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.