Gray Little Known Secrets Vol Mgmgt Feb 06

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Brad S. Gray Vice President Global Initiatives and Leadership Development The Best Secrets to Effective Early 21st Century Volunteer Management

Fact About Today’s Volunteers: 

Fact About Today’s Volunteers Today’s volunteers are employed people The majority of today’s volunteers are employed people and the trends and patterns emerging in the workplace hold interesting clues and insights into potential shifts in volunteer programs. February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

What the Generational Demographics Tell Us: 

What the Generational Demographics Tell Us Generational research tells us that each successive generation has brought different values than the proceeding generation. Those same generational differences have led to changes in volunteer programs. Managers of volunteers have seen increasing emphasis on: short term or episodic volunteering; professionalization and; impact measurements These changes are the direct result of volunteer pressure to make volunteer work more compatible with life and work styles, to be more effective and efficient, and to be more accountable to volunteers. Can volunteer work blend with family time or recreational time? Volunteer programs should offer greater options for engagement, as well as market volunteerism as part of a balanced life that includes family, work and recreation. February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

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Potential employees are looking for different things from their work life than they were a decade ago. Today’s employees are looking for balance. Sixty hour work weeks, extended travel schedules, dinner meetings, breakfast meetings, weekend training and work schedules must be put into perspective in relation to family life, community involvement and recreation. Employees are looking for a synergistic approach to life. Work is a piece of a bigger picture. (Blandford, 2004, p139) February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

THEMES: What Are Volunteers Looking For?: 

THEMES: What Are Volunteers Looking For? Meaningful Involvement Strategic Volunteer Involvement Telling The Story(ies) Professional Personnel Management Job Descriptions and Team Relevance Marketing Opportunity

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THE GENERATIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS Management & Recruitment of Volunteers

Baby Boomers: 

Baby Boomers Largest generation in modern times Represent 1/3 of the total U.S. population and 43% of the adult population There are two “waves” of Baby Boomers Older wave associated with: Cold War, civil rights, women’s rights, Vietnam Younger wave associated with: Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, Reagan years Best educated generation in U.S. history They married and had children later and are more likely to get divorced

Baby Boomers (con’t): 

Baby Boomers (con’t) They consist of 1/3 of the population yet have 44% of the discretionary income More live in poverty than in the “yuppie lifestyle” Dual income households, everybody works Personal job satisfaction rather than financial reward is the strongest motivating factor Leisure time is a precious commodity Values: They feel they have many choices and the value them highly Otherwise, marriage, home, family , and work top the list Religion/spirituality also very important

Demographics of Management & Recruitment: 

Demographics of Management & Recruitment Baby Boomers volunteer at a higher rate than the overall U.S. population, and volunteer a greater average number of hours per week.

Successful Volunteer Initiatives - Baby Boomers: 

Successful Volunteer Initiatives - Baby Boomers Word of mouth, personal requests from trusted friends and coworkers They like the electronic media—email, web, hand held PC’s Brief, readable, funny communications with a social orientation Flexibility – length of commitment, one-time/project opportunities, “come as you can” approach, option to cancel Easy and convenient—easy to get information, easy to sign up, convenient to work or home, begin and ending time, all time option Meaningful opportunities—potential to bring about community change, share special skills and talents, cultivate personal leadership and greater opportunity, reciprocal meeting of personal and community needs

Successful Volunteer Initiatives - Baby Boomers (con’t): 

Successful Volunteer Initiatives - Baby Boomers (con’t) Enjoyable work—fun, variety of work, variety of target groups, variety of interaction Family service—combination of service for different family members, daycare available or service available for children Learning from the experience—develop new skills, become more aware of the community Team spirit—opportunity to diversify circles of relationships/acquaintances, special events, building team Meaningful and frequent recognition—formal and informal, steady reinforcement, communicate needs, evidence of direct impact, individual contribution makes a difference

Generation X: 

Generation X Smaller group of people born between 1965 - 1978 (today between the ages of 27 - 40) Can pick and choose jobs to some extent First generation to be raised in day care—identify largely with their peers Latch-kids, felt abandoned as they grew up Many were children of divorce and the media told them they were stupid, so they turned to their peers for support Kirsty Doig, American Demographics

Generation X: 

Generation X “Brash”—attitude of enlightenment Not intimidated by superiors or hierarchy Not excited about paying dues or about growing up— They are delaying marriage, and single Xer’s place high priority on their social life Skeptical about business values—attracted to authenticity Want to see the big picture Crave feedback and recognition at work Want a work environment concerned with personal growth Want job gratification

Generation X: 

Generation X Feel paralyzed by the largess and quantity of social problems Feel like they have inherited someone else’s problems Seek balance and LOCAL activism vs the “changing the world” attitude of the boomers Prefer result oriented activism with a local focus Interest in the environment and in travel

Successful Volunteer Initiatives – Gen X: 

Successful Volunteer Initiatives – Gen X Local focus with “big picture” provided Need for recognition and feedback Must include an interest in their peers and socializing Environment and travel relationships to service Diminish the role of hierarchies and authority Don’t try to change the world with your program for them These individuals are not seeking advancement, they are interested in “authentic meaning”

Successful Volunteer Initiatives - Gen X (con’t): 

Successful Volunteer Initiatives - Gen X (con’t) Well defined, short-term, episodic opportunities to volunteer, with group projects Meaningful work Opportunities for personal growth To reach this group you must use the web, email, and hand held PC’s

The 21st Century Generation: 

The 21st Century Generation This group has never lived without the World Wide Web or email that they can remember Bush, Clinton, Bush is the depth of their political awareness. Reagan is the name of an airport in Washington, D.C. Although when he died last year they put a face to the name for the first time unless they recognized him from fifth grade civics class text book. Vietnam is a new tourist destination and a big black stone memorial Their “war knowledge” are wars that were fought a long time ago called “Dessert Storm” and “Kosovo.” They know much more about Elian Gonzales than these wars fought so long ago.

Volunteer Potential – The 21st Century Generation: 

Volunteer Potential – The 21st Century Generation These initiatives can be identified but are better formulated at this point by principles defining the group: The group as a whole is very serious minded They respect and even admire authority They find meaning in the simple things They are best reached through the electronic media (an absolute) The story is still being written, stay tuned and pay attention!

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Considerations & Approaches That Must Be A Part of Successful Volunteer Leadership

Considerations & Approaches: 

Considerations & Approaches Acquisition of new knowledge and skills that lead to personal and professional development. Advertising for consensus builders, team players and creative thinkers, yet many volunteer programs continue to ask for task-specific workers to fill well defined, highly structured roles. This approach is counter productive for effectiveness and efficiency.. There is often considerable disconnect between an evolving working environment that promotes team projects, flexibility and skill development and a more traditional and static volunteer environment. February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

Considerations & Approaches: 

Considerations & Approaches Volunteer recruiting is often still based on a non-interview model, yet changing expectations are leading to changes in processes like interviewing and job design. Volunteers experience interviews in their workplaces that are now a two-way inquiry where the applicant showcases his/her skills and talents and the organization sells its culture and vision to the applicant (Blandford, 2004). There is an increasing emphasis on team interviews where applicants are evaluated on their ability to be team players and a good fit with the organizational culture. Team interviews are intended to reflect a culture that values team input and collaborative action, with less reliance on the judgment of a single "expert.“ February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

Considerations & Approaches: 

Considerations & Approaches Job design should be replaced with "job sculpting" as a process for engaging prospective and current volunteers in the process of developing work positions to capitalize on more than skills and talents. Many talented professionals leave their organizations because senior managers don’t understand the psychology of work satisfaction; they assume that people who excel at their work are necessarily happy in their jobs. . . But the fact is, strong skills don’t always lead to job satisfaction. So companies strive to ’sculpt’ jobs in ways that reflect employees’ deeply embedded life interests. (Florida, 2002). February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

Considerations & Approaches: 

Considerations & Approaches Volunteering can be an opportunity for risk taking. It can be a safe environment for a person to try something new, venture beyond where they have been, spread their creative wings and soar to some new personal height. Job sculpting attempts to draw out and foster creativity and deep personal satisfaction. Innovation is sustainability in the 21st century school. February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

Considerations & Approaches: 

Considerations & Approaches Volunteers you can expect to recruit are interested in learning new skills that are fostered by functional teams and lateral moves, recognizing that opportunities for upward movement may be limited but opportunities for lifelong learning are powerful incentives for good volunteer retention. Volunteer programs too often slot volunteers into specific functions, activities and/or work, and may never offer a volunteer the opportunity to be cross trained or to move laterally between departments, programs or even events (in the case of special event volunteers). February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

Considerations & Approaches: 

Considerations & Approaches Recognition and reward must be designed around new systems that recognize and encourage creativity, the ability to apply learning, and the ability to extrapolate from one experience to another. Volunteers must be recognized for team behaviors and initiative, rather than simply showing up and punching in and out, doing their duty. Being there is no longer enough. Longevity is only relevant if it is tied to contribution. Increasingly, experience is only rewarded if it is applied. (Blandford, 2004, p. 139) February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

In Summary: The Secrets of Success for Volunteer Management, Recruitment, and Retention: 

In Summary: The Secrets of Success for Volunteer Management, Recruitment, and Retention Many volunteer programs rely on certificates, T-shirts, and awards for hours/length of service. They promote the "feel-good" altruistic rewards of volunteering as incentives for enticing and keeping volunteers while volunteers tend to have "egotistic" expectations, such as broadening personal knowledge, making friends and personal satisfaction (Ostwald & Runge, 20040). Managers of volunteers are encouraged to make greater efforts to listen to the expectations volunteers have for their personal performance and satisfaction. Opportunities for skill or issue training, measurement of impact, or opportunities to work with a diverse and changing group of skilled and knowledgeable people may be more appropriate forms of reward for today’s volunteers. February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

In Summary: The Secrets of Success for Volunteer Management, Recruitment, and Retention: 

In Summary: The Secrets of Success for Volunteer Management, Recruitment, and Retention 3. Volunteers continue to demand opportunities to contribute and grow in an atmosphere that respects personal preferences and a balanced life. 4. Managers of volunteers should look carefully at current systems for interviewing, placing and retaining volunteers. Each new generation of volunteers has new values and expectations. Managers of volunteers must be able to look to the broader trends and issues effecting the workplace and society to extrapolate information and apply it to their volunteer management system. Building volunteer loyalty may require new levels of creativity and innovation! February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates.

References:: 

References: February, 2004 Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights Exploring Employment Trends for Volunteer Insights. Merrill Associates. Blandford, Teresa (2004). Expectations changing in the employment relationship. The Columbus Dispatch, Sunday, January 11, 2004. Florida, Richard, (2002). The rise of the creative class. Basic Books: New York. Ostwald, S. & Runge, A. (2004). Volunteers speak out: Motivations for volunteering. The Journal of Volunteer Administration, 22:1, pp. 5-11.

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Thank You