Volunteer Retention and Motivation

Transcription

1 Volunteer Retention and Motivation Retention of Volunteers One challenge facing each Partnership is to retain volunteers over time. Motivating volunteers is a long-term process through which the Partnership can strengthen the reasons that keep volunteers over time and result in initiatives and behaviors desired by the organization. Each Partnership should build a system for management, gratification and motivation of volunteers. The retention of volunteers is dependent to a large extent on the appeal and efficiency of the volunteer management processes. In other words, it is dependent on the extent to which the position was modified to suit the volunteer and the extent to which the expectations of the position were realistic. Retention is also based on the professional backup, support, direction and feedback given to the volunteer and the feeling that they achieved significant results. Rewarding Volunteers Each Partnership needs to identify the motivation of the volunteers and to build a system of rewards that will meet their personal needs as well as the needs of the larger group. Stages in rewarding volunteers: 1. Mapping the Volunteer s Motivation (Identifying the motivation of the volunteer and their level of persistence in volunteer activity) 2. Creating a System of Rewards suited to the needs of the individual volunteer and those of the group. (Activities that encourage retention) 3. Receiving Feedback (From the volunteers on the rewards and the retention activities) Mapping a Volunteer s Motivation What Motivates Volunteers Understanding the motivation of volunteers is the first stage in creating volunteer satisfaction and retention. In order to understand the best way to reward a volunteer, it is important to gain an indepth understanding of the volunteer and an understanding of the reasons they wish to volunteer in the Partnership. It is also important to understand the personal and social needs that are being met by the volunteer activity. Once these are understood, it is possible to offer the volunteer a variety of types of rewards that will meet their specific needs. In most cases, there are a number of motivations for an individual to become a volunteer and they are likely to include altruistic motivations, egoistic motivations and social motivations. Each volunteer has unique motivations and each volunteer expects that they will be able to fulfill and express themselves. It has been found that enabling the egoistic motivation of a volunteer to be fulfilled increases the probability of them staying in the Partnership over time. The motivation of a volunteer changes over time and the specific reasons that motivated those to join the Partnership are not necessarily what will motivate them to stay on over time. Therefore, the process of mapping the volunteer s motivation is ongoing and should continue during the entire volunteering period. Tasks for Mapping Volunteer Motivation: To identify and characterize the motivations and needs of the volunteer during the interview and introductory conversations. To identify and characterize the motivation and needs of the volunteer during the course of their volunteer activity and the support, guidance and feedback process.

2 To try to understand how volunteers prioritize their motivations what is the volunteer s order of preferences with respect to meeting their needs? What are they willing to give up and what is essential to them? To analyze the extent to which the function defined for the volunteer can meet their needs and what changes or additions can be made to in regards to their specific needs. To involve the volunteers in the development of the reward programs to consult with them on what types of rewards they prefer and under what conditions they would be likely to participate in reward activities. Creating a Reward System Aligned with Volunteer Needs Following the process of identifying the volunteer s needs, a rewards system should be created that is suited to the individual volunteer's needs as well as those of the group. Rewarding is important to volunteers and can affect their perseverance in the Partnership over time. Examples: Possible Volunteer Needs in a Partnership and Rewards to Meet Needs VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP Possible Needs Need for respect, appreciation and recognition in the Feel a sense of belonging to the local Feel that one belongs to an organization of national importance Feel that one belongs to a national and global organization Feel that one belongs to a prestigious organization Rewards to Meet the Need Events to pay tribute to the Partnership volunteers: fun days, holiday gatherings, etc. Gifts / certificate of recognition for volunteers Gifts on birthdays / Jewish festivals PR in the local press about Partnership s activity Invitation to conferences / events in the city Nurturing a feeling of esprit de corps Regular and frequent meetings with parallel Partnerships Regional and national conferences Recognition of volunteers at regional and national events Visits to the Partnership and involvement of the Partnership Unit headquarters staff Travel abroad and developing a relationship with the partner communities Ideological reinforcement: providing information on the effect of the Partnership s activities Who provides the reward?

3 Create ties with other leaders in the, other leaders on the national level, other leaders abroad Create business connections Feel one has influence and the power to change, advance and lead Feel important and useful Help in solving problems in the and in the parallel Help people in the and in the parallel Belong to a prestigious group Be appreciated among a group of equals Be part of a group of friends who volunteer Growth and development Do something different from one s day-to-day routine Ideological fulfillment Express religious faith or to fulfill a moral obligation Recruitment of the Steering Committee / subcommittee members based on the basis role definition and profile that will lead to the choosing members with similar characteristics Creation of social and business connections as part of the work of the Steering Committee Regular meetings with parallel Partnerships Regional and national conferences Invitations to meetings in the city / or invitation to events in the city / Creation of professional forums in the relevant areas or roundtable Providing an opportunity for every member of the Committee to express their opinions Providing the possibility to members of the Committee to take on functions that are meaningful (such as leading a project) Determining clear measures of success and tools for measurement Group evaluation and feedback procedures for self-evaluation of whether defined targets are being met Tours and visits to projects of the Partnership The definition of of Steering Committee member to include being on the committee with members who have similar characteristics A course on volunteer leadership and public administration given by academics and training experts in the Third Sector Social events for volunteers A volunteer leadership and public administration course given by academics and training experts in the Third Sector A volunteer career path: promotion and growth Learning, enrichment and specialization courses and training according to the specific needs of the volunteer Ideological reinforcement: Providing data on the effect of the Partnership s activity Ties with the parallel as part of strengthening the Jewish People and the bonds with the Diaspora Trips abroad

4 AD HOC VOLUNTEER Possible Needs Respect and recognition in the Belong to an organization with national importance Express one s values or to fulfill a moral obligation Feel useful and important Give back to the Help people Learn about the problems in my A way to fill my free time Learn something new Reinforce skills and abilities Meet people or to make new friends Compensation to Meet the Need Events to pay tribute to the Partnership volunteers: fun days, toasts, etc. Gift / certificate for volunteers Gifts on birthdays / Jewish festivals PR in the local press about Partnership s activity Possibility of travel abroad to represent the and to get to know the parallel abroad Possibility of creating bonds with representatives from the parallel and thus to fulfill the desire to strengthen ties with the Jewish People and with Jewish communities in the Diaspora Defining clearly to the volunteer so as to reflect and emphasize the significance of Providing the volunteer with the possibility of expressing his opinion and desires as part of his function Setting clear targets and measures of success for Conversations for providing feedback with the Partnership s director of volunteers The possibility of travel abroad in order to represent the A training and enrichment program that will provide volunteers with knowledge that is essential in carrying out their function Support for the volunteer in fulfilling his function and the skills acquired Social events for all ad hoc volunteers Who provides compensation?

5 VOLUNTEERS WHO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS Possible Needs Develop a new career in a new field Accumulate experience for career advancement Get to know potential employers Reinforce skills and abilities Personal growth and development Do something different from one s regular routine Give back to the Help other people Learn about the problems of the Fill my free time Belong to a prestigious group Be appreciated within a group of equals Be part of a group of volunteers Meet people or to make new friends Recognition in the Compensation to Meet the Need A training, guidance and enrichment program for volunteers A support process for the volunteer in the fulfillment of his function, which reflects the skills he has acquired Tours of the various projects implemented by the Partnership and others Meeting with volunteers from other Partnerships Creation of career paths and trajectories for growth and advancement in the Partnership Clearly defining to the volunteer so as to reflect and emphasize the significance of Providing the volunteer with the possibility of expressing his opinions and desires as part of his function Setting clear targets and measures of success for Conversations for feedback with the Partnership s director of volunteers Possibility of travel abroad to represent the Staff meetings for volunteers Social events for volunteers. Creation of professional forums for volunteers working in similar areas Travel abroad to the parallel communities and getting to know new people and new cultures Events to pay tribute to the Partnership volunteers: fun days, toasts, etc. Gift / certificate for volunteers Gifts on birthdays / Jewish festivals PR in the local press about Partnership s activity Who provides compensation?

6 Feel important and useful Manage and to feel responsible Achieve meaningful outcomes Belong to an organization with national importance Express religious faith or to fulfill a moral obligation Acquisition of work tools and feedback from the director of volunteers, inspirational talks and drawing of conclusions Encouragement of the volunteer and opportunities for personal initiative Data and information that reflect the success of the Partnership and its volunteers The possibility of travel abroad in order to represent the and to get to know the parallel abroad The possibility of creating connections with representatives of the parallel and strengthen bonds with the Jewish People and the Jewish communities in the Diaspora Attend national conferences and events Feedback on Retention and Compensation In order to measure the effect of the various tools and types of compensation presented in the tables above, conversations should be initiated in order to collect feedback from the volunteers. This should include filling out questionnaires and surveys. There are two desired outcomes ascertaining the Partnership s success in retaining volunteers and that the volunteer will feel that his opinion is indeed important and that he has an influence on the processes that he is a part of.