Building a pro volunteer habitat

Building a pro-volunteer habitat

Margie BradleyAbigail Elder

Jennifer Johnson

Volunteer Ecosystem

Who is at the top of the food chain?

Who is

your boss?

Who does your boss answer to?

Share an experience you’ve had as a volunteer.

What did you get from that experience? How did the organization help (or hinder) you meet that

intellectual/emotional need?

• Expensive• Time-consuming• High turnover• Take up space• Unskilled• Undependable• Security risk• “Free labor”

• Fear of dependency

• Fear of unions

Volunteers as Free Labor

• Engagement• Grow skills• Socialize• Meet new people• Try something new• Be recognized• Give to a worthy cause• Fulfill a requirement

• Valued customers

• Part of our mission

Volunteers as

People We serve

Tualatin Public Library

Tualatin Culture Change

Expectations of staff for how we serve volunteers

Betty Stallings Training

MANAGE UP! • You are the experts!• Ask for what you

need!• Be specific!• Show me the

possibilities! • Manage me and the

rest of the staff!

Kid President Pep Talk

Change & The Brain

The Elephant has the strength

to move

The Rider attempts to

direct the action

Good: Long-term planning, direction

Bad: Indecisive, limited power

Good: Energy, drive, instinct, motivation

Bad: lazy, skittish, short-sighted

People problems may really be situation problems

Laziness may be exhaustion

Direct the Rider

Keep it simple

Resistance may be lack of clarity

Follow the bright spots

What’s working well?

Script the critical moves

What are some small moves that you could ask of staff?

What are some small moves that you could ask of your boss?

Tualatin’s Small Moves

• Smile and greet volunteers

• Wear your nametag

• Ask someone what they did the last time they volunteered.

Point to the destination

Motivate the Elephant

Find the Feeling

Punishment loses its sting; help me feel good about my role in serving volunteers

Find the Feeling

Help me to know volunteers as individuals

Shrink the Change

Tualatin: Don’t need to be best friends with volunteers.Ask volunteers about their pets. Ask them about the weather.

Grow people

Link identity to serving volunteers

Shape the Path

How can you make the RIGHT thing the EASIEST thing?

Tweak the Environment

Margie brought tours to me, rather than relying on me to initiate greetings.

Build Habits

Daily Stand-up Meetings

Rally the Herd: Behavior is contagious

We are off to a great start! Let’s build on that success!

Pro-Volunteer Habitat

MANAGE UP!

Shape the Path

Motivate the

Elephant

Direct the Rider

Volunteers are not

free labor

We serve volunteers