ASPIRE FEATURE: Building Dynamic Volunteer Teams
We were fortunate to interview expert planner and longtime RCMA member Tracy Baer on the vital topic of event volunteerism. Tracy has literally written the book on this topic–Cultivating a Healthy Volunteer Team–among other helpful resources and articles.
What inspired you to write the book Cultivating a Healthy Volunteer Team?
I served as the Chief Operations Officer for a nonprofit organization for several years. Our mission was to resource, train, and care for ministry leaders. This position allowed me to interact with those who worked with volunteers on a regular basis. We would periodically ask for feedback on topics they struggled with or needed advice or direction. One of the most frequent requests for help was around working with volunteers, recruiting, training, leading, and retaining them.
My background includes being a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and a Certified Faith-Based Meeting Professional (CFMP), planning hundreds of events, and successfully partnering with thousands of volunteers over the last 16+ years. When I worked at a church, I used to think that everyone worked with a volunteer team the same way I did - treat people the way I would want to be treated, respect their time, work with their gifts and talents, share pertinent information, train them to do the work, and thank them when they are done. As I moved into the nonprofit world
and began working with volunteers who didn’t attend my church or live in my regional area, I discovered that that was not the case. When speaking with others who ran events and were begging for help, I found there were no volunteer team structures or systems in place, and leaders were throwing any warm body that looked in their direction into the deep end of a volunteer role. Leaders were doing most of the work and having trouble delegating to those willing to pitch in.
I had been writing volunteer team manuals and training materials for years. When I heard repeated requests for help working with volunteers, I started putting together a practical guide for leaders. I am sharing information from years of experience working with successful volunteer teams spanning various situations, sizes, and personality dynamics. Over time, it developed into what is now my published book, filled with many tips and tools and bite-sized action steps that anyone can implement and see changes in their teams very quickly.
What are the biggest challenges when recruiting and retaining volunteers?
When recruiting, many planners face busyness and fear. Planners are busy people who feel they cannot afford the time it takes to create a volunteer program or structure intentionally. Having a framework already created, including positions, responsibilities, training materials, timelines, and plans for executing an event, ultimately saves a planner time. This also allows a planner to hand off work to a volunteer leader who can assist them in the team development process.
The fearsome planners feel is the possibility of their request to serve being rejected. Planners or leaders tend to say “no” to people instead of making the ask and letting the person answer for themselves. They use wording that conveys desperation, often begging people to serve, downplaying the workload, or taking on too much work themselves. People genuinely want to help but want to be part of a winning team. In this case, planners need to change their approach, cast a vision for the event, share the goals and objectives, and express the enthusiasm of the planning team with those being asked to serve. Invite someone to join in the journey. Explain how someone’s contribution changes the lives of those attending the event. Planners who work with joy themselves can invite others and use language that conveys that same joy to serve.
I encounter two main challenges regarding volunteer retention: time and strategy. Most planners say they don’t have time in their already busy schedules. However, a well-thought-out volunteer program strategy can save planner hours and increase volunteer retention. After an event, many planners are already onto the next one. As part of the event planning process before the event, schedule time to stop and celebrate the wins after the event concludes. Thank those who served. Share a success story or two from the event. Take a volunteer leader to coffee. Have an online celebration via video platform for those who live remotely. It is crucial for a planner to have this relationship-building time with the volunteers on the team. This conveys to a volunteer that the planner values their relationship and not just what the volunteer can do for the planner. Caring for volunteers leads to volunteer retention and team growth.
What are some key elements of a healthy volunteer event team?
Healthy teams are built on relationships, not task lists. It’s easy to know when you are working with a healthy team. Volunteers care for each other, show up on time, work hard, and are eager to invite others to serve alongside them. The team continues to grow and learn together. Other key elements of a healthy volunteer event team include:
The planner leads in a way to earn the trust of people on the volunteer team.
Expectations are understood among the team because there is open and clear communication, documentation, and information.
The planner and their team have taken the time to get to know each volunteer before assigning them to a role, utilizing each volunteer’s gifts and talents to their fullest.
An org chart has been developed and shared to ensure no single person oversees more than they are capable of and everyone knows who reports to whom.
Schedules, building maps, job descriptions, training materials, and any other pertinent information have been shared with everyone who needs it, with plenty of time for questions and additional training if needed so each volunteer feels equipped and empowered for their responsibility.
Planners create community among the volunteer event team when they are not serving, keeping the relationships active between events.
Planners or volunteer leaders offer training between events when volunteers have more time to learn skills like customer service or using a new registration platform.
There are many aspects that make a healthy volunteer team, but having a healthy leader who genuinely cares for the volunteers, their health, and the relationships on the team is where that health begins.
What’s a success story of an organization that built an exceptional volunteer team for its event?
I want to share two brief success stories, both very unique and successful for different reasons.
First, I worked with a large church on a Christmas extravaganza. There were five Christmas concerts in three days, each with family-friendly activities before and after the show, with 10,000 attendees and eight hours of fun. The activities included an indoor ice skating rink, bounce houses, a room filled with snow for snowball fights and snowman making, igloo building, cookie decorating, a train ride, and just about as much food and fun as anyone could imagine. Volunteer positions were numerous, spanned all hours of the day and night, and required a variety of physical abilities. The team consisted of 500+ volunteers. The event was fantastic, and the volunteer team worked together well because it was built on relationships; we knew the people from the church. Our team had been in contact with people who served at various other events prior to this one. Volunteers could be matched to a suitable role because the planning team knew what each person was capable of or gifted at. We could make personal invites and hold on-site training on multiple dates. After the event, the entire team celebrated with dessert and a replay of the concert so nobody missed out.
The second example is from a nonprofit organization. We executed a 3-day event for 2,500 ministry leaders, including multiple general sessions with keynote speakers and worship, 150+ breakout sessions, networking events, meals, and a full trade show. The attendees, volunteers, and I came from almost all 50 states and 12 countries. Executing this event required a total of 120+ volunteers. The challenge was that we only knew some personally and couldn’t all be together prior to the event. This volunteer event team took more time to build. It required us to use an app, schedule follow-up interviews via a video platform with each person, and take time as a planning team to place people into roles based on their gifts and talents. We relied on tools instead of relationships. In the end, because we set aside time before the event to make personal connections and ask clarifying questions, it started running smoothly right away. On-site, relationships began to form, and year after year, we saw both returning volunteers and new ones join the team. From this, we developed a mentoring program partnering new volunteers with seasoned ones to provide them with someone to train them, answer questions, and introduce them to others on the team.
What advice do you give planners struggling to find and keep volunteers?
Many factors could be involved in why a volunteer team is struggling; however, there are also common themes.
First, review your volunteer program strategy. Do you have a structure in place, or do you invite others to participate on the team haphazardly? Have you blocked intentional time in your schedule dedicated specifically to volunteer teambuilding, sending thank-yous, or creating training materials, or are you trying to mash a healthy team into your already overloaded schedule?
Second, evaluate your motivation. What is driving you to invite someone to volunteer? Fear? Joy? Are you desperate and pleading for help, or are you sharing the excitement of an upcoming opportunity? Check the language you use when conversing with someone about the volunteer positions or responsibilities you are inviting them to participate in.
Third, don’t say “no” for someone. You may think you know someone’s work or family schedule or what they are going through and feel that asking them to volunteer will be too much. Ask anyway. You never know when someone is looking for a new challenge, wants to get connected to a community, or is hoping to start making a difference in a new way.
Lastly, invite someone to do this with you. Don’t do this alone. Ask someone to be your partner. Hand-pick a volunteer you trust who meets your criteria, then empower them to work with you. Introduce them to the volunteer team as a leader and let them walk alongside you. Brainstorm with them. Share the task lists and information. It will allow someone to join you on the journey and encourage relationship, team health, growth, and retention.
Tracy Baer CMP, CFMP
As an events manager, events director, and chief operations officer, Tracy has planned thousands of events and worked with hundreds of volunteers. Tracy has a passion for seeing leaders build healthy, sustainable volunteer teams and, as a result, authored the book “Cultivating a Healthy Volunteer Team.” Tracy also loves to share her expertise with others and writes a blog about her adventures in event planning called “Tracy’s Tidbits” at mstracystidbits.com.
Tracy is a Chicagoland native and enjoys deep-dish pizza. She plays oboe with a local civic orchestra and loves to travel. Visit www.tracybaer.com for more resources!
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