As discussed in the last MAVA Monthly, MAVA updated its research on the volunteer environment across our state through a survey conducted in Spring 2018. The results, detailed in
Trends in Volunteerism 2018, can be found on the MAVA website in the Research and Initiatives section, with the other Shifting Environment studies. While reviewing data from the study showing the evolution of previously identified trends and emergence of new developments, we were struck by the ingenuity and creativity deployed by volunteer engagement leaders as they shared how they are responding to both change and continuity in volunteerism. Their insights demonstrate that the best wisdom in our field comes from the field, shaped through day-to-day trial, error and ‘aha moments’.
These leaders shared so many innovative strategies that we had create a stand-alone report to bring them to you – a companion piece called Advice from the Field: 100+ Tips, Tactics and Tools for Keeping Pace with Today’s Volunteerism. This report offers 110 proven ways for working with volunteers effectively and managing volunteer programs efficiently. It is organized by the arc of volunteer engagement, from designing positions to attract the right volunteers to evaluating the outcomes of volunteer contributions, and also includes ideas for partnering with staff and positioning volunteerism within organizations.
To give you a taste of the expertise we were witness to, some interesting approaches we learned about are excerpted below. We encourage you to check out all the great ideas shared by your peers in the full Advice from the Field report, also available on MAVA’s Shifting Environment page. One note: so many helpful strategies were offered for working with student volunteers that we will be sharing those in a separate document in the coming months. For now, here are a few techniques we think you might benefit from – how many have you tried?
- #2 (Designing Positions – shorter term and flexible positions): Define the volunteer task so that one volunteer can pick up where the other left off.
- #7 (Designing Positions – higher responsibility positions): Create a volunteer leadership program.
- #26 (Recruiting): Get hyperlocal – use Next Door or community Facebook pages to find volunteers for neighborhood-focused initiatives.
- #40 (Onboarding): Have your entire application and basic orientation/training online so volunteers can access it 24/7 at home.
- #43 (Assigning): Offer self-scheduling option (picking up shifts online) vs. making volunteers commit to a weekly schedule of same-day, same-time.
- #50 (Orienting): Provide online training followed by a Saturday morning wrap-up session for personal contact.
- #52 (Training): Spread out volunteer training requirements and opportunities so that it doesn’t slow down the onboarding process and lets volunteers get started more quickly.
- #59 (Communicating and Building Relationships – high touch): Visit sites when volunteers are working and talk to them, ask for input/ideas to improve.
- #73 (Communicating and Building Relationships – high tech): Use Instagram Stories to share volunteer activities.
- #78 (Recognizing and Supporting): Report client satisfaction to volunteers.
- #85 (Evaluating and Tracking): Offer mobile-friendly reporting so that volunteers can utilize it in the field as they are doing their work.
- #98 (Partnering with Staff): Create a communication piece on “why” volunteers choose to volunteer with us and use to help educate staff.
- #108 (Positioning Volunteerism with the Organization): Set up a cross-functional team that represents all departments that work with volunteers within your organization to create and monitor the processes used to engage volunteers.
Thank you to all the volunteer engagement leaders who freely shared their best tips, tactics and tools – you are truly the cutting edge of innovation in our field!