Volunteerism Conference 2012

National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
Singapore
22 May 2012
Imagine:
A World Without Volunteers
Susan J. Ellis
President, Energize, Inc.
susan@energizeinc.com
Handouts:
1. Truths and Contradictions in Volunteer Engagement (2 pages)
2. What Are My Beliefs about Volunteering?
3. The Correlation between Time Donors and Money Donors (2 pages)
4. Just a Few Issues Having an Impact on Volunteerism – 2012
5. Executive-Level Questions (2 pages)
6. 12 Elements of Successful Volunteer Involvement (2 pages)
7. Maximizing Volunteer Effort
8. Executive Perspective on Strengthening Staff Partnerships with Volunteers
9. International Web Sites (in English) for Leaders of Volunteers

www.energizeinc.com © 2011
_________________________________________
Truths and Contradictions
in Volunteer Engagement
Leading volunteers is both enormously satisfying and enormously frustrating.
The potential is limitless for finding any and every skill and talent, yet resources are
always put into generating more money, and rarely put towards facilitating
volunteers. Organizations tend to elevate "fund raising" above "people raising."
Volunteer involvement, fundraising, public relations/marketing, client development,
and community outreach are intimately related, yet often operate in silos that
duplicate or confuse what potential supporters see.
The word “volunteer” repels as often as it attracts. Widen your vocabulary – and
perceptions – to include such terms as: community service, intern, pro bono work,
civic engagement, service-learning, lay ministry, activism, donated professional
services, and more.
Volunteers are perceived as "free” but they aren’t. They may be cost-effective, but
only if the impact of their contributions genuinely exceeds the money and time both
the agency and the volunteers give to the effort.
There are contradictory attitudes about volunteers that need to be reconciled or there
will be great tension. For example:
• Volunteers are lovely but unskilled amateurs vs. volunteers are on our governing
board and have power.
• Volunteers want to be held accountable vs. it isn't appropriate to "fire" a
volunteer.
• We value volunteers vs. “you get what you pay for.”
Because everyone can be a volunteer, it is often assumed that anyone – especially
someone who has done a lot of volunteering personally – can be a leader of
volunteers. This is a false assumption! (The wrong person in the job of volunteer
program manager will indeed burn out.)
A large majority of people who are asked to be volunteer program leaders are
assigned this work in addition to other responsibilities. This forces a "juggling act"
that is a prescription for burnout. Every organization needs to plan strategically for
volunteer program growth.
(continued)

Truths and Contradictions, continued © 2011, www.energizeinc.com
Almost no one receives training in how to work with volunteers as a subject in their
formal professional education…and volunteers themselves are also uninformed.
The #1 most requested topic for workshops any of the international trainers gets is:
dealing with tension between employees and volunteers (no matter where or doing
what).
Even with a volunteer services manager/unit/department, welcoming and working
effectively with volunteers are still everyone’s responsibility.
Does it say in the employees’ job descriptions that working with volunteers is one of
the responsibilities? Is that question asked during candidate interviews? Is any
training offered to do it properly? Is anyone evaluating performance? If the answers
are no, then the volunteer program manager is always in a position of “asking a
favor” from staff to make time for volunteers.
The best programs seek volunteers who are different from the paid staff in tangible
ways: different ages, skills, occupations, and life experiences. But the value of such
diversity also poses management challenges.
Some ways to tell if volunteers are truly valued:
• How often does the board of directors discuss volunteer engagement as a formal
agenda item?
• Where is the volunteer program manager placed on the organizational chart?
• In agency strategic planning sessions, does the discussion include how volunteers
can help with or will be affected by any new project?
• Are substantive reports on volunteer activities and accomplishments – beyond
“hours served” – produced regularly, read, and acted upon?
• Are there consequences if an employee is not effective in working with volunteers,
and are there rewards for those employees who are great at it?
The higher someone is promoted in an organization, the less likely he or she will be
expected to work with volunteers (until they get to be executive director and have a
board of directors!). So the message seems to be that volunteers are a responsibility
only of lower-level staff members.
Although historically volunteers are the founders of organizations – the mavericks on
the cutting edge who see what needs to be done before anyone else – ironically it is
often current volunteers who resist change the most.
Spending time thinking about and planning for volunteers is guaranteed to generate
more success than “benign neglect.”

Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement
/ Stallings & Ellis, (c) 2010, Energize, Inc.
www.energizeinc.com/store 14
What Are My Beliefs about Volunteering?
(Note: There are no “right” answers, but the questions are worth considering and
will impact your leadership of volunteer involvement.)
• Why is volunteering important to society as a whole? Are there any
negatives?
• Why is volunteering important to my organization? Are there any
negatives?
• Why is volunteering important to the individuals who volunteer? Are there
any negatives?
• What do I see as the purpose of my role as an executive or senior manager
as it relates to involving volunteers in our organization?
• How do I define “volunteer”?
• Are there other words I use (or even prefer) over the word “volunteer”?
• Is there anything I feel a volunteer should not be asked to do? (Why?)
• What is my feeling about the variety of “mandates” for doing service?
(Court related, school requirements, etc.)
• Do valuable gifts and stipends ever cross the line into “low pay” and change
volunteering somehow?
• Is volunteering a right or a privilege?
• Do I agree that “any volunteering is a political act”?
• What do I see as the relationship of work-for-pay and volunteering? How
do I respond to labor union arguments against volunteering as “taking paid
jobs”?
• What is (or should be) the connection between all-volunteer associations
and agency-based volunteer “programs”?
• What is the relationship between giving time and giving money?
• What is the balance between my loyalty to the support of volunteers and my
obligations to my organization and the clients we serve?
IDEA STIMULATOR

http://www.energizeinc.com/hot/2010/10jul.html
July 2010
The Correlation between Time Donors
and Money Donors
By Susan J. Ellis
All research shows that people who volunteer tend to give more money to charity than people who do not. This
often-quoted finding only tells part of the philanthropy story. As leaders of volunteers, we need to make sure our
organizations see that money donors and time donors are closely intertwined – and that people move in and out of
both roles over a lifetime, even within the same organization. On an ongoing basis, we need to be cultivating all
supporters of our organizations because they all have the potential to contribute or connect us to money, time,
expertise, and community contacts.
Start by understanding the key similarities between volunteers and donors:
• Both must be found and nurtured.
• Both must come to believe in your cause and in your organization.
• Both must value philanthropic activity.
• Both must feel that their contribution can be helpful – and then see that it indeed made a difference.
• Both need to be recognized.
• Both can generate a ripple effect of goodwill, community education, and other positive promotion to bring in
even more supporters.
• Both can eventually stop contributing.
This list makes it clear that many of the activities we do in volunteer management are aligned with what the staff in
the development office are doing, and vice versa.
Now consider the list of differences:
• The action desired from the donor is to give money, which is comparatively simple to do. Funds can be
given online, mailed in, or telephoned and all amounts are accepted at any time. Volunteering is not "one
size fits all" and is far more complicated, for both the organization and the doer. The "actions" desired
range from quick help to an intensive commitment of time and talent.
• Money is easier to control than people. Once an organization receives a donor’s money, it is in the bank to
use. The gift of time requires continuous contact with volunteers, who need all sorts of management and
are less predictable as a resource.
• Apart from some political and ethical considerations, an organization will happily accept money from just
about any source – and donors expect their gifts to be accepted. Prospective volunteers must undergo an
application and screening process. Not everyone is accepted or can volunteer on his or her own terms.
• Donors can contribute once and, depending on the size of their check, make an enormous contribution in a
few minutes of their time. They only have to think about your organization occasionally. To have a sizeable
effect, volunteers must remain involved for a duration of time. Volunteers must maintain enthusiasm for
your cause on an ongoing basis.
• Giving money is a low-risk action. It certainly may diminish the donor's resources, but physically, the donor
can remain far away and uninvolved – and is rarely held liable for what happens once the money has been
received. Volunteering, on the other hand, can be a risky activity. The person must be engaged in the work
of the organization, which brings the possibility (even if a low probability) of injury or liability.

• Donors need very little else besides money. Volunteers need skills, personality, accountability, and a
schedule that meshes with the work of the organization.
• Death ends volunteering, but may generate new money.
Implications
Leaders of volunteers must position the contribution of time donors as a critical component of an organization's mix
of resources. First, volunteers give expertise, care, and effort that, in themselves, allow the organization to spend
all of its money and then do more. Second, the true value of volunteer time is not limited to marketplace wage
equivalency. Third – and this is the point we don't make often enough – volunteers are also a potential source of
money.
It is gospel in fundraising that donors must be "cultivated." While unexpected gifts of large sums are exciting,
donors most often start with much smaller amounts of money. Development officers take a long-range view,
nurturing regular donors towards increasing their gifts over time. The ultimate is estate planning, through which an
organization knows that, if it bides its time, after the donor dies a big check is going to come in.
There is rarely similar long-range thinking when it comes to volunteers, despite evidence that cultivation of time
donors leads to the giving of more time and more money. Some people move in and out of volunteering as time
and funds allow during their lives. Some contribute service when they are young and have less income or,
conversely, when they have the luxury to volunteer after financial success. A retired person on a fixed income may
volunteer while considering a future cash gift through estate planning. The head of household who writes the
donation check may encourage other members of the family to support the same cause with volunteer effort.
The moral? Never assume that volunteers have no money to give or that they will not give it!
There is also evidence that annual donors can lose interest over time, but that being asked to share their time and
talent revitalizes their commitment to give money – even if they do not accept the invitation to volunteer. In addition,
money may follow volunteers from their employers as matching funds and from family and friends who want to
support a volunteer’s devotion to a cause.
Last but not least, volunteers provide access to tangible items: donations of goods and services, loans of
equipment and space (and even money), and other resources they can solicit from their employers, family, friends,
and circle of contacts.
When organizations totally separate time donors and money donors – in long-range planning, staffing, budgeting,
and executive attention – they are missing endless opportunities. Development officers and directors of volunteer
involvement are both engaged in friend raising – cultivating supporters of their organization’s mission for the long-
term.
• Have you seen first-hand the connection between volunteers and money donors? Did you plan for it or did
you discover it happening on its own?
• Do you and the development staff meet regularly to compare the lists of volunteers and donors and discuss
what you find? How is this working for you?
• Do you ask volunteers to help you locate donations, in-kind services, and other resources in the
community?
• How do we maximize the positive about volunteers leading to money without raising the negative attitude of
"using" volunteer contributions mainly as a means to the end of getting cash?
Read People's Responses

Now…what does your crystal ball tell you?
www.energizeinc.com ©2012
_________________________________________
Just a Few Issues Having an
Impact on Volunteerism –2012
(from the perspective of Susan J. Ellis)
In the World at Large
 The economic crisis and political changes in reaction to it in many countries
 Continuing shifts in racial/ethnic demographics: color, culture, and language diversity;
aging of the population; Baby Boomers retiring…or no longer able to
 Redefinition of the concept of “family”; who does and doesn’t have or raise children
 The effects of 24/7 communication; new social networking forums such as blogs,
YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.; convergence technology, especially smart phones
 Global warming and climate change; severity of recent natural disasters; cost of energy
In the Volunteer Field
 Budget cutting and new attention to recruiting volunteers – for all the wrong reasons –
coupled with reduced money to support effective volunteer management
 Changing vocabulary of volunteerism; definition of and divestiture from the word
“volunteer” in favor of “service” and other terms
 Social media as an opportunity and a challenge for volunteer engagement
 Universal desire of new volunteers for short-term, goal-oriented assignments;
proliferation of single days of service – and now even “micro-volunteering”!
 Similarities of Baby Boomers and the Millennials in approach to
volunteering
 Interest in “entrepreneurial,” “highly-skilled,” and “pro bono”
volunteering”; “skill-anthropists”; “click-tavists”
 Wealth of online resources for recruiting volunteers and for
educating/connecting volunteer program managers (globally)
 Continuing absence of the subject of volunteer involvement in the
professional education of nonprofit and public agency staff
and executives…leading to lack of vision and know-how

_____________________________________
EXECUTIVE-LEVEL QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER...AND ANSWER
Why do we want volunteers?
This is not a frivolous—nor easily answered—question. It is the cornerstone of
developing a working philosophy about volunteers to translate into a meaningful
program. Just as a mission statement articulates why an organization exists, so too
must you be able to express, in concrete terms, why volunteers are a desirable part
of your operation.
What kinds of volunteers do we want?
Do we want volunteers to represent the clients/audience we serve? Are we seeking
specialists or generalists? People with clout in the community? Do we recruit for
diversity of gender, age, race, or other characteristics? Unless you decide what you
want, you won’t design work and plan a recruitment campaign to find these types of
volunteers.
What are our expectations of volunteer accomplishments?
What are our goals and objectives for involving volunteers (not just numbers!)?
What outcomes do we want them to achieve ?
What is our vision for the volunteer program?
What will be the scope and size of volunteer involvement a year or two from now?
In ten years?
What work will volunteers do and not do, and why?
What criteria will we use to determine assignment areas? Will volunteers be
assigned to top-level work as well as supplemental tasks?
Who will coordinate volunteer efforts?
Are we ready to hire a full-time director of volunteers or will we appoint someone
already on staff to handle this responsibility part-time? What exactly does “part-
time” mean? Where will the leader of the volunteer program fit on our
organizational chart (in the chain of command)?
What are resources will we allocate to support volunteers?
Volunteers are not free help. Develop an appropriate budget for necessary
expenses, ranging from printing and postage to transportation reimbursement and
insurance. One way an organization demonstrates its commitment to volunteers is
to acknowledge that these expenses are real and plan for them in the overall
organizational budget. Beyond money, consider resources such as space, training
and supervision time.
continued….

Executive-Level Questions, continued:
©2011, Energize, Inc.
Is staff willing and able to work with volunteers?
Never assume that people know how to work effectively with volunteers—nor that
they are happy to do so. Most employees do not learn about volunteer
management in their professional education, nor is being a volunteer personally
enough training in supervising other volunteers. Develop a plan to prepare
everyone to work together. Allow negative feelings to surface and deal with
concerns such as setting--and enforcing--standards for volunteer performance.
Have we considered possible problem areas and how we might react if
problems occur?
Good management practices will limit problems, but the unexpected will happen.
Do you insist on screening applicants before they become volunteers? Are you
willing to “fire” a volunteer?
At what level of growth will we reconsider the resources we have allocated to
volunteers?
Schedule regular status reviews to assess whether and how the volunteer program is
changing over time. Are the original goals and objectives for the volunteer
program still relevant? Is it necessary to add more paid coordinating staff?
Is planning for volunteers integrated with agency planning?
Do you discuss the ways volunteers might help in new projects, while they are still
on the drawing board? Do you expect the director of volunteers to be a part of your
strategic planning team, helping to identify needs as well as solutions? Do you see
the connection between fund-raising and “people-raising”?
Do I demonstrate my support of volunteers in tangible ways?
As executive, you have the opportunity to model your enthusiasm about volunteers
for everyone in your organization. Do this with more than words: ask for and
respond to reports on volunteer activities; periodically meet with representative
volunteers and ask for feedback; develop volunteer assignments that directly help
you in your work; reward employees who are especially effective with volunteers
assigned to them. Show that you think about volunteers as part of the team.

_____________________________________
The 12 Elements of
Successful Volunteer Involvement
Element #1: Planning and Resources
Planning is the key to success for all organizational projects, and volunteer development is no
exception. Planning for volunteers, who will be your organization’s unpaid personnel, includes a
variety of decisions about: climate/readiness for volunteers; goals and objectives; budget and
resources; staff preparation; and an implementation plan.
Element #2: Staffing
By definition, volunteers are part-time staff with widely varying schedules. Add to this the diversity
and backgrounds of the people who volunteer, and the resulting work force is a logistical challenge.
A volunteer involvement strategy must have a clearly-designated coordinator to handle all the
activities outlined in these twelve management elements.
Element #3: Volunteer Work Design
Developing volunteer assignments that are meaningful to the organization and attractive to
prospective volunteers requires both planning and vision. It means analyzing what needs to be done
(whether to assist staff or to provide a service directly to clients) and then creatively designing tasks
doable in short bursts of time, by a variety of people with different skills. Expectations and
qualifications for such volunteer positions need to be defined in writing.
Element #4: Recruitment
Recruitment is the process of encouraging people to give their time and energy to an organization as
volunteers. Successful recruitment requires the support of the entire organization and is closely tied
to overall public relations and marketing efforts. It’s “people raising.”
Element #5: Interviewing and Screening
Effective initial interviewing of prospective volunteers prevents many types of supervision and
management problems. It also allows candidates to be matched with the most appropriate and
appealing assignment for them.
Element #6: Orientation and Training
Orientation is the overview of the total organization necessary for every volunteer, regardless of
specific assignment. It places the work in context and allows for consistent introduction of policies,
procedures, rights and responsibilities.
Continued…

12 Elements of Successful Volunteer Involvement, continued © 2011, Energize, Inc.
Training of volunteers should be customized to the requirements of each position description and the
background each volunteer brings to the organization. There is initial, start-up training, plus the
need for ongoing, in-service training. Much training is dependent upon giving clear instructions and
is integrated into supervision.
Element #7: Volunteer/Employee Relationships
The interrelationship of volunteers and employees can be the single biggest obstacle to effective
volunteer involvement, unless steps are taken to encourage teamwork. This requires training,
evaluation and administrative attention. It is also important to pay attention to the relationships
between long-time volunteers and newcomer volunteers.
Element #8: Supervision
As with employees, volunteers need support from those in a position to see the total picture and
who know what work needs to be done. A key aspect of the supervision of volunteers is access to
someone in charge during the time the volunteer is on duty. Volunteers who work off-site, in the
field or virtually, also need support. Not all volunteers are supervised. Some require liaison or
reporting contact.
Element #9: Recognition
Recognition is a form of compensation for volunteer efforts. It includes thanking volunteers for their
efforts and welcoming volunteers’ input. An organization can provide annual formal recognition
through certificates and dinners, but equally important are daily support and informal expressions of
appreciation.
Element #10: Recordkeeping and Reporting
If volunteers are important to the work of the organization, it is important to know what volunteers
are doing. Documenting their work assists in recruitment, training, recognition and even fundraising.
Recordkeeping is also necessary for insurance coverage and to support the income-tax deduction
claims of volunteers. Once records are kept, they are of little meaning if they are not reported.
Reports of the cumulative achievements of volunteers should be shared with volunteers, as well as
with administration, other staff and funding sources.
Element #11: Evaluation
Because volunteer time is too valuable to waste, it is imperative to evaluate the impact of volunteer
services regularly and to discover whether those services are still the most meaningful ones to
deliver. Along with overall program evaluation, it also is helpful to conduct individual performance
reviews with volunteers. This practice maintains standards for the volunteer involvement and also
recognizes each volunteer.
Element #12: Volunteer Input
Some organizations want help from volunteers, but not input. Volunteers are in a position to observe
an organization and can take more risks in criticizing. They also are effective community advocates
when they observe things going well. It is important to create a channel for volunteer comments.
Also, having the opportunity to voice opinions and make suggestions encourages greater
participation in all aspects of volunteer engagement.

_____________________________________
Maximizing Volunteer Effort
Take what is unique about volunteers and apply it to designing
roles that are most effective.
Going beyond the skills and interests of the employees — tapping any and
all possible skills and talents
Wider spheres of influence
Concentrated attention (luxury of focus)
Unusual schedules
Product-oriented rather than schedule-oriented
Credibility as public educators and advocates
Able to go past primary client-service to assist or support others who are
involved

119
Executive Perspective on Strengthening Staff
Partnerships with Volunteers
As executive, what is your point of view on the following issues critical to assur-
ing full staff commitment and competency in partnering with volunteers? Con-
sider each question on your own and/or with your senior management team.
1. Do you think that training in volunteer management principles is important
to get staff ready to partner effectively with volunteers?
2. Do you know who on staff now is a great supervisor of volunteers? Do you
know who needs improvement at or resists working with volunteers? What
actions could you take in light of such assessments?
3. What is the attitude of senior managers and middle managers about volun-
teer engagement? How knowledgeable are these administrators about what
to expect from staff in their departments in partnering with volunteers? How
knowledgeable are they about their role in supporting this teamwork?
4. When hiring new staff, do you consider applicants’ experience, motivation,
and skills in working with volunteers?
5. Do you think that the role of staff in supervising volunteers is clearly defined?
If yes, how is this expectation conveyed? How could it be improved?
6. Are staff evaluated on their work with volunteers? If yes, how is this accom-
plished? How could it be improved?
7. In what ways are staff rewarded for excellence in working with volunteers? If
none, what ways could they be rewarded?
8. Currently, what orientation and training is given to new staff about working
with volunteers? Is this effective and sufficient? Is there periodic in-service
training to refresh and update knowledge on this subject?
9. How do you keep informed about trends and issues in volunteerism? Does
anyone attend professional conferences about volunteering, read publica-
tions in the field, follow online resources, etc.?
10. What is a realistic expectation of the level of support for staff training in
workingwithvolunteers,particularlyintermsofallocatingtimeandresources
to preparing, producing, and attending training?
SELF-INQUIRY
Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement,
BB Stallings with SJ Ellis, © 2010, Energize, Inc.
http://www.energizeinc.com/store/1-221-E-1

www.energizeinc.com updated December 2011
______________________________________________________________________
INTERNATIONAL WEB SITES for LEADERS OF VOLUNTEERS (a sampling)
• Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)
www.arnova.org (also ARNOVA-L listserv)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Volunteering in the U.S. annual data,
www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.toc.htm
• Charity Village (Canada) - www.charityvillage.com
• Resource Center of the Corporation for National and Community Service -
www.nationalserviceresources.org
• Cultural Volunteer (UK) – http://lynnblackadder.com/cultural-volunteer/
• e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community -
www.e-volunteerism.com
• Idealist Volunteer Management Resource Center - www.idealist.org/info/VolunteerMgmt
• Ivan H. Scheier Archival Collection - academic.regis.edu/volunteer/ivan
• Linda Graff’s “Musings”: www.lindagraff.ca/musings.html
• Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits, section on “Managing Volunteer Programs -
www.mapnp.org/library/staffing/outsrcng/volnteer/volnteer.htm
• Online Volunteering (UN Volunteers) - www.volunteeringonline.org
• Our Shared Resources - templates, sample forms, more - www.oursharedresources.com
• OzVPM (Australasian) – www.ozvpm.com
• ServiceLeader.org - www.serviceleader.org
• Volunteer Canada - www.volunteer.ca
• Volunteer Development Scotland - www.vds.org.uk
• Volunteer Today “Electronic Gazette” - www.volunteertoday.com
• Volunteering in America - www.volunteeringinamerica.gov
• Volunteering England - www.volunteering.org.uk
• World Volunteer Web (United Nations Volunteers) - www.worldvolunteerweb.org
♦ To Post Volunteer Opportunities: updated list of free registries in the US and around
the world provided at www.energizeinc.com/prof/volop.html
♦ For a list of electronic discussion groups related to volunteering (including CyberVPM,
OzVPM, and UKVPMs), see: www.energizeinc.com/prof/listserv.html
♦ For a list of blogs and tweets discussing volunteer leadership, see
http://www.energizeinc.com/prof/blogs.html
Energize, Inc. “For Leaders of Volunteers” Web site: www.energizeinc.com
Over 1200 pages of free information on all aspects of working with volunteers, plus
international resource centers, conferences, a job bank and much more
Sign up for the free monthly e-zine, “Volunteer Management Update”
Online Bookstore with over 80 titles, most available as e-books for immediate access
Learn about Everyone Ready®
- online volunteer management training
In English

Singapore
22 May 2012
Corporate Volunteering and the Bottom
Line: Challenge and Opportunity
Susan J. Ellis
President, Energize,
Inc.
Handouts:
1. Options for Selecting a Corporate Community Involvement Project
2. The Business Case for Investing in Employee Volunteering
3. Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Volunteer Program Resources
(2 pages)

_____________________________________________________________________
OPTIONS FOR SELECTING A
CORPORATE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROJECT
(that meets everyone's needs)
As with any other company project, employee volunteering deserves planning, staffing, and
budgeting. Know WHY you are doing this. Set goals and measure success as with any
other business plan. Generate enthusiasm at all levels of the company. Tie in your
volunteer activities with your plans for public relations, marketing, and other philanthropic
efforts. Remember: Do good and have fun!
Individuals... Groups... Teams
Active employees... Families, too... Retirees
All levels of employees (Don't forget middle management!)
One-time events (“days of service”)... short-term projects... ongoing
assignments
In-kind services... Applying professional skills... Going against "type"
Proactive... reactive
Projects selected by an employee steering committee… anyone with an idea…
piggybacked onto what employees already do as volunteers [Establish criteria for
why a project will—or won't—be accepted.]
Help a cause… help your neighborhood… help your company “family”
Link with established groups ("partnerships")... independent projects
Direct action... fundraising… planning/policy/education
Connected to company focus... or change image
Meshed with company philanthropic dollars?
Establish an ongoing cause or theme... or change each year

The Business Case for Investing in Employee Volunteering
Highlights of a 6–part blog series from Realized Worth (© 2011), beginning at
http://realizedworth.blogspot.com/2011/06/business-case-for-employee-
volunteering.html
Business Case #1: Employee Volunteering Creates Employee Engagement
“An engaged workforce is important to a company’s well-being and profitability… employee
volunteering programs increase engagement levels at work when it connects to an
individual’s need for meaning and accomplishment.”
Business Case #2: Employee Volunteering Attracts Better Talent
“…Millennials have a unique perspective on employment…Rather than salary and benefit
packages, millennials are asking about a company’s corporate social responsibility. In fact,
nearly 50% of interviewees from the millennial generation will raise the issue of CSR during
the interview or hiring process with a potential for-profit employer.”
Business Case #3: Employee Volunteering Is Employee Development
“Employee Volunteering programs offer companies a unique opportunity to act as good
Corporate Citizens while enabling their workforce to acquire relevant work related skills. By
creating opportunities for employees to volunteer in the community,…employees gain
experience and understandings that make them more effective in their roles with the
company. Usually, employees acquire soft skills such as communication, management and
leadership. Beyond individual skills, employees become better at working in teams.”
Business Case #4: Employee Volunteering Offers a Competitive Advantage
“…Employee volunteering programs are more capable of ‘generating intangibles such as
innovation, human capital, reputation and culture.’ The resulting ‘accumulation of human
capital derived from socially responsible practices can become a source of competitive
advantage and result in improved financial performance.’”
Business Case #5: Employee Volunteering Increased Corporate Intelligence
“…while they volunteer, employees are able to meet coworkers they may not normally have
a chance to interact with. The guys from the mail room are chatting it up with the sales
team while the custodians are painting a wall with the executives from the top floor.
Normally, these types of social interactions would simply not take place…Consequently,
corporate volunteering fosters a unique expression of corporate connectivity.”
Business Case #6: Employee Volunteering Reduces Health Care Costs
“In a recent study conducted by entitled Do Good Live Well Study Reviewing the Benefits of
Volunteering (http://dogoodlivewell.org/) researchers found that employees who volunteer
through their workplace report improved physical and emotional health. The specific
benefits include reduced obesity, reduced stress, increased levels of activity, a more
positive emotional state and higher levels of overall satisfaction with life.”

______________________________________________________________________
Corporate Social Responsibility and
Employee Volunteer Program Resources
A selection from the Energize online library at: http://www.energizeinc.com/art/subj/corpres.html
A Billion + Change (USA),
http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/initiatives/probono_research.asp
Corporation for National and Community Service and business partners initiative to get for-profit
companies to commit one billion hours of pro bono service to the nonprofit community.
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship (US), http://www.bcccc.net
Well-established site supporting CSR. They now provide a free “Drivers of Effectiveness Survey
Benchmarking Tool” at www.volunteerbenchmark.com, described at
http://blogs.bcccc.net/2008/12/new-tool-provides-answers-on-employee-volunteering/.
Download their report, Mapping Success in Employee Volunteering: The Drivers of Effectiveness
for Employee Volunteering and Giving Programs and Fortune 500 Performance,
http://bcccc.net/_uploads/documents/live/MappingSuccesInEmployeeVolunteering.pdf.
Brookings Institute Corporate Philanthropy (USA),
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2007/1128_corporate_volunteering_caprara.aspx
Articles about new directions in international corporate philanthropy, including employee
volunteer programs.
Business in the Community (UK), http://www.bitc.org.uk/index.html
Business in the Community is an organization of over 700 corporations in the UK "committed to
improving their positive impact on society." This dense Web site has a great deal of information
(case studies, reports, news items) about all aspects of community involvement, including
volunteering.
Business for Social Responsibility, http://www.bsr.org/
A global organization that helps member companies achieve success in ways that respect ethical
values, people, communities and the environment.
Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, http://www.cbsr.ca
Resources for Canadian companies interested in social corporate responsibility.
Charity Village (Canada): Corporate Philanthropy and Volunteerism,
http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/rcp.html
Corporate Citizenship Imagine, http://www.imaginecanada.ca/node/33
Canada's national program to promote public and corporate giving, volunteering and support for
the community. Site has many resources and downloadable materials.
Do-it.org (UK) section on employee volunteering, http://www.do-
it.org.uk/wanttovolunteer/evsvolunteering
Practical tips from Do-it, the UK’s online registry of volunteer opportunities.
More…

Employee Volunteer Program Resources, Energize, Inc. Page 2
Good Company (AU), http://www.goodcompany.com.au/
Connects skilled professionals with Australian charitable organizations in need of pro bono
assistance.
HandsOn Network (USA): Top Tools and Resources for Companies,
http://www.handsonnetwork.org/companies/toptools
Investing in Volunteers Project (UK), http://www.investinginvolunteers.org.uk
Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organizations which involve volunteers in
their work -- includes a complete section for employee volunteer programs. The Standard enables
organizations to comprehensively review their volunteer management, and also publicly
demonstrates their commitment to volunteering.
National Service Resource Center (USA): Corporate Partners,
http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/program-financial-and-grant-management/corporate-
partnerships
 Realized Worth, http://realizedworth.blogspot.com/
Focused on employee volunteering and workplace giving, with many solid ideas and discussions
through the blog, "Realizing Your Worth," on "utilizing Employee Volunteer Programs to give you
the edge in business."
Taproot Foundation (USA), http://www.taprootfoundation.org/
Taproot is focused on encouraging pro bono donations of professional services. For sample case
studies of their services, see: http://www.taprootfoundation.org/getprobono/case_studies.php.
Volunteering England: Employer-Supported Volunteering,
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/resources/goodpracticebank/Specialist+Themes/Employer+Supp
orted+Volunteering/index. Download a free booklet, Employee Volunteering: The Guide at
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1D0E311D-6540-44BB-B18A-
7A8178DC39B4/0/evguide.pdf
World Wide Web: Corporate Volunteering
http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/browse/volunteering-issues/corporate-volunteering.html
Information from United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
Some Quality Sample Corporate Programs
Details about the 45 companies achieving the Community Mark Standard of Excellence from
Business in the Community UK:
http://www.bitc.org.uk/community/communitymark/communitymark_companies/achievers.html.
Gap, Inc. (USA),
http://www.gapinc.com/content/csr/html/Goals/communityinvestment/service_leadership.html
Home Depot’s “Team Depot” initiative (USA), http://www.homedepotfoundation.org/how-we-
help/team-depot.html
Manchester Airport (UK)
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf/Content/workinginourcommunity
See their “Community Annual Review 2010-11”:
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf/alldocs/0311F5B1AD86F5A980257904003455F
9/$File/Community+Review+2010-2011.pdf

Singapore
22 and 23 May 2012
Volunteer Power!
The Role of the Citizen Volunteer as Problem Solver
Susan J. Ellis President,
Energize, Inc.
Handouts:
1. The History of Volunteer Involvement in Eight Stages
2. Acting on the Power of Volunteering
3. Mobilizing Volunteers for Your Cause
4. Why People Volunteer

______________________________________________________________________
The History of Volunteer
Involvement
in Eight Stages
Stage 1: One or two people see a need before anyone else does and
start shouting about it. They join the “Lunatic Fringe.”
Stage 2: Others start to see the validity of the cause and help to
raise the decibel—and acceptance—level.
Stage 3: More volunteers join in. It’s now a crowd and has social
approval.
Stage 4: Someone says: “Hey, we all have paid jobs to do and this
unpaid work is exhausting us. Let’s find some money and hire staff.”
Stage 5: Fundraising goes forward and the first employees are hired
to assist the volunteer leaders.
Stage 6: More staff are hired and, slowly but surely, volunteers evolve
as assistants to the paid workers. The board of directors is still
comprised of volunteers, but now they “govern” rather than “manage.”
Stage 7: Entrenched institution with all work of importance done by
employees. Possibly legislated into a government function.
Concerned more with financial survival than with client service.
Stage 8: Someone says: “Do you know what would freshen things up
around here? Let’s recruit some community volunteers!”

_____________________________________
Acting on the Power of
Volunteering
1. You see a need or identify a cause you want to take
action on.
 Is it an issue itself or a symptom of another problem?
 To whom is it a problem? (How do you know?)
2. You recognize that even one person can do something.
3. Research if anyone else is already doing something about this issue or
working on things related to this issue.
 Are they effective?
 Do you want to join them in the work they are doing?
 Propose your project idea to them and see if they will adopt it, with your
help?
 Might you partner with them in doing your own project, with their support?
 If you decide to go independent, know why.
4. If you decide to start something new:
 Are you focused on a single outcome and therefore are not looking beyond
what you need to do to achieve it?
 Are you focused on a long-term effort towards social change?
 Do you expect to start a formal organization at some point?
5. Develop your plan:
 Pick an initial goal that is realistic.
 Decide how much time, energy and money you are willing to commit to it.
 Assess the skills and resources that will be needed for success.
o Which do you have and which do you not have?
o Where might you find other volunteers to provide the needed help?
 Analyze the possible obstacles ahead and strategize ways to avoid or
handle them.
 Enlist the financial, moral, and public relations support of as many other
people as possible.
 Take your first action and keep moving!
The Association of University Women (U.S.) have a slogan:
Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Mobilizing Volunteers
For Your Cause!
Enthusiasm is infectious.
Expect people to be interested because your cause is a good
one – but don’t expect newcomers to automatically be ready
to commit fully. Let people evolve their participation over time.
Be specific about what you want volunteers to do.
Describing the work clearly allows people to recognize if it is something they are interested
in and qualified to do. Being honest about the work only dissuades people who don’t want
to do what’s necessary anyway.
Don’t confuse publicity with recruitment.
Announcing the need for “volunteers” in a newsletter or a meeting is not an invitation that
each person hears as directed to him or herself. Make sure you are making an “ask” that
feels more personal.
Cover the 3 Ts: Tasks, Tools and Time.
Detail what activities will be required, what resources will be made available to support the
work, and how much time it should take (and any deadlines).
Don’t assume ”everyone knows.”
It’s a mistake to think that people fully know (and understand) every project or activity
underway, what help is needed, or how to express interest.
Start small.
Give people a chance to get their feet wet by starting their involvement in a small way such
as helping with a one-day event. Be sure to follow up after!
Keep asking.
If someone has not responded to your recruitment in the past, s/he may feel awkward
about suddenly coming forward. So keep inviting everyone to help, as personally as
possible.

from: The Volunteer Recruitment (and Membership Development) Book, 3rd
ed., by
Susan J. Ellis, copyright 2002, Energize, Inc. www.energizeinc.com
Why People Volunteer
(just a few possible motivations)
• To feel needed
• To share skills
• For a change of pace
• To get to know a new community
or neighborhood
• To help someone
• Because a family member or
friend pressured them
• To gain leadership skills
• To get a change from being a
leader
• To act out a fantasy
• To do their civic duty
• To earn academic credit
• To be with people who are
different than themselves
• To keep busy
• The agency is geographically
accessible
• To do something with a friend or
family member
• To learn the truth
• To do one’s share
• To see that resources are well
allocated
• For recognition
• To make new friends
• To explore a career
• Parenthood
• To demonstrate commitment to
a cause or belief
• To help a family member
• As therapy
• To do something different than
their daily job
• For fun!!!
• For religious reasons
• To keep skills alive
• To repay a debt
• To donate their professional skills
• As a family tradition
• To be challenged
• To be able to criticize without
personal jeopardy
• Because there is no one else to
do it
• To get the meals, transportation,
or other benefits
• To assure progress
• To protect clients from an
institution
• To feel good
• To have an impact
• Because their boss expects it
• To be part of a team
• To learn something new
• To be an advocate
• To gain status
• To get out of the house
• For freedom of schedule
• Because they were asked
• Because of who did the asking
• To test themselves
• As an excuse to do something
they love
• For escape
• To become an “insider”
• To be an agent of change
• Because of their personal
experience with a cause or
problem
• Guilt
• Because of interest in or concern
for the particular client group
• To gain access to services for
themselves
• To experiment with new ways of
doing something
• As an alternative to giving
money
• To be a watchdog
• To feel proud
• To stand up and be counted

Singapore
23 May 2012
The Art and Science of Volunteer Management
Susan J. Ellis President,
Energize, Inc.
Handouts:
1. Is Volunteer Involvement Supported by Top Management?
2. What Makes the Position of Volunteer Program Manager (VPM) Unique?
3. The 12 Elements of Successful Volunteer Involvement (2 pages)
4. Trends in Volunteerism – 2012
5. Vocabulary of Volunteering
6. Exploring Fresh Options for Volunteer Assignments (2 pages)
7. Volunteer Job Description Worksheet
8. Short Attention Spans vs Long-term Causes
9. Orienting and Training Volunteers
10. Employee/Volunteer Tension
11. Special Considerations in Supervising Volunteers
12. Individual Volunteer Performance Assessment (2 pages)
13. Leading Volunteers (2 pages)
14. Reports that Educate and Motivate (2 pages)
15. Celebrating Volunteer Achievements
16. International Web Sites (in English) for Leaders of Volunteers

_____________________________________
Is Volunteer Involvement Supported
by Top Management?
Is It Really Support or Benign Neglect?
Tell-tale signs that demonstrate the answer:
Amount of regular executive—and board—attention.
Articulated vision for why volunteers are wanted and what they do.
Goals for accomplishments, not numbers.
Organizational chart—where are volunteers?
Staffing (at what level?) and overall resource allocation.
Tension between employees and volunteers.
Expectations of employee interaction with volunteers—part of the job?
Willingness to enforce standards of performance of volunteers.
Written policies and clear lines of authority and accountability.
Using broadest definition of “volunteer” and designing volunteer assignments well
beyond “assisting staff.”
Reporting: what required…and what happens then?
The planning process—where are volunteers?
Resource development—are volunteers in the mix?
Top management models how to work with volunteers themselves.

Adapted from Chapter 4 of From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement,
3rd ed., by Susan J. Ellis, © 2010, Energize, Inc.
www.energizeinc.com
______________________________________________
What Makes the Position of Volunteer Program Manager (VPM) Unique?
• The VPM is one of the few members of the staff with responsibility both inside and
outside the organization – to contribute to direct services and to do community outreach.
• The VPM job requires odd work hours. Recruitment must accommodate itself to the
availability of groups and applicants. This may mean evening screening interviews,
weekend special events, breakfast speeches, or Saturday orientation sessions.
• The in-house side of the director of VPM job requires that s/he be aware of the entire
organization. From the offices of senior management to the maintenance department,
the director of volunteers must be alert to new needs for assistance.
• The VPM must deal with staff at all levels in order to determine volunteer assignments
and provide liaison supervision. However, s/he is a department head. In day-to-day
operations, this can produce confusion or suspicion.
• While the volunteer department appears on paper (on the payroll, at least) as the
smallest unit in the facility, the VPM may actually be responsible for more people than
any other administrator except the CEO—and perhaps even more than the CEO!
• A corollary of being responsible for so many people is that no one else coordinates a staff
with so many different schedules and so many different backgrounds – volunteers of all
ages, of varying educational levels, and perhaps even with physical disabilities. Now add
the fact that volunteers have widely varying working schedules and you end up with
something of a circus—with the VPM as juggler!
• Rarely does anyone else in an organization know how volunteers are recruited and
managed. The VPM is the "in-house expert" on volunteers and, in this capacity, acts as
their advocate.
• The VPM has a triple constituency while everyone else in the organization has only two.
Everyone must be concerned about meeting the needs of the consumers and must be
supportive of the organization itself. However, the VPM also has to represent the
volunteer perspective. The VPM facilitates the involvement of volunteers...s/he does not
"control" volunteers.
• The VPM is the only person who has the mandate to dream about new projects without
immediately having to limit such inspiration with the thought, "how will we pay for this?"
Though volunteers are not free, they can test new ideas initially without much cash flow.
This is a very special role.

______________________________________________________________________
What’s in a name?
Volunteer Volunteerism
Voluntary Voluntarism
Unpaid Staff
Intern
Board Member
Trustee
Auxilian/Friend
Active Citizen
Member
Good Samaritan
Donor
Community Resource
Social Change
Activism
Community Involvement
Historical Movements
Neighborhood Action
Mutual Aid
Community Organizing
Students
Service-Learning (Curriculum-based)
Experiential Learning
Community Service
Internship
Graduation or Course Requirement
Extra-Curricular Activity
Voluntary
Business World/the Professions
Corporate Social Responsibility
Pro Bono Publico Work
Donated Professional Services
Workplace volunteering
Social Entrepreneurship
Justice Field
Court-Ordered Community Service
Alternative Sentencing
Restorative Justice
In lieu of fine or jail
In addition to time served
In addition to probation or parole
Faith Communities
Lay Ministry
Social Concerns
Tzedakah, Mitzvot
Zakat (Sadaqa)
Charity
Mutuality
Self-Help
Client-Participant
Stakeholder
Neighborliness
Civic Duty
Belonging, Taking Part
Newly-Coined Terms
Civic Engagement
Skill-anthropist
Voluntourism
“favours” (UK)
Micro-volunteering
Citizen Service
Other Programs
And some think...
Slave
Relative
Sucker
National Service (stipends)
Welfare-to-Work Options
Service Dollar/Time Banking
On assignment by company
Paid Release or Flex Time
On own time

______________________________________________________________________
Exploring Fresh Options for Volunteer Assignments

Maximizing Volunteer Effort:
Take what is unique about volunteers and apply it to designing roles that are most
needed:
• Going beyond the skills and interests of the employees – tapping any and all possible
skills and talents
• Wider spheres of influence
• Concentrated attention (luxury of focus)
• Unusual schedules
• Product‐oriented rather than schedule‐oriented
• Credibility as public educators and advocates
• Able to go past primary client‐service to assist or support others who are involved

Start from now:
What are you doing now that you’d like to do:
• More often or for more people?
• Differently?
• At new locations (off‐site) or at alternate times?

Start from the needs of the people you serve:
• If you were starting from scratch in designing volunteer work positions, what would
you do differently today?
• What services would you like to offer that you cannot offer now?
• What would be helpful or supportive to clients that is not your organization’s
primary purpose, but would make the entire service more effective?
• How might family members (whom you do not serve directly, but who are affected
by the services provided to their loved one) be helped or supported?
• Who are in the client’s circle of contacts (friends, employer, colleagues, neighbors)
who would ordinarily not be seen as a recipient of service, but have a stake in the
outcome –and what would be helpful to them?

(continued)

Exploring Fresh Options, continued
©2011, Energize, Inc.

Start from what would add to staff skills:
• What needs to be done that no one on staff has the expertise to do?
• What might be considered to be done if new skills were found?
• Rather than someone “working for” a staff member, what might a consultant or
technical assistance provider offer to each department?
• What could a skilled person do to help department heads and executives?
• What might a “private citizen” do that staff might not be allowed to do officially?
• How could some form of staff diversity enlarge the services offered to clients:  age,
race, income, occupation, life experience, etc.?

Start from what current volunteers would like to do:
• What skills do they have that you’ve never asked them to use on your behalf?
• What new things might they like to learn how to do?

Start from talent pools available to you:
• Do not “make work” that is not useful to your mission!  But…how might you apply an
offer of unexpected talent, skill, or area of expertise to the things identified above?
• How can you adapt existing volunteer work to mesh with the skills or availability of
prospective new volunteers?

Also consider:
• What’s been on the back burner or on a wish list for ages
• Virtual volunteering/online service
• Alumni or “graduated”  clients returning to help new clients
• Families together
• Teams, especially corporate employee programs
• One‐time “days of service”
• Off‐site service
• Barter and collaboration
• Fun and the unexpected

* Some legal experts recommend not using the word “job” in relation to volunteer assignments.
So you can call this a Volunteer Position Description, Volunteer Assignment Form, whatever.
from: The Volunteer Recruitment Book, 3rd
ed., by Susan J. Ellis, copyright 2002,
Energize, Inc., 5450 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144.
www.energizeinc.com
Volunteer Job*
Description Worksheet
Position Title: _________________________________________________
(Remember the word “volunteer” is a pay category, not a title!)
Description of Project/Purpose of Assignment:
Outline of Volunteer’s Responsibilities or List of Tasks:
(Give potential and limits.)
Outcomes/Goals:
How will you and the volunteer know that the job is being done well or that the project is
successful?
Training and Support Plan:
How will the volunteer be prepared for the work and oriented to the agency? Who will
supervise/ be the contact point?
Reporting:
What reports will be expected, in what form and how often?
Time Commitment:
Minimum hours per week/month? On any special schedule? For what duration of time?
Qualifications Needed:
Benefits:
What will the volunteer get in exchange for service (tangibles and intangibles)?

_____________________________________
Short Attention Spans vs Long-term Causes
Quick Expectations for Everything
The speed of global communications
E-mail instant messaging texting ???
“Cause du jour” news stories (24/7) focusing on a specific need or activity
only to replace it with the next new cause
Television shows that begin and end a dramatic incident in one hour
Disposable everything – “planned obsolescence”
No more gold watches after 25 years on a job – and far fewer silver and gold
wedding anniversaries!
Demands on Everyone’s Time
Unending accessibility by employers (and others) due to smart phones
Hours spent online during “free time”
Financial crisis forcing many into extra jobs and delayed retirement
Divorce creating two households and double the chores, as well as scheduled
parenting (and guilt over not enough time with the kids)
Over-scheduling of activities for children and adults
Caring for aging parents
Images of Volunteering
Steady commitment of time on a set schedule – endlessly
Filling an unpaid job slot with defined activities
Success = more expectations for more time
Wasted hours in meetings
Single days of service focused on group labor
So…
Help people to multi-task (e.g., volunteer with their kids)
Create short-term projects with a clear beginning and end (these foster
evolving loyalty as people return for new projects)
Stress volunteering as skill and career development, or as filling social needs,
or as whatever people don’t think they have time to do
Appeal to those who want to be challenged (why make time for something
that anyone can do?)
Explore virtual volunteering options
Approach volunteering using the consulting model, not as staff “assistants”
Invite entrepreneurial service, in which the volunteer can craft his or her own
role (which elicits commitment and ownership)

_____________________________________
Orienting and Training Volunteers
Orientation
• Consistent for every volunteer, regardless of position or
background (except for single days of service).
• Usually done centrally by the Volunteer Services Office.
• Still need something to introduce your specific setting.
IIddeeaass aanndd TToooollss
o A physical tour – and don’t forget the basics such as how
the phone system works or where to store personal belongings.
o Introductions to people – or at least a list of names.
o How to find information when needed.
Initial Training
• Must be relevant to each specific volunteer position description.
• Must be tailored to the abilities and experience of each volunteer.
• Usually done by the direct supervisor or unit.
• Consider all newcomers to be official “trainees” for a set period.
• Need to determine how much someone needs to know before starting on an activity vs.
what can continue to be taught over several sessions as the volunteer starts working.
• Determine learning objectives for knowledge, skills, and attitudes…and then how to
teach each different element of job performance.
• Give constructive feedback early.
o Can anything be videotaped?
o A volunteer manual or guidebook.
o Instruction sheets!
o Buddy system with a current volunteer.
Ongoing/In-service Training
• Articulate objectives: freshen skills, develop team spirit, etc. – and then design a process
that achieves those objectives.
• What can be shared through the written word? Online? What needs a meeting?
• Involve volunteers themselves in planning and delivering this.
• Mesh with employee in-service training when possible.
o Password-protected area of Web site.
o Year-long calendar
o Cross-department fertilization.

From: Focus on Volunteering KopyKit ™ by
Susan J. Ellis, Energize, Inc./Parlay International, ©1999.
Employee/Volunteer Tension
The problem most often identified by organ-
izations with volunteers is tension between
employees and volunteers. Whether the setting is a
health center, a museum, or a school, developing
teamwork between the paid and unpaid workers is
a true challenge. Is there something inevitable
about friction when volunteers are on the scene? In
some ways, yes.
Too many organizations recruit volunteers with
the expectation that “more hands” will be a good
thing. The problem is that those extra hands are
attached to complete human beings, needing more
time and attention than was planned. And most of
the time the paid staff has had no training in how
to work effectively with volunteers. They are
expected to do so instinctively.
Volunteer management is the “invisible person-
nel issue” that surfaces when tension boils over.
Yet many of the issues causing conflict between
volunteers and employees can be avoided with
fore-thought.
The Employee Perspective
Employees who dislike working with volunteers
are not bad people. In the absence of clear signals
from above, employees are suspicious of the
motives for encouraging volunteer involvement: Is
this a first step in budget cutting? What if the
volunteers do great work? Will staff jobs be on the
line? Who will be accountable if a volunteer does
something wrong? These are all valid questions
that can be answered to alleviate fears.
Other issues that may be fact or fear are:
• There is limited workspace already and
now it has to be shared with volunteers.
• Volunteers are an interruption in an
already over-busy day.
• Volunteers see what goes on and may
criticize or offer unrealistic suggestions.
• It is hard to design work for a teenager
one day, a senior the next day, and a
graduate student the next.
• Volunteers seem to get all the thank
you’s.
The list can go on and on, but the pattern is clear.
An agency should elicit open discussion of why
volunteers have been recruited and what it will take
to put them to work productively. It should also
listen to legitimate concerns (such as limited space
or necessary requirements for certain jobs) and
work with employees to solve them.
Most important, employees need some training
in how to work with volunteers. Many truly do not
know if or how they can set standards, require
accountability, or criticize volunteers. They also
need to understand the importance of friendliness,
courtesy, and appreciation.
The Volunteer Perspective
It takes two to tango. Sometimes it is the
attitude of the volunteers that leads to trouble.
Some potential issues are:
• Volunteers may feel more experienced
than the paid staff.
• Volunteers see paid staff taking breaks or
socializing and may misperceive their
dedication.
• Volunteers may arrive on time and find no
work prepared.
• Volunteers may believe their job is to
“protect” clients from the system and to
watchdog against possible abuses.
• They may feel that they are given the low-
level work employees don’t like to do.
• They may feel unappreciated.
• Because there is a time lapse between
their shifts, volunteers sense they are out
of the communication loop and don’t
know what is going on.
These types of issues send the message to
volunteers that they are outsiders, tolerated rather
than welcomed. In some cases such feelings are
incorrect conclusions, but in other cases volunteers
have not been integrated into the team.
The orientation and training of volunteers
should include a description of the roles of the
employees with whom they will be working.
Volunteers should also understand the chain of
command and know where and how to register a
complaint, express praise, or make suggestions
supportively.
The Management Perspective
If volunteer involvement is a desired goal,
management must do its part to assure that
teamwork can occur naturally. This means setting
goals and objectives for volunteers and staff,
articulating policies that set standards for
volunteers, rewarding staff who supervise volun-
teers well, correcting those who do not, and other
well-established steps that demonstrate agency
expectations. Volunteers cannot integrate them-
selves into the organization alone—but when given
the opportunity and the support, everyone can join
together to make it work.

Note: Not all volunteers are “supervised.” Sometimes they simply need a staff liaison or
point person to work with them as equal team members or project consultants.
_____________________________________
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE
SUPERVISION OF VOLUNTEERS
(whether face-to-face, in the field, or online)
Supervising volunteers is just like supervising paid staff, except for having to
pay extra attention to the following:
1. Wasting a volunteer’s time is far worse than paying someone to have nothing
meaningful to do.
2. The key to the best utilization of volunteers (who are part-time workers) is task analysis
of the work to be done. Break jobs into segments that can be accomplished in two to
five hour shifts—and list instructions in sequence for doing each task.
3. Volunteers need to be put “into the loop” each time about what occurred since their last
shift or contact.
4. Volunteers must have access to the tools, information, and people necessary to do their
work, which may include a clearly-designated work area, including storage space.
5. A supervisor or someone else who can answer questions must be available during the
volunteer’s work shift or when s/he telephones from the field.
6. Never assume that people know how to work together in a volunteer situation—it’s
probable that neither the paid staff nor the volunteers have been trained in this sort of
teamwork.
7. No volunteer is too important or too skilled not to benefit from orientation and training
for your setting.
8. Because volunteers do not have to continue working with you, there is less margin for
mistreatment or lack of courtesy than with paid staff—it’s “instant accountability.”
9. It’s appropriate for volunteers to do some socializing, but not at the expense of
productivity.
10. Recognition—both thanks and acknowledgment of input—should be continuous.
11. Correcting the poor performance of some volunteers sends the important message to all
volunteers doing the work right: their efforts are appreciated and standards do matter.
12. Create self-fulfilling prophecy: expect the best, skilled performance from volunteers
and see what happens.

_____________________________________
INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEEER PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT
(as distinct from volunteer program evaluation)
Issues to Consider:
1. Are all employees evaluated regularly on their performance? On what criteria?
2. Without a written volunteer position description to which the volunteer committed at
the beginning of service, there is no basis upon which to determine if a volunteer was
successful or not in fulfilling an assignment. So start with current, relevant position
descriptions.
3. What is the priority reason for conducting volunteer performance assessment?
• To see if the volunteer is doing a “good job”?
• To back-up the decision to “fire” the volunteer?
• To judge the quality of matching, training, or supervision received?
• To give the volunteer recognition?
• To determine a new assignment and possibly a “promotion”?
• To help the management of the volunteer program?
• To justify the volunteer program?
• To respond to a request by administration?
• To look back? To look ahead?
4. Are you prepared to correct poor performance? If not, you send a message to all
other volunteers that their hard work is not valued. You also send a message to paid
staff that they cannot expect quality standards of volunteers.
Some Tips:
Apply the process to all volunteers fairly and equitably. Tell all new volunteers that
assessment is a routine part of the work because everyone wants to provide the best
services.
Call the process something other than an “evaluation,” which conjures up memories
of student report cards (or pay raise conferences) and emphasizes the past. Instead,
use more neutral phrases such as: “Mutual Assessment,” “Progress Plan,” or the
“Where Are We?” form.
(continued)

Individual Volunteer Performance Assessment, page 2
© Energize, Inc., www.energizeinc.com
Be sure that the process is two-way. This is a great time to learn about your
organization from the volunteer’s perspective. (Remember how we keep saying that
volunteers bring us a fresh point of view?)
Start with the volunteer position description. What was actually accomplished? What
was not and why? How should the position description be changed to accommodate
changes in the work since it was written? What did the volunteer do (positive or
negative) that was not in the original position description?
Believe in the philosophy that no one wants to volunteer time uselessly. Any
feedback and help you give to a volunteer who is not doing the job right will help him
or her to do better...and therefore to give time more productively. If you do not point
out errors, you allow the volunteer to waste time.
Performance evaluations often indicate training needs for volunteers. Are you ready
to respond? What happens if the process shows the need for further training of paid
staff?
Look ahead, not back. This is an opportunity for re-commitment and is best
approached as a form of recognition. Celebrate accomplishments! But be ready,
too, to deal directly with possible problems.

Leading Volunteers (especially if you’re a volunteer, too)
Excerpted from “Training Leadership Volunteers” by Susan J. Ellis, published as the “On Volunteers”
column, The NonProfit Times, January 2007.
Intellectually, most people can define what employees and volunteers have in common and
where they are quite different. But it can’t be assumed that knowing these characteristics
translates into applying that understanding in daily work.…Some of what helps people –
paid or unpaid – to be productive are universals: defined roles with clear goals; training or
at least good instructions; access to information and advice; fairness and consistency;
recognition; coaching; and appropriate and sufficient resources and tools. It’s useful to
acknowledge that volunteers and employees share these wishes, but that’s not the whole
story. So next consider some unique volunteer-related issues.
Schedule and Time
One of the major distinctions between employees and volunteers is the number of hours
they spend working for your organization. With only a very few exceptions, volunteers are
actively focusing on your needs for a few hours a week or less, while employees in a full-
time job have the organization as a priority in their lives.
Volunteers are themselves busy people with a long list of commitments apart from their
service to you. This doesn’t mean volunteers don’t want or intend to keep their promises to
follow through on assignments they’ve accepted. It’s just that it’s helpful to remember that
their paying jobs and already-limited family time may have to come first.
As a practical matter, the issue of schedule makes it easy for volunteers to feel out of the
loop, so they need to be updated on progress and news in a more conscious way than do
employees – who will pick up much of the information and gossip naturally during a week,
at the water cooler. It’s hard to see the big picture when spending only a few hours each
week or month on a project, so all volunteers need their activities placed into context.
[Remember] to:
• Start all meetings with a recap of what’s happened since the last meeting.
• Include volunteers on agency notices and communiqués, whether snail-
mailed or e-mailed.
• Send background documents, clearly marked “FYI” to differentiate them
from materials needing direct attention.
• Encourage volunteers to ask questions to fill in gaps in their knowledge, not sit in
the dark.
Motivation
It’s as inaccurate to characterize all volunteers as “passionate” for your mission as it is unfair
to consider all employees as giving their services merely because “it’s their job.” Ideally,
both paid and unpaid participants care deeply about the work of the organization, and it’s
best to approach both with that assumption.
Nevertheless, it ought to be the case that volunteers begin – and remain – involved because
they care a great deal about helping your cause. This means they need to see how their
involvement makes a difference…Thank volunteers for what they accomplish and not simply
for “time served.”

It’s also worth noting that volunteering is a “leisure time” activity, able to be done only when
the volunteer is not committed to a paying job, to family needs, or to other obligations. So
it’s paramount that a welcoming climate is created in which volunteers look forward to
doing their service. Having fun is a great tool for volunteer retention, as well as fostering
creativity and innovation. “Fun” can range from offering time to socialize before or after
meetings, making sure volunteers become acquainted beyond the facts of their resumes, or
consciously building in applause and humor wherever possible.
Recognition is a continuous responsibility of volunteer leaders, and it’s so much more than
annual formal thank-you’s. The personal touch matters a great deal, as does expressing
appreciation as soon as possible after the good work is done. A few other ideas are:
• Because major goals will take a year or more to reach, don’t wait until the
end to give recognition. Break down the time line and applaud reaching
intermediate targets and small but vital successes along the way.
• Thank volunteers by name for specific contributions.
• Use gag gifts to make a point. For example, hand out Lifesaver candy rolls at the
very next meeting to the volunteer responsible for finding the new venue when
the original one cancelled. It might be corny, but it will be noticed!
One of the wonderful things about working with volunteers is that they bring a wide
spectrum of different skills, experiences, and community contacts. This means [you are] not
required to have all the answers, nor should [you] expect to make decisions alone. A
collaborative, participatory team decision-making approach has the most success, especially
when all the perspectives volunteers represent are included in the deliberations.
Conversely, while acknowledging the skills of volunteers, it’s also important to note that no
volunteer is too experienced or too high status not to benefit from orientation and even
some training…You may be concerned that it may be insulting to ask [high-status] business
executives, for example, to attend a training session. Point out that the intent is not to imply
lack of knowledge, but to give support to ensure success in this particular nonprofit
context….
[You] may be reluctant to be directive [to a volunteer because he or she is unpaid. Consider
the following]:
• It is worse to talk negatively about a person with others than to confront
him or her directly about poor performance.
• It’s actually more flattering to suggest that a volunteer could do better at
something than to act as if you think they’ve already done the best they
could.
• If you want to recognize good volunteers, then deal with volunteers who
are not doing the right things. Otherwise you send the message to all the
others that it doesn’t matter whether or not they do something well.
• It may be a relief to the volunteer that you are offering options for improving a
situation s/he also feels is not working out.
…Set high standards, and do not settle for “well, we’ve got to accept whatever volunteers
do.” Expect the best and that’s what you’ll get. But don’t assume that everyone
automatically comes with positive expectations, even volunteers themselves.
Excerpted from “Training Leadership Volunteers” by Susan J. Ellis,
published as the “On Volunteers” column, The NonProfit Times, January 2007.

_____________________________________
REPORTS THAT EDUCATE AND MOTIVATE
While volunteer program managers tend to prefer human interaction to
dealing with data and reporting, a vital leadership role is to help everyone
see the big picture. Develop reports that meet multiple objectives.
Remember: If something is truly valued and
integral to the operation of your organization,
then it ought to be measured, assessed, and
appreciated. What’s the message to volunteers
if no one asks any questions about what they
contribute?
Do you report at all?
• Why, what, how often, and to whom?
• Required reports vs. saying what’s necessary
What data do you collect and share?
• Always give more than “grand totals”
• Show “how many” volunteers, but also where they are placed and what
they do
• Present all the data—occasional volunteers as well as ongoing, groups
who assist, etc.
• Include statistics on program operations, not simply volunteer numbers
• Only collect relevant data that you will use!
Do you also write a narrative report?
• Apply the “So-what? Factor”
• Highlight things that are new, but don’t neglect things that continue to go
smoothly
• Also report on problems or challenges—and a plan for tackling the issue
• Explain what is in the planning stages, not just when it happens (a way to
educate on the full effort involved)
• Report on interviews and training sessions (volunteer and staff)
conducted
• Include information on your outreach activities in the community
• Share how the program has handled special requests for assistance
(more)

Reports that Educate, page 2
© 2011, Energize, Inc.
To whom are your reports distributed?
• Submitted “up” to executives and the board of directors
• Shared “across” to other department heads
• Shared with volunteers—after all, it’s their report
Who else accepts responsibility for recognizing volunteer
contributions?
• Expect each unit or department to include volunteers working with them
in their reports about the unit or department, too
• Expect the Executive Director to incorporate volunteer involvement in
reports on the whole agency (public reports, reports to funders, etc.)
• Expect the Board to want a report and to react to it.
What happens after you report?
• If no one comments or responds, you need to follow up
• Analyze the statistics to discover patterns in such things as retention by
unit or assignment
• Use the information in recruitment, training, and for building
volunteer/employee teamwork
• Take whatever actions are warranted to deal with issues raised in the
report…including to celebrate
Do you compile an annual report?
• A great tool for internal marketing and education
• Launch at volunteer recognition event
• A place to report, in aggregate, who the volunteers are: ages, gender,
race, education level, occupations, etc.
What else can you share that illuminates volunteer
engagement?
• Publicity received during month
• Unsolicited letters of thank you to the program
• Samples of newsletters, recruitment materials, etc.
• Results of any program evaluations or needs assessments
• Recognition received such as awards

____________________________________________________________________
Celebrating Volunteer Achievements
The Connection between
Recordkeeping, Evaluation, Training, Recognition,
Recruitment, and Volunteer/Employee Relations
Don’t wait for an annual event to shine a light on
accomplishments:
Take photographs all the time and put them on agency bulletin boards, print
them in newsletters, and post them to Web sites. A picture is worth a thousand
words, especially if it shows diverse volunteers being active.
Develop a “Volunteer Victory” alert form (on paper or via e-mail) and share
successes as they happen. Include the names of supportive paid staff, too.
Submit reports that pass the “So what?” test. Make sure the details are
distributed to each department and to all volunteers themselves.
Keep a continuous testimonial and comment log. Remember Susan’s Maxim:
Two people talking is a conversation. Several people talking is gossip. But
recording the comments of many people talking is data!
Ask for special notes on excellent volunteer management to be placed into
employees’ personnel records.
Initiate a “sudden praise squad” that descends upon a person who just achieved
something with attention-getting fun. Leave a consistent reward behind (special
paperweight, framed medal, etc.).
Then, make use of the annual recognition event:
Create award categories that celebrate accomplishments, not hours or longevity.
Acknowledge and somehow involve volunteers who can’t be present.
Show the “year in review” in slides.
Issue an annual report and include “did you know?” facts such as volunteers’
professions, education, etc.
Focus on letting volunteers, employees, and clients speak (you don’t need
outside entertainment!) about impact.
Be an in-house educator, not a wedding planner!

_____________________________________
Students as Volunteers: Some Food for Thought
 The label “student” encompasses a very wide range of different people and activities:
 Applied to children, teenagers, young adults, and even older people who are formally
enrolled in school, university, or various classes/courses, though it mainly it refers to
younger people.
 Young volunteers may generically be called “students,” but if they come
independently or through a youth group or faith community, their status as a student
is irrelevant to their service because their school is not involved.
 Being students becomes relevant when it affects what young people wish to do as a
volunteer and how they want to do it—and when the school plays a role. Specifically,
the involvement can be curriculum-based (often referred to as service-learning
or an internship) or extra-curricular.
 Extra-curricular service can include things like:
 Volunteering by members of a school club or fraternity/sorority
 School projects designed to help the community but not tied to any particular course
or class, often involving the entire student body
 Career exploration, when the student selects a form of volunteering that allows him
or her to spend time observing and participating in a field of work with potential for
future employment
 Curriculum-based service:
 Is not necessarily voluntary. Students may be required to give a certain number of
hours to a community organization as a prerequisite for completing a course, writing
a paper, and even in order to graduate. But even if there are mandates, students do
have a degree of choice in where they will spend their time.
 Is not necessarily without pay. Some internships are salaried (most notably in
medicine) or offer a stipend or living allowance.
 Service-learning allows students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real
world. Sometimes students mainly want to observe work being done in a setting,
but service-learning should include giving service, too. It’s not a one-way street and
no NPO should feel obligated to do anything that does not work towards their
mission.
(continued)

Students as Volunteers, © 2012, Energize, Inc. Page 2
 Keep the following principles and questions in mind:
 NPOs are not “laboratories” for academic observation. Students actually learn the
most when they are asked to complete real-world volunteer assignments with
meaning to those served. How can NPOs and schools design work for students to
do that has impact and also builds character and decision-making skills? How can
everyone plan ahead to accommodate things like semester schedule changes and
exam periods?
 Despite lip service about wanting young volunteers, some adults are skeptical of the
ability of students to contribute – will youth be more trouble than they’re worth?
Can an NPO set and enforce standards of performance with this age group? What
unique skills do young people offer that would allow the NPO to do more, in better
ways? Are there special methods of working with students that differ from ways we
generally work with adults?
 Some students think “volunteering” is old fashioned and would prefer to find a
paying job. Ideally, young people who have satisfying community service experience
while still in school continue to be actively engaged as volunteers for the rest of their
lives. So both NPOs and schools must show students that volunteering remains
critical in a democracy and that a productive life includes both paid and unpaid
activities.
 Not all service by students is classroom-based. How might NPOs attract and engage
the talents of young volunteers in a more recreational model, yet with opportunities
to learn new skills and explore future careers?
 If your NPO serves children and youth, inviting young students to be volunteers will
give you a very important perspective that no “adult” staff member can offer. Young
volunteers can be your sounding board for new service ideas, interpret how their
peers might react to your projects, talk with their peers on your behalf, and keep
you on track about what youth need.
 A few benefits of young volunteers:
 Fresh perspective
 Energy and interest
 Willing to do things that are “active”
 Savvy about technology
 If school-based, they also bring the expertise of their faculty liaison
 A few cautions in working with young volunteers:
 By definition, they are inexperienced
 May never have been in a work environment like yours
 May not have the writing skills needed
 School may ask for things the student wants, but your NPO is not prepared to
give
 NPO staff are not school teachers – they are supervisors who hold young
volunteers to the standards of the organization, which may be different than the
expectations of the school.

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