(originally published 11.03.2005)
This Week’s Question:
What steps can we take to do an effective job of screening potential volunteers? We don’t have time to expend on ineffective volunteers and it’s important that we bring on ones who will add value to our organization. Are there signs we should look out for that would signal who would be a stellar volunteer and who won’t be a good contributor?
This Week’s Answer:
Volunteers are essential to any grassroots effort, but organizing, coordinating and managing volunteers can be a very time consuming effort.
When presented with the challenge of cultivating a strong network of volunteers, I think it’s natural to ask, “What can I do to make sure I’m getting the best people?”
However, if we take a step back and think about the relationship between your organization and its volunteers, the conundrum of how to find “stellar volunteers” may become clearer.
I find it helpful to think of it this way. There is a correlation between the level of support you offer your volunteers and the value they will add to your organization.
Volunteers that feel they are set up for success will, more often than not, succeed. Obviously this involves giving them the information they need, but it also means connecting them to an actual person in your organization.
Although it may seem basic, building a relationship is an easy step to overlook when there are competing demands for your time.
Simply put, connecting and building relationships with volunteers is the most effective way of “screening volunteers” that I know of.
Sure this means finding out how they heard of your organization, what skills they have, and so forth.
But, even more importantly, it means finding out about their self-interest in volunteering. What do they feel strongly about? What motivates them and gets them up in the morning?
The beauty of building relationships with volunteers is that it doesn’t need to take a lot of time. If done well, it can take place over a brief conversation of 20 -30 minutes.
In organizing circles, this is called a “one-on-one.” A one-on-one is a face to face conversation used to help build a relationship with another person and learn about what really matters to them.
If there is a match between the volunteer’s self-interest and your self-interest, then it’s a pretty good bet that both of you will come out ahead.
Here’s an example. When I worked in Washington, D.C. for a social service non-profit, we had a variety of programs and ways for volunteers to get involved.
Whenever I got a call from someone interested in volunteering I always made a point to do a one-on-one before I ever asked them to sign-up for a volunteer shift.
By doing this, I could quickly get a read on how this person might best fit with our organization and our needs. And it was also an opportunity for them to get to know us.
In taking the time to connect with the volunteer, I could better determine if it made more sense for them to volunteer at the nightly dinner program we ran or if they might be better as, say, a teaching assistant in an English class.
Another benefit of building a relationship first is this: if there wasn’t a match at the time, I could own up to that.
Once I understood the volunteer’s self-interest I could always get back in touch with them when an opportunity came up, provided that I had made an effort to stay connected.
Now, I know that actually sitting down and getting to know a relative stranger isn’t something that we often do, so a lot of times people are put off by doing one-on-one.
But they are one of the most effective ways to connect with your volunteers and uncover their self-interest, which will in turn help you find and cultivate those people who will add value to your organization or effort.
The following pointers should help you get started with utilizing one-on-ones in your organization’s work.
Some Reasons to do One-On-Ones
Some Things to Discuss During a One-On-One:
For organizing resources, please visit Tools You Can Use: Organizing & Coalition-Building
