Creating a Sustainable Culture of Volunteer Engagement: A Case Study from the Lone Star State
by Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn
Everyone familiar with our work knows that we strongly encourage all nonprofits to begin organizational change with small steps rather than wholesale change, and that we firmly favor pilots over organization-wide roll-outs. Pilots enable both staff and volunteers to innovate new programs, increase risk tolerance, practice new skills, learn from mistakes, and share successes in ways that inspire others. Pilots are a key strategy in successful organizational change – but what else can tilt the scales towards success?
One organization, the Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, has succeeded remarkably well in changing from a staff-driven model of volunteer management to a sustainable culture of collaborative staff/volunteer partnerships. We worked with the Lone Star Chapter as technical advisors over a two-year period, consulting and training on volunteer engagement. At the center of their efforts was MS Entrepreneurs, a program to reward creative, innovative individuals who are passionate about developing new ways to improve the lives of Texans touched by multiple sclerosis. Project proposals were welcomed from any individuals – current volunteers and others, as well.
The MS Entrepreneur project launched the first round of grant applications for pilot proposals in August 2008, and winners were announced at the Chapter Conference and Annual Meeting in November. The first MS Entrepreneurs included pilot projects in five different categories, all with the purpose of meeting an unmet need in the MS community, including the new “MS Classifieds” (an MS-focused online listing service à la Craigslist or eBay), a Master Gardener program, and an MS Symptom Suit (a special "suit” that mimics symptoms commonly associated with MS such as balance issues, numbness, and loss of fine motor skills to be used in educational programs).
In 2009, Lone Star Chapter is accepting its second round of grant applications for additional innovative pilot programs. In interviewing Debbie Pope, Operations VP, and Kelly Moran, Community Development Director, it was clear that the overall cultural shift was the result of many different efforts and programs. While pilots played a big role in helping their organization effectively innovate and learn new skills, the Chapter also had other key elements in place that significantly contributed. In fact, according to Pope, “The pilot was one piece of a larger movement that was taking place.”
What was that larger movement and how did it create the context that helped the pilots really take hold and “stick?” The movement included all of the following:
Leadership support. From the start, the Chapter’s executive leadership expressed and showed strong support for collaborative volunteer engagement. The Chapter President, Mark Neagli, had always valued volunteers and treated them as partners, and, in Debbie Pope’s words, “was always moving the culture in that direction.”
Staff training. Such change is challenging and, in some cases, threatening to staff. Moreover, even staff that supports the idea can lack the skills to engage collaboratively with high-impact volunteers. Professional development was provided on very specific scenarios and very relevant skills, including, for example, “Transitioning Committees from Staff-led to Volunteer-led” and “How to Choose a Strong Committee Chair.” The most compelling part of the professional development was that it was presented by leadership volunteers from the Chapter. As Moran notes, “Utilizing leadership volunteers to provide training on volunteer groups sent a strong message.”
Volunteer training. Not only staff required training to let go of “old ways,” but volunteers as well needed to be retrained. As Kelly Moran explains, “They weren’t used to being asked, ‘what is the skill that you would like to share with us?’” So, Chapter staff intentionally provides training and coaching to volunteers to help them highlight their own skills and embrace the emerging leadership opportunities.
Discrete efforts. The Chapter started with small, discrete efforts that could lead to achievable results, and it did so at multiple levels. Starting with the staff members, each employee was expected to develop one new volunteer position – a capacity-building position description designed to help that staff member build his/her own capacity. They were encouraged to determine key outcomes of their own job descriptions, prioritize them, and identify at least one area that could be achieved through engaging a skilled capacity-building volunteer. Examples included a graphic designer, professional photographers, organizational executives, professional coaches, social media experts, risk management professionals, and more. Additionally, the MS Entrepreneurs program sought distinct, well-defined pilot initiatives and has a selection team of both staff and volunteers who review proposals and make the selections. The program announcement states, “Anyone with the passion and time to identify a need and develop a solution can be an MS Entrepreneur. The National MS Society seeks to provide grants to these individuals so that funding won't stand in the way of change.”
Recognition. Finally, the other key element is intentionally recognizing all of these efforts. Wherever there is an opportunity to share their stories of success – a new volunteer committee leader in place, an MS Entrepreneur program having an impact, a new way of doing business – they highlight them by having staff and volunteer partners jointly presenting to other staff and volunteers, to the Board, and to the public.
With all these elements in place, the Chapter’s volunteer engagement movement has taken hold. In fact, it’s thriving. Having started in 2008 with one new skilled volunteer position for each staff member, they set a goal of 150 new skilled volunteer positions for the next year. When they asked staff to submit positions for this year’s strategic planning, they received 345 positions! It is moments like those when Chapter leadership can step back and really see how far they’ve come. Kelly Moran describes it quite well: “Where there’s opportunity, we weave it in. But, it’s like building a quilt: you can’t see the whole picture until you step back – but once you do, it’s really an amazing sight.”
Jill Friedman Fixler in the News!
Jill Friedman Fixler was recently quoted in a Chronicle of Philanthropy article, “Vetting Charity Volunteers Can Help Smooth Relations,” that discusses the importance of carefully vetting potential volunteers for a good fit with the organization, not just in terms of qualifications and skills, but also in regard to personality and office culture. Check out the article and tune into the next JFFixler Blog posting, in which we will explore these concepts of “Behavioral Interviews” a bit more deeply!
Jill was also quoted in the recently published book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recruiting and Managing Volunteers . Check it out!
by Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn
Everyone familiar with our work knows that we strongly encourage all nonprofits to begin organizational change with small steps rather than wholesale change, and that we firmly favor pilots over organization-wide roll-outs. Pilots enable both staff and volunteers to innovate new programs, increase risk tolerance, practice new skills, learn from mistakes, and share successes in ways that inspire others. Pilots are a key strategy in successful organizational change – but what else can tilt the scales towards success?
One organization, the Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, has succeeded remarkably well in changing from a staff-driven model of volunteer management to a sustainable culture of collaborative staff/volunteer partnerships. We worked with the Lone Star Chapter as technical advisors over a two-year period, consulting and training on volunteer engagement. At the center of their efforts was MS Entrepreneurs, a program to reward creative, innovative individuals who are passionate about developing new ways to improve the lives of Texans touched by multiple sclerosis. Project proposals were welcomed from any individuals – current volunteers and others, as well.
The MS Entrepreneur project launched the first round of grant applications for pilot proposals in August 2008, and winners were announced at the Chapter Conference and Annual Meeting in November. The first MS Entrepreneurs included pilot projects in five different categories, all with the purpose of meeting an unmet need in the MS community, including the new “MS Classifieds” (an MS-focused online listing service à la Craigslist or eBay), a Master Gardener program, and an MS Symptom Suit (a special "suit” that mimics symptoms commonly associated with MS such as balance issues, numbness, and loss of fine motor skills to be used in educational programs).
In 2009, Lone Star Chapter is accepting its second round of grant applications for additional innovative pilot programs. In interviewing Debbie Pope, Operations VP, and Kelly Moran, Community Development Director, it was clear that the overall cultural shift was the result of many different efforts and programs. While pilots played a big role in helping their organization effectively innovate and learn new skills, the Chapter also had other key elements in place that significantly contributed. In fact, according to Pope, “The pilot was one piece of a larger movement that was taking place.”
What was that larger movement and how did it create the context that helped the pilots really take hold and “stick?” The movement included all of the following:
Leadership support. From the start, the Chapter’s executive leadership expressed and showed strong support for collaborative volunteer engagement. The Chapter President, Mark Neagli, had always valued volunteers and treated them as partners, and, in Debbie Pope’s words, “was always moving the culture in that direction.”
Staff training. Such change is challenging and, in some cases, threatening to staff. Moreover, even staff that supports the idea can lack the skills to engage collaboratively with high-impact volunteers. Professional development was provided on very specific scenarios and very relevant skills, including, for example, “Transitioning Committees from Staff-led to Volunteer-led” and “How to Choose a Strong Committee Chair.” The most compelling part of the professional development was that it was presented by leadership volunteers from the Chapter. As Moran notes, “Utilizing leadership volunteers to provide training on volunteer groups sent a strong message.”
Volunteer training. Not only staff required training to let go of “old ways,” but volunteers as well needed to be retrained. As Kelly Moran explains, “They weren’t used to being asked, ‘what is the skill that you would like to share with us?’” So, Chapter staff intentionally provides training and coaching to volunteers to help them highlight their own skills and embrace the emerging leadership opportunities.
Discrete efforts. The Chapter started with small, discrete efforts that could lead to achievable results, and it did so at multiple levels. Starting with the staff members, each employee was expected to develop one new volunteer position – a capacity-building position description designed to help that staff member build his/her own capacity. They were encouraged to determine key outcomes of their own job descriptions, prioritize them, and identify at least one area that could be achieved through engaging a skilled capacity-building volunteer. Examples included a graphic designer, professional photographers, organizational executives, professional coaches, social media experts, risk management professionals, and more. Additionally, the MS Entrepreneurs program sought distinct, well-defined pilot initiatives and has a selection team of both staff and volunteers who review proposals and make the selections. The program announcement states, “Anyone with the passion and time to identify a need and develop a solution can be an MS Entrepreneur. The National MS Society seeks to provide grants to these individuals so that funding won't stand in the way of change.”
Recognition. Finally, the other key element is intentionally recognizing all of these efforts. Wherever there is an opportunity to share their stories of success – a new volunteer committee leader in place, an MS Entrepreneur program having an impact, a new way of doing business – they highlight them by having staff and volunteer partners jointly presenting to other staff and volunteers, to the Board, and to the public.
With all these elements in place, the Chapter’s volunteer engagement movement has taken hold. In fact, it’s thriving. Having started in 2008 with one new skilled volunteer position for each staff member, they set a goal of 150 new skilled volunteer positions for the next year. When they asked staff to submit positions for this year’s strategic planning, they received 345 positions! It is moments like those when Chapter leadership can step back and really see how far they’ve come. Kelly Moran describes it quite well: “Where there’s opportunity, we weave it in. But, it’s like building a quilt: you can’t see the whole picture until you step back – but once you do, it’s really an amazing sight.”
Jill Friedman Fixler in the News!
Jill Friedman Fixler was recently quoted in a Chronicle of Philanthropy article, “Vetting Charity Volunteers Can Help Smooth Relations,” that discusses the importance of carefully vetting potential volunteers for a good fit with the organization, not just in terms of qualifications and skills, but also in regard to personality and office culture. Check out the article and tune into the next JFFixler Blog posting, in which we will explore these concepts of “Behavioral Interviews” a bit more deeply!
Jill was also quoted in the recently published book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recruiting and Managing Volunteers . Check it out!
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