What Volunteers Need

1
What Volunteers Need

• Volunteer Recruitment Task Force
• Ken Gentili and Paul Biba, Co-chairs

2
Sources of information

• The CMA task force talked to section leaders,
  brainstormed as a group, consulted literature on
  the subject of volunteerism.
• Many of the following points were adapted from
  the book. Volunteers - How to Get Them, How to
  Keep Them by Helen Little.

3
Basic Needs of Volunteers

• A specific, manageable task with a beginning and
  an end.
• A task that matches interests and reasons for
  volunteering.
• A good reason for doing the task.
• Written instructions.
• A reasonable deadline for completing the task.
•  

4
Basic Needs of Volunteers

• Freedom to complete the task when and where it is
  most convenient for the volunteer.
• Everything necessary to complete the task without
  interruption.
• Adequate training.
• A safe, comfortable, and friendly working
  environment.
•  

5
Basic Needs of Volunteers

• Follow-up to see that the task is completed.
• An opportunity to provide feedback when the task
  is finished.
• Appreciation, recognition and rewards that match
  the reasons for volunteering.
• Value added to encourage employer to support
  volunteer efforts.
•  

6
How can we fill these needs?

• Design a recruitment kit for section leaders to
  show them how to recruit, motivate and mentor new
  volunteers.
• Create exercises for section leaders to show them
  how to recruit. People learn more by doing than
  by reading.

7
How can we fill these needs?

• Make sure that materials for volunteers are
  available on the web so that they can access them
  when they need them, 24/7.
• Section work should be done in teams when
  possible. Teaming is an effective way to
  complete tasks, and most people enjoy teams over
  solitary assignments.

8
How can we fill these needs?

• Encouraging section leaders to try different
  methods to encourage section members to come up
  with ideas on how to complete projects or
  tackle any problems.
• Methods may include Ringii process, panel
  method, story boards, electronic brainstorming
  and bulletin boards, Crawford slip writing,
  Gallery method, Delphi method, TRIZ, mind
  mapping, integrated problem solving, collective
  notebooks, morphological creativity or synectics.
  Training may be needed in some of these methods.
  

9
How can we fill these needs?

• Volunteers should be encouraged to recruit in
  their workplaces for new members and new
  volunteers.
• Roles and summaries of all section offices should
  be available on the web.

10
What can we, as leaders, do now?

• Tasks need to be evaluated as to their adherence
  to the mission and vision of ASME and according
  to the usefulness to the member.
•  Better methods of feedback to each unit and
  individual volunteer and more appreciation of
  volunteer efforts need to be devised.

11
What can we, as leaders, do now?

• The message that volunteering creates value for
  the company and for an individual should be
  communicated better to industry.
• By adequately training their volunteers, ASME
  helps industry by providing leadership and
  project management training that many companies
  no longer provide.