by Jane B. Federer
Use of a BMW for a year- why didn't we think of that?
In order to attract and retain talented workers, companies are offering attention-grabbing benefits such as car leases in addition to great salaries. This may be a great opportunity for directors of volunteer programs to pick-up some new ideas and update their recruitment strategies. We've long known that we can benefit from best practices of other disciplines; marketing, public relations, fund raising, and human resources; now more than ever, we can learn from what our human resources colleagues are doing to compete for workers in this tight labor market.
Following the lead of our HR colleagues, now is a great time for directors of volunteer programs to:
Over the last two years, I've sat in more than one director-level staff meeting and more than one board meeting where a major topic of discussion was what could be done to make our agency more attractive to prospective employees. Over the last two years none of those meetings included major discussion on what could be done to make our agency more attractive to prospective volunteers! Whose fault was that? As the director of volunteer programs, it was my fault. I had thought that it would be a sign that I lacked expertise if I needed to raise the issue to higher levels for help. However, in contrast, the strategy's success for my HR colleague made the error of my logic obvious. Elevating recruitment to an organization-wide initiative gains two benefits that ultimately lead to greater success of recruitment efforts.
First, human resources was able to educate the rest of the organization on the realities of recruitment. Aren't you tired of other staff not understanding why you can't recruit enough volunteers - or recruit them as fast as they're losing them? We've all heard suggestions like: "why don't you just put an ad in the free section of the newspaper or talk to the Junior League - it's a whole organization of women wanting to do service." We know it's not that easy, but we only have ourselves to blame if the rest of our organization doesn't understand that it's not that easy.
It's apparent virtually everywhere I look these days that employee recruitment has become an organization-wide initiative. My local Tim Horton's no longer advertises their muffin and coffee special on their large sign out front, instead they're advertising help wanted and are offering $10-$13 per hour for bakers. The Meijer's grocery bag ties employee recruitment into their "Your Spot for Spring" advertising theme with a banner on the side: "Now Hiring, we've got a spot for you."
If volunteer recruitment became an organization-wide initiative, what new avenues for recruitment would be available? Certainly there'd be a wide variety of print publications in which the need for volunteers could be included. In addition, what networks do your professional staff belong to where potential volunteers could be found? Campaigns for annual financial support could include the need for volunteers. The public relations annual calendar of featured messages certainly should include at least one targeted for volunteers or better yet, a blending of the volunteer message into all PR efforts. Essentially, the success of recruitment efforts depends on the entire organization understanding the realities of recruitment and being willing to seamlessly incorporate recruitment of volunteers into all their activities.
Secondly, by elevating recruitment to an organization-wide initiative, HR gained buy-in for changes in benefits that would help the agency become more competitive. My HR counterpart gained support to institute - or at the least study - changes to compensation, paid time off, benefits package, and organizational culture. Meanwhile, benefits for most volunteer programs have read something like this: "feel good knowing you're helping the community"; and if we were good at our jobs, we also may have included: agency training, uniforms, mileage and parking reimbursement, and a recognition dinner where years of service pins were distributed.
Today, prospective employees are being wooed by an incredible array of benefits. Aspects of workplace culture - particularly important to today's younger "Generation X" workers - are key to a successful package. An excellent source for information on the latest HR recruitment practices is the website for the Society for Human Resource Management at www.shrm.org. The site linked to a story from The Dallas Morning News with the headline "Culture, perks are keys to luring tech grads." The article quotes Melissa Anderson, human resources manager at IBM Austin. "IBM now hosts Friday afternoon socials, installed pool and foosball tables, hosts ultimate Frisbee tournaments and is building a day care center. IBM has focused on handing over bigger assignments to new hires. When people get here, they want to know immediately, 'Can I make a difference'. They want to know how they can contribute and where they fit in."
Another excellent source for recruitment tips is the book, Generations at Work. It includes these tips for recruiting Generation X workers - I think they're just as applicable to recruiting volunteers: let them know that you want them to have a life outside of your organization; tell them that ideas from new people are valued; create a fun, relaxed work environment; don't micro-manage workers. How well does that describe your volunteer programs? If you're not close, you may want to seek some buy-in from other agency staff to make these changes so that you can attract and retain younger volunteers.
At this point, you may be saying, "even if I get the buy-in, some of this costs money. I can't offer a big salary and a BMW." You're right, but there still are some great ideas we can gain from current employee recruitment practices. My local Big Bear grocery was offering on the spot interviews and signing bonuses. We can do that - why not make it convenient for the volunteer and do on the spot interviews? You may not be able to offer a cash signing bonus, but there's probably an agency gift you could offer. Fast food employers are promoting 'hours to fit your schedule'. Do we really do that with volunteer work? Or do we offer only the hours that the building is open or that paid staff don't want to work? Companies are offering in-house conveniences such as dry-cleaning, shoe repair, and flower arrangements. While we may not be able to offer those in house, could you create partnerships with nearby service businesses that would offer a discount to your volunteers or even delivery service to your site? Hi-tech grads, in addition to large salaries, are being attracted by the opportunity to work on challenging, high-visibility projects. Are we doing enough to truly challenge volunteers and give them the type of projects that deepen their commitment to our organization and it's mission?
Commitment to the organization and the mission - that brings us back to the basics of our field. And this may be an area where other sectors have learned from us. The Dallas Morning News article also interviewed Betty Otter-Nickerson, site manager for BMC Software. "But, ultimately, it's the work itself that keeps employees around. People know exactly what our mission is, and they understand that mission. The work is challenging, and they're rewarded for it."
References:
Society for Human Resource Management website www.shrm.org.
Omar L. Gallaga, "Culture, perks are keys to luring tech grads," The Dallas Morning News (April 30, 2000), p.3P.
Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak, Generations at Work (New York, AMACOM, 2000), pp. 118-119.