by John Carroll

Patrick is a former witness of spousal abuse as a child and now volunteers in a domestic abuse response center. Joanne is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and leads a group raising awareness of child maltreatment. Andy grew up in near-poverty and has started a foundation to benefit children in inner-city schools.

In each of the examples above, people give their time, talents or finances to support a cause in which they believe. In each case, these people come to the causes they support with needs. These needs are exactly the element that charitable organizations should consider in how they recruit, invite, involve, recognize and reward their volunteers.

Charitable organizations tend to put their primary focus on the mission of serving their clients, usually people and/or organizations with special needs. In the pursuit of filling client needs, these same charitable groups tend to overlook the needs of those who provide much, if not most, of the brainpower, elbow grease and financial support required to reach the organization's objectives.

If your charitable group depends heavily on volunteer efforts and contributions, consider the fact that volunteers are people, too. They come with all the idiosyncrasies, foibles and quirks that the rest of us carry. Yet they are the backbone of most charitable efforts, because without them, most causes would die a quick and painful death. Doesn't it make sense, then, to understand and meet the needs of your volunteers?

What are the needs of your present and future volunteers? Here are a few to consider:

1. Volunteers need a sense of belonging - Many volunteers will give their time to a cause selflessly. They ask for little or nothing in return, but down deep, they appreciate being identified as part of the team that does admirable work in the community. They like to look at themselves as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

2. Volunteers need a sense of contribution and accomplishment - When people volunteer to build a house or repair an existing home, they can get a sense of their accomplishment simply by seeing the completed project. It becomes more complicated when the work revolves around spending time with a child while the parents discuss treatment options for a child who has been maltreated by a friend or relative. The volunteer may never see that child again to know whether positive results came from the time with that child.

3. Volunteers need clear expectations - Job descriptions, roles and responsibilities and written committee descriptions may seem to be the tools of the private sector. Charitable organizations who see it this way and operate in such fashion could not be more wrong. Having worked with various charitable organizations for years, I have seen board members invited to serve on the promise that they'll be asked to attend just one meeting per month with no additional responsibilities. "It will be easy," they are assured, "and this won't take much of your time." What kind of contribution would you expect from someone who is invited to serve on those terms? Volunteers: Handle with Care

4. Volunteers need structure - There's a perception that charitable causes are willing to accept virtually any type of help or merchandise contributed, because something is better than nothing. For example, an apparent lack of structure in operational procedures on the organization's part can lead to misguided initiative and confusion among well-meaning volunteers. Documented procedures for volunteers encourage productive use of time and energy in the fulfillment of an organization's purpose.

5. Volunteers need encouragement and reinforcement - Yet another perception holds that volunteers are some sort of super-human species that require little or no care and feeding. Novices especially need strong reinforcement from veterans, paid professionals and staff to repeat positive behaviors and correct ineffective ones. The most effective staffers I've met are those who constantly give feedback and coach their volunteers.

6. Volunteers need appreciation and recognition - A growing segment of the volunteer community is comprised of those who have completed their working careers. They now volunteer at the hospital or soup kitchen and are paid by the compliment, the look of appreciation and the recognition of a job well done. They're not working for a wage or salary, but their pay in the form of appreciation and recognition should be delivered regularly.

Meeting the needs of your volunteers
The good news is that with minimal organization, resources and effort, you can meet and exceed the needs of volunteers and keep them coming to help and assist you. Here are five steps you can take that cost little in time and money:

1. Establish written job descriptions for every responsibility. From Board member to volunteer delivery person to staff member, this seems rather obvious to many. You might be surprised, however, by the number of organizations who fly by the seat of their pants, assuming that everyone knows the job, the objective and the time required to fulfill one's duties. If you don't feel you have the time to sit down and write out what everyone is supposed to be doing, delegate the task to those who are currently filling those positions. You can then review and clarify the specific responsibilities of each role and use the written documents for future reference, training and recruiting purposes.

2. Create and operate a system of appreciation for your volunteers. To keep volunteers coming back, make sure you have a process in place to show your appreciation for what they do to help your organization reach its objectives. This should be more than someone making a mental note to say thank you to a particular individual. A system of appreciation can include everything from team recognition at a Board meeting to an annual thank you event.

3. Communicate clear expectations in recruiting efforts. This is the "no surprises" approach to volunteer productivity. Before someone agrees to serve in your organization, be sure that person is fully aware of your expectations for time, talent and financial commitments. The "give, get or get off" Board requirement in some organizations should be clearly specified in advance. Volunteers: Handle with Care

4. Treat volunteers with the same care as your clients. Your volunteers, especially those with direct client contact, are a key to your success as an organization. Check www.contentedcows.com to gain more insight into how the care and feeding of your volunteers ties directly into your level of client service and satisfaction, as well as community perception, awareness and fund-raising capacity.

5. Benchmark the best and incorporate great ideas. Virtually every community has at least one charitable organization that stands head and shoulders above the rest in its performance and service to clients and community. Look more closely and you're likely to find that this organization also takes great care of its volunteers. Talk to some of the volunteers and staff and learn what they do to be effective. Take one or two of their key practices, tailor it to your organization's needs and implement immediately.

By focusing on the satisfaction and productivity of your volunteers, you take what some consider the single most valuable resource in your organization and get a high return on a minimal investment. Charitable or otherwise, that's just plain good business!

John Carroll is President/CEO of Unlimited Performance, a Mt. Pleasant, SC, firm specializing in organizational and individual performance improvement. His approaches have attracted attention globally, most recently in the April, 2000 issue of Chief Executive China. Contact him at 1-877-755-8844 toll-free, email at jcarroll@uperform.com, fax at (843) 881-6746.

© 2000 John Carroll. All rights reserved.