But there is little research into what this might actually mean for volunteer programmes and how they can adapt…
Published earlier this year, Bridging the Gap combines a literature review of volunteering globally with primary research in Canada to help understand: What people are looking for in volunteering How orgs are engaging volunteers What steps we can take to ‘bridge the gap’ The research specifically looked at four groups – Young people, employer supported volunteers, families, baby boomers. We will look at the more general findings. I will build on these with my own reflections and some UK data.
Across all groups people wanted to be able to volunteer with others (family, friends etc.) in order to engage in social activity, meet new people and develop business networks. Growing emphasis in the UK on skills based employer supported volunteering not just traditional team challenges. But not everyone who is an accountant wants to be a board treasurer. As the management of volunteering has become more formalised, especially with the development of more HR like approaches to volunteer management, so role descriptions etc. have become more commonplace. But Bridging The Gap found that people wanted to shape their roles around their own skills, experience and interests. We’re still reliant on the traditional, ask-a-busy-person uber-volunteer. But people want more short term, episodic, even micro opportunities to engage. Marketing of volunteer programmes stands out in that it is almost always based on what we need not how the potential volunteer will benefit.
Most organisations assess motivation & interests at start of volunteering relationship – and then not very well. Similarly volunteers’ availability will change due to increasingly complex lives (sandwich generation). Far more socially acceptable that volunteering is about giving and getting – probably always has been of course. Yet most organisations have an inflexible, take it or leave it approach to volunteering – these opportunities at these times etc. People want volunteering to enable them to learn new skills & share their experience with others. Yet we still have large numbers of unskilled volunteering opportunities and roles where we don’t trust volunteers to go about the work in their own way. Time is increasingly precious as we all live more complex and pressured lives. People have to be convinced that they aren’t going to waste their time volunteering with you and that they will make a difference.
Do know what you want volunteers to do and create meaningful roles for them to engage in. Be open to their ways of doing things, the skills they might bring and new ideas for volunteer opportunities based on what people offer you. By all means look for specific skills and expertise but be open to what people have to offer. An expert in print design may volunteer but to learn skills in web design – can you accommodate or negotiate that with them? Helping Out (2007) showed a big improvement in volunteers’ satisfaction with how well volunteer involving organisations organised volunteering. Quality management and leadership is important. Increasing questioning of whether HR is the right model – parity of esteem not parity of treatment.
Volunteers want different things than they did in the past. We need to re-think how we involve them in achieving our mission. So we need to think about who does what and who is best suited to do what in our organisations. Volunteer management has become increasingly process driven and risk averse. For example, we look for a volunteers with specific skills and then tell them how to do the job. We need to change things so we become more empowering, telling the volunteers what needs to be done but letting them determine the how and when. We need to find ways to adapt to the changing schedules and interests of volunteers. Use technology and social media to our advantage (recruitment, management, online volunteering etc.) but be wary of things that claim to provide magical solutions to the problems we face e.g. microvolunteering. We need to really understand what people want from volunteering (not what they think we want to hear) and how these motivations, interests and availabilities change across demographics and over time.
We need a better understanding of our audience Segmentation Interests & motivations Other demands on their time How their needs change over time Reaching out more effectively Target our recruitment efforts to segments Understand that we are competing with any other way they can spend their free time Make best use of their motivations and interests e.g. advertising through estate agents, envelope stuffing club etc. Provide pathways to engagement, from taster sessions to great commitment Management/leadership Become less process oriented Inspire and engage people rather than recruit and manage them Become the director and not the choreographer, getting the best from the talent we engage not telling them what to do Avoid repelling Link to MJC doing next slot.
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