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Different Ideas & Formats for Volunteer Training

June 21, 2021 By cyndi4ETS

If you know me then you know I love training volunteers. When I was a director and did not have many other people on staff, it was always hard to try to fit in the time for training with all the other hats I had to wear. Preparing for and facilitating the training was hard enough let alone the pre-training work of applications, references, background checks, and interviews.

In this blog I want to help you think of various formats for the Equipped to Serve training. These are some general formats that you can adapt to the specific needs of your Center. Each Center is unique concerning its volunteer training. Use what works and don’t be afraid to get creative with the training as long as you eventually cover the material each volunteer needs in their specific position. Start with the end in mind. What skills must each volunteer master in order to serve the clients God sends to your Center?

Train in-person two times a week for 3 hours each session.

I usually did Monday and Thursdays for four weeks. This gives a bit of breathing time between sessions for reflection and homework. It gets the whole training accomplished in one month so new volunteers can move on to on-the-job training and hopefully begin serving clients sooner.

Teach the foundations section of the manual as an introductory class.

Add in your Center’s history and your expectations for volunteer positions. This prepares volunteers for the rest of the training. It also allows interested people to decide if they should move ahead with volunteering and what role they think is best for them. This is helpful because often there is a lot of attrition in a volunteer training. It is frustrating to have a class of 10 or 15 people but end up with less than half of those people actually volunteering.

Teach what every volunteer needs to know in the classroom and then train to the specific volunteer positions.

I believe that everyone serving clients must learn the Seven Fundamentals. Teach them to everyone and then creatively train to the specific job descriptions. Those volunteering in support ministry like materials assistance, ultrasounds, etc., have to learn different applications of the Seven Fundamentals than Advocates who are serving clients in the midst of crisis. Everyone needs to know the Seven Fundamentals so there is consistency of care and interaction with clients between different arms of the ministry. Each volunteer position will apply the Fundamentals uniquely for their client interactions. You can use current volunteers and/or staff members who are working in various arms of the ministry to train those volunteers as long as they have a firm grasp and experience utilizing the Seven Fundamentals in their specific program. Do this during on-the-job training or using break-out sessions during in-service training, which would need to happen once a month.

Conduct a hybrid training.

Now that people are much more accustomed to using Zoom and other online services, you can have some training in-person and on Zoom. Some parts of the training lend themselves to an online format while others should be done in person. I would do role-play in person but you can even teach the RIGHT communication skills online and break the larger group into breakout rooms to practice the skills. It is important to know all the capabilities of software like Zoom. Having a second host dealing with the technical aspects and all the moving parts of the software is most-helpful. This kind of hybrid training feels like classroom training because everyone can see and hear each other’s responses. Each volunteer would need a copy of the training manual. You can record these sessions for trainees who missed a session with their cohort of trainees.

Online Training

You know that I have an online version of Equipped to Serve Volunteer Training. I imagine this being used mostly for volunteers who miss a lot of training sessions or that perfect volunteer who comes into the Center the week after you have completed a training class. It will continue to be helpful during this transitional time of the Covid-19 pandemic where some people are still hesitant to gather in groups. Whoever takes this training does not need a manual because all the information is online and the most-important skills and exercises are downloadable and printable for future reference. It is as interactive as I could possible make it and walks a person through the material in the manual from beginning to the end. There are built-in check-ins with the volunteer supervisor in almost every section of the training.

Self study with staff role-play and check-ins.

The Equipped to Serve manual is very detailed with a variety of exercises to practice the skills and reflection questions that require trainees to think about how the skills they are learning will apply in serving clients. Volunteers can study the manual on their own and check-in with Center staff to discuss what they are learning and role-play to show their understanding and application of the Seven Fundamentals. This is an option if it is hard to get enough volunteers together for a class.

Making training decisions.

If possible, I prefer to train in person in the shortest amount of time. It gets volunteers into the Center doing in-service training and working with clients much sooner than some of the other options. I also know that you have to adapt to the ever- changing needs and issues of your volunteer population. You know your community and volunteer pool and must try to accommodate them as much as possible without compromising the excellence of the services you provide to your clients. It is a lot to juggle.

It’s okay to get creative. It’s great to try new things. Just be sure of your end goal.

What I know for sure.

The best gift you can give a client is a well-trained volunteer who knows what is expected of them and is demonstrating those skills as they serve.

I would love to hear any of your training format ideas and pass them along to others. Email me!

How to Design Graphics for Social Media to Recruit Volunteers

February 22, 2021 By cyndi4ETS

Probably one of the most difficult tasks for Pregnancy Center staff is volunteer recruitment.

Does volunteer recruitment feel exhausting to you?

I thought I might try and brainstorm a few creative ideas for volunteer recruitment, especially focusing on this difficult time of social distancing and people staying close to home.

First I think you might need to think creatively about how you can use volunteers during this pandemic.

Here are a few ideas.

Of course you will need client permission and contact information for some of these ideas. I imagine that most of these ideas you might have already thought about an incorporated into your volunteer program. If so, good for you!

Following up with current clients via zoom and phone calls
Client sessions via zoom
Parenting classes and post-abortion groups via zoom
Door-drop deliveries of materials to clients who need materials assistance
Organize a virtual baby shower for the Center with a safe drop-off location after the event. If people order gifts online have them delivered to the Center or the organizing volunteer’s home.
Organize a Phone-A-Thon to call donors and personally update them on the state of affairs at the Pregnancy Center

Creating Recruitment Ads for Social Media

Social Media seems to be the thing for quite a while now for just about everything. Almost everyone has either a Facebook page and an Instagram account or both. There is a free website called Canva where you can design ads with many templates to choose from that are formatted for Instagram and Facebook.

Here is a design I created for one of the ideas listed above, a Virtual Baby Shower, with some notations to think about when designing your own volunteer ads.

Design Elements For A Volunteer Recruitment Ad for Instagram or Facebook

Here are some other samples of recruitment ads.

I would be happy to help anyone who is interested in designing some ads for their Center. If you like any of the ads I have designed I can change the logo and use your brand colors.

Once you have your designs, I would suggest the following:

Send the ad for the position you are currently recruiting for, to your current volunteers and ask them to upload it to their Facebook or Instagram page. They can say yes or no but you will reach a lot more people with their help.
For just $10 Facebook will boost your post on the Center’s Facebook page which will reach many more people than just the folks who have chosen to follow you.
Since currently many churches are not meeting in person, you might call the churches that support you financially and ask if you could put one of these ads you have designed on the church’s website.
Use the graphics in your donor and volunteer newsletters
Use the graphics on the Center’s website page you use for recruiting volunteers. Graphics draw people in and capture their interest much more that long blocks of text. You can have a different graphic for each position and the viewer would have to click on the graphic to gather more in-depth information about that position.

How to Recruit and Retain Quality Volunteers

January 25, 2021 By cyndi4ETS

Do you become frustrated when you spend time conducting a training class but when training is over only half, or less than half, of the attendees end up volunteering?

You get what you ask for, so start by defining what you want.

Start by developing a list of the qualities you are looking for in your volunteers. A short list of qualities might include:

Committed
Consistent / Faithful
Reliable
Teachable
Aligned with your ministry vision

How do you screen for and educate to these qualities?

You must search for and honor these qualities in all aspects of your volunteer program – recruitment, screening, training, supervision and appreciation. It is especially important in the recruitment and screening phases. It is important to establish expectations and requirements from the very beginning.

Recruitment

Your volunteer recruitment materials must keep in mind the qualities you are looking for
How do you talk about what you do and how you do it in your recruitment?
How can you utilize the actual words of the qualities you are looking for in your recruitment text?

Screening: Interviewing, Job Descriptions and References

Interviewing

The questions you ask in an interview should enable you to see how these qualities have been utilized in other areas of their lives

Some sample questions:
- Where have you volunteered? What were the requirements there? What did you enjoy the most? What was the hardest part of that experience?
- How have you invested in your own personal growth in the last year?
- What attracted you to volunteering at the Pregnancy Center?
- What are you hoping to learn from volunteering with us?
- What are you most committed to in your life right now?
- Consistency/Faithfulness is an important quality we are looking for in volunteers. Please share a situation in your life where you were consistent/faithful in the face of adversity.
- What does being reliable mean to you?
- Give me an example of when you had to learn something new and how you learned to do that something.

Job Descriptions

All of the qualities your are looking for should be reflected in the job description.
- What time commitment you are looking for – weekly, monthly, yearly?
- Training required – basic & in-service trainings (Be VERY clear about these.) Include make-up responsibilities if they do not attend the in-services
- What is their responsibility if they cannot make a scheduled shift?
- Reading and signing your ministry mission and vision so they are very clear about what you do and how you do it.

References

Many of the questions you ask a reference should revolve around the qualities you are looking for.
If you are using a written reference, you can ask them to rate the person from 1 to 5 on the qualities. If there are any 1s or 2s you should follow up with a phone call to clarify their answers.
If you are using a verbal interview, you can ask them to tell you about a time they have observed the potential volunteer exhibiting these qualities.

Training

There should always be responsibility put on the volunteer for knowing and showing that they are applying the fundamentals taught in the training.
Tell volunteers how and when they are going to be responsible for knowing and showing what is taught in the training.
What happens when volunteers are not teachable or are not capable to be in an advocate position with clients? Will other positions be offered to them?
Emphasize the importance of ongoing learning and practice (role-play).

Supervision

Hold all volunteers accountable to the standards you established and informed them about.
Be a role-model for the qualities you are asking of them.
Creatively hold them accountable for the fundamentals.
Role-play . . . role-play . . .role-play

Appreciation

Appreciate volunteers for the qualities they are exhibiting
Honor these volunteer qualities in a special way. Here are a few examples:
- On their volunteering yearly anniversaries
- Who have never missed an in-service.
- Who have logged in the most client hours in the past month, year, etc.
- Who have never missed a shift in ____ months.
- Who are always practicing and learning and applying the skills
These honors can be in private (flowers, small gifts, etc.) to encourage the person who deserves the appreciation while not making others feel competitive or left out. This privately shows the qualities you value in volunteers and reinforces those qualities and behaviors.
Public honors can also be utilized by highlighting them in a newsletter or donor letter, honoring them at a banquet, putting their photos up on a bulletin board in the volunteer room, etc. This publicly shows the qualities you value in volunteers and reinforces those qualities and behaviors.

What qualities are you looking for in your volunteer program? Align all the components of your volunteer program to recruit, screen, train and appreciate for these qualities.

Remember . . . You get what you ask for!

Role-playing During In-service Training

October 5, 2020 By cyndi4ETS

In-service meetings are a great time to really focus on role-play. Each in-service should include at least one round of role-play.

Role-play is very important in the Pregnancy Center ministry for the following reasons:

Role-play keeps volunteers skills sharpened
Role-play gives volunteers an opportunity to practice various scenarios outside of their time with clients.
Role-plays let someone explore how they could have interacted differently with a client they has in the past.
Role-play enables center staff to see volunteers’ strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly to help them.
Observing role-plays gives center staff good ideas for needed topics for future in-services.
Role-play is a good time for exercising vulnerability and learning which is a key concept for volunteers who work directly with clients.
The more your do role-play the less scary and awkward it becomes

Addressing Role-play Fears & Anxiety

Often there is a lot of fear surrounding role-play. People come up with all sorts of excuses not to participate. Center staff/trainers need to be ready for this and ease people into role-play.

Allowing trainees and current volunteers to practice together with one other person is important before you are doing any role-play in a group setting. Setting up role-plays with clear instructions and the purpose and focus of the role-play will create safety. Establishing guidelines for feedback is essential. Creating an environment of “We are all learning here,” and “This is where it is okay to make mistakes and learn,” helps volunteers relax and focus more on the learning and less on their performance.

Be A Role-Model

Utilizing realistic role-plays and showing volunteers how it is done by being the “counselor” in a role-play, shows how important you believe role-play to be and are being vulnerable to your group of volunteers. We cannot ask others to do what we are unwilling to do.

Use Role-play Early and Often

If you build in role-play from the very beginning during the initial training and continue it throughout your on-the-job and in-service training, volunteers will learn to expect it and become more comfortable with the process.

There are a variety of role-play formats that can be used:

A “scripted” role-play that is determined ahead of time between two people and the other participants are instructed to watch for specific things like good skills or bas skills, different client and volunteer reactions or behaviors, etc.
Groups of two (dyads) where all groups are given the same role-play scenario and given time to play out the scenario. In this situation it is important that each person in the dyad give feedback to the other person focused on the purpose of the role-play
Small groups of three (triads) where there are three roles: client, volunteer and observer or coach. The role of the coach would help either party if they got stuck and the role of the observer would be to stay silent and give feedback to both parties when the role-play ended. Every triad would be doing the same role-play so the processing at the end would apply to all triads.
Round-robin role-play where two people start the role-play in front of the group. When one person playing the “counselor” role gets stuck, they call time, discussion about the difficulty is worked through, and then another volunteer takes the “counseling” chair and the role-play resumes from where it was left off or stopped. It is best for center staff to play the client or someone who is very good at role-play and can move in and out of the role-play easily as well as facilitate the discussion.
A variation on the round robin above is that two volunteers are in the role-play and the staff person facilitates the discussion when one or the other of the people in the role-play become stuck or when the staff member chooses to stop the role-play for a teachable moment.
A volunteer shares a personal scenario that they encountered with a client and asks for someone to role-play with her to see if she could have possible done something different in her interaction with the client. As a second option she might ask two other volunteers to play out the scenarios to observe how another volunteer might have handled the situation.

Creating Role-play Scenarios

I have created a list of short scenarios that might be helpful when planning role-plays for your in-service trainings. It does not matter the scenario as long as it is basically realistic and a volunteer would be able to identify with the scenario to be authentic in the role-play. Almost any scenario will do because role-play is an opportunity to practice using the Seven Fundamentals and receive feedback from others who are trying to recognize and utilize the same skills. The focus should be on the volunteer’s use of the Seven Fundamentals and not on the client’s story.

Your client documentation should give you a plethora of client scenarios to draw from if you want the role-play scenarios to directly relate to the clients you are seeing at your center. When writing the scenarios give just enough information so the person playing that role can use the information but not be restricted by it. Set the stage and then let them use their imagination to put words and feelings into the role-play.

Drop me an email and let me know what you struggle with when facilitating role-play in your trainings and I will try and help in future blog posts.