey to improve your DEI communications.
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The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)has partnered with Cottage Lane Productions to develop a new episode of the volunteer firefighter recruitment series Ride With Us. The series takes prospective volunteers into a firehouse to show them, as much as a video can, what it’s like to be a volunteer firefighter. These can be used by any fire station as a part of its own recruitment and onboarding of volunteer firefighters and first responders.
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