Building Volunteer-Friendly Organizations

1. Building Volunteer-FriendlyOrganizations National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Conference Singapore October 30, 2007

2. The Premise • It is our responsibility to create organizational environments that welcome volunteers and that focus their time and talent in ways that help achieve the organizations mission.

3. Volunteer Friendly Organizations… • Recognize that volunteers are an important asset in achieving their mission. • Give leadership at all levels to create a positive environment for volunteers. • Identify and address barriers to effective volunteer involvement at all levels of the organization. • Help their paid staff to work in partnership with volunteers. • Understand that their volunteers have important observations, perspectives and knowledge that can help the organization do its job better.

4. The Two Minute Test • What is the organization’s mission? • What is its vision – that is, how will the world be different because of the organization’s work? • What are the organization’s current priorities? • What are the volunteers doing?

5. Mission and Vision • Organizations know what they want to accomplish (mission) and how the world will be different because of their work (vision). • They are able to state both clearly and to convince others to join them. • They believe that volunteers are an important asset to help them achieve their mission.

6. Inspiring Leadership • Articulates a clear vision of role of volunteers • Commits to bringing vision to life • Creates a positive environment that places high value on volunteers • Sets expectations that everyone helps create a VFO • Holds them accountable

7. Effective Management • Someone has the primary responsibility for making sure volunteering is happening effectively within the organization. • Responsibility for volunteer management is integrated at all levels and in all parts of the organization. • Barriers to volunteering are identified and resolved quickly.

8. Understanding & Partnership • You can only treat volunteers as well as paid staff are treated. • Paid staff participate in planning, decision-making and management about volunteers in the organization. • There is an active effort to reduce boundaries between paid staff and volunteers and increase teamwork. • Stories are told about the work of volunteers and their value to the organization.

9. Learn, Grow and Change • The organization wants to constantly improve its performance in managing volunteers – and is willing to learn from their volunteers how to do it. • There is recognition of the value of involving many different kinds of people as volunteers, including those the organization is serving. • There are active, organized efforts to learn from volunteers about the work of the organization.

10. Building a Volunteer-Friendly Organization • Commitment by leadership • Engagement of the whole system • Assessment of strengths & opportunities • Management of planned change • Development of learning and continuous improvement

11. Putting it Together VFOs are built through conscious, managed processes of organizational change and professional development stimulated and led by inspired and inspiring leaders who believe volunteers are an essential asset to achieve the organization’s mission.

12. Kenn Allen, Ed.D President Civil Society Consulting Group LLC Washington DC kenn@civilsocietyconsulting.com www.civilsocietyconsulting.com