Module 4: Competent Volunteers

 

What?

Any institution utilizing volunteers is well aware of their vital roles.  The challenge comes when recruiting competent volunteers. Fortunately, there are now software or internet-based volunteer resources management systems available complete with competence validation.

 

So what?

The Volunteer Management Handbook (Connors, 2012) dedicates chapter 8 to tips and considerations for volunteer administrators when recruiting competent volunteers. Included is a list of challenges presented during the recruitment phase which is followed by recommended guidelines for deciding which volunteer resources management system (VRMS) would best help navigate these challenges.  Efficiently recruiting volunteers, volunteer development, and roles of volunteers are some of the challenges that can best be evaluated through competency-based evaluations.  The components for recruiting competent volunteers are screening, interviewing, and assigning, which aid the volunteer administrator in choosing which volunteers to add to the organization and where to include them.  When screening potential volunteers, the administrator should create a volunteer job description with clear objectives based on knowledge, skills, and attitudes.  Then, by providing volunteers access to the VRMS, they can preform a self-assessment of these objectives and indicate their level of confidence.  The results provide a volunteer administrator with feedback on how much training and support each potential volunteer would need and therefore allow them to decide if the organization is willing and able to provide that level of support.  At this point, the administrator can make selections for interviewing the volunteers.  The interviews allow the administrator to confirm each volunteer’s level of confidence in their self-assessed competencies.  Those volunteers not accepted into the organization should receive feedback regarding why they were not selected and steps they can take should they want to reapply in the future.  Volunteers who have been selected now must be assigned roles within the organization and provided any additional education necessary.  To best support the volunteers in their organization, administrators must provide on-going educational and development opportunities via meetings, workshops, or certifications (Culp III, 2012).  Budgetary constraints may be of concern for administrators, but there are many free online development opportunities including LinkedIn Learning and TED Talks. 

Now what?

Prior to reading about VRMS, I was not aware of any programs available to volunteer administrators.  However, I now realize that I was quite familiar with similar resource management systems intended for paid staff.  Based on the descriptions provided in The Volunteer Management Handbook (Connors, 2012), I understood that many of the public sector jobs I have had use these resource management systems to sift through the vast number of applications for each position.  I had also never considered the possibility of not accepting all volunteers who applied.  I was more of the mindset: the more, the better.  I now understand being selective in the recruitment of volunteers not only provides improved work function for the organization, but also provides an overall positive organizational culture.  I just learned that my current facility has recently acquired a VRMS and am looking forward to talking with the administrators more regarding its benefits.  I also agree that providing on-going training is essential to building the trust and support of the volunteers.  In the zookeeping field, we are always striving to improve our standards of care for the animals.  San Diego Zoo Global Academy provides many courses and certifications that I refer to frequently and now feel we should incorporate into our volunteer programming as well.

 

References:

 Connors, T. D. (Ed.). (2012). The volunteer management handbook: Leadership strategies for success (2nd ed). Wiley.

Culp III, K. (2012). Overview of the GEMS Model of Volunteer Administration (Generate, Educate, Mobilize and Sustain). Journal of Extension, 50(6).