Volunteer Directors Leaders in Volunteer Engagement

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Volunteer DirectorsLeaders in Volunteer
Engagement

• Florida Association of Directors of Volunteer
  Services
• September 30, 2009
• Facilitator
• Betty Stallings

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Agenda

• Introductory Comments
• Distinguishing between the Management and
  Leadership components of your position
• Trends in Volunteerism and Pro-active
  Response/Adaptation
• BREAK
• Using visioning process to design a vision for
  2012
• Skill/process of influence/persuasion - info and
  dyad activity
• LUNCH
• From Doing to Delegating
• Empowering Busy Staff for Success in Partnering
  with Volunteers
• Review, Wrap-up What will be Different When I
  return..???

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Outcomes for Seminar

• Fun, Networking and
• Reminder of the leadership role of Director of
  Volunteer Services
• Renewed clarity and energy about a vision for
  your volunteer program
• A plan to influence a person or group who MUST be
  a champion supporter of your volunteer program
• Exploring the Leadership Skills of Delegation and
  Empowering Busy Staff to be Successful at
  Partnering with Volunteers

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The Leadership and Management Aspects of your
Position

• What is the difference in skill sets for managers
  and leaders?
• How do you and others in your medical setting
  view your role?
• What are some examples of leadership roles you
  have taken on (or need to take on) in your
  medical setting?

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Pro-active Response to Trends

• What are the most significant trends (both
  external and internal) that are impacting
  volunteer engagement within your medical setting?
• How are you leading your organization to adapt
  and/or benefit from these trends?

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Introductory Comments

• 2 KEY Leadership Roles of DVS
• Articulating the vision
• Getting to Yes! Effective Influence

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Visioning Thoughts

• Visioning is proactive, clear, exciting picture
  drawing you towards your future.
• Visioning revitalizes and renews people when
  times are tough. (story of Wellness Community)
• Leaders are future focused and have the ability
  to articulate a future that others will say yes
  to.
• Visioning is a process you can use to evoke
  enthusiasm and be creative in problem
  solving.(story of raising money!)

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General guidelines for a visioning process

• Imagine the possibilities of the ideal volunteer
  program in 2012
• Leave behind the problems, barriers, limits of
  today
• Abandon old assumptions.. Think, What if
• Turn off the left brain (analytical,orderly side)
  Dont problem solve or analyze any ideas during
  this process
• Allow the creative, intuitive right brain to
  engage in imaginative speculation.
• Dont focus on specific outcomes amount but how
  your volunteer program will better serve the
  mission of the hospital.

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Individual Group activity

• What would be worth committing to over the next
  2-3 years?
• What words, symbols, pictures, metaphors, visions
  come to you as you imagine your volunteer program
  becoming the best it can be..????
• Sharing of a few visions with the larger group.

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Persuasion and Influence

• Key Skills
• Asking good questions
• Listening (not telling)
• Strategy for getting to Yes by using marketing
  principles -see worksheet

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Influence Strategy

• My GOAL
• What am I attempting to accomplish and what is
  the preferred outcome?
• Who must I influence to support my vision/plan?
  (staff, auxiliary, Executive, my boss, department
  heads, etc.???)
• What attempts have I made to influence this
  group/person and what was the outcome?

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Influence worksheet

• What I need to know before trying to influence
• What response do I anticipate hearing?
• What are potential sources or reasons for
  his/her/their resistance?
• What do I need to know about him/her/them that is
  (would be) helpful in understanding his/her/their
  view, response?
• What potential exchange am I offering them for
  accommodating to my interests?

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Influence worksheet

• What I need to know (continued)
• What barriers are there, if any, over which no
  one in the hospital has control/influence?
• What are my sources of Power in this situation?

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Influence worksheet

• New Strategy to Influence
• In what style or method of delivery should the
  request come?
• Who is the best person(s) to influence
  him/her/them and why?
• What are possible strategies or approaches to
  counter their resistance?

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• Outcome
• What can I reasonably expect to accomplish with
  them on the first (next) encounter?
• How do I keep them on board if they are
  persuaded?
• What is Plan B if I am unsuccessful?

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DVS Leadership skills

• Pro-active response to trends
• Visioning the future
• Influencing those who must buy-in to the vision
• Stop Doing.Start Delegating
• Empowering Others to Partner Effectively with
  Volunteers

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Effective Delegation

• Why is it so difficult to do well?
• Why is it so critical to do well?

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4 ways to get the job done

• Doing
• Directing
• Dumping
• Delegation

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Definition of Delegation

• Assigning mutually agreed upon results,
• an appropriate means of authority and support to
  get those results, and
• a follow-up system which allow you to inspect
  what you expect.

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Cardinal Rules of Delegation(see handout)

• Prior to delegation, assess the work assignment
  and the corresponding abilities and other work
  and personal priorities of the volunteer.
• Give the assignment in terms of results.
• Define the level of control/authority.
• Communicate any guidelines
• Make resources available
• Determine criteria for success
• Set up checkpoints.
• Provide feedback/recognition along the way at
  the completion of a project
• Watch out for Reverse Delegation

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Levels of Authority/Control

• No authority for making unilateral decisions
  (self assignments) LEVEL 4
• The authority to recommend action/ self
  assignment LEVEL 3
• The authority for unilateral decisions (self
  assignment) provided regular progress reports are
  received LEVEL 2
• The authority for making unilateral decisions
  provided you alert supervisor to any major
  issue/problem LEVEL 1

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Whos got the monkey???
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Delegation Activity

• Think of a time when a volunteer or staff did not
  come through for you. Is there anything you
  might have done that could have averted this
  disappointment?

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Empowering your Busy Staff to Partner Effectively
with Volunteers

• Your Role in staff training
• Building Commitment to Your Volunteer Program
• Identifying Resistance
• Methods to encourage commitment
• Building Competency with Staff to Partner
  Effectively with Volunteers
• Designing Your Unique Training Program
• 55-Minute Series and other tools to build
  commitment and competency with staff leadership
  Volunteers

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Role of Director of Volunteer Services

• Role of Volunteer Director is to empower all
  staff and leadership volunteers to effectively
  engage volunteers in meeting the mission of the
  organization.
• Questions
• 1. Are you seen in this role and is it clearly
  spelled out in your job description?
• 2. Do you have access to staff to provide
  training in supervision of volunteers?
• 3. How much time do you currently allocate to
  enhancing staff and leadership volunteers
  competency in utilizing volunteers?

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• What are some symptoms/signs of
  staff/organizational resistance to full
  utilization of volunteers?

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Building Commitment

• What Builds Commitment (worksheet)
• Conducting a Volunteer Program Assessment to
  uncover problems and build commitment for
  improvement
• Hold a Retreat to Build Commitment (handout)
• Staff/volunteer friendly systems (handouts)

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Assessment of the Volunteer Program

• Output statistics (time and value)
• Customer Input (staff, volunteers, clients,
  administration, board qualitative measures)
• Standards based (Compared to some objective
  standards)
• Outcome based (Impact of our work)

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Visioning The Potential Impact of Volunteers A
retreat

• 1. Visionary activity
• Imagine what your organization could accomplish
  with 100 new ideal volunteers
• 2. Barriers to accomplishing this vision
• Barriers surfaced from staff, volunteers,
  administration, board, vol. manager, etc.,
  keeping your from the above vision
• 3. Solutions to the barriers
• Have all who contributed to the listing of
  barriers now discuss strategies, potential
  solutions and resources to address these
  barriers.

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Building a Staff Friendly System

• See handout examples
• Preparing and Welcoming Volunteers
• Request for volunteers
• Role of Staff in supervising volunteers

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Building Staff Competency Through a Training
Program

• 1. Determine staff and leadership volunteer
  training needs
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Attitudes

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Training Program

• 2. When are some occasions to provide the
  education?
• 3. What are some methods to provide the
  training/education?
• 4. How do you develop staff interest and
  involvement?
• 5. What are some resources to assist with the
  training?
• 6. What are some methods to evaluate the success
  of the training/coaching, etc.?

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Summary of the 55-Minute Series Training Busy
Staff to Succeed with Volunteers

• Purpose of Series
• Provides tools, training support to build
  commitment and competency among all
  staff/leadership volunteers who partner with
  volunteers

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55-Minute Series

• 12 Training Topics
• Position Design Difficult
  Volunteers
• Recruitment Program
  Evaluation
• Interviewing Risk Management
  Volunteer Motivation Recognition
• Supervision
• Orientation/Training
• Delegation
• Performance Reviews

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55-Minute Series

• Electronic Adaptable
• Handouts with all modules
• Trainer scripts for each module
• Timed overview of training
• Resources and websites for added info
• Suggestions for workshop activities
• Workshop evaluation form
• PowerPoints Slides for all modules

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Design of Every Training Module

• Training Guide
• Introduction to topic
• Purpose and Learning Objectives of Training
• General Notes to Trainers
• Presentation Summary
• Presentation Script (times for PowerPoint/Handout
  distribution)
• Suggestions for Expanded Activities
• Further Resources on the Topic
• PowerPoint Slides
• Handouts
• Participant Evaluation Form

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My Action Plan.

• As a result of attending this session today I
  plan to
• Devote more time proactive Leadership my
  volunteer program
• Help my medical facility understand and adapt to
  trends in volunteerism
• Attempt new strategies of influence to reach my
  vision
• Do less, delegate more
• Take time to train key staff who partner with
  volunteers as they carry out their work in our
  medical facility.
• Others.