The Three R's of a Volunteer Management System ~ Recruitment, Retention and Recognition Volunteers help to keep community organizations sustainable and viable. But volunteer management can be challenging. It requires effective planning in terms of Recruitment, Retention and Recognition.

1. The Three R's of a
Volunteer Management
System
Recruitment, Retention and Recognition
1 www. OneOC.org

2. On September 15, 2010,Volunteer Center Orange
County transformed to OneOC.
Why OneOC? Because volunteering is just one part of the
solution for creating stronger and healthier communities.
Every nonprofit is passionate about its mission. But desire alone
is rarely enough to propel an organization to achieve its goals.
Building on a 50-year history of mobilizing volunteer action for
social change, OneOC is the expansion of our services to help
nonprofits become as effective and efficient about their mission,
as they are passionate.
www.oneoc.org
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3. Our services are fully integrated, strengthened through
community and corporate partnerships. Together we work
to accelerate the success of Orange County nonprofits with:
Volunteer Services – Mobilizing Training Services – Advancing boards,
individuals, families, groups and executives, staff and volunteers through
businesses to discover their power to educational forums that enhance nonprofit
make a difference through service. leadership, professional development and the
use of leading business practices.
Consulting Services – Maximizing
nonprofit capacity and impact through Business Services – Extending legal,
our affiliated pool of nonprofit expert corporate and fiscal sponsorship to
consultants specializing in volunteer innovative community initiatives and
management, board excellence, finance emerging nonprofits.
& human resources, leadership
advancement, and fundraising and
marketing.
www.oneoc.org 3

4. Two Main Reasons People
Volunteer
o They were asked
o They want to do something good for
others and their community
4 www.OneOC.org

5. Barriers to Volunteering
o Time
o Need for flexibility, unable to commit
o Costs
o Location
o Lack of childcare
o Type of service (homeless, prisoner, etc.)
5 www.OneOC.org

6. Why Do People Stop
Volunteering?
#1 Reason
o They feel that their skills and time is not
being utilized well.
6 www.OneOC.org

7. Why I am not going to Volunteer
for YOUR organization...
o I’ve never heard of you.
o I don’t really understand what you do.
o I’m not clear how my
time and effort will make a difference.
o I don’t know anyone else who volunteers with you.
o I can’t figure out how to sign-up to volunteer.
o It’s too hard to sign-up to volunteer and I
don’t know if I’m really the right type of person.
o You haven’t asked me to volunteer.
VolunteerMatch Blog by Shari Ilsen, Sept 2011
7 www.OneOC.org

8. What Do Your Volunteers
Want?
The 10 Ways to Make Your Volunteers Happy!
o You to be prepared for them.
o To feel welcomed.
o Good training.
o To do interesting work.
o To know up front how much time the job will take.
o To be appreciated.
o To be communicated with.
o To know that they are helping to make the world a
better place.
o To be socially connected.
o To learn something new.
8 www.OneOC.org

9. Recruitment is…
...the process of enlisting
volunteers to do the work of your
organization.
9 www.OneOC.org

10. Steps to Effectively Recruit &
Place Volunteers
Step 1
Use Strategically Defined Position
Descriptions
o Ensure that they meet the organization’s
priority, needs, goals, and mission.
o Ensure that they maximize the use of
underutilized volunteers.
10 www.OneOC.org

11. Sources of Underutilized
Volunteers
o Episodic volunteers
o Corporate volunteers
o Students
o Senior and Retirees
What are potential pools of underutilized
volunteers in your community?
11 www.OneOC.org

12. Youth and Family
Volunteering
Since 1989:
o More than twice as many youth are volunteering
o Volunteering with educational or youth organizations is up around
75%
A young person from a family where at least one parent volunteers is
almost twice as likely to volunteer as a young person from a family
with no volunteers
Family Volunteering…
o Strengthening family communication and bonds
o Allowing family members to be role models
o Providing quality family time
o Building shared memories
o Increasing commitment to volunteering and community
12 www.OneOC.org

13. Tips for Writing Position
Descriptions for Underutilized
Volunteers
Create positions that . . .
o last one day
o are early morning, evening or weekend positions
o don’t require certain skills (offer training)
o will be attractive even to those not interested in
volunteering
o can be performed remotely
o are attractive to groups that do not normally
volunteer
13 www.OneOC.org

14. Steps to Effectively Recruit &
Place Volunteers
STEP 2: Sell the benefits and share the
features of the volunteer positions.
A. Identify the features and benefits of the
volunteer position(s).
B. Craft a powerful message that will grab
and hold your audience’s attention.
C. Design a communication strategy that
will reach your target audience.
14 www.OneOC.org

15. Design a communication strategy
What knowledge, skills, attitudes &
attributes do you want in the
volunteers? Who are you targeting? Where
will you find your target audience?
How will your message get to your
audience?
15 www.OneOC.org

16. Local Recruitment Sources
Volunteer Centers
o OneOC
Local Media Outlets
o Orange County Business Journal
o Orange County Register
o News, Seniors Today
o Specific to cause or event (Race Pace magazine
for your next Fun Run)
Chamber of Commerce Current Staff & Volunteers
Civic Organizations
o Kiwanis, Rotary, City Citizen Group etc.
16 www.OneOC.org

17. Technology
o OneOC.org/volunteer
o Volunteersolutions.org
o Volunteermatch.org
o Idealist.org
o Facebook
o YouTube
o Twitter
o LinkedIn
17 www.OneOC.org

18. Steps to Effectively Recruit &
Place Volunteers
STEP 3: Match the Right Individuals to the
Right Positions
o Screen applicants, as needed.
o Interview applicants.
o Modify position description, as needed.
18 www.OneOC.org

19. Retention Begins w/Interview &
Orientation Process
o Retention begins when you have accurately
described the volunteer position and
assessed whether the potential volunteer is
right for the job.
o Provide an atmosphere that is welcoming to
volunteers.
o Allocates sufficient resources to support
them.
19 www.OneOC.org

20. Volunteer Retention
Principles
o Volunteers stay if their tasks and procedures are clear.
o Volunteers stay if they feel welcome and appreciated.
o Volunteers stay if they bond to someone within the
organization.
o Volunteers stay if they receive feedback that connects
their job to program success.
o Volunteers stay if they have a voice in the organization.
o Volunteers are motivated by opportunities to learn new
skills.
o Volunteers are motivated by opportunities to “change
the world.”
20 www.OneOC.org

21. When volunteers return to a program, the
program managers have more time to be
creative in carrying out the mission of the
program. Trained, experienced volunteers
are able to provide better services to
clients.
21 www.OneOC.org

22. Basic Rules of Retention
o Retention doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
o Retention is an outcome, not a task.
o Don’t waste the volunteer’s time.
o Let volunteers do the work they want to
do.
o Thank volunteers for their efforts.
REWARD + RECOGNITION = RETENTION
o Don’t automatically assume you’ve lost a
volunteer.
22 www.OneOC.org

23. Volunteer Motivation
o Listen to your volunteers
o Give volunteers a reason to participate
o Comes from the person within
o Cannot be created but you can provide an
environment that will encourage volunteers to
motivate themselves.
o Skill Development/Personal Growth
o Challenge/Goals
o Contact with Clients
o Recognition of Service
o Rewards
o How ‘Not’ to Motivate Volunteers?
23 www.OneOC.org

24. Recognition Tips
o Make sure volunteers are doing work that is
meaningful to them
o Invite volunteers to participate in decision making.
o Promote volunteers to other roles that take better
advantage of their talents (i.e., volunteer ladder)
o Let the volunteers know about the outcomes from
the program
o Ask volunteers for feedback
o Provide professional development opportunities
24 www.OneOC.org

25. Recognition Ideas
o Host a community block party or picnic for
volunteers and their families
o Plan to hold one recognition event per year
o Give volunteers a framed photograph from the
service event
o Tell the volunteer’s supervisors about
their involvement.
o Work with local media to highlight outstanding
volunteer stories.
o OneOC’s Annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards
25 www.OneOC.org

26. Recognition Ideas Continued
o Highlight a volunteer on your website
o Engage senior staff to send a thank you
note to the
o Submit a letter to the editor of your local
paper
o Secure a proclamation from your
governor, state representative, or mayor
to honor a special volunteer
26 www.OneOC.org

27. Some Practices Tied to
Greater Volunteer Retention
o Make sure the vision, mission, goals and
objectives of the project are clearly
communicated.
o Providing training and professional
development matching them to organizational
tasks. These practices all center on enriching
the volunteer experience.
o Invest in volunteer management or consulting
27 www.OneOC.org

28. Why do Volunteers Leave?
o Inadequate supervision or leadership
quality
o Lack of training
o Nonexistent or ineffective communication
o Lack of feedback or recognition
28 www.OneOC.org

29. Preparing Volunteers for
Success
o Reality-based training — case studies, real
experiences
o Match expectation with reality — show
what a reasonable accomplishment would
be
o On-the-job training and assistance —
“real, usable information on what to do”
o Supportive materials and adequate
equipment
29 www.OneOC.org

30. Retention Tips - Summary
Issues of volunteer retention are directly
impacted by how clearly volunteers have
been recruited, how fairly they are
supervised and how effectively they are
recognized and rewarded.
30 www.OneOC.org

31. Retention Tips - Summary
o Contact and acknowledgment
o Regular feedback
o Celebrate and recognize them for their
accomplishments and contributions
o Express appreciation for their service
o Ensure personal goals are met
o The final key to volunteer retention –
operate a well-managed program.
31 www.OneOC.org

32. Is it worth it?
o Estimated dollar value of volunteer time for 2010 is
$21.36 per hour*
o According to the Corporation for National and Community
Service:
o 62.8 million American Adults or 26.38% of the adult
population gave 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service
worth $173 billion for 2010
o Relationships connecting community and your
organization
o Diversity
o Stakeholders
o Extend mission
*Calculated by The Independent Sector
32 www.OneOC.org

33. Questions
33 www.OneOC.org

34. Name: LaVal Brewer ~ LaVal Brewer Consulting
Phone: 949-945-3508
E-mail: LaVal@LaValBrewer.com
Website: www.LaValBrewer.com
Twitter: @LaValB
www.oneoc.org
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