Recruiting/Retention in a Volunteer Force

•

CCGA-P Annual General Meeting

February 24, 2007

Bruce L Miller

13th District Commodore, USCGAUX

bruce.l.miller@uscg.mil

• • Finding and Retaining willing volunteers

• Evolving the “Mission” and Organization to attract from a diverse population

• Dealing with increasing competition for the Volunteer Hour

The Task

• • Understand the “What’s In It For Me” Concept

• Understand the Differences in the Generations

• Create Easy ‘Maps’ based on Volunteer’s Interests

• Make the organization ‘easy’ to ‘work’ for

The Approach

Will the Auxiliary Survive the 21st Century??

•

• Changing Generation Attitudes

• http://cos.auxnaco.org/documents/Auxsurvivalin21stCentury.pdf

What’s Wrong?

“I enjoyed my time in the Auxiliary from the fellowship perspective. However, I believe the Auxiliary (at least some flotillas) needs to completely revamp with a youth movement. It seems that members of my Flotilla, most of which are older have their own agenda about how things work and aren't willing to try new things or change. It seems as if they want to bring in younger people, but as long as we don't rock the boat too much.“

Generation Generalities

• Silent Generation (1927-1945)

• Baby Boomer Generation (1946-1954)

• Generation X (1965-1985)

• Millennial Generation (1986…)

SILENT GENERATION (1927-1945)Age 62-80

• Attitude: Pay your dues, work hard

• Likes: Security, stability

• Dislikes: Debt, borrowing, upstart kids

• Reputation for hard work, conflict resolution, romanticizing, friendly, accommodating

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)Age 43-61

• Attitude: If you have it, flash it!

• Likes: Shopping, winning, leading, visionary

• Dislikes: Paying off debt, aging

• “In Charge”, innovation, have all the answers, perfectionism

Baby Boomer Ideas

• Offer choice, flexibility• Pair volunteer activities with educational

& recreational activities• Use the Internet• Develop career paths• Provide clear expectation regarding

time, tasks & training• Connect activities to local issues &

problems

Generation X (1965-1985)Age 42-22

• Attitude: “Whatever…..”

• Likes: Now, being with friends, change

• Dislikes: Bossiness, corporate culture, getting up in the morning

• Reputation for cynicism, taking risks, pragmatism, non-affiliation (!)

Generation X Ideas

• Less likely to be attacted to a bureaucratic structure

• Prefer to use technology

• Engage quickly, make them feel like insiders

• Good at multitasking

• Build in socializing & celebrations to activities

Millennium (Y) Generation (1986….)Age 21 & less

• Attitude: Let’s make the world better

• Likes: Family, friends, technology, the environment

• Dislikes: Dishonesty, unbalanced lifestyles

• Reputation for text messaging, optimism, inclusiveness, being clean-cut

Millennium Generation Ideas

• Loyalty highly valued but, they must feel valued & respected

• Commitment to family & friends

• Want a balanced life

• Age not a dominant characteristic of leaders

• Look for leaders who will work with followers as intimate allies

Make it Easy to Volunteer

• Evaluate the way things are done

• Chart a Course with the Member

• Anticipate Obstacles and Remove Them

• Involve Mentors

• Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions – Even if you won’t like the answer

• Reward Change Agents

WHAT SHOULD WE DO??