1. Recruiting Retaining and Rewarding Volunteers
Bruce W. Wilson
Past Director, Western Region
Bruce Wilson
Recruiting, Retaining and Rewarding Volunteers
Associate Fellow
Past Section and Regional officer
Served six years on the AIAA Board of Directors as Director of the Western Region
Other volunteer experience includes serving
the Boy Scouts of America,
American Youth Soccer Organization
Musical groups

2. Managing Volunteers: Plan, Recruit, Reward & Redirect
Plan: identify volunteer needs and position descriptions
What will you accomplish? What is the job?
Identify volunteering “costs” and “benefits”
Recruit: identify potential volunteers, set the bait and hook them
Task them
Reward and Redirect
Informal Recognition
Formal Recognition
Reward appropriately and timely
One year I was responsible for the nominating committee. I had to develop a competitive ballot for all positions. I needed help.
I asked several inactive members with varied experience and organizational levels to help out. I told them what we were trying to do – to staff these positions with people who could perform well and benefit from the experience.
3 1-hr in-person meetings plus phone work in between.
Provided office descriptions and membership roster, and asked them to first review the roster and identify potential candidates.
Coordinated on who would call whom.
Lastly, we finalized the slate, with confirmed candidates for each position.
Volunteers received thanks during meetings, and some pizza. We also thanked them in the section newsletter.

3. 1. PLAN

4. What is Expected? Why Do It? What Will It Cost?
Create a written Volunteer position description
Provide a title that gives the volunteer a sense of identity
Outline the work that needs to be done by the volunteer
Describe qualifications and training
Identify a specific time commitment – be realistic
Define the Volunteer’s Impact
Purpose of the overall project and/or program
How the work will impact the project's outcome, clients, or mission
How the work will help the volunteer
Define the Cost of Volunteering
Time away from family, friends, and work
Expenses for travel, meals, parking, babysitting
Many volunteer positions are already available in the AIAA Leadership Manual.
For short-term assignments, just jot down what is expected.
Focus on desired outcomes, or more narrowly, the specific tasks that must be performed.

5. 2. RECRUIT

6. Attract new member involvement by:
Finding Volunteers
It is About
Relevance to that First Job – Select meaningful assignments where the volunteer can succeed. . . They will want more!
Connection with people, information, opportunities, etc.
Attract new member involvement by:
Creating short term assignments with an obvious Start and END date
Provide the volunteer with the opportunity to see how they like working as an AIAA volunteer
Volunteer expert Tom McKee calls this “the Dating Method” of volunteer recruitment. Your objective? A second date – and the freedom NOT to have a second date if the first doesn’t work out!
Remember the Nominating Committee example I gave earlier? That was a short-term assignment.

7. Three Types of Volunteers
Affiliation - Volunteers primarily to socialize
Achievement - Volunteers for rewards & recognition
Power - Wants position of power or leadership
Examples:
Charles M – never did anything except come to meetings and pontificate. Nice guy.
Dean D – always sent s with “thought you would want to know I got this award”
You know the Power types.

8. Identifying Candidates
Whom can you ask to volunteer?
Members who regularly attend meetings /Students / Subject matter experts / Local Industry leaders
How do you get connected to them?
Provide information in the newsletters or website
Personal connections – ask your friends
Recommendations from other volunteers
Step out – reach out / make a personal plea
Some may feel that participation is only available to the “inner circle”
Their involvement helps to sustain the Section
Their abilities and experiences will help set the Section’s direction.
Volunteer activity can enhance their learning, decision making and leadership
Friend Paradox: On average, your friends have more friends than you do. (per Fuld, 1991). So ask people you know to help identify potential volunteers.

9. Recruitment Strategies
Examine Volunteer positions to be filled
What are the qualifications for the position?
Evaluate the Options
Who will be able to meet the time requirements of the position?
Where will you find these people?
What motivates them to serve?
What is the best way to approach them?
Types of Recruitment
Target Recruitment is specific and focused for a specific skill or event
Broad-Based Recruitment can be effective for positions that can easily be done with minimal training
Recruitment needs to be year round
Make use of Existing Contacts

10. Implementing Your Recruitment Plan
Be sincere
About the need
About their skills
About the reward
Display your passion
About the job
About the subject
About the benefits
Provide ROI -- return on investment
In kind support / return
Information
Recognition

11. Asking a Volunteer to Help
Have the right person extend the invitation
Personalize the invitation
Project the right image
Be enthusiastic, not apologetic, don’t beg
Be realistic with expectations
Be courteous
Is this a good time to talk?
Bring closure to the conversation
When can we talk after you have considered this opportunity?
Follow up quickly
Accept “No” graciously
I understand. Thank you for considering it. Can I ask again later?
Or help them perform
How often do you hear people recruit with, “We desperately need volunteers”
85% of the people who are asked to help, do

12. 3. REWARD and REDIRECT

13. The Job is Done. Close the Loop.
Your section goals are the setpoint. What does your section want to accomplish?
You convey this to your volunteer. They are the actuator.
They do what they feel is needed to achieve the output.
We sense the output – member feedback, personal observation, etc, and correct the actuating signal we give to the volunteer.
Sometimes that actuating signal is to STOP.
Don’t let them run open loop, doing nothing or too much of the wrong thing

14. Ideas for Recognition – Formal Recognition
During the event
Acknowledge the volunteer
Provide free entry
Give a small gift
Certificates / Awards
Local to the section
Institute level awards
Plaques
Special Service Citation
Sustained Service Citation

15. Ideas for Recognition – Informal Recognition
Day-to-Day Interchanges
Saying “thank you”
Asking about volunteer’s family & outside life
Send a note of appreciation
To the volunteer
To the volunteer’s family
To the volunteer’s employer
Recommend the volunteer for a “promotion”
To more responsible position within the organization
To a larger role in the next event
Or release
A release can be a “thanks for your service” award
Make the Volunteer feel like part of your team

16. Identify the opportunities (jobs) Describe exactly what is needed
Recruiting Summary
Identify the opportunities (jobs)
Describe exactly what is needed
Understand the motivation
Explain the impact
Find the right person
Match opportunities (jobs) to people (needs)
Ask others for leads
Ask the person directly to do the job – they can’t say yes if they haven’t been asked
Recognize and Reward Appropriately
Recruiting Good People and Fostering Leaders
Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do for AIAA

18. Affiliation: Volunteers primarily to socialize
Provide with team projects
Provide socializing times
Publish team names, photos (website, newsletters, Bulletin)
Put these people in front of members, if appropriate
Provide affiliation recognition through shirts, pins, letterhead, biz cards

19. Achievement: Wants rewards & recognition
Participate in goal-setting meetings
Provide opportunity to advance in rank and responsibility
Provide recognition from top management, acknowledging achievement
Provide assignments that include benchmark points of success, quantifiable assignments
Provide opportunity to provide input and advice and challenge decisions.

20. Power: Wants position of power or leadership
Provide assignments that allow them to rub shoulders with persons of authority
Provide opportunities for innovation
Allow to teach or train others
Publicity about the individual
Seek the person’s advice and suggestions
Include them in decision-making
Provide awards and letters of commendation
Provide tasks offering increasing responsibility and authority

21. Why Do People Volunteer?
Here are some more great tips from the AIAA Leadership Manual (available at for getting people to step in and help with your programs.  Here are some reasons why a person may want to volunteer: * To help a particular organization/society * To share a skill * To demonstrate commitment to a cause * To gain leadership skills * To get to know the community/peers * To explore a career * To earn academic credit * To have an excuse to do what they love * To build a resume * To share personal experiences * To meet new people and make new friends * To improve interpersonal and professional skills * To challenge yourself * To have fun * To make a difference in the lives of others * To contribute as a leader * To capture industry news

22. Reasons Members Give for not Volunteering and Ways to Respond to those Reasons...
Not enough time... Maybe you could give us an hour each month by being a greeter at our Section meetings. OR Could you help us out by spending an hour calling or ing to welcome our new Section members and invite them to our meetings each month. OR We could really use some help contacting members whose memberships have expired. Can you or call these members to remind them to renew? We will even provide a script to help you. (Available in the Leadership manual Section 7.8)
Topics at meetings aren't of interest to me... We are always interested in receiving input from our members. Could you help us by suggesting some new topics and, if possible, some speakers. (Step 2) Can you help us contact one of your speakers to see if they would be available to present at an upcoming meeting?
I don't see any benefit in becoming involved in the Section... Doing work in the Section helps you become involved in the entire industry. It is an opportunity to broaden your experiences outside of your office. OR The experience you gain can become part of your résumé and demonstrate to your employer or prospective employer that you have the necessary skills for a job, that you can manage your time, work well with others and have a positive attitude. In addition, it will express your interest in the future of the industry and provide you with tools that can be used where you currently work.
Young Professional Members are intimidated by the more experienced members... Your experience in the industry will offer a new perspective and cutting edge technology. We are always looking for new ideas and ways to streamline our current process of doing things. AND/OR This is an opportunity for you to network with experienced individuals in the industry, meet the people whose work you have studied, and develop contacts and mentors. OR We have opportunities to work with students at both the pre-college and university levels. This is a chance for you to share your enthusiasm with the children. We can provide materials to assist you. (Available from AIAA)
I have no company support... There are many opportunities in the Section that do not require company financial support, we only ask for an hour or two of your after hours time to help us... (Insert a small task that needs to be done.)