Volunteer management: Some sobering home truths

 

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.