Welcome to this Issue of our 'Ultimate Ideas Newsletter'. Thanks to all those subscribers who have sent emails expressing how useful the tips and ideas have been. So please keep on spreading the word to others about this newsletter.
It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.
James Thurber
There was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to.
Joseph Heller
Feed Back for the Future - The Volunteer Exit Interview!
A volunteer is leaving your organization. The card is signed and the cake is ready for the farewell morning tea. But wait! Have you found out the answers to these questions? Do you know why this volunteer is leaving? Do you know what they really think about you, the organization and their volunteering experience? Do you really know if they are leaving with a smile or a frown? Do you know if they would have stayed if things had been different? Do you know their thoughts on how to improve the volunteering experience for others?
Rest assured you will be able to answer YES to all of these questions if you have a system in place to collect feedback from your departing volunteers. Most feedback comes either in a written (e.g., a survey form) or verbal form (e.g., an interview). The best feedback systems provide the opportunity to combine both. Here are some ideas to make the exit interview process one of your best feedback tools.
Form it
Begin the process by requesting that your soon-to-depart volunteer completes an exit interview form. Be sure to explain that their input is very valuable and you welcome any information, suggestions and recommendations they are prepared to share about any aspect of their volunteering experience.
Connect it
Explain to the volunteer that their comments on the form will be discussed with them if they would like to attend an exit interview. If the volunteer does not agree to an exit interview, you will still have their feedback in written form.
More than a chat
Having a standard form as the basis for your exit interview is a great medium for gathering information. It structures the interview for maximum feedback from the volunteer - both positive and negative. It means that you collect similar information from all departing volunteers so you can compare and see any emerging patterns. It allows the exit interviews to be undertaken by others but still remain consistent for all volunteers.
Remember that questions can be insightful or frightful! Always go for 'quality' objective questions rather than 'quantity' questions in all your forms and interviews. Facing a 10-page questionnaire and being 'grilled' in a 2 hour exit interview is daunting for any volunteer and counter-productive. Completing a 2-3 page questionnaire with insightful questions that are discussed in a short interview of 30 minutes to 1 hour is a totally different experience.
What to ask?
To make your questions really count - adapt and include some of the following questions in your exit interviews. What is your main reason for leaving? What in particular triggered your decision to leave? What were the most enjoyable and what the least enjoyable aspects of your volunteering role? If you could change your volunteering role what would you have wanted to change? Do you feel you received adequate support in your role? Do you feel you received adequate training in your role? What would you suggest needed to be improved to make the experience better for other volunteers in the future? Did any of our organization's policies and procedures make your volunteering role more difficult? What could I (or your immediate manager) do to improve my (their) management style? How do you really feel about this organization? Would you recommend others to volunteer for this organization?
Act on it!
If the exit interview form and/or face-to-face interview brings up issues that need addressing - do something about it! If this involves others it is important that you have the volunteer's signed permission on the exit interview form to act upon their comments and suggestions without identifying the volunteer.
Say thanks
Always finish the exit feedback process by thanking the volunteer for their input, thoughts and suggestions. Remind them again of how valuable their contribution has been to the organization and how useful their feedback is to improving the volunteering experience for future volunteers.
But wait! If you really haven't got time to have volunteers complete exit interview surveys or conduct exit interviews, don't despair! In the next issue of our newsletter we'll give you some quick tips to make it all possible.
Bonus Focus - More Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers!
Last issue of the newsletter we offered the following Bonus...
BONUS! How would you like to be even more successful in your recruitment efforts? Then just email us a very SPECIFIC recruitment goal for this year. Several lucky readers will receive a FREE 'target' consultation tips, published in the next newsletter...
We received numerous requests for advice and unfortunately cannot publish all of them. Instead, we have decided to take a sample from different organizations and volunteering requirements and feature a few in forthcoming issues of the newsletters. We apologize that we cannot publish every request but hope that those published will 'spark' more ideas for you in your own volunteer recruitment efforts.
Case Study From Kate
Volunteer Coordinator - Lourdes Home for the Aged
Kate's specific recruitment goal
My specific recruitment goal for 2006 is to recruit 2 volunteers (male or female) age ranging between 50's /60's who can get the coffee shop up & running at the new building in our nursing home.
Kate's responses to some further questions from us about her recruitment goal
Dear Judy,
We have approximately 30 steady volunteers at present. The reason I decided on 2 new volunteers and to be around the 50/60 mark is that the coffee shop will only be opened on a Thursday/Fridays to start off with and I thought that if 2 volunteers were trained in this area then later on when the shop would be opened regularly - we could have more volunteers trained by the originals - with me! The reason behind trying to get 50/60 year olds is that they don't come and go as much as the younger ones. My usual form of recruitment is an ad in the paper and around the church parishes. Most years I have an open day and this advertised on the freebies - local radio & TV etc - I have found this to be rather successful and also Lourdes Homes for the Aged is a member of Volunteering Queensland and I am in contact with Centrelink through the Volunteer Managers Association.
Regards Kate
Here are 7 Recruitment Tips for Kate To Think About!
Tip No 1 - If it works use it!
Always use what works. If one method such as putting an ad in the church newsletter has been successful in the past then continue to use it. This is also a technique that can be used to effectively target a particular discrete group and captive audience - church attendees.
Tip No 2 - Aim to go from passive to active
But let's take it even further - ads are a passive recruitment technique, aim to get even more active! Put the ad in just one local parish newsletter which is given to parishioners during Sunday church service. Obtain permission to speak for a few minutes about the volunteering opportunity during the church service at this one church only. A direct verbal appeal is always more powerful - keep it short, sharp and heartfelt. If this is not possible, aim to use tip no 3 to connect with people.
Tip No 3 - Press the flesh
Obtain permission to stand outside the same church after each service during the weekend your ad is in the newsletter with a follow-up flyer about the coffee shop volunteers. This reinforces in people's minds about the ad in the newsletter, it allows you to connect with potential volunteers and it allows you to directly ask people to become a coffee shop volunteer. In the next issue of our newsletter we will show even more ideas of making those flyers stand out from amongst the crowd.
Tip No 4 - Try it more than once
If this technique is not successful at that church, don't dismiss it but test it a few more times. Aim to cover a new church each week for several weeks using this more active approach. Or Kate may have several volunteers who now attend different churches and who would be willing to handout the flyers. Don't discard a technique without trying it out several times.
Tip No 5 - Start with the small picture
Always aim, when possible, to ask potential volunteers for a smaller commitment of time than a larger effort. Eventually Kate would like to open the coffee shop 5 days a week. By starting with a 2 day a week commitment, Kate has increased her chances of potential volunteers saying yes. If they enjoy the experience they may increase their time commitment to include more days.
Tip No 6 - Don't limit your thinking
Sometimes we limit our recruitment opportunities by limiting our thinking. Although Kate has been more successful in the past retaining volunteers in the 50s/60s age group, she may be missing out on recruiting her coffee shop volunteers by limiting her thinking. More important than the age group is the skills needed by the volunteers - skills in interacting with people, being organized and able to make a good coffee!
Tip No 7 - Think outside the box
Besides all the other usual recruitment methods Kate mentioned in her email - every now and again, don't be afraid to try new and different recruitment techniques. Here's a question to think about - in what industry would you find the skills for a coffee shop volunteer? Answer - in the hospitality industry. Kate could contact the nearest hospitality training provider (or TAFE), if located in her area, and discuss making the volunteering opportunity part of the training for students. She could 'sell' the benefits of great practical experience for the students and excellent publicity for the local training provider highlighting their sense of community involvement.
These are just some tips to get Kate and YOU thinking about even more recruitment ideas. We will look at a different volunteer recruitment 'bonus focus' in the next month's newsletter.
You can also get 100s of extra ideas on volunteer recruitment in Count Me In! 501 Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers by Dr Judy Esmond
In the next issue of the 'Ultimate Ideas' Newsletter...
- Flyers that really fly - how to make your flyers stand out from the crowd
- No time to say goodbye - quick tips on making those exit interviews really happen
- Another volunteer recruitment 'bonus focus' from the field
Cheers Judy
© Judy Esmond, 2006
Dr Judy Esmond is a leading expert on how to gain, sustain and retain volunteers. She is author of best selling books and numerous research reports on recruiting, retaining, recognizing and rewarding volunteers. Subscribe to her 'Ultimate Ideas' Newsletter filled with 100s of ideas on volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition at www.mtd4u.com
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