Association Volunteer: Maximum Potential

Our organizations thrive because of volunteers.  It is their vision that leads and their efforts that drive.

Despite playing such a pivotal role, often organizations do not consider the full scope of voice and intent their volunteers could bring to the table.  Can we easily identify the delta between what a volunteer does in their agreed upon position and the larger role they play in the organization's structure and culture?  Without a clear picture of the comprehensive potential an organization would like volunteers to fulfill there can never be an intentional path created to help guide them to maximizing their impact.  Here are some of those potential areas for consideration:

1. Doing the job - This is what they actually raised their hand to do.  It is the logistical, roll-up-your-sleeves work that has to get done and what is built into the organization's governance structure.  It is the foundation of any volunteer effort since, if they are not doing what they said they were going to do, the organization's primary focus is going to be ensuring that somehow the job actually still gets done.

2. Looking ahead - As volunteers fulfill their role, it would be ideal if they could simultaneously evaluate their work to map out future improvements.  Are they fulfilling the 'why' behind the the position's existence?  Is there a different set of resources that could help the volunteer who will succeed them?  Looking even further ahead, is there a place where the specific position would evolve for a greater impact (i.e. the same job done by 3 separate groups could eventually combine efforts)?  Or, potentially, could the purpose of the position actually reach completion so that the volunteer role itself is closed out?

3. Know thy organization - Volunteer leaders, by nature of their position, are inherent spokespeople for the organization.  If someone has a question, they are often the ones asked and while they can not be expected to know EVERYTHING there is some base level of information/awareness that should exist.  Organizations that are intentional in what that level should be best prepare their volunteers to be their spokespeople.  What are the primary areas of focus and effort of the organization?  Where are there opportunities for member involvement?  Is there a PAC?  a foundation?  How an organization works to impact its members and impact the field are two sides of the value coin where a volunteer should be knowledgeable.  Setting up paths to gain that knowledge, and hopefully the passion for the work of the association that comes with it, is the responsibility of the organization.

4. Give. - Our volunteers already give so much - of their time, as they attend meetings and work on projects and committees.  They give of their money as they are often some of the top-purchasers of products and programs.  They give of their personal capital as they vouch for and market the association to their colleagues.  There are also other areas where the association would want their volunteers to give, where the amount they donate is less important than being able to say that support for these arms of the organization is in action and not just words.  Two examples could be when there is a PAC that tries to drive the success of the profession forward through advocacy, or when there is a foundation that is working to improve the profession through research or investing in the next generation of professionals. A balance of explicit expectations of how a volunteer is a leader for the organization during the time they serve with recognition for those volunteers that truly step up to lead in the maximum capacity sets the stage for volunteer examples that others can learn from and emulate.  If we don't recognize the leaders that we need others to also be, how will their actions ever translate into leadership lessons for future volunteers?

If our volunteers not only did what they signed up to do, but were thoughtful in how it could be done better going forward, while representing the organization in knowledge, word and action we would see association evolution driven by the professional in whole new ways.  Not every volunteer will necessarily do all these things, but if we never establish a system where we paint the picture of a fully engaged volunteer, the path of learning to gain the knowledge necessary to play that role and the recognition of those that step up to fill the shoes, then maximum volunteer potential will only be reached by happenstance.

What is the maximum potential you want to see in your volunteers?

Defining "Membership Growth"

In the past few weeks I have had a number of conversations with some good friends and colleagues where they used the phrase “membership growth” but in each case their definition differed.  Essential for any association, and almost always a key factor in their strategic plan, a clear understanding of what you mean by “membership growth” is needed to truly measure if the efforts you are making match the results you seek – so here are a few definitions that may apply to what you are trying to do:

Traditional Definitions

      New Member Count Increase – You have succeeded in attracting new members to your organization – congratulations!  Key to this growth is an understanding of WHY they joined – a particular product?  A connection with a component?  A fellow professional encouraging them to do so?  Their employer requiring membership?  Tracking the reason for joining will let you hone your recruitment techniques to connect with the right professionals in the right way.

        Specific Segment Count Increase – In my world this has recently been that our count of global members has grown as opposed to domestic.  Depending on the focus of your organization, these could be segmented by geography, experience in industry (student, young professional, retired, etc), investment in organization (prospect, customer, custom member, full member), etc. 

       Increase in Renewal Numbers – Your organization is retaining a higher percentage of members, resulting in month over month/year over year longer affiliation with your organization.   Particularly when calculating the lifetime value of a member, the longer their affiliation the bigger bottom line return your association will see.

    

        Total Member Count Increase – Most often the addition of numbers 1+3 above – and also most often the bottom line the Board wants to see.  This is an increase in the total count of members affiliated with your organization.

Less Traditional Definitions

       Member Engagement – Are more members taking advantage of the value engagement opportunities that you present?  Are they getting more involved?  Is there an increase in conference attendance, resource utilization and feedback on your current offerings?  Perhaps an increase in member engagement means greater dialogue – members commenting of private and public social media platforms, participating in surveys and research or achieving your certifications.  Any of these factors could be considered membership growth.

     Volunteer Participation – Though I have only heard it used this way once or twice, an increase in the number of volunteers and/or growth in the tasks they accomplish may indicate a growth in membership as well.  Particularly for organizations where there is a strong reliance on volunteer efforts for membership drives and localized value and programming, this may be a key factor in the expansion of the association.

If your organization has a definition of membership growth I have missed, please add it to the comments below.

At different moments, with varying stakeholders, the definition you intend for my ‘membership growth’ may not be the same one that others are picturing.  While in general ‘membership growth’ is a yay factor, it is key to know what you are celebrating!

Mission: Volunteer Leader Training Part 2: Growing the Leader

It is time we shift our focus from the position a volunteer is fulfilling to the person who is actually volunteering.

Often, our M.O. is to welcome a new volunteer by explaining the responsibilities of the position they have agreed to fulfill.  Time permitting, we will share some historical background of what the previous volunteers have accomplished in the role, and what roadblocks they encountered.  As the volunteer starts to explore their job staff may also answer any requests for tools or resources needed to succeed in their efforts.  In short, staff efforts are focused on the transition of the position from one volunteer to the next.

But what if we took a different approach.  When a new volunteer is selected, what if we took the time to explore more about the new person raising their hand instead of jumping into what they will be doing.  In short, what if we invested in the volunteer?

While leadership training programs and educational opportunities for volunteers remain outside of budgetary scope for many associations, there are a number of steps we could take that only require our own time, commitment, and caring.

When someone volunteers, we can take the time to elicit personal insights.  Why were the interested?  What do they hope to get out of the position?  What new skills would they like to learn or get that will help them in their career or future volunteer positions?  These questions should be less of an interview and more of a conversation.

Rarely are we asked, by someone who truly is listening, what we want and how we would like to see ourselves grow.  Answering these questions may be initially a little stop and go, but can become a smooth conversation as the volunteer realizes there is someone on the other side who not only wants to hear the answers, but wants to help them get there.  If they are not sure of what they want, staff can describe general attribute growth opportunities that arise from volunteering, as well as how the volunteer work that someone does almost always gives transferable skills to their professional life.

As they feel that the association is investing in them, this volunteer will become not just committed to their current position, but likely to have continued leadership involvement.  Key to this is for the volunteer to hear reflections from and milestones of their achievements.  This could be regular check ins with staff or even when there is an opportunity for an in person cup of coffee at a meeting.  Heck, use an online goal tracking system if you like (check this out for one) - but help reflect back to them in the ongoing months how they are indeed building the skills they intended.

This process of volunteer investment and development, though perhaps potentially low cost in dollars and cents, is one that is a heavy commitment for staff to make - it is not something that can be checked off the list, but an action that is ongoing as the volunteer continues to serve.  Yet, done properly it can build a ever growing group of committed volunteers that in themselves could strengthen the foundation of the association.  A number of them may even be willing to take on the responsibility of investing in fellow volunteers in the same manner.

Can we learn that when it comes to volunteers we have to both plan with our logic AND listen with our heart?  I think we can.

(I know, this is Listen to Your Heart, not Listen WITH your heart - but was too close to pass up)

Mission: Volunteer Leader Training Part 1

Where would associations be without volunteer leaders?  I have yet to find an association that is so well staffed that volunteers are not needed, and even if this association exists I would still question eliminating these positions as they help foster engagement, community and general leadership skills useful to a volunteer in all aspects of their professional life.  Volunteers are essential to a successful association.

In a post on the Affiniscape blog, Leslie White says: "Everybody says volunteers are important so isn’t it time for associations to commit more resources to managing this precious asset?"  


Leslie is 100% right - if volunteers are so important, we need to do more to help them succeed.  While it would be ideal if this could translate into whole budget lines for volunteer development, I know this is not possible for most associations. Therefore, in the coming weeks I am going to write a series of 5 posts on some basic volunteer leader development skills and sessions that any association can plan and run without having to spend big bucks.  I am going to explore:

1. Basic Social Media Training
2. Plotting out Personal Leadership Skills
3. Developing Community through Communication
4. Creating Pathways to Leadership: Micro-volunteering and Other Concepts
5. Thinking Ahead: Helping Leaders Look Past Their Term

My first post on Basic Social Media Training can be found on the AssociationTech blog and is called Social Media and the Chapter Leader.

While my work is largely with volunteer leaders of chapters, affiliates and committees, I believe the basic concepts I will cover can be applied to any leadership role. 

Our volunteers may be new to their profession, or senior leaders in their company - but all could benefit by learning skills tailored to leading in an association.  Let's get to it with some Social Media Basics today!

Next up: Plotting out Personal Leadership Skills

Volunteers at the Center

Associations rely heavily on the work of volunteers to successful achieve their goals year after year.  Typically this is done by examining a list of open volunteer positions, making a call or directly recruiting potential candidates, and then slotting them into their roles.  We worry about filling these positions, hope that we get the right people in the process, and feel at least a small sense of relief when all the spots are full.

Over the past few cycles I started to notice some patterns in the volunteers we found and the quality of their contribution - applications and backgrounds were not the full picture of how they would serve.  Instead, in the application and on-boarding process there was a large question that we forgot to ask to each member.

Why do you want to volunteer?

Some people volunteer because they feel passionate about a cause.  Others volunteer to get a line on their resume (though this is not an answer that they may share directly).  People volunteer to network and meet fellow leaders and some others choose to volunteer because they are interested in learning more about an organization.  There are dozens of reason why someone may want to volunteer, or want a specific volunteer position.  Though background experience may best explain why someone is qualified for the job, it is only by asking why they want it at all that we can start to understand their own goals for the road ahead.

In the coming year I am focusing more on the individual volunteer experience. What skills do they want to gain?  What connections do they hope to make?  Similar to career counseling, I believe a one on one conversation with volunteers will help define not just what resources they need for success this year, but what potential continued paths of involvement exist for the future. 

Yes, a volunteer is giving of themselves to the organization - in turn we need to act in a volunteer-centric mindset.  As we do, and align the experience a volunteer has with the reasons they raised their hands in the first place, the more each one will be able to accomplish.


Here is a great example of an organization re-framing their offerings to be volunteer-centric in nature: http://www.thegoodgym.org/about/