Public Service Articles in the pursuit of
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Retention and Motivation;

The circular bonds of Volunteerism

By Wayne Spivak
National Press Corps
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Across this great land, there are literally hundreds of thousands of different types of volunteer programs working to better our life. From the animal rescue shelters to the hospital ‘candy stripers’, from our beloved volunteer fireman and medics to the tour guides at hundreds of historic landmarks, it is the devotion to the cause that inspired our volunteers to stand-up and join in the first place.

But that, while not an easy feat for any volunteer organization, is still the easy part. It’s very easy to sell a program, a concept and mission to new and eager people. It’s an entirely different situation to keep these same people motivated.

Motivation

 Motivation is not a slam dunk; one-size fits all concepts. Each individual in our volunteer group joined for a slightly different reason, and each of these different reasons require constant motivation. However, we can make some simple assumptions, and build our motivating factors around these assumptions, thus we can use the ‘shot-gun’ approach to motivating, and alleviate the overall managerial burden of motivation.

With the macro aspect of motivation ameliorated, we can then focus our programs at lower level motivators, who can tailor their interaction with their sub-ordinates, and ‘prime’ their charges, to keep their enthusiasm and spirit high. Motivation really should not be looked upon as a completely managerial/supervisory function, but as an organizational function.

Just as recruitment is an organizational function, with each member a recruiter in their own right, whether or not they are actually giving a ‘hard sell’ to a potential member, by doing the volunteer job in a professional manner and interacting with the public, they, the volunteer becomes the most important recruiter.

Using this same logic, each member of the group becomes the motivator for the next member. And it is the understanding of this principle which needs to be communicated to every member of the volunteer group, because it is here, at the one-to-one interpersonal relationships that most groups falter.

Make it easy

 Three simple words. Make it easy. What can be clearer? Ask anyone, and if it’s simple, then it becomes enjoyable. Difficult and frustration ensues.

Simple does not mean lowering of standards of education or professionalism, but it does mean un-cluttering the desire of those who wish to remain in positions of power, to make those who wish to move up the ladder in an organization, a difficult, frustrating task.

One of the chief ways of installing road blocks to high motivation is unnecessary paperwork. Our lives seem to be an endless stream of documenting every aspect of every day. When we arrived, when we left, who we spoke to, who called us, what was our productivity, filling out a request form, submitting, waiting for replies, following up, on and on and on. You all know the drill, because in what ever venue of life you current reside, you have paperwork associated with it.

Make it simple. Streamline the paperwork. Ensure definitive time-lines for both the submittal and the reply. Nothing frustrates a volunteer more then to apply for a position or program (a motivating factor) and then wait weeks, only to find that someone found an error.

Make it simple. Every organization has chains of communication. These paths are the way one person communicates with another within the managerial boundaries of the organization. Stress the need to follow the rules, but rules need to be seen in light of the larger organizational (motivating) needs, and then are adjusted (broken) to meet the needs of communication.

Joe (not his real name) applied for a special program in his volunteer organization. It required him to purchase special equipment to join, and only then could he file his application. The communication rules required him to speak with his local officer charged with managing the program. Unfortunately, Joe knew that this person was a place-holder, a name, whom unfortunately didn’t have a clue as to what the job was about.

Instead, he went to his neighboring manager, who did know his job. They filed the paperwork and it worked its way up the communications pipeline and got stuck. Weeks went by until word was sent down that an error was found. The paper work was mailed back, not to Joe, but to each and every intervening manager in the pipeline. More time passed, until it was communicated to the neighboring manager that Joe went to, that a small identifying number was incorrect on the form.

Joe was beside himself. Weeks and weeks had gone by, with no word on his acceptance into a program that had cost him money to qualify for, before he had the ability to file the appropriate forms. Frustration was everywhere, with Joe, his neighboring manager, and some of the other manager’s up the pipeline. Why? Because no one thought of making it simple, making it easy. A phone call would have cleared up the error, the paperwork would have been processed and Joe and many others would have been happier.

Making it easy and simple would have been great motivator. All those involved would have been encouraged, since a needed member of the program would have been inducted, and the member would have had the value (motivation) to continue on, in the organization in his new expanded role.

Create advancement

Another motivating factor is advancement. Many people who join volunteer services have advancement in their plans, many don’t. But, if advancement and movement of people throughout the many different aspects of the organization is not done, then when those who currently perform their tasks, to the exclusion of all others, leave, a tremendous void is created.

In a volunteer organization, no one person should hold the same job for years on end, unless there is no one who wished to fill that slot. And, even then, the organization should be encouraged to recruit from either within or without and find a suitable replacement.

You can’t motivate those who want to move up, by appointing and re-appointing the same faces year-in and year-out. You can build your organization with trained people if they are not able to increase their expertise, bring new ideas, and work that envelope to see if improvement is possible.

Creative advancement improves morale, and high morale moves people to stay in the organization.

Develop the ‘Team’ Spirit

Motivation is developed in many ways, from providing opportunities for service, training, advancement and possibly the most important motivator, personal interaction.

The concept of the team spirit, especially from the vantage point of social interactions, is the key in keeping volunteer members involved. Morale is higher when those who are involved believe they belong to an extended family. In addition, morale is increased if everyone feels they are collectively working, maybe in different ways, doing different tasks, toward on over-arching goal.

When the members feel that there are different teams, each working for different goals, morale suffers. People begin to de-motivate. A cascading effect starts to happen, first at the most local unit, infecting each member. An attitude of “why are we here?” and “we’re not important” begins to percolate. Members start to leave, and other members start to hear about the defections.

Organizational members must work to develop these positive social interactions. Not everyone needs to be friends, but people need to feel that the next person is there to assist them, as they are there to assist that person in meeting the organizational goals. Team work and the spirit of mutual assistance breeds high morale and motivation to succeed.

Success will breed Retention

A successful volunteer is one that is meeting both the organizational goals and their own. A successful volunteer is one that is motivated. A motivated, successful volunteer returns to the organization year in and year out.

Those volunteers that are failed by the organization leave the organization. Failure can be measured in many ways, but it is the lack of the organization in providing motivating factors that is usually the answer.

The organization has the ability to increase retention of its volunteer workforce by utilizing good managerial principles and making it easy and simple for the volunteer reach their individual and organizational goals.

How does an organization start? By following three simple words; Make it easy!