Trends & Tips for Engaging Today’s Volunteer Linelle Blais & Jeff Ross.

Trends & Tips for Engaging Today’s Volunteer Linelle Blais & Jeff Ross

Today’s Volunteer

• What does Today’s Volunteer look like?

• Illustrate or use words and phrases to describe Today’s volunteer.

ACS Mission StatementThe American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.

Top Trends for Engaging Today’s

Volunteer#5 Reinventing

Volunteerism: “Better Together”

ATTRACT

DEVELOPRETAIN

SUSTAIN

VOLUNTEERS

2007 Volunteer Shout

• 3,050,179 Division Volunteers 11% increase

• Estimated $ value (not including event participants)

$827,295,794.00

2007 Volunteer Data in SeibelSociety Volunteer Demographics

• 65% Female, 22% Male, and 13% Unknown

• 47.9% Caucasian, 2.1% African American, 6.5% Other, and 43.5% Unknown

• 10% live in a metropolitan city, 8% live in a suburban community, and 19% live in a rural community

• 15% of ACS Volunteers are Cancer Survivors

• Average volunteer age is 47 years

Volunteer Trends #5 Relay Reinvented - “Better

Together”• Recommit to meaningful partnership (It’s not

what you do. It’s how you do it!)

• Build early success. Establish positive relationships from day 1! Ask volunteers to orient, train & mentor new staff and volunteers.

• See talent? Grow it for the future…within Relay and Beyond! Let volunteers know about “career” path options

• Capture Relay Data then use it! Garbage in. Garbage out.


Volunteer#4 Plugging the Leaky

Bucket

9

Asking Volunteers to use their skills can help plug the leak…

• Participation in skilled volunteer activities leads to higher volunteer retention.

• 73.5% of volunteers in professional or management positions continue volunteering.

Today’s Volunteer Tips #4 Relay Retention – Plug the Leaky

Bucket• Relay volunteers - natures best

“renewable” resource! Develop a plan to keep volunteers…specific plans for leadership volunteers.

• Ensure a high quality and consistent volunteer experience. Timely response to questions, training & resources needed for success, personalized recognition & thank yous, flexibility & visibility of the volunteer’s role.

• Provide a designer menu of choices tailored to your volunteer. Personalize! Make meaningful to the volunteer…skills needed by the Society!


Volunteer#3 Engaging Volunteers Across the Generations

GIs/Vets Born Between 1922-1943

Born Between 1979-2000Gen Y

Born Between 1960-1979Gen X

Boomers Born Between 1943-1960

Relating Across Generations of

Relay For Life Talent

Volunteer Tips #3 Relay Generations

• Sell Relay opportunities as skill-based for Today’s young and experienced professionals. Elevate prestige of key positions by identifying skills, limited # of positions available, and the networking & leadership benefits of the role. Label skilled positions - “project manager job” or “marketing expert”.

• Create opportunities for cross-generational skills & leadership development for Gen Y and Boomers. Mentoring & reverse mentoring, coaching, shared “jobs”, orientation & training.

• Tailor your attraction, development, recognition & communication strategies to the generation.

Getting to Know Generation Y Realistic, Collaborative

Messages That Motivate•Serve your community•Be smart – you are special•Leave no one behind•Connect 24/7•Achieve now•Vote or die•Just do it!•I want your feedback•Have it your (my) way•These skills useful for multiple paths inside & out•You will work with other bright, creative people

Messages That Motivate•Serve your community•Be smart – you are special•Leave no one behind•Connect 24/7•Achieve now•Vote or die•Just do it!•I want your feedback•Have it your (my) way•These skills useful for multiple paths inside & out•You will work with other bright, creative people

Tips•Design office space for sharing •Team rewards for meaningful goals•Reverse mentoring programs•Post opportunities on-line•Gaming mode for learning•Leverage social networks thru technology•Use of video, video resumes•Virtual opportunities/virtual offices•Flexible schedules; balance my activities•Family volunteering & in recruitment•Engage in diversity initiatives•Good role models & semi-structure•Parallel career paths, recycling•Continuous learning, cross training

Tips•Design office space for sharing •Team rewards for meaningful goals•Reverse mentoring programs•Post opportunities on-line•Gaming mode for learning•Leverage social networks thru technology•Use of video, video resumes•Virtual opportunities/virtual offices•Flexible schedules; balance my activities•Family volunteering & in recruitment•Engage in diversity initiatives•Good role models & semi-structure•Parallel career paths, recycling•Continuous learning, cross training

Getting to Know Gen X Skeptical, Self-Command

Messages That Motivate

Do it your way – innovate!You take the leadWe’ve got the newest hardware and softwareThere aren’t a lot of rules hereWe’re not very corporate We build portable careers


Do it your way – innovate!You take the leadWe’ve got the newest hardware and softwareThere aren’t a lot of rules hereWe’re not very corporate We build portable careers

Tips Emphasize flexible work options Stress career paths and career portfolio in

orientations (1st 6 mos critical)

Short multi-media, interactive orientations – 20 mins max

Stress skills building opps – the more learn, the more stay, “renew”

Emphasize merit over years of service Freedom is the best reward Use “sound bites” to communicate (30-60s

sales “pitch”). Direct, immediate. Use observed natural team (self-grouping)

for teams/assignments Emphasize fun at work

Tips Emphasize flexible work options Stress career paths and career portfolio in

orientations (1st 6 mos critical)

Short multi-media, interactive orientations – 20 mins max

Stress skills building opps – the more learn, the more stay, “renew”

Emphasize merit over years of service Freedom is the best reward Use “sound bites” to communicate (30-60s

sales “pitch”). Direct, immediate. Use observed natural team (self-grouping)

for teams/assignments Emphasize fun at work

Getting to Know Boomers Optimistic, Competitive, “Change of

Command”


•Your important to our success•You’re valued here•Your contribution is unique and important•We need you•I approve of you•You’re worthy•Build a stellar career!


•Your important to our success•You’re valued here•Your contribution is unique and important•We need you•I approve of you•You’re worthy•Build a stellar career!

Tips• 2nd careers of service, volunteer increase.• Want work at home/job sharing flexibility • Want career paths that launch to next level, new opps and visibility, “retool”, mentors.• Tiered orientation – many never had! Culture & power structure, strategy, products, competition. CD version.• Love to have meetings & team. • In person communications, avoid jargon.• Reward – title recognition, $, feedback not appreciated, job security• Stay in communities where live; respond to making a difference in local problems• Interest in forcing changes in health care policy

Tips• 2nd careers of service, volunteer increase.• Want work at home/job sharing flexibility • Want career paths that launch to next level, new opps and visibility, “retool”, mentors.• Tiered orientation – many never had! Culture & power structure, strategy, products, competition. CD version.• Love to have meetings & team. • In person communications, avoid jargon.• Reward – title recognition, $, feedback not appreciated, job security• Stay in communities where live; respond to making a difference in local problems• Interest in forcing changes in health care policy

Getting to Know Veterans Loyal, Chain of Command


Your experience is respected hereIt’s valuable to the rest of us to hear what has and hasn’t worked in the pastYour perseverance is valued and will be rewardedReliable workers wantedBuild a legacy.You can reinvent your career at any age.


Your experience is respected hereIt’s valuable to the rest of us to hear what has and hasn’t worked in the pastYour perseverance is valued and will be rewardedReliable workers wantedBuild a legacy.You can reinvent your career at any age.

Tips• Approach by level of activity not just birth• May have health, sight or hearing problems.• May be resistant to technology but don’t assume!• Rotation policy avoids resistance to change• Offer volunteer roles that use wisdom of long- time service: orientations, advocacy, door openers, trainers, storytellers, spokespersons. • Provide re-orientations. Past accomplishments & pride. Who’s who & policies. Big picture.• Mining for Silver - retention & re-hires. Delay retirement through transitional schedules.• Structure meetings with built in social time, more formal recognition than other generations• Use good grammar: please and thank you. Avoid profanity.• Handwritten notes.

Tips• Approach by level of activity not just birth• May have health, sight or hearing problems.• May be resistant to technology but don’t assume!• Rotation policy avoids resistance to change• Offer volunteer roles that use wisdom of long- time service: orientations, advocacy, door openers, trainers, storytellers, spokespersons. • Provide re-orientations. Past accomplishments & pride. Who’s who & policies. Big picture.• Mining for Silver - retention & re-hires. Delay retirement through transitional schedules.• Structure meetings with built in social time, more formal recognition than other generations• Use good grammar: please and thank you. Avoid profanity.• Handwritten notes.


Volunteer#2 Providing Short Term &

Long Term Opportunities

Short term volunteerism is growing rapidly while other types of

volunteerism are on the decline. • 67.9% of teenage volunteers participate in

episodic volunteering• 57.7% of adults ages 45 to 64 serve 99 or

fewer hours per year.• The more hours a volunteer serves

per year, the more likely they are to continue volunteering the next year. Specifically,– 1-15 hours: 50.6% retention– 500+: 82.9% retention

What is Minute Volunteerism?

A little time. A lot of Good. • Giving unpaid minutes of your time on-line or off-line to do good that can save

lives from cancer, prevent cancer, and improve quality of life of cancer patients and

their family.

Why Minute Volunteerism?

A little time. A lot of Good.

List volunteer opportunities

– 15 minutes

– 30 minutes

– 60 minutes

Volunteer Tips # 2 Relay Short & Long Term

Opps• Promote short term “episodic” and long term opportunities for Relay. Use episodic opps to entice “trying out” of “flexible” Relay volunteering. Then encourage repeat episodic involvement. Sell long term opportunities as leadership development. Attract, develop and recognize short term and long term volunteers differently.

• Develop a “minute” volunteer strategy. Consider team goal setting for accomplishing multiple minute opportunities over a set period of time. Can do online or offline. Reward for individual or team minutes. Engage home bound in Relay volunteering. Create self-mobilizing e-communities!

• Create new list of short term volunteer opportunities. Break up existing activities into smaller chunks. Brainstorm new ideas with the help of volunteers from those “markets”.


Volunteer#1 Revisiting Community

Volunteer Tips #1 Relay “Community” Revisited

• Dream up the next creative Relay “community”. For today’s volunteers, “community” goes beyond geography. It includes temporary alliances with groups sharing like interests. Partner with volunteers to think up the next mini-Relay, Second Life Relay, alumni Relay, singles Relay, nudist Relays?*!

• Mobilize On-line & Virtual Volunteers. Attract, develop and retain Relay volunteers on-line for virtual engagement or for recruitment to traditional opps.

• Create corporate citizens. Help build corporate citizenry through new models for creative employer and employee engagement. Reconsider Relay pro-bono volunteerism. Match to corporate interests.

• Engage influential leaders in “neighborhoods” where today’s cancer disparities exist. Set a goal for establishing X# of new leadership relationships in neighborhoods with highest cancer burden. Create trust & give “ownership” away to leaders. Mobilize the Relay Nation one neighborhood at a time.

Call To Action:Creating a Relay

Nation• Action Traction – 1 Take Home

• Relay Today – 1 Added Trend

Thank you.

www.cancer.org/volunteerwww.relayforlife.org

Trends & Tips for Engaging Today’s Volunteer Linelle Blais & Jeff Ross.

Documents

Transcript of Trends & Tips for Engaging Today’s Volunteer Linelle Blais & Jeff Ross.