Feature articles.
PLAYING IT SMART
How strategic volunteer management is helping nonprofits triumph
As the competition for volunteers, at all levels, reaches an all time high, Canadian charities need to take a more professional, strategic approach to managing one of their most valuable assets. The 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP), which reported there were one million fewer Volunteers in 2000 than there were in 1997, supports this view. The 2000 NSGVP also found that fewer than 7% of Canadians contributed 73% of the donated hours.
"It's becoming harder to find the gift of time, than it is to find the gift of money," says Guy Mallabone, Vice President of External Relations, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
The decline in volunteers comes at a time when both the number and activity level of charities is increasing at a rapid rate. Since 1989, the number of Canadian charities has increased by more than 30%. In addition, charities are campaigning more frequently. Currently, it is estimated that the total value of campaigns being conducted in Canada is over the $5 billion mark.
Confronted with a declining supply of volunteers to help govern, administer programs and raise funds, how are leaders in Canada's non-profit sector responding? Philanthropic Trends' analysis of the marketplace reveals that not-for-profit organizations are overcoming this challenge by investing in strategic, long-term approaches to volunteer management.
"There are so many more charities, so many volunteer opportunities. Ultimately, we're ending up with fewer people for each organization to attract. This kind of brisk competition requires all non-profits to be strategic in identifying and recruiting senior volunteers. We all need to be more strategic to get the right people for the right jobs," says Anne Randell, President and CEO, William Osler Health Centre Foundation.
In a survey of fundraisers, senior volunteers and charitable sector leaders, Philanthropic Trends looked at the strategies deployed by successful Canadian nonprofit organizations to respond to today's highly competitive environment and identified four key components that make up a strategic volunteer management approach.
Human resources strategy
A successful response to the current volunteer environment begins with a human resources strategy that anticipates an organization's current and future volunteer needs. It goes without saying that a solid human resources strategy is the cornerstone of successful organizations in any sector.
For nonprofit organizations, it is becoming increasingly important to build a 3-5 year volunteer human resources plan to augment internal human resources. This plan should identify the organization's current and future needs, and include a concrete strategy to identify, recruit, train and steward volunteers.
While many organizations have become highly skilled at deploying strategies to recruit specific volunteers, what is required now is an investment in understanding the specific expertise needed to sustain and grow the organization over the long-term.
"For any organization, there are considerations about the skills and expertise you need. It's important to be proactive in seeking out the right mix of people and skills you should have on your board," says Dianne Lister, President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation."
A long-term strategy should provide a variety of opportunities to help the organization achieve its mission. Many organizations establish committees or councils beyond their board to create additional avenues for volunteer involvement.
In some cases, this grooms volunteers for board involvement. In others, it engages those who want to help raise money but aren't necessarily interested in governance. "Not everyone wants to be on the audit committee and not everyone wants to be involved in development," says Ken Mayhew, National Vice President, Fundraising, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
Once volunteers are on-board, nurturing their involvement remains critical. Just as charities have come to understand the importance of building relationships with donors, there is a growing understanding that a strategic approach to volunteer involvement includes long-term stewardship.
Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation is an organization leading the trend towards a more formal volunteer stewardship effort. The foundation is currently redefining its volunteer recognition policy and is in the early stages of developing a stewardship strategy specifically for volunteers.
Effective volunteer stewardship doesn't have to involve a significant investment of time. At the United Way of Greater Toronto, for example, previous campaign chairs gather every year to nominate a new chair and then participate in the recruitment of the nominee. "People want to come back if they were well supported and had good experiences. Participating in recruiting a successor helps keep them connected to us," says Susan McIsaac, Vice President of Fundraising.
Adopting a human resources strategy confronts the scarcity of volunteers head-on. The majority of those interviewed for Philanthropic Trends agree that it is still possible to attract highly qualified candidates if an organization makes recruiting volunteers a strategic priority.
Just as people give because they are asked, anecdotal and statistical evidence shows they also volunteer because they are asked. Michael Weil, CEO,YMCA Canada, reports that Y's across the country are placing a greater emphasis on face-to-face fund raising and finding that people are responsive when asked to volunteer for such appeals. Similarly, Terry Thomson, Director of Stewardship and Development, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto finds people are prepared to become involved if they are asked. "We rarely have anyone decline to chair an appeal," says Thomson.
Weil and Thompson's experience is backed up by evidence from the 2000 NSGVP, which found 73% of volunteers donated their time because they were asked or already involved with the organization in some way.
A long-term plan also allows organizations to develop strategies to engage previously untapped pools of potential volunteers, including women and members of ethnic communities. Seasoned observers warn a short-term tactical approach will not be effective in attracting new pools of potential volunteers.
For example, North York General Hospital Foundation is achieving significant success in attracting volunteer and financial support from the Chinese community. "It has been a nine-year investment. It takes time to engage people in the life of the hospital and they need that relationship before they become involved at a senior level," says foundation president, Ingrid Perry Peacock.
Volunteer campaign chairs interviewed for Philanthropic Trends believe a long-term strategic approach is necessary to attract the next generation of volunteers who will be more judicious about how, and where, they donate their time. With this in mind, strategically minded nonprofit organizations are investing in plans that incorporate a longer cultivation period.
It's clear that effective long-term planning can reap significant rewards and some Canadian organizations are already enjoying the benefits. For example, at Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, the recruitment of Charlie Fischer, as its current campaign co-chair, was the result of his 10-year involvement with the hospital.
It's important to note that this approach requires investment not just of time but also, in some cases, money. For example, some larger charitable organizations are investing in volunteer coordinators and seek out volunteer management skills as a core capability for senior fundraisers. Observers anticipate that boards of nonprofit organizations will soon begin seeking human resource strategies that encompass both volunteers and staff.
Professionalism
The second key component in achieving a strategic approach to recruiting and retaining volunteers is adhering to high standards of professionalism.
Today's prospective volunteers have high expectations for the operations of organizations they support. Before making a commitment, they are likely to scrutinize an organization, including the efficiency of its operations, the commitment of its institutional leaders, and the level of available professional support. "Volunteers want a specific kind of involvement," says Dale Godsoe, Vice President (External) at Dalhousie University. "They want to be well instructed. And they want to have a meaningful impact."
The hallmarks of professionalism for volunteer management include an organization's capacity to use a volunteer's time strategically and selectively. "As fundraisers, we all have an unwritten contract with our volunteers that promises we will use their time effectively and efficiently," says Gil Desautels, Executive Director, Development, University of Montreal. "The contract also means that we will ask them to get involved when their involvement will really make a difference." Organizations that operate with a high level of professionalism consistently honour that unwritten contract.
Faced with personal and professional time pressures, volunteers are also looking for what one observer called "short, sharp involvement." In other words, at the outset they expect a clearly defined role and a specific timeline. Nonprofit leaders are responding by meeting these expectations.
At the University of Western Ontario (UWO), volunteers were asked to make five calls over a period of five years. As the UWO campaign has progressed, Ted Garrard, Vice President, External Relations and his team have strictly honoured this agreement and the campaign volunteers have been very supportive.
Increased staff involvement is largely driven by the increased complexity of gift negotiations. A volunteer's time is used most effectively to connect a charity with a prospective supporter. Once the connection is made, it is often more appropriate for a fundraising professional to take on the task of negotiating the details of a donor's contribution.
As charities strive to become more seasoned at providing professional support, new challenges evolve. Heightened professionalism notwithstanding, it remains critical that nonprofit organizations continue to provide volunteers with tangible opportunities to make a difference.
At The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, volunteers for Sick Kids Connection, a fundraising program involving 30- to 50-year-olds, surpassed its three year goal in its first year. Bill Hallett, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, credits the program's success to being a program created and led by a volunteer, coupled with the enthusiasm and dedication of the other volunteers involved in the program. "You really have to believe in the value of volunteers if you are going to be successful. I tell my staff to let the volunteers own Sick Kids Connection," says Hallett.
Communications
Customized and sophisticated communication with volunteers is the third pillar of a strategic approach to volunteer engagement.
Faced with many choices, volunteers are more likely to stay with organizations that keep them informed and motivated. At McMaster University, fundraisers regularly update campaign volunteers on the status of the gifts they helped secure. "Once a donation is secured, we inform the volunteer who helped make it happen. They always appreciate hearing about it, and it provides the volunteer with an opportunity to extend personal thanks to the donor," says Lorna Somers, Vice President, McMaster University Foundation.
Leading fundraising professionals agree volunteer communications must also be flexible to be effective. "When we recruit board members, we ask them about their communication preferences, whether it be via e-mail, by phone or fax, at work or at home," says Paul Marcus, President and CEO of York University Foundation. Regardless of the method, regular communication with volunteers about an appeal's progress is crucial. An effective communications strategy depends on the specific needs of an organization.
Some, like the United Way of Greater Toronto, continue to find that regular, frequent volunteer meetings are critical to its success. These meetings help fuel the volunteers' passion for the United Way's work, says Susan McIsaac, Vice President, Fundraising.
However, other organizations find volunteers prefer to meet infrequently or by conference call. In other cases, volunteers prefer to be kept up-to-date via one-on-one contact, rather than attend a meeting.
Case
The final component of the strategic approach to volunteer engagement is an organization's case for support and its capacity to articulate a clear and compelling mission and vision. According to the 2000 NSGVP, 95% of volunteers report they become involved because they believe in the cause. An exciting and compelling case capitalizes on this 2000 NSGVP finding and has two important implications for nonprofit leaders.
First, it is critical to be able to articulate the goals, as well as the outcomes, of an organization clearly and convincingly so that prospective volunteers understand the organization's mission and social value.
"We need to feed volunteers the great stories about our organization before we tell them about fund raising. Once they know what they're raising money for and why it's important, their commitment follows naturally," says Darrell Gregersen CEO, National Arts Centre Foundation.
The second important implication of a well-presented case in attracting volunteers concerns an organization's recruitment strategies. When developing a long-term human resources strategy, it is critical to identify individuals who are passionate about, and have a connection to, the cause.
"Volunteer work is the most satisfying and the most productive if one is deeply committed to a cause. For example, I will always give my time to education because that is a legacy we can leave to our children," says Gretta Chambers, Chancellor Emerita of McGill University, chair of the 2002 Centraide of Greater Montreal campaign and President, Board of Directors, Women's Y Foundation.
Philanthropic Trends' analysis of the volunteer teams for 15 campaigns found 60% of senior campaign volunteers had a previous affiliation with the organization. For university campaigns, close to 100% of volunteers had a previous relationship before becoming involved in an appeal.
The characteristics of the Baby Boom generation and Generation X will make the connection between volunteers and the causes they support even more important. Members of these two groups are less likely to make volunteer choices based on social obligation or traditional affiliations, but rather, where they believe they can make the biggest difference.
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