Discover how to gain and keep volunteer based on the book "The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer by Jonathan and Thomas W. McKee.
1. The World of Volunteers has
changed. But have you changed?
Based on the book “The New Breed: Understanding and
Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer” by Jonathan and Thomas
W. McKee
3. The New Breed Volunteer
Do you recognize people like this in PTA?
They are very busy, have many obligations and often volunteer for
multiple organizations
They want flexibility
They expect to be empowered
They won’t tolerate working alongside incompetent people
They are tech-savvy
They don’t want to be micromanaged
4. The “Courting” Relationship
Use the Dating Method
FIRST DATE
A tour, an opportunity to serve a chance to experience your mission, a lunch where they
hear your passion
Goal: Give them a taste, gather information, get a second date
SECOND DATE
Listen to their heart, find a fit, share roles and responsibilities, avoid “Oh by the way”
moments.
Goal: recruiting, building relationship for future recruiting or securing a future date
Future Dates
Understand that “no” doesn’t always mean “never”
5. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #1: Expect announcements to get volunteers
What doesn’t work
Send out a flyer
Make a few calls
Stressing over vacancies
So will work?
The word volunteer is not a verb it should be a noun
They want a cause they believe in
Quit asking for volunteers but ask for “dates”
6. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #2: Go it alone
What doesn’t work.
Doing it alone like a super hero
You must have a team
What will work?
Build an effective network
Find people with:
A passion for your organization
Already actively volunteering for you
A clear communicator
A visionary
7. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
Sin # 3: Recruit only volunteer who make long term
commitments
What won’t work
Asking for the life long commitment the first time they volunteer
with you.
What will work
Ask for short term projects
As they work with other passionate people they catch the
commitment from others
8. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #4: Assume that “No” means “Never”
What won’t work
Giving up just because they run away from helping the first time
What will work?
Timing is everything
Ask them if any position interest them, including the ones that they
never consider.
9. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN # 5: Recruit any Ol’ B.I.C.
B.I.C. = Body in chair
What doesn’t work
Asking “Please come and be apart of our group, We have a great time and we
need your expertise” and we don’t tell them what we want them to do.
What will work?
Effective recruiting demands a very clear, complete and brief presentation of the
roles and responsibilities of the position you’re recruiting for.
This not only helps the person
10. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #6: Treat professional like their lackeys
What doesn’t work
Assuming that since a person already volunteers that they are too
busy to help your organization
What will work?
Ask professional to be in charge of something significant that they
also love.
11. 7 Deadly Sins of Recruiting Volunteers
SIN #7: Hire professionals who know nothing about volunteer
management
What doesn’t work
Hiring someone who is very good at what the organization does rather than a
volunteer leader
The professional feel deceived because they don’t realize a big part of they do is
recruiting and managing volunteers
What does work?
Organizations that rely on volunteers should hire volunteer managers
12. Seven Strong Power-recruiting Skills
1. Ask Personally – get the first date
2. Develop strategic recruiting partners- build your network
3. Recruit short term project teams
4. Assume “No” means “Not Now”
5. Develop roles and responsibilities – don’t just fill with a warm body
6. Recruit specific people for specific roles
7. Hire true volunteer managers- They have a positive volunteer attitude
13. Tapping into 2 New Breed Volunteers
BOOMERS
Retiring professionals want to make a
difference
Retiring professionals aren’t afraid of
commitment
Retiring professional want flexibility
GENERATION Y
They’re Impatient
They’re multitaskers
They think digital
They’re tolerant
They’re looking for causes
They’re team players
They don’t want to be managed; they
want to be led
14. Recruiting and managing retiring
professionals
1. Do you have a cause?
2. Are you providing opportunities for them
to use their skills
3. Are you keeping the standard high?
4. Are you highlighting the payoff?
5. Are you providing flexibility?
1. Retiring professionals want to make a
difference, not a contribution
2. Are your just looking for a B.I.C.
3. Retiring Boomers don’t want to work
alongside half-committed, unprofessional
”any way will do” volunteers
4. Make sure volunteers know what’s in it for
them, as well as how their work benefits your
cause or mission
5. These volunteers are on the go and will often
volunteer for more than one organization.
15. Recruiting and managing young
professionals
1. Are you mission driven?
2. Are you a coach to these young individuals?
3. Do you involve this your generation in decision
making?
4. Does your group practice diversity in recruiting,
promoting hiring, and seeking leadership?
5. Do you take advantage of the community
service requirements that many schools
require?
1. Don’t tell members of this young generation,
“Please do this job and have it done by Friday”
Instead say “What can you do to help us
accomplish our mission?” Get to know them as
an individual and listen to their input.
2. Be a coach- Challenge them to do their best,
yet nurture individuals and encourage them to
reach their full potential
3. They want to be apart of the team in making
decisions
4. This young generation ignores gender and
racial biases and works with anyone who can
help them accomplish common goals
17. Motivating the New Breed of Volunteers
1. Know what motivates people to volunteer
Self-serving motivational drive- it meets their needs
Relational drive- People commit because of friendships
Core motivation, their BELIEFS- this is the strongest level of
commitment
2. Give regular feedback
Make it specific and often
Without feedback volunteers don’t know where they stand
18. Motivating the New Breed of Volunteers
3.Send volunteers to conferences
4.Most conferences offer 2 benefits: Training and
Motivation
5.Provide on the job vocational training
6.Offer practical skill development
7.Be available to volunteers
8.Provide free food
19. Motivating the New Breed of Volunteers
9. Provide tangible incentives
10.Say it with flowers- a personal gift
11.Have fun
12.Accountability
13.Positive Gossip
14.Huddles
15.Thanking families of volunteers
20. The SIX Rules of Empowerment
Rule #1: Don’t take the football- give it away
Rule #2: Label each handoff as either delegation or
empowerment
Rule #3: Secure the handoff
Rule #4: Break down task into manageable goals
Rule#5: Don’t take the football if you can’t do anything about
it.
Rule #6: Develop good hand off skill to avoid disaster
22. Mobilize the Collective Power of Volunteers
Passion: Where power begins
Focus: The power of focused mission (Be a laser vs a light bulb)
Strategic Thinking: Keys for mobilizing passion (mission and vision)
A vision statement is used to focus passion
Community: Building team spirit
Training and development: A valuable tool for instilling passion
Give training a context- create decision makers
Use role playing
Use mentors
Use case studies
23. The World of Volunteers has
changed. Volunteers are what our
P.T.A.’s need. Now how do we at the
state engage volunteers and how do
we translate this effort into
membership?
Questions??