Recruiting/Retention in a Volunteer Force

1
Recruiting/Retention in a Volunteer Force

• CCGA-P Annual General MeetingFebruary 24, 2007
• Bruce L Miller
• 13th District Commodore, USCGAUX
• bruce.l.miller_at_uscg.mil

2
The Task

• Finding and Retaining willing volunteers
• Evolving the Mission and Organization to
  attract from a diverse population
• Dealing with increasing competition for the
  Volunteer Hour

3
The Approach

• Understand the Whats In It For Me Concept
• Understand the Differences in the Generations
• Create Easy Maps based on Volunteers Interests
• Make the organization easy to work for

4
Will the Auxiliary Survive the 21st Century??

• Changing Generation Attitudes
• http//cos.auxnaco.org/documents/Auxsurvivalin21st
  Century.pdf

5
Whats Wrong?

• I enjoyed my time in the Auxiliary from the
  fellowship perspective. However, I believe the
  Auxiliary (at least some flotillas) needs to
  completely revamp with a youth movement. It seems
  that members of my Flotilla, most of which are
  older have their own agenda about how things work
  and aren't willing to try new things or change.
  It seems as if they want to bring in younger
  people, but as long as we don't rock the boat too
  much.

6
Generation Generalities

• Silent Generation (1927-1945)
• Baby Boomer Generation (1946-1954)
• Generation X (1965-1985)
• Millennial Generation (1986)

7
SILENT GENERATION (1927-1945)Age 62-80

• Attitude Pay your dues, work hard
• Likes Security, stability
• Dislikes Debt, borrowing, upstart kids
• Reputation for hard work, conflict resolution,
  romanticizing, friendly, accommodating

8
Baby Boomers (1946-1964)Age 43-61

• Attitude If you have it, flash it!
• Likes Shopping, winning, leading, visionary
• Dislikes Paying off debt, aging
• In Charge, innovation, have all the answers,
  perfectionism

9
Baby Boomer Ideas

• Offer choice, flexibility
• Pair volunteer activities with educational
  recreational activities
• Use the Internet
• Develop career paths
• Provide clear expectation regarding time, tasks
  training
• Connect activities to local issues problems

10
Generation X (1965-1985)Age 42-22

• Attitude Whatever..
• Likes Now, being with friends, change
• Dislikes Bossiness, corporate culture, getting
  up in the morning
• Reputation for cynicism, taking risks,
  pragmatism, non-affiliation (!)

11
Generation X Ideas

• Less likely to be attacted to a bureaucratic
  structure
• Prefer to use technology
• Engage quickly, make them feel like insiders
• Good at multitasking
• Build in socializing celebrations to
  activities

12
Millennium (Y) Generation (1986.)Age 21 less

• Attitude Lets make the world better
• Likes Family, friends, technology, the
  environment
• Dislikes Dishonesty, unbalanced lifestyles
• Reputation for text messaging, optimism,
  inclusiveness, being clean-cut

13
Millennium Generation Ideas

• Loyalty highly valued but, they must feel valued
  respected
• Commitment to family friends
• Want a balanced life
• Age not a dominant characteristic of leaders
• Look for leaders who will work with followers as
  intimate allies

14
Make it Easy to Volunteer

• Evaluate the way things are done
• Chart a Course with the Member
• Anticipate Obstacles and Remove Them
• Involve Mentors
• Dont Be Afraid to Ask Questions Even if you
  wont like the answer
• Reward Change Agents

15
WHAT SHOULD WE DO??