Volunteering at your local Chamber Is there such a thing as a free lunch? Chamber Executives of Ontario- February 2, 2006 Keitha Robson

2 Motivating Volunteers There’s the easy way….free drinks…. There’s the easy way….free drinks….

3 Motivating Volunteers There’s the Chamber way… There’s the Chamber way…

4 Do we even need volunteers? How many? Do we calculate when enough is enough? How many? Do we calculate when enough is enough? What jobs are they doing? Are they answering the phone or doing jobs we wouldn’t do? What jobs are they doing? Are they answering the phone or doing jobs we wouldn’t do? Are they part of our Corporate Human Assets? Are they part of our Corporate Human Assets? Do we manage our volunteers or do they manage us? Do we manage our volunteers or do they manage us? Do we use the “Are you breathing method of recruitment?” Do we use the “Are you breathing method of recruitment?”

5 Why people volunteer? Achievement Achievement Power Power Affiliation Affiliation Recognition Recognition Altruism Altruism

6 Recognizing the types Achievement- Achievement- - want to learn new skills - want to know what by when Power- Power- - want to affect change - want to be asked for HOW it should be done

7 Recognizing the types Affiliation- Affiliation- - want to work with other people Recognition- Recognition- - want work that can be completed quickly - want high visibility projects Altruism- Altruism- - want to work with people with similar goals

8 Who Manages Who? Do you take the time to understand what their expectations are? Do you take the time to understand what their expectations are? Do you interview them? Do you interview them? Do you understand what their skills are? Do you understand what their skills are? Do you give them tasks that require their skills? Do you give them tasks that require their skills? How do you give them feedback? How do you give them feedback? Intake and exit interviews? Intake and exit interviews?

9 How do we lose volunteers? We forget to say… THANK YOU

10 Why they leave? Is it OUR Fault? Did we forget to ask them to do anything? Did we forget to ask them to do anything? Did we ask them to do something they didn’t have the skills for? Did we ask them to do something they didn’t have the skills for? Did we make them feel unimportant? Did we make them feel unimportant? Did we use them for busy work? Did we use them for busy work? Did we give them a job description? Did we give them a job description? Did we forget to give them credit???? Did we forget to give them credit????

11 Are you Good at your JOB? If the answer is yes, then who needs to know that…. If the answer is yes, then who needs to know that…. My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there. My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there. Indira Gandhi Indira Gandhi ( ) Indira Gandhi ( ) Indira Gandhi

12 What can a Chamber do for their volunteers to say thanks? Appreciation Luncheon Appreciation Luncheon Trinkets and Trash Trinkets and Trash First look at events First look at events Pictures in our publications Pictures in our publications Taking them to meetings with people Taking them to meetings with people Taking them to conferences Taking them to conferences Professional Development Professional Development Help them with their causes Help them with their causes Remember important dates Remember important dates Ideas? What does your Chamber do? Ideas? What does your Chamber do?

13 How do you get them to do what they said they’d do? First did you do everything you said you would do for them? Do they have all the information? Did you remind them? Did you ask them if they needed help at any point? Or Did you offer to do it for them? Did you shame them into it by letting other people know they had not completed the task?

14 Gentle Shame

15 Valued or Pain in the…Assets Volunteers WANTED: Employees that you can hire and fire and not even pay

16 Famous Kirby Quote Message on my Performance Review in 2001… …..Keitha does an amazing job of letting us all think we run this organization…. That’s my secret, what’s yours?