Clear expectations are essential for success. If you don’t know what is expected of you, you can’t deliver. If you don’t know the scope of the work, you can’t complete it. Just as you wouldn’t take a job without a job description, you shouldn’t take on a volunteer role without the same.
As staff, we need to make a big deal of the selection process. Every volunteer who is selected to serve in a leadership role should receive that congratulatory call (not email!) along with a brief conversation about the commitment and expectations. This verbal agreement will ensure you know that they know what is expected and everyone is on the same page. It also gives you an opportunity to set benchmarks to ensure the project is on track without appearing to micro-manage them. Clear expectations just make for a smoother journey down the road of volunteer leadership. So next time you have the opportunity to “promote” volunteers to a leadership role, bring out the fanfare. Let them know how they were selected, what is expected and what tools, resources and support you’ll be providing to help them thrive. That little effort will pave the way for a solid commitment from the start. And they'll be proud of what they've gotten themselves into! teamWorks blogs provide insight and inspiration on everything related to volunteer management. Contact us to explore how we can help your staff and volunteers develop these skills and capacity-building strategies.
2 Comments
Ted Braxton II
10/2/2015 11:54:14 am
Volunteer leadership can be very powerful if properly recruited , trained and supported
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Becky Lunders, teamWorksAuthor. Speaker. Motivator. Archives
April 2020
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