Communicating Skillfully and Purposefully with Volunteers

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I have written this new guide for association staff. Let me know what you think.

Related articles:

• When Volunteers Criticize: Beware of Emotional Triggers
• Dealing with Volunteers...It's a Tough Business!
• When Volunteers Gossip
• Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers
• The Case of the Members Who Griped but Just Wanted to Help
• Get In Sync with Your Volunteers    

When Volunteers Gossip!

Gossip is more than idle chitchat. It can be very distracting, demoralizing and a veritable time-suck. What to do when your volunteers come to you with gossip, especially negative gossip, about other volunteers or staff?

Make Sure Your Organization Has an Anti-Gossip Policy!

From the beginning, it should be made clear that gossip and the following types of activities will not be tolerated in your organization. 

• Talking about someone in a negative or critical manner when they are not present.
• Repeating hearsay information about another person (i.e., spreading a rumor).
• Violating a person's confidence by repeating information meant to be confidential. 

This should be discussed, and ground rules should be established, during volunteer orientation or the first meeting of a board or committee.

Have a Shared Definition of Gossip

Make sure everyone, volunteers and staff, have a shared agreement on what constitutes gossip. Take the time to discuss and develop a working definition so there is no confusion on the topic. You can begin the conversation by offering these criteria for evaluating whether someone is engaging in gossip:

Is it fact or fiction? Has the person verified whether the information is true before passing it along?

What is the intent? Is the person spreading a rumor with the intent to harm another person's reputation? In what way does such information serve a useful purpose?

Does it honor the values of the organization?  Is this person honoring the values of your organization when he talks (or sends an email, etc) in such a manner?

Make Sure People Know How to Respond to Gossip

Provide training to staff and volunteers so they know how to spot and respond to gossip. This includes specific behaviors such as what to say in a face-to-face situation, how to handle an email, and to whom one should report egregious acts of gossiping. In addition, make sure staff and volunteers understand there will be consequences (e.g., volunteers can be stripped of their positions and staff can face disciplinary actions). 

The Bottom-Line: The work of staff and volunteers is too important to be undermined by gossip. 'nuff said! 

Related articles:

• When Volunteers Criticize: Beware of Emotional Triggers
• Dealing with Volunteers...It's a Tough Business!
• Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers
• The Case of the Members Who Griped but Just Wanted to Help
• Get In Sync with Your Volunteers    

The Wrong Way to Recruit Volunteers

Here's the wrong way to recruit volunteers.

Step One: Post the Following Announcement: We are looking for volunteers to serve on the XYZ committee. Please Join.

Step Two:  Take all comers.

The problem with this approach is, quite simply, a lack of quality control.
 
The Three Golden Rules of Volunteer Recruitment

Instead, consider The Three Golden Rules of Volunteer Recruitment:

1. Make clear the "stakes of winning." People are motivated by meaningful challenges. Take care to articulate why a particular volunteer assignment constitutes a challenge that deserves a member's personal time and commitment (i.e.., it's not just a committee assignment, it's an adventure!).
2. Carefully match the strengths/talents/experiences of the volunteers to the nature of the assignment. Research on performance in the workplace shows the importance of matching people's strength to the tasks they are assigned. The same is true for volunteers.
3. Be prepared to spend the time necessary to get the right volunteers. Think "Return on Investment" - the time you spend on this will pay off in good work.

And here's a final idea: consider asking prospective volunteers to submit proposals on why they would be a good fit for the assignment. It sends a message that you are expecting great things from your volunteers.

'nuff said!

Related articles:

• When Volunteers Criticize: Beware of Emotional Triggers
• Dealing with Volunteers...It's a Tough Business!
• Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers
• The Case of the Members Who Griped but Just Wanted to Help
• Get In Sync with Your Volunteers    

When a Volunteer is Cruel to Staff: My Encounter with Mr. Cruel & Critical

When it comes to people, some are kind and wonderful; others are not so delightful. Therefore, it is no surprise that from time-to-time you may encounter a volunteer who is overly critical, derisive or even outright mean. For that reason, I would like share a story about my experience with such a person.

My Encounter with Mr. Cruel & Critical

As I have noted before, I was once a Community Organizer and was responsible for starting a community group in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Detroit. That's where I met Mr. Cruel & Critical.

I had just finished the arduous, two-month task of recruiting leaders and members for the group and had just organized the first big neighborhood meeting. It went went well, but, as you might imagine, there were a few glitches...and Mr. Cruel & Critical was waiting.

I ran into him a few days after the meeting while walking the neighborhood. He proceeded to list every small detail that wasn't right. Then he escalated into a more vicious attack on my competency. By the time he was done, I was badly shaken and demoralized. 

Later that day, I spoke with my head organizer, Madeleine. She shook her head knowingly. "Ah, Mr. Cruel & Critical! There's often one in every neighborhood. They do nothing to help organize the group..." 

I nodded and said, "You're right. This guy did nothing to help -"

"That's right," Madeleine said. "All he did was show up at the big meeting and sit in the back row. Right? And he didn't volunteer to do anything?" At this point, I was nodding vigorously in agreement.

"That's Mr. Cruel & Critical for you! All he knows is how to criticize. He is just a loudmouth do-nothing. Now think about the people in the neighborhood group who actually did something. Think about Floyd who hosted the organizing meetings at his house, Delores who went door-to-door recruiting people to the first neighborhood meeting and George who just agreed to be the spokesperson at next week's meeting with the Police Department.

"Who are you going to believe? Mr. Cruel & Critical? Or will you believe Floyd, Delores and George?" On reflection, I understood.  Furthermore, I realize that allowing Mr. Cruel & Critical to influence my emotions would undermine my ability to help the good people such as Floyd, Delores and George. They had confidence in me and together we were making a difference in the neighborhood.

Who Loves Ya Baby?

I hope this story will help if you ever encounter a Cruel & Critical volunteer. There are many good volunteers in your organization who appreciate you. The work you do does matter! For those you who remember the old Kojak TV series, just imagine the good volunteers are saying to you, "Who loves ya baby?"

This how good volunteers feel about staff!

Related articles:

• When Volunteers Criticize: Beware of Emotional Triggers
• Dealing with Volunteers...It's a Tough Business!
• Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers
• The Case of the Members Who Griped but Just Wanted to Help
• Get In Sync with Your Volunteers    

Dealing with Volunteers...It's a Tough Business!

"It's a tough business requiring ridiculous amounts of

resistance to self doubt and a skin made of Teflon."

Today's post will be more on the philosophical side (as opposed to pragmatic, how-to advice). The above observation surely applies (at times) to the association management profession and the challenges of dealing with volunteers. However, it came to me as encouragement from a successful author, not from an association colleague.

You see, in addition to being a consultant, I am also an aspiring author. My first manuscript has already been rejected by more than 150 literary agents. OUCH! This rejection rate is typical. It is also daunting, demoralizing and even heartbreaking. 

What should I do? Foolishly, perhaps, I just finished my second manuscript. Guess what? This means more rejections, lots of them. Each rejection hurts. But that's just the way of the publishing business; you gotta keep going! 

It does seem ridiculous for even as I write this blog post, I am planning my third novel!!!

I am sharing this experience because I see a number of parallels between the travails of dealing with literary agents and dealing with volunteers. It is just the nature of the business: it is hard to be appreciated and to feel valued for your effort. No matter how well you do, there will always be criticism. If you happen to catch an agent on a bad day, you can be rejected solely based on his mood. Likewise, volunteers get moody and, well, you get the picture.

The Bottom-Line: It's often tough going. Sometimes it ain't pretty. But when it comes to dealing with volunteers, hang in there. And when you're having a bad moment, just try to imagine my in-box filled with countless rejection letters from all those unappreciative literary agents. 

Until next time...onwards!

Related article:  Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers

Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers

Let’s be honest, the task of dealing with volunteers, though often rewarding, is very challenging.  From time-to-time, most association professionals will find themselves in a situation that is intimidating and even a bit painful emotionally. It can sap our enthusiasm and undermine our confidence.

For that reason, I would like share a valuable lesson in confidence building I learned when as a Community Organizer.

An Intimidating Neighborhood

My first assignment was in one of the worst-off neighborhoods in the Detroit: abandoned houses were everywhere, a few blocks looked more a war zone than a neighborhood.  In addition, my first set of contacts with residents went poorly; it seemed the rats were more interested in my activities than were the neighbors. I was feeling intimidated and afraid.  

Then, with a little coaching from a fellow organizer, I found my voice. I began to speak in the following manner:

“My purpose for being here is because your neighbors want better policing (and other city services). 

"I am a trained Community Organizer; I can help you put together a neighborhood group to improve conditions in your community.

"I am doing this because I want to see good things happen for the people in this neighborhood.”

Learning to speak in this manner helped me stand my ground and sell myself to people. It was a powerful way to articulate my purpose, my competencies along with my genuine desire to help people.

An Intimidating Chairperson

A few years later, I found myself employed on the marketing staff of an association. One of my first assignments brought me face-to-face with a rather headstrong member who was chair of the Membership Committee. He had been described as a bit of loose cannon with little interest in or the patience for planning.

With that in mind, I harkened back to my organizing experience and prepared myself our first meeting. Here is what I said to him and the entire committee:

“My purpose is to make sure the committee has a well thought out, comprehensive membership plan.

"I can help you because of my expertise in this area; I have seen what works and what doesn’t work in other associations. 

"Six months from from now, I want to see the members of this committee armed with the knowledge they need to help grow the membership. I want you to have a plan to pass along to future members of this committee (as well as provide valuable data to the staff). ”

The simple act of being able to articulate this statement gave me confidence and allowed me to stand my ground with the Chair. As a result, I was able to gain his support to proceed.

Renewing Your Confidence

Why not practice this approach so you are prepared the next time you have a challenging or intimidating encounter with volunteers? Use the following template; practice what you might say to your volunteers. In fact, get together with fellow staff to practice and improve.

"My purpose is to: ________ [describe the outcome or priority that needs to be addressed].

"I know I can help because: ________ [explain how your skills and experience as an association professional are of direct value to the situation].

"I want to see: ______ [describe a favorable improvement or successful scenario that is desirable to the volunteers]."

Good luck finding your voice!

Contact me for information about a Partnership Tune-up to improve relations with your volunteers or chapters as well as coaching and training. 


Related article:  When a Volunteer is Cruel to Staff: My Encounter with Mr. Cruel & Critical 

Four Reasons Volunteers Don't Do Their Jobs

I was recently rereading a textbook on the topic of Performance Management (which deals with the topic of using positive reinforcement to improve performance). It noted four basic reasons why people don't do what we want them to do on the job. When modified for volunteers, the reasons are:

There is nothing profound about these questions and that's exactly the point! So ask yourself:

• Are volunteers clear about the outcome of their assignment?
• Do volunteers know how they will work together, and with staff, to achieve this outcome?
• What issues or problems might discourage or prevent volunteers from accomplishing their goals?
• Is the assignment seen as desirable by the volunteers? Is it a good match for their interests, passions and talents?

'nuff said!

Related articles:

•  Finding the Confidence to Deal with Volunteers
• Quit Torturing Your Volunteers
•  Six  Rules to Prevent the Torture of Volunteers 
• Three  Reasons Your Chapters and Volunteers May Not Trust You

Contact me if you need a Partnership Tune-up to help improve volunteer-staff relationships in your association!

Building Productive Partnerships with Volunteers and Chapters

Review the draft copy at:  Productive Partnerships

I have posted, for review, a draft of Building Productive Partnerships with Volunteers and Chapters. It is a quick guide to the basic components of partnership building and includes several articles about building trust and strong partnerships. 

You can view it online at: Productive Partnerships Your feedback would be appreciated.

The Bottom-Line: I am committed to helping associations build productive partnerships between their staff, volunteers and chapters. How can I help your association?

In addition, check out:  How's the Partnership with Your Commercial Members?

The Case of the Members Who Griped but Just Wanted to Help

It's inevitable, we get negative feedback from our volunteers. Staff hears the complaints, they get annoyed as they try to placate the complainer(s). In other words, they respond to the complaints by assuming the worst: 1) that a majority of volunteers feel the same way; or 2) if a volunteer is griping, (s)he probably has nothing positive to offer. 

Let us consider two cases where that assumption was seriously misleading...

The Case of the Appreciative but Silent Volunteers:  

In recent years, this association had been barraged with complaints from the Chairs of its special interest committees. In response, the staff made a systematic and concerted effort to make needed improvements. However, there wasn't much in the way of positive feedback from the Chairs. The staff assumed the volunteers were either unaware, unappreciative or just impossible to please.

Guess what? The staff was wrong. When I conducted phone interviews with the Chairs, a very different picture emerged. Many of the Chairs were aware and appreciative of the improvements. They had many positive comments about staff performance. Aha! The phone interviews gave them the chance to provide feedback.This reassured staff that they were on the right track and confirmed that staff and volunteers were in sync about what next steps were needed.

The Case of the Commercial Members Who Griped but Just Wanted to Help: 

 For this association, the problem was a continual set of gripes from a core of their Commercial Members (these were folks who were long time members and, therefore, were deeply involved). Once again, a set of phone interviews revealed a more hopeful picture. The CMs, who sold to the association's institutional members, wanted a greater sense of inclusion as part of the professional community but felt left out. 

Guess what? When I spoke to the executives of these institutions their outlook was: "We know there is a core of CMs who have made a great contribution to the profession and the association. We are concerned because the association has failed to recognize that adequately." As a result, a task group of CMs and institutional members was convened to improve the relationship.Volunteers who had been gripers were now problem solvers.

It's probably an immutable law: there will always be complaints and negative feedback from volunteers. After all, you can't please all the volunteers all the time! The best, most professional way to respond to griping is to:

1. Gather the facts, find out what the majority of volunteers really think and feel (i.e., don't assume the complainers represent the majority)
2. Report your findings back to the volunteers so everyone is on the same page.
3. Ask for help. Tell your volunteers you want to improve things and request their help (e.g., a volunteer task force).
4. Deliver!

The Bottom-Line: Don't assume the worst when you hear a complaint from a volunteer. It doesn't do any good for your morale or the morale of the rest of your staff. Get the facts and stick to what you should be doing in the first place: strategies and activities that benefit the member and engage the volunteer. 

'nuff said!

For more articles on working with volunteers, click here!

The Two Questions You Must Ask of a Volunteer

In an previous post, Get In Sync with Your Volunteers, I presented a series of question that staff and volunteers should explore together to promote a greater harmony and a higher level of collaborative performance. In this post, I propose two questions I believe staff must ask of volunteer.

"What are the two or three most important

things you want me to know about you so

I can help you succeed as a volunteer?"

"What are the biggest questions or concerns

on your mind that need to be addressed

by me or someone else on staff?"

Asking these questions at the beginning of the staff-volunteer relationship puts into place two building blocks necessary for a trust-based partnership. You will notice the first question is about what the volunteer thinks (s)he needs to succeed, thereby laying the groundwork for a "win-win" relationship.

The second question demonstrates concern and empathy for the volunteer (who is likely to have some doubts about his or her ability to do a good job). In the course of numerous interviews with volunteers, from many different associations, the refrain I often hear goes something like this, "I just don't want to screw up during my tenure as Chair." In other words, most every volunteer feels a bit insecure about their role, it's only natural. The second question provides staff with the insights they need to reassure and support the volunteer.

'nuff said!  


Related articles:
 

• Three Reasons Your Chapters and Volunteers May Not Trust You  
• Get In Sync with Your Volunteers   
• Four Questions for Creating Trust-Building Ground Rules
• Is a Trust-Based Partnership Possible with Your Chapter?   

Get In Sync with Your Volunteers

In theory, volunteers and staff should be collaborators or partners in helping to meet the goals and mission of the organization. All too often, we fall short of this ideal. To promote a greater harmony and a higher level of collaborative performance, I submit the following set of questions for you and your volunteers to explore together:

Is There Clarity Before We Proceed? Are we in agreement on what is most important? What is at stake? Why is the work of this committee or task force important? What are the consequences if either volunteers and staff fail to do their job? Do we (i.e., volunteers and staff) have the information and facts necessary to make good decisions? Have both volunteers and staff had the chance to say, “These are the major questions and concerns I have going forward”?

Do We Know What Success Looks Like? Does everyone buy into it? Do volunteers and staff share the same vision? Is everyone committed to it? Can we articulate our goal with with the following statement? “By next year, this committee must accomplish _____.  The reason we must accomplish this is because _____ ! “(i.e., a reason that is compelling and motivating to volunteers and staff)

Do We Have a “Hit-The-Ground-Running Action Plan?” Can we turn words into action?  Do we have an action plan with no more than a few priorities/tasks? Do the action steps in our plan meet the criteria below? Feasibility:  The proposed action item is “doable” – there are sufficient resources, time and staffing to accomplish this (and do it well). Impact: The action item will have a positive and meaningful result, the type of outcome volunteers and staff will agree, “Yes, that was worth doing.” Are there clear role definitions among volunteers and staff? What is it that only the volunteers can and should do? What is it that only staff can and should do? What are the areas where volunteers and staff need to collaborate? Is it clear how this collaboration will be managed?

You will notice the important phrase here is, "Volunteers and staff." On second thought, let's make the phrase, "Volunteers  AND  staff."

'nuff said!

Three Reasons Your Chapters and Volunteers May Not Trust You

Are you trustworthy? Do your volunteers and chapters see you as sincere, reliable and involved with them?  “Of course!” you respond. “The staff at HQ strives for professionalism and to earn the trust of volunteers and chapters each time we interact with them.”

Let us now ask this in a slightly different way: Given the context of their daily life experiences, what might create the perception, in the mind of a volunteer or chapter executive, that you, or another staff at HQ, are not trustworthy?

To answer this, I will present three examples, utilizing snippets from a day-in-the-life of a volunteer or chapter executive, to illustrate how trust can be unintentionally undermined.

Why Jane doubts your sincerity

Jane is the chapter executive for the Terabitha Chapter (which is famous for its annual bridge building contest). On Tuesday morning, she called customer support about a software issue.  After numerous rings, her call was put on hold with a message that began, “Due to high call volume…” and concluded with, “…your call is very important to us.”

“My call is important? Do you sincerely expect me to believe that?” Jane muttered to herself.

That afternoon, she called to find out about a major policy change under consideration by the national Board.  Local members were concerned and she had been trying, for the past week, via email and unanswered calls, to get more information. Finally, she gets you on the phone and you tell her, “I sincerely apologize for not getting back sooner, we’ve had a zillion calls about this policy issue…”  Jane mutters under her breath, “yeah, due to high call volume.”

You hear the agitation in Jane’s voice so you try to reassure her, “Jane, I value your opinion as I do all the chapter executives.” At that moment, Jane is having a wicked bad flashback to her earlier call: all she hears is, “your call is very important to us.”

Jane, for easily understandable reasons, begins to doubt if anyone at HQ sincerely cares about her opinion.

Why Hank thinks you are not reliable

 

Hank is a volunteer with the Hyboria Chapter and serves as the Chair of the National Membership Committee. Wednesday morning, he has a doctor’s appointment scheduled for 11:30. He knows, from prior experiences, the doctor won’t actually see him at 11:30. It will be more like 11:54 or sometime after noon. As he sits in the waiting room, rereading the July/1995 edition of Sports Illustrated for the 37^th time, he recalls how, last week, the cable guy showed up 90 minutes late. “People aren’t reliable,” he thinks to himself.

That afternoon, he checks his email. You had promised him the agenda and support documents for the upcoming committee meeting by COB of that day. He calls and you apologize. You go on to explain, “The materials are almost ready. Unfortunately, there was an urgent request from a Board member yesterday – high priority – so I was pulled in to work on that. I will have your materials to you no later than tomorrow afternoon.”  That night, you work late so you can deliver the materials first thing in the morning.  It was delivered late, but heck, it was just a little bit late. Under the circumstances, you feel okay about that.

Hank, meanwhile, has mentally put you into the same category as his doctor and the cable guy. “HQ staff aren’t reliable,” he thinks to himself.

Why Harmon thinks you are not involved with him

Harmon is the new staff exec at the Narnia chapter. It is his first job in associations, a lot of issues and problems are brand new to him.

Friday morning, he drops his car off for repairs. He has a new mechanic, Sal, who was recommended by a neighbor who said, “I totally trust him.” Sal greets Harmon and says, “tell me everything you can think of about the problem.” He listens without interrupting. Then he starts asking questions,  lot of questions. Finally, he says, “Chances are it is one of two issues. The only way I can be sure is if…”

That afternoon, Harmon picks up his car – it runs perfectly. He reflects on Sal’s ability to listen, and realizes it is the ability to ask lots of questions, the process of getting involved,  that makes Sal a good mechanic. That’s why his neighbor trusts him completely.

Meanwhile, Harmon has been struggling to get up to speed on association type issues. He calls you for advice and begins the conversation by unloading all the background details. You realize his questions can be easily answered with a series of FAQs you have written. Besides, your schedule is packed and you conclude that a long conversation with Harmon is not the most efficient use of your time. You politely cut the conversation short, directing Harmon to the FAQs. You  hang up, rush to your meeting, thinking, “It would have been nice to chat, but that’s why we have FAQs…”

Harmon, meanwhile, is comparing his experience with you to the conversation he had with Sal the Mechanic. Unlike Sal, you didn’t bother to ask a lot questions, you didn’t take the time to get involved.  Harmon shakes his head and realizes he’d rather talk to his mechanic than to you. He picks up the phone, makes a call and says, “Hey Sal, what do you know about associations?”

The Bottom Line: To build trust with another human being, you need to consider the context of that person’s daily life. Everyday, your volunteers and chapter executives encounter and assess the trustworthy of a variety of people. Those experiences create a filter through which they learn to trust, or distrust, others…and that includes you. The more you understand their context for assessing trust, the more success you will have.

The Strength & Passion Interview

 

In a previous post (here), I challenged readers to quit wasting their volunteers' talents. Today I would like share with you a fun and valuable ice-breaker exercise you can use at your next board or committee meeting. It's called the Strengths & Passions Introduction (click here to download). 

At first glance, it may seems more fun than substantive. Let me assure you, however, there are two powerful concepts, backed by management research, at work here.

Concept #1: Focus on Intrinsic Motivators: In a classic article from Harvard Business Review, One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?, Frederick Herzberg demonstrates that intrinsic motivators (i.e., work that is interesting and challenging) leads to higher performance.

Concept #1: Capitalize on People's Strengths:  The Gallop Organization (as outlined in What Great Managers Do), studied 80,000 managers in 400 companies to identify the characteristics of a great manager. A key factor: great managers spent time upfront matching specific job roles or projects to the strength of an employee. 

The Strengths & Passions Introduction provides a relaxed way for volunteers to discuss explore what types of roles or projects will be a good fit for them. The discussion that follows from this exercise also provides valuable insights for staff, giving them a better sense of what talents and experiences the volunteers possess, and how best to utilize these.

I created this exercise as a tool to jump start the discussion about the passions and strengths volunteers can bring to the table. I hope you find it valuable.

Quit Wasting Your Volunteers’ Talents

“Actually, I’m a member. I’m just doing this

until I find a volunteer opportunity that suits my talents.”

Is Your Association a Talent Wasteland?

“Do your members have talent?”

“Of course!” you are likely to respond. Okay, but let me ask this: “How are you utilizing those talents? How do you draw out the best in your volunteers?”  What would be your response?

Unfortunately, many associations fail to make good use of their members’ talent; volunteer opportunities are frequently a poor match for the talent pool – skills, experience and insights are wasted. To put it bluntly: some associations are a talent wasteland in regards to their members.

A Lesson from Great Managers

Let’s back up a moment and consider the results of a study by the Gallup Organization (as outlined in First Break All the Rules). They studied 80,000 managers in 400 companies to identify the characteristics of a great manager. This is what they saw in the great managers: 

• When selecting someone, they select for talent, not simply experience
• When setting expectations, they define the right outcomes, not the steps
• When motivating someone, they focus on their strengths, not eliminating weaknesses.
• When developing someone, they help him find the right fit, not just the next rung on the ladder.

Clearly, these lessons are relevant to volunteer management.

Catchafire.org – a different model

 What’s needed is the following shift in mindset about volunteers:

As an example, as well as inspiration, for how to put this new mindset to work, let’s look at the start-up website, Catchafire.org. Their tagline is, Changing the way people volunteer. Look at their Open Projects page; you will see the openings are listed in a way that attracts people based on their talents. This approach fits nicely with the findings of the Gallup study.

Is this how you go about recruiting volunteers in your association? If not, imagine a listing of volunteer opportunities on your association website, a la Catchafire.org, that targets your members by talent.

‘nuff said!

Related article: The Strength & Passion Interview