Dear
volunteer leader
I have not
blogged for some time on Volunteer Management and to be honest I prefer the
term Volunteer leadership. Being in a volunteer leadership profession for
almost 27 years has taught me some home truths. What’s a home truth I hear you ask? Well
according to one online dictionary it means a true but unpleasant fact about
yourself that another person tells you.
Well, this is a blog that
tells some home truths. Those of you that have been in a volunteer leadership
role may resonate with some of these. If not, that’s OK too.
After 27 years here are
some of the issues that really affect our profession. Some you may nod your
head in agreement with. Some may not like this post. Please remember this is an opinion piece.
Nothing less and nothing more.
How your government looks at Volunteer Management
can have an effect on your role.
You normally see
politicians get interested in any National Volunteer week or International
Volunteer Day every year. Normally politician’s piggy back on these important
date. They will say the right words to show they value volunteering. But let’s
be honest. It’s normally done to get media approval. How many times have you
hears that “Volunteering is the glue that keeps our community together or
engaged” I’ve seen countless politicians with these sentiments expressed. In my
experience they are soundbite platitudes. If there is no funding for any
National plan on Volunteering then their words on volunteering are meaningless.
If Volunteer Management is to be appreciated then action speaks louder than
words. And this matters to volunteer leadership in general. If a Government
does not recognise the importance of effective volunteer leadership then there
is little hope in navigating that value at an organisational level. Of course. And with everything you read here
there may be some exceptions. But here in Australia, the lack of support is
evident in our Government budget.
Change of your management or CEO
This is a biggy and I
have worked enough years in my field to see what damage this may cause. So
there you are. A volunteer manager who should be a specialist in your field.
But how often does your manager change. In Volunteer leadership every time
there is a change it is most likely that you once again have to state the value
of volunteers within your organisation. This can be tiring but unfortunately necessary.
So many times, with changes in leadership I have to go back to the basics of
volunteering and volunteering ethos. I have had some interesting reporting
lines. I have reported to the Marketing manager, the Talent Acquisition Manager
and other professions that simply have no clue about volunteering. It’s a constant
battle for those in volunteer leadership roles. It’s like “New management –
here we go again” We should no longer be at this stage if we are to call
ourselves a profession. I know of one organisation that had 3000 volunteers. They
got rid of their volunteer management team and gave the responsibility to their
TA team. The result? They now have just over 500 volunteers.
When Volunteer numbers is your only KPI
Beware of the manager who
only judges your performance about volunteer numbers. They ignore more important
metrics such as the volunteer experience, why people are not staying and only
care about numbers as the bottom line. While, as volunteer leaders, it is
important to grow our volunteer footprint, we know that numbers do not tell the
true story of volunteering. Impact does. I often tell the story of two
hospitals in the same city. One has 100 volunteers but the other had 500
volunteers. We all should know that the volunteer impact could be greater in
the hospital with 100 volunteers. Greater numbers does not equate to greater
impact.
Volunteer impact versus volunteer numbers
If you are in the
unfortunate position where volunteer numbers is a metric to your role as
volunteer leader than impact then you are in trouble. As specialists in our
field we should be acutely aware that volunteer impact should be measured rather
than volunteer numbers. Every organisation I have worked for I have grown the
volunteering footprint. But if your KPI is around number solely then there is
not an understanding that every volunteer hour donated is a gift of time to
your organisation. Number should never be a measure of your success. The impact
of the volunteers you have should be.
Volunteer managers as specialists
Hopefully, when you are
appointed in you role your success should be measured holistically. Volunteer
retention is a misnomer in our field. As a specialist in your field you know
that volunteering is fluid. You know that people come and go in volunteering
and you pivot to that fact. You know that the volunteering experience should be
a good one, no matter how long a person volunteers for. If you have been hired
as a volunteer leader you have to consider yourself as a specialist in the
field. Yes you need a strategy but your organisation needs to respect your role
as a specialist in the field. Remember that organisations should not hire you
to tell you what to do but as a specialist listen to what you have to say. Good
organisations do this. But they are rare in my long experience.
You should be on the Senior Leadership Team
Rather than reporting to
a manager who has little understanding of volunteering ethos you should be
recognised by having a seat on any senior leadership team. If you have
experience and knowledge on all matters volunteering you deserve a seat at your
organisations Senior Leader table. Rather than taking order from above, which
commonly does not understand the nuances of volunteer leadership, you should be
involved in senior management positions that respect and acknowledge your
experience in volunteering. I can’t verify my original thinking that ‘respect
for volunteer management equates to your respect for volunteers” but I have
often stated this over the years.
You should be the specialist on volunteering ethics
We all know that
volunteering invites our organisations to include our communities in helping or
adding value to our mission. But we must also be on guard for organisations
that replace staff with volunteers or use volunteers in ways that are detrimental
to volunteering. There may be National Standers on volunteering in your country
but the basic tests of volunteering should include the fact that volunteering
adds value to your workplace without undermining paid positions. A good
volunteering ethos does not mean giving volunteers a stipend where volunteers
have to rely on this to pay rent. Or any cost of living expenses. By all means try
to cover volunteer related expenses but don’t set up a system where volunteers
are impacted if they do not get a stipend that may affect their living expensive.
In my opinion doing so equates to slave
labour. As a specialist in volunteer leadership it is incumbent on you to
negate breaches of volunteering ethos. In some case, unfortunately, it may
require leaving your workplace if you feel that the ethos of volunteering is
being exploited. Hard yes, but sticking to your values will in the end be a proactive
force in your favour and conscience.
Beware of volunteer management consultants or
experts
As a “seasoned” volunteer
manager who is still on the coalface I see too many people claiming to be
experts in the field. I have worked with some of them and all I can say is be “Buyer
away”
The high turnover in
volunteer management roles can have advantages for some to be honest. If somebody
is running courses on volunteer coordination for example then it obviously
suits their bottom line if we have new volunteer coordinators every year. Same with
“Volunteer Management Consultants”. I can’t even count on one hand consultants
who have recent volunteer management experience. I admit that they can “talk
the talk” but most are not interested in you “Walking the walk”. I know one
consultant who has been saying the same shite for 20 years. The same stories
and trapped in a time loop. These are not your allies. Look for people who have
had tangible and real results in volunteer management. I’ve been blogging on
volunteer management before blogging became hip. I don’t expect you to hire me
as a consultant but be wary of those who suddenly class themselves as
international experts on volunteer management. I have seen some of their work
and I wouldn’t touch them with a large pole. There are a few but I will let you
decipher their abilities. Unfortunately in our small field there are some who
rise to the top through good promotion on their efforts but in reality are
taking the piss when it come to your hard earned professional development
funds.
Stand true to your ethics
If you are a true
expertise in volunteer management then only work for an organisation that
values your advice and input. Please do not work for an organisation that uses
volunteers as a means to and end rather than seeing volunteering as a real
value add to your organisation. I know it can be hard in our current economic environment
but try not to work for an organisation that only values the amount of
volunteers you have and belittles you on your experience as a volunteering
specialist. You are worth more than that. Our volunteering peak bodies and so
called consultants have failed us when you look at Volunteer Management
positions advertise in your country. Most
positions are part time and the pay rate for our profession is shockingly
absurd. Our peak bodies and so called associations for volunteer management
have let us down. Nothing has really changed since my entry to volunteer management
in 1997. This needs to be openly discussed.
The real bottom line
Effective volunteering
needs effective volunteer management
Nothing will change
without those who are willing to advocate for effective volunteer leadership.
We need a new story. We need an innovative strategy. Maybe you can be the
change. Do not be afraid to speak out? What are your solutions to a sector that
is not still seen as a true profession? We have to reset what it means to be a
volunteer leadership expert. Because the current experts have us still trapped
in the last century. We, and
volunteering need better answers.
