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VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT |
Volunteer Retention“I wanted to see the difference I was able to make and have an effect on that person's life, rather than donating money to a good cause.” (A
literacy volunteer)
Retention and MotivationWhen asked by Community Literacy of Ontario what motivates them to continue volunteering with their literacy agencies, the top reasons identified by volunteers were:
Volunteer retention is all about creating an environment where volunteers feel supported, valued and welcomed. It is about providing volunteers with the information, resources and training they need to succeed in their positions. It is about supporting volunteers so that they can make a difference. Often, agencies put considerable effort into volunteer recruitment and less effort into retention. However, in the long run it takes more time and energy to recruit, screen and train new volunteers than it does to keep the ones you have. Focusing energy on nurturing your relationships with existing volunteers will be time and effort well spent. Your payback will be quality volunteers who are loyal to the organization and a joy to work with. When CLO asked literacy volunteers what supports they most needed to help them do their work, here is what they told us:
How well does your agency provide all of these things to volunteers? Here are some suggestions that may help. Open communication with agency staffOngoing communication will help volunteers feel more connected to the organization. Although the onus should be on program staff to communicate with volunteers on a regular basis, be sure your volunteers know they can contact you at any time for help or advice! Let volunteers know that you will call or email them regularly. For tutors you may want to contact them more frequently when they are first matched with a student. Check in with board or committee members after meetings to thank them for their help or ask if they have any questions. Set up a regular check in time with volunteers involved in providing technical or administrative support. It can be difficult to reach volunteers during the day. Contacting them would be easier if you ensure you get a current email address (where available). Also, in the application form, you can ask volunteers to give you both an evening and daytime telephone number. Information / tools of the trade / resourcesMake sure that you give all volunteers the information and resources they need to do their jobs effectively. For tutors, this could be printed materials, workbooks or websites. It could also be copies of sample forms that you have collected. Remind tutors to refer to their tutor training manual and handouts from training. For boards and committees, it could be past policies, minutes and other background materials. Work with the chair of the board or committee to ensure that everyone has the information they need. In addition, tell volunteers how and where they can access additional material. Let them know about the resources at the local library or via AlphaPlus Centre and the National Adult Literacy Database. Also let volunteers know that they can contact the program at any time to get suggestions about resources or other needed material. Supervision and supportThrough ongoing supervision and support, you will not only help volunteers to feel more connected to the organization, you may be able to spot "burn-out", or be able to give volunteers the acknowledgement that they are on-track and are doing a good job, or you may be able to provide them with needed resources and other supports. The more comfortable volunteers are with you, the more likely they are to approach you for help if they feel things are not going well. A good idea for new tutors is to have an experienced volunteer or a staff person sit in on the first couple of tutoring sessions. They can then provide feedback to new tutors, and this will also help tutors gain confidence in their new role. Clear polices and position descriptionsClear polices and position descriptions will help everyone involved with the literacy agency to understand their roles and responsibilities. One of the best sources for sample policies and procedures is CLO's "Guide to the Development of Policies and Procedures", Volumes One and Two. Copies of these two resources were sent to every community-based agency several years ago. They were so popular that they are now out-of-print. But check your shelves for this little gold mine of information! For more information on position descriptions, please refer to the previous section, "Screening and Intake". |
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CLO gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the National Literacy Secretariat (HRSDC) and the technical support provided by the National Adult Literacy Database in developing this web site.
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