Being a manager of others:

•This is for the person managing volunteers, regardless of the staff.

•Job is not to do things directly, rather, to make sure things get done.

•Challenges of Vol. Mgmt.

–Motivating people who work for free

–Wide range of people to manage (ages, experience, etc.)

4 Levels of control:

1.The Authority for Self-Assignment – most freedom for volunteer. Generates own assignments and progress.

2.The Authority for Self-Assignment provided the boss is kept advised of progress. -

3.The Authority to recommend self-assignment – still source of own assignments…pending approval beforehand.

4. No Authority for Self-Assignment – volunteer does only as they are told with no authority to create assignments.

The idea is that, with experience and guidance, a volunteer will progress through the levels from 4 to 1. Give everyone the max level of authority you can stand.

•A volunteer who depends on his/her supervisor for all, does not grow.

•To get the best results, ask the volunteer a lot of questions during interactions.

•Types of Questions

1. Planning – Q’s about how, when, why do the job.

2. Empowering – how to make the job better (frustrations, skills, responsibility level)

3. Evaluation – outcome based. How would you rate yourself? Are you on target or not.

4. Questions for yourself – double checking that you have done the above and that your volunteers are doing well.

Effective Delegation:

1.Define the assignment in terms of results.

2.Define the level of control

3.Communicate any guidelines (i.e. relevant policies, procedures like # of quotes needed to in a purchase order)

4.Make resources available – that would aid in success

5.Determine criteria for success – The vol should know he/she will be judged.

6.Set up checkpoints – 3 month? Quarterly? Weekly?

Communication:

Availability – Supervisors must be available at regularly scheduled intervals (i.e. weekly) and at the vol’s convenience.

Equal Status and Involvement – (i.e. getting staff to remember volunteer names, invite vols to staff meetings to provide input)

•A well-organized volunteer program or agency that relies heavily on the use of volunteers may have principles, values and policies exclusively for the volunteer program. (i.e. Girl Guides of Canada)

•Policies and procedures result in consistency (i.e. Bar Rescue reality show)

•Make sure expectations are clearly understood.

•Use vols to establish those expectations – this will build commitment to the program.

•Use immediate positive reinforcement – catch them doing something right!

•Build personal relationships with the volunteers.

•Model the behaviour you expect.

•Refuse to accept poor performance.

Give feedback as soon as possible

Raise the bar of expectations

Don’t expect volunteers to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself

Tips for a promotion:

•Cultivate support before you’ve been selected.

•Find out everything you can about the selection process.

•Recognize for yourself that your position will be a change in responsibility.

•1^st week in new position is for first impressions.

•Arrange individual meetings with each person in your unit to talk about their work.

•If you do encounter someone who remains resistant, confront them privately and directly.

•Adjust your behaviour to match your new position.

•Leadership by consensus (i.e. involving others in your decision making) is good practice.

Ex. Reach out to rec team more, get to know other vol. Position change may change your behaviours/relationships with others, ie more professional, dress, language, gossip, social gathering attendance. Get to know what the person does, challenges, frustrations, etc (people in unit). Open dialogue with others after position change, validate others. Good leader listens to the needs of the group. 

•2 important facts

–Most volunteers want to do the best job they can

–Most volunteers will “win” in assessment situations

•Failing to evaluate volunteers sends a clear message that you don’t care about the quality of their work

Conduct evaluations to:

1. To help the volunteer work closer to his/her potential

2. To help the organization better involve volunteers

Evaluation system should include:

•A policy on performance appraisal

•Initial trial period for all volunteers

•A system for developing and maintaining current position descriptions

•Periodic scheduled evaluation meetings

•Method for reviewing commitment to performance changes proposed during evaluation meetings.

Policy- ex after 6 months you have an evaluation

Have a probation period (ex 90 days).

Pos desc : does it still fit? Reevaluate. System? How often?

Eval meeting : what will be done to reach potential, follow up on these. Are the changes being made? Is vol feeling successful?

Follow up… Follow through

•RAP method for evaluation

–R – Review the past

–A – Analyze the present

–P – plan the future

Poor performance:

•Volunteer is motivated and able.

–Problems: Unclear performance expectations. Personality issues.

•Volunteer is motivated but unskilled.

–Problem: Poor screening. Poor training.

•Volunteer is able but unmotivated.

–Problem: Poor matching. Vol may not see connection between role and mission. Not enough recognition. Not enough authority to assign work.

•Volunteer is unable and unmotivated.

–Problem: Poor matching. Fatigue.

•Warning Signs:

–Quality of work declines

–Worker is often late

–No shows

–Lack of enthusiasm

–No initiative shown

-complaining about staff, volunteers, residents, etc.

-Disheveled appearance

Response:

•Meet in private with person.

•Determine the real issues motivating the behaviour.

–Misinformation?

–Upset over an occurrence?

–Burnout?

•Ask volunteer or staff member what they see as a successful response to the issues.

•Agree on a time frame for the resolution of the problem.

Positive corrective action:

1.Get the volunteer to describe the unacceptable behaviour.

2.Divorce the behaviour from the individual’s self-worth.

3.Say something positive about the person.

4.Ask the volunteer for a plan for improvement.

5.Give praise for any improvement in performance.

6. As performance improves, repeat step 3.

Managers will often avoid dealing with problem behaviours because

-Think it reflects badly on your skill as supervisor.

-Don’t like confrontation

-Like the volunteer and don’t want to hurt their feelings.

-Too busy

-Feel sorry for the volunteer

Making things worse:

•Overreacting – lashing out, exploding

•Whining – complaining to others about the problem rather than dealing with it.

•Lecturing – some managers treat offenders as though they are children

•Nuking – avoid confronting problem until they unleash a massive retaliatory strike, annihilating everyone in their path.

Good Volunteers break rules when:

•The volunteer who is assigned to work with a client becomes emotionally attached and even bonded.

•This problem is common when volunteers are assigned one-on-one with client.

•The volunteers who are the most dedicated and loyal are the ones most likely to fall into this category.

Releasing volunteers:

•Re-supervise – new supervisor. Rule enforcement. Common in youth volunteers who test the limits as part of their self expression.

•Re-assign – place them in a new setting

•Re-train – retrain, new training, same training in a different way

•Re-vitalize – give them a rest. A sabbatical or vacation.

•Refer – to another organization

•Retire – recognition for long-serving volunteers or older volunteers.

1.Forewarning or notice

2.Investigation/determination

3.Application of rules – no favourites

4.Documenting case for termination

5.Conducting a release meeting

Release meeting:

•Private setting

•Quick, direct, absolute

•Announce, don’t argue

•Do not attempt to counsel

•Be prepared to end the conversation

•Follow-up