Volunteer Opportunities:Flexibility is the key
I think that there is definitely a need for volunteer managers to have the flexibility in their programs to accommodate episodic volunteers. We lead very busy lives and the excuse of “not enough time” probably relates to the perception of the commitment required to volunteer. In the traditional model of volunteering some organisations actually specify a time period of commitment to volunteering; a regular weekly shift over a period of 12 months for example. What if that person is unable to fulfil that time commitment? While it would be great to have that commitment from people, it is not always possible for people to either make or keep that commitment. People are unpredictable and life is unpredictable. Any number of things can impact on a person’s life and their commitment to volunteering; a change in circumstance, loss of a job, gain of a job perhaps in another state or country, commencing study, travel, health issues, either their own or their loved ones, a life changing event such as a death or serious illness in the family prompting a reassessment of priorities. These are all very valid reasons for not being able to commit to a specific timeframe of volunteering.
We, as volunteer managers, need to have the flexibility in our programs to accommodate this emerging trend in volunteering, for to remain rigid in our volunteer program structure may mean the demise of our volunteer programs because they no longer attract as many volunteers. This may be because emerging trends in the way people volunteer no longer match the traditional volunteering model. While altruism may be one aspect of volunteering, many people volunteer for different reasons; for experience for their tertiary study, to gain experience for a job, to practice conversational English skills and for many other reasons. Volunteering needs to fit into study, work, childcare and leisure activities. The structure of our volunteer programs needs to provide a variety of meaningful tasks with flexibility to accommodate changing schedules and volunteering commitments. A balance of traditional volunteering with episodic volunteering provides stability yet flexibility within its structure.
The above article is a slightly modified version of my response to the OZVPM Hot Topic for June/July 2011 by Rob Jackson http://www.ozvpm.com/hottopics.php
I have also posted this article on my blog http://wendy-moore.blogspot.com/2011/06/volunteer-opportunities-flexibility-is.html
Hi Wendy, I really liked your post and thought this was reflective of my own thoughts. Flexibility is one of the main skills I feel Volunteer Managers have and/or need to develop to ensure they keep the volunteers they get.
This also really linked to something I am working on around short-term or one-off projects involving volunteers.
I keep finding organisations put a lot of training and support into volunteers who are with the organisation for the longer-term however when it comes to short-term I am finding this does not always map over.
I am generalising here and I am sure there are some very good organisations who have good practice for the volunteers who help with one-off events as well as longer-term but I am finding these are few and far between.
Would you be willing to discuss this further with me?
I would be very interested in if you deal with short-term or one-off events involving volunteers and if so what good practice you use for this and what, perhaps, you don't and why this would be.
If you would be willing to help please send me a private message.
Thanks anyway for the post.
Thanks RSPCA_Cambridge for your comments. Developing opportunities designed for episodic volunteering is a great idea. As you suggest, having good communication with volunteers promotes understanding by them that it is ok to say no if the volunteering does not suit them.
Thanks Rob
Maybe part of the answer is to try to develop opportunities that are specifically designed and "marketed" as being suitable for people who can't guarantee to be regularly available, with an explanation of their limitations (need to be tasks that don't require a lot of training and so on)?
I've found that there is another problem that's almost a mirror-image of this one; where the work required from the volunteers has unpredictable elements. Volunteers who prefer to work at set times may not want to be called on to help with sudden urgent tasks while those who have unpredictable schedules themselves may not mind going on a list of people who can be called "on spec" to see if they're available when a crisis happens.
A lot of it's about persuading volunteers that it's OK to say no when helping isn't convenient and that we're not going to be grumpy about it.
Great post Wendy.