Volunteer Engagement Strategies
Creating organization-wide change in volunteer engagement attitudes and practices is a process that has a huge return on the investment. Through our work with many multilevel, national organizations, we have developed a pilot-based model that enhances organizational learning and ensures successful long-term implementation of volunteer engagement efforts with powerful results.
Through pilot projects, organizations:
- Practice new skills, techniques, and new volunteer engagement tools and strategies.
- Serve as learning models to determine which strategies work best and which are replicable and sustainable for the organization.
- Facilitate ongoing assessment and evaluation while implementing a culture of volunteer engagement.
- Build strong, collaborative, effective joint staff and volunteer leadership teams.
- Identify champions and leaders as the initiatives are implemented and replicated more widely.
- Create change in a risk-tolerant environment.
- Involve a wide array of volunteers and staff from the initial design and throughout the process.
The volunteer engagement pilot process includes five distinct phases that take from 6 to 24 months to complete. Through a combination of coaching and consultation, live and webinar training, and employing customized tools, processes, and procedures, we facilitate a process that creates a culture of volunteer engagement utilizing high-impact volunteers.
Phase I: Discovery and Research
Understanding current organizational trends, practices, and attitudes toward volunteer engagement is critical to designing a project for enhancing volunteer engagement efforts and results. Developing a clearer picture of what volunteers and staff are doing and thinking identifies current best practices, invites suggestions from within the organization, and helps identify areas for improvement. It also serves to model the inclusive, transparent shared inquiry that will be a hallmark of the new culture. Methods include:
- Internal discovery through surveys and interviews
- External discovery through research and interviews
- Analysis and recommendations for action
- Formation of a Project Advisory Team
Phase II: Pilot Preparation and Staff Training
During this phase, JFFixler Group works with staff and volunteer leaders to design a pilot process and deliver volunteer engagement training—in person and via webinars—including:
- Project kick-off to review deliverables and timelines
- Project management by a dedicated JFFixler Group Project Manager
- Development of a pilot application process and selection of pilot projects
- Staff and volunteer training
Phase III: Pilot Launch and Support
Phase III includes the launch of pilot groups that are supported through:
- Project management by a dedicated JFFixler Group Project Manager
- Pilot launch webinar
- Pilot program launch institute—an interactive, two-day workshop
- Webinar series to reinforce the learning and provide additional training and coaching on pilot implementation
- Customized coaching for pilot teams and other key staff and volunteer leaders
Phase IV: Project Evaluation and Report
Phase IV includes developing an overall project report assessing the scalability of pilot initiatives, with recommendations for future implementation.
Phase V: Organization-wide Implementation
Upon completion of the pilots, organizations have the tools and strategies they need to implement the volunteer engagement initiative across the organization. JFFixler Group often provides support and assistance during the organization-wide implementation process.
