Emi I ve always loved animals. After graduating with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing in 2012, I went through a quarter-life crisis of not

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2 Emi I ve always loved animals. After graduating with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing in 2012, I went through a quarter-life crisis of not knowing what to do with myself, so I started volunteering at my local shelter. From there I became an Adoption Counselor and in 2014 was offered the position I hold now. 2

3 To help ensure you add new people to your team worth retaining in the long run (and something important to think about when it comes to retaining volunteers who might be deterred by members of the team who are not beneficial), it s important to recruit smart. Hold open, informational orientations which serve to educate interested community members about your organization and will give them enough information about the program to see if it s for them. If it s not, maybe your information will lead them to foster, adopt, donate, take advantage of some other resource you provide, or just spread correct information through the community. The next step we ve recently added, which has been a great tool for us, is a small group interview. This gives us the chance to get to know people personally, give them even more information to see if they want to commit to volunteering, and it gives us the opportunity to accept potential volunteers or let them know we don t think it s the right fit. It s essential to make sure it s a good match for you and the new volunteers each organization s volunteer program is different to fit the needs of the mission, and that might not match up with a certain individual s goals or interests, and that s okay. If there are other animal welfare organizations in your community, have their contact information to share with volunteers who you truly think may benefit a different program. Think about who will benefit your mission. If all of your volunteers come in contact with customers, they need to be able to be professional and represent your organization in a way you find desirable. I love this Maya Angelou quote, When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. If someone is loud, abrasive, and a little off-color in their orientation, don t be surprised when you recruit them and they yell something loud, abrasive, and a bit off-color to you across a lobby full of customers! 3

4 There are a few specific resources I highly recommend if you haven t taken advantage of them before the VPA developed by the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Maddie s Fund Apprenticeships, ASPCAPro webinars, of course the Animal Care Expo, and anything else by experts in our field that motivates you. These help you step back and see the bigger picture of our program and organization. Then you can identify your strengths (and opportunities for improvement), work on them, and think more creatively about what your volunteers are doing. Don t be afraid to offer long time volunteers something new to try. 4

5 Don t be afraid of saying yes to new things. I know you are already busy and overwhelmed, but sometimes new things make your life easier, or not harder at all but add a great benefit. Do some mental magic and try to approach each idea as if it is your personal idea. This will help you give it the benefit of the doubt and really analyze if it s a good one and worth your time. You can always try an idea out, and if you don t like it, phase out that program or activity. And finally, it s much easier to say yes if the work will be done by the person presenting the idea this is a great strategy for those volunteers who have a million great ideas and want you to implement every one give them the power to do it themselves! They will have to pick the best ideas, and as we know, giving volunteers more responsibility is a great way to add value to what they do. 5

6 One of our most important jobs is motivator of volunteers. We ve got to keep this up all the time. It can be easy to get discouraged and look at ourselves or others negatively if motivation is lacking. Don t think, What s wrong with me that I can t motivate these people? or What s wrong with these volunteers that they never sign up for anything? Instead get curious and ask questions like, Hmmm, I wonder why nobody ever signs up for X. What could I try differently to try to entice them? 6

7 Motivation is all well and good, but without a great plan it might all be wasted. Together, motivation and a plan are a great path to success. How often have you heard in dog training, Don t set your dog up for failure? It s so true, and this is true of ourselves and our volunteers, too. We shouldn t set ourselves or our volunteers up for failure by throwing them into something without clear guidelines, rules, and goals. A plan helps show them what to do, how to do it, and see successes when you reach them. Our enrichment program has thrived since we implemented a calendar! 7

8 In the end, engaging your volunteers is a key to success. A few A+ engagement opportunities for us are committees and groups (sense of community), mobile adoptions and off-site events (fun, see their direct impact in the community), outreach and education (teaching kids, introducing pets to people, seen as leaders), and our enrichment program (specific calendar, can see impact, volunteer leaders have pretty much taken over heading the program). 8

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18 Deb Just a little glimpse into my average day. I might start out early on my drive to work as I call and make medication order for our medical center. I m always greeted in the morning by our head of maintenance (he seems to always know right when I will arrive), and he gives me updates and important information about the building. Next, I conduct my first walk through of the day. I make a point to walk through and check in with each department more than once a day medical emergencies, see if any staff have called in sick, see how it s going in Admissions, Adoptions, etc., check on our finances with our Accountant, stop by the gift shop and front desk, our HR department, and the management team. Throughout the rest of my day I do my best to respond to all s, phone calls, in person issues, meetings, and putting out whatever fires pop up (and they always pop up). I m sometimes up late into the night on the phone with board members or management team members. Amidst all this, I have kids and an entire family I love who I need to be there for and support outside of work. I m not telling you this because I think I m unique or that I m that much busier than any of you, but it sometimes help us understand each other and work better as a team when we take a moment to see things from another s perspective. As Emi, our Volunteer Coordinator, sat down with me to brainstorm what a day in my life is like, we were both blown away by how much we do (this could be a fun exercise to try with other members of your management team take a moment to look at your accomplishments and pat each other on the back) and how much we have in common. Try to keep this in mind as you work to relate to your Executive Director or whoever oversees daily operations at your organization. It s also a good idea to know their schedule and routine so you know the best times to approach them with good news, bad news, or ideas for change. 18

19 Deb It is my job to look out for the priorities of our shelter. Our mission always comes first everything we do should be working toward fulfilling our mission. In order to fulfill our mission, we must remain successfully in business, so I also must always think about the business needs of the shelter. It s a constant balancing act between emotional and financial gains and strain. Change is always a challenge, so when considering any changes I must think about buy in from the board, staff, volunteer, and donor perspectives. I also have to think about donor fatigue as well as staff and volunteer burnout. We have so many great ideas, but constant change or overloading our people with too many things can lead to disaster. 19

20 Deb As with any successful relationship, to maintain a productive and positive relationship with your ED, communication is key. Keep in mind generational differences when it comes to communication preferences. For example, I prefer to confirm a meeting through and discuss in person. Find a middle ground that works for you and your ED if you tend to have different communication styles. If you haven t already, I highly recommend a staff development training session for your management team about different generations in the workforce. You ve probably already been thinking about this when it comes to your volunteers, but it can make all the difference with your coworkers, too. Make sure you report important volunteer information! Good things that have happened, challenges you ve faced, number of new volunteers trained, volunteer hours donated, etc. If your ED isn t already asking for a formal weekly report, figure out what the most important information to share is and share it regularly. Think about sharing the good stuff with the rest of the team (staff and volunteers), too! Social media has been a great tool for me personally to see all of the in between things volunteers are doing that Emi can t always report volunteers post pictures of themselves transporting pets to rescue groups, volunteering as a family, doing personal fundraisers for the shelter, and more. This gives me a chance to like the post and give a quick comment, letting them know I see their effort and appreciate it. I also love regular in-person updates from key players in the volunteer program like the President of the Volunteer Advisory Council, volunteers who work directly in customer service at our front desk, etc. I don t have the time or the answers to field all volunteer questions, but I ve developed great relationships with individual volunteers who are interested in program improvement and tightening the focus of all we do on our mission, which is my number one job. 20

21 Deb The most direct and effective ways I ve found to help with volunteer retention all start with cultivating a culture of appreciation with every member of our team staff and volunteers. I thank volunteers when I see them and encourage employees to do the same. I also thank the staff for what they do in ways volunteers can see (like on social media) to encourage everyone to appreciate each other and see the good work we re all doing. I also go to the Volunteer Coordinator when shelter needs arise that can be filled by volunteers. From the Volunteer Coordinator s point of view, this could potentially be overwhelming, making her worry about how she ll find volunteers to fill those roles, but when they are meaningful positions that volunteers can really see make a difference, it s a great tool for retention. I also organize or sit in on one-on-one or small group meetings with volunteers who are fulfilling those roles that require my attention such as applying for grants, volunteer fundraisers, and our medical center. Meeting directly with the Executive Director is just another way to show volunteers they are valued and important. I also interview volunteers directly for high-level positions where appropriate, just like I would a new employee coming in. One example for us is our medical center. As the Director of Animal Welfare, I like to get to know new members of the medical team and want to make that personal connection. This is something several members of your management team can participate in. It should result in more satisfaction for your staff and volunteers they can make sure they re adding someone to their department who will truly be a benefit, and volunteers feel an extra level of commitment and pride after going through an interview process. Many of these strategies go back to creating intrinsic rewards for your volunteers. 21