Practical strategies to help you keep volunteers with Karen Tobin

Throughout 2022, our feature series on volunteers focused on recruitment, retention and practical strategies for tapping into different demographics in the community. This article will dive into some experiences I have had in my time as a volunteer; the good, the bad and the ugly. I hope this will help you pause and think about how you show appreciation to your volunteers and how a positive experience can minimise your turnover rates.

The first volunteer role I took on was with an organisation that operated a small shop located within their office complex

I was looking forward to getting started, contributing to a worthwhile organisation, putting my skills to use and meeting new people

Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be the positive experience I had been looking forward to.

Volunteers received no orientation or training; we were left to our own devices during our shifts, with no direction or instruction on what our tasks for the shift would be It wasn’t unusual to finish our shift without having been spoken to by the staff and without a “thank you”

It became apparent to me that someone in the organisation thought the little shop front would be a good way to boost income, and as the staff didn’t have the capacity to run it, volunteers could be recruited

The only problem was that was as far as their planning went There was no thought put into developing a volunteer program and no one was given the responsibility of managing the volunteers they recruited

What lessons can be taken away from my experience?

As you can imagine I didn’t continue volunteering with the organisation for long and neither did the other volunteers. The little shop has since closed, despite the potential for it to become a good venture to bring in much-needed funds.

Volunteers will quickly move on, looking for a more friendly and organised experience.

A recently published Volunteering Australia paper [1] listed amongst the key insights “four factors that prevent volunteer turnover (1) support from paid staff, supervisor, and peers (2) affording volunteers autonomy (3) roles where volunteers feel they are contributing productively and (4) preventing burnout” My first volunteering experience provided none of these things; how do you think your volunteer program stacks up?

After this experience I took my time looking for other volunteer opportunities I eventually found a role at a local hunger relief organisation, and my experience there has been extremely positive and enjoyable

Orientation and training are provided before volunteers even do their first shift.

From the moment volunteers set foot on site we are greeted warmly by everyone The charities who visit the warehouse to the collect orders we have put together for them call us ‘legends’ and thank us for our efforts, giving us all a warm, fuzzy feeling

Before our shift starts, we run through a short warm-up session that gets everyone laughing and starts the shift off on a fun note This is followed by a run-through of the priorities for the shift, then we are sent on our way to work in small teams or independently

If we do have questions they are always met with a considered response, delivered in a friendly and helpful manner.

If we run out of orders to pack the staff always have other tasks for us to do This is a win for the volunteers and the organisation The organisation is making the most of the time the volunteers give them, and the volunteers feel their time is being put to good use

At the end of our shift, we are farewelled with calls of ‘thank you’ and ‘see you next week’ from all corners of the warehouse.

The staff are very aware that the work the volunteers do is vital to the successful operation of the organisation The overall vibe is a positive, respectful, and welcoming one By treating their volunteers with respect and providing them with meaningful tasks and autonomy they know that the important work their organisation does will thrive.

Putting it into practice in the tuckshop

So, how can this work for you in the tuckshop so you can avoid volunteer turnover and keep your volunteers coming back week after week? Here’s my top tips:

Createawelcomingandfriendlyenvironmentfor yourvolunteers–welcomethemwithopenarms

Treatvolunteerswithrespect;greetthembyname andwithenthusiasmeachtimetheyvolunteer.

Provideinitialandongoingtraining

Maketheirjobsaseasyandenjoyableaspossible

Havecleartasksoutlinedandtemplatesand resourcesforyourvolunteerstoreferto

Giveownershipovertasksand,ifpossible,a dedicatedworkarea.

Encourageyourvolunteerstogivefeedback;a freshsetofeyesisagreatwaytomakepositive changes.

A‘thankyou’goesalongway Acknowledgetheir contributioneachtimetheyvolunteer

Maintaining a team environment is a great way to create loyalty amongst your tuckshop team Some ways to do this include:

Make the workplace fun and interesting pop the Talking Healthier Tuckshops Podcast on in the background or play some tunes at a reasonable decibel level, if everyone agrees.

Place regular volunteer articles/profiles in the school newsletter or tuckshop Facebook page

Include the volunteers in school photos and hang the photo on the tuckshop wall

Display thank you cards/posters you receive from students

Get a team uniform, apron or shirt

Recognise your volunteers’ special milestones e.g. 5 years’ service

Have a social function each term. This can be as simple as a picnic at the local park

You may have a Nigella or Jamie amongst your volunteers and they could be willing to give a cooking class Encourage them to show their talents.

Volunteering Australia has a great fact sheet ‘101 Ways to Recognise Your Volunteers’ if you are looking for more ideas

If you think your volunteer program needs some work, it’s never too late to make a change and put in place practices to minimise the turnover rate amongst your volunteers.

It’s worth remembering that your existing volunteers will always be your best advocates for recruiting others, so you want to make sure their experience in your tuckshop is a positive one and that your volunteer program is well considered and planned

We’re planning to launch our new online, self-paced Volunteer Management course in Term 2, 2023 so keep your eyes peeled.

Otherwise, head to the Volunteer Resources section of our website for further tips and guidance

Good luck with your volunteer program for 2023 and don’t hesitate to reach out to QAST for help.