Volunteer Management

Set the Stage

1. Remind your committee membership to watch the Volunteer Orientation. This provides information to help manage expectations and minimize frustration. 
2. Make sure committee members read and understand the SOPs, which will be initially explained by the Executive Director. 
3. Delegate. Make sure you are not taking on the work of the full committee you are leading. That’s what the committee is for! It tasks are delegated well, the workload can be well-managed so that no one becomes overburdened. When assigning tasks, keep in mind the timeline for each. For example, you wouldn’t want to give one committee member multiple tasks that are all due at the same time.  Also keep in mind each committee member’s experience on the committee. Experienced committee members are typically able to take on more long term, time consuming tasks. Volunteers who are new to the committee should be given smaller tasks so they can get to know the committee before taking on something more substantial. The Executive Director can provide tips and suggestions for how to delegate if needed. 

Communicate

1. Get to know your team. Spend some time talking with your committee members to get to know them personally. Learn what motivates them, and what they want to get out of volunteering. This can be done with small talk at the beginning of committee meetings, through ice breakers, or even individual conversations. 
2. Provide continuous feedback. Volunteers want and need to receive feedback about the work they are doing, to ensure the experience is the best for all involved. 
3. Communicate in multiple ways. Volunteers sometimes need to be communicated with in multiple ways to follow through. If someone hasn’t responded to an email in a timely manner, a phone call reminder may be a good idea (or vice versa). 
4. Recognize volunteer contributions. You can never say “thank you” enough! CSEA has formal ways of recognizing volunteers, but committee chairs can do this in more organic ways as well. 
5. Provide multiple reminders. Volunteers often need multiple reminders about tasks that are due. Generally speaking, you will most likely have to reminder volunteers two to three times more often than you might remind paid staff.  
6. Encourage open communication. This includes making sure the Executive Director is informed about questions and issues so they can be addressed right away to avoid further frustration. The Executive Director is your committee leadership partner and can be a tremendous resource to make your job easier!
7. Provide specific requests and timelines. Most volunteers work well within specific parameters and timelines. For example, you might send an email and let them know you need a response by a certain date. This helps them manage their own schedule and make the best use of their time.

Lead With Ease

1. Work closely with other organization leaders, such as the Executive Director and Board Liaisons, who can provide you with feedback and advice if you are experiencing a challenge with committee management. 
2. Remain flexible. There may be times when a shift is needed in expectations, procedures or timelines based on a myriad of factors such as organizational timelines, volunteers who may need to leave their position mid-year, or other aspects. It’s important to be open to changes as needed, in order to continue to work toward the goals.
3. Utilize the tools provided. Working with virtual volunteers has many benefits, but one downside is the lack of face-to-face communication that is sometimes helpful in resolving conflicts or establishing a good working relationship. CSEA provides many resources to assist with virtual team management. Become familiar with these tools early, so you can derive the best benefit from them. 

Managing Challenges

1. Reach out and request a phone call to talk about their experience on the committee. During the call, ask them how things have been going, and how they feel the time commitment is working within their schedule. If that doesn't help, you may need to ask some more probing questions about the specific concerns you have. For example, if they have not been able to attend phone calls, you could note that they have been missed on the calls, ask if the timing still works within their schedule and if they will be able to make the next call (remind them of the time and date). If they haven’t been responsive to emails, ask if they have been receiving your emails. 
2. If they don’t respond to your request for a phone call, you may need to ask some of these questions in an email, and follow up with a voicemail. 
3. If they continue to be non-responsive after your outreach efforts via phone and email, ask the Executive Director to reach out to them as an additional contact.
4. If they are still not responsive, it may be time to consider removing them from the committee. This should be done as a last resort, and only after conferring with the Executive Director. If this is the case, the Executive Director can help craft the communication to the committee member.