“Understanding Volunteers: how to recruit'em, how to keep'em,

and knowing when to send them packing”

Meeting of the Minds 2013

Marlene Bautch

& Teri Stobbs Ricci

Every SMRO relies on volunteers to exist. In some cases everyone is a volunteer from the top of the no-dollar-pay-scale to the bottom

No matter how many zeros you get, every one of the volunteers is important:

and more happy volunteers make a more successful SMRO.

Sense of Accomplishment Recognition and Feedback Learn new things Skills and Experience Friendship and Belonging Keeping busy and FUN SELF INTEREST business or

personal – DANGER! DANGER!

Why do people volunteer?

Marlene’s Gilligan’s Island Theory of Volunteers…

WHICH one are YOU?

Authority Leadership Bossy Stubborn Loud Imposing

The Skipper

Eager Willing Needs

direction Good

Hearted

Gilligan

Eager Willing Little

Supervision Competent

in many areas

Mary Ann

I am Important

Spot-light Needs

Applause

Ginger

WORK?? WORK??? WORK?!?! Here’s some

money…

The Howells

Committed to the Mission

Loves to learn & do new things

Self Starting Little or no

supervision

The Professor

Taking the People you have and making it work…

Volunteer Retention

Any volunteer old or new, will not stay with an organization or group unless they are comfortable inside the fabric of the group.

To feel comfortable with a group you need to feel a part of the group. So how does that happen?

It’s something you can help new (and old) volunteers with; some people call it mentoring and it’s what we will be discussing today…

Volunteer Retention

Introductions Get to know the volunteer Point out what’s going on More than “do you have any

questions?” Never fib to a volunteer Respect. All of these together will lead to the…

The upgrade process

Unless it’s The Professor, START SLOWLY

Ask opinions, No Judgments Invite to join the discussion You are building a relationship Patience and persistence

Volunteer Recruitment & Retention

IS A TEAM SPORT.No one person can be everything to all volunteers – recruiting and keeping volunteers is everyone’s job within the organization.

Go Home and Share these tips with your SMRO – you are not alone.

Dealing With Difficult Volunteers(can we kick them off the island??)

This can be the hardest thing we do.

Let’s talk about it.

THANK YOU for Volunteering to be here!