Taking a Nap: Helping Your Volunteer Staff Stay Sharp
Your dog is pretty tired after a walk to the park and a game of frisbee. Now imagine how your dog would behave if he had to do that 8 times a day! As humans, we often overlook our connection with nature. We lose touch of that inner voice that tells us when we should rest. This is bad news for people who work and volunteer because it often leaves them feeling too exausted to be fully present while volunteering.
Volunteers burn out or get discouraged. That’s not news. We see this when they start to do less or leave the organization. They need to be nurtured through good stewardship. They will then be motivated, creative and self-replacing resources for the organization. And the organization will get the best results.
Volunteers burn out frequently because they are in the wrong position or positions. Who among us hasn’t taken a position as a member of a board of directors and been told we needed to be a committee chair also. The reverse also happens, a volunteer offers to serve as a committee chair and is then told it is also a board position.
Most people have unique abilities. People join organizations because they believe in the vision and want to make an impact. This is important to recognize thorough appreciation events and electronic communication like emails and newsletters.
When I join the chess club, I may only want to play chess. Other members might be willing to work at the annual chess tournament, to work on the committee planning the annual chess tournament, to chair the committee planning the annual chess tournament, or even to serve on the board of directors.
How do you know where to have people serve? You learn about their abilities and interests. You learn about the abilities and interest needed in each of your volunteer positions. Then you are in a position to effectively offer them a place to serve. This is the human resources activity in nonprofits that are all volunteer.
When we are working with our unique abilities [link Kolbe?], we are usually more motivated and creative. We bring in new ideas and new processes. We contribute to the planning process. We meet or exceed expectations. We meet or beat our deadlines.
The end result is the organization gets best results possible.
Photo Credit: molly tired by :/, on Flickr
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Michael, you make such excellent points in this blog! Good stewardship is something that I think gets overlooked by many organizations, but is so critical to their longevity. I have truly appreciated working with you to help strengthen my non-profit professional association, the Direct Support Professional Association of Minnesota (www.nadsp.org/dspam). You are tremendously talented at what you do! Thanks!!