To be a volunteer manager takes sensitivity, empathy and the ability to work around others to suit their needs. In contrast to other careers there is little competition between managers; instead there is collaboration and community support. I would never wish to change this and I attribute the success of individuals and groups to their willingness to shirk societal pressures that would have us believe we compete in all areas of our lives. But this does not mean that we have to be so malleable in our approach to professional life.
Volunteer managers rightfully celebrate the contribution volunteers bring to their organisation but as @jackal tweeted recently ‘if we don't know how great a job we are doing ourselves how can we expect others to value us’? In the corporate world competition between staff for promotion, attention and reward means that a culture has grown in which you have to sell yourself to succeed. Now, I would never suggest that as a profession we ape the behaviours of the corporate world and ignore what has worked so well for so long for so many people. However, in this case we may be able to reap some of the benefits profited by the corporate world if we choose carefully which techniques to adopt and make our own.
Taking stock of your success is empowering.
When you take time to recognise your achievements you are reminded how valuable your skills and abilities are. Recognising this means that you are an equally valid member of your organisation as anyone else and can take confidence in the things that you are expert in.
A stressful day can be eased by drawing on positive memories and past success, reminding you that you can overcome obstacles and deliver positive results.
Realising what you are good at and what you do well brings into contrast what you could improve and what you could be doing better. Self-reflection must be honest and constructive if it is to be effective.
We should be holding our heads high and getting recognised for our expertise and achievements. In practical terms there are a number of avenues you can explore. Keep your manager and colleagues updated and informed, with any luck this will also guarantee their involvement and help them to understand your role better. Include staff in volunteer celebration events, this will promote cohesion in what can be at times a tense relationship and encourages staff to reflect on how much volunteers help them (and always remember what shines on the volunteers reflects on you). If you have a newsletter or e-bulletin maintain a presence which is varied and engaging, yes it is right to say thank you but people need to realise that as great as the volunteers are they wouldn’t have been recruited, trained and supported to deliver fantastic results if it wasn’t for the hard work of a volunteer manager.
No-one likes a show-off so you don’t want it to sound like you are blowing your own trumpet all the time! With (the aforementioned) confidence you can make the most of opportunities. A colleague recently thanked me for recruiting a volunteer for his library which has meant they can now provide weekly Rhymetime sessions. Knowing I had someone on my side I suggested he might want to share his experience with others. I opened the following week’s newsletter and found an article which said ‘We are very lucky to have [a Rhymetime volunteer] and she is a shining example of how volunteers can allow libraries to do things that simply would not be possible without their help’. I couldn’t have put it better myself!
Wear a new hat
I suggested at the final EYV11 webinar that sometimes we need to speak the language of those we are trying to influence. As agreed by @uncollectiveconsciousness this does not mean ceding ground to them but might give them access to our world and goes some way to proving how versatile we are. We wear a great many hats that see us perform all sorts of roles; celebrating volunteers, promoting volunteering, enabling volunteers, to name just a few of the ways we remain flexible and look after the needs of others. But you need to find a new hat to add to the collection; confident equal to anyone in your organisation. Our pay is often less than our colleagues and at times our contribution is valued less but until we see ourselves as professional equals how are we going to convince others? Confrontation is not a regular part of many of our working lives but we have to be unswerving and fight our corner. One person who has some strong views on this is Jayne Cravens and her blog is a rousing battle-cry:
Volunteer manager fight club...
We care so much for our volunteers, we care about each other and we care about the future of our profession but if we want to make a difference we should dare to challenge boards and our organisations’ leaders.
Volunteer managers rightfully celebrate the contribution volunteers bring to their organisation but as @jackal tweeted recently ‘if we don't know how great a job we are doing ourselves how can we expect others to value us’? In the corporate world competition between staff for promotion, attention and reward means that a culture has grown in which you have to sell yourself to succeed. Now, I would never suggest that as a profession we ape the behaviours of the corporate world and ignore what has worked so well for so long for so many people. However, in this case we may be able to reap some of the benefits profited by the corporate world if we choose carefully which techniques to adopt and make our own.
Taking stock of your success is empowering.
When you take time to recognise your achievements you are reminded how valuable your skills and abilities are. Recognising this means that you are an equally valid member of your organisation as anyone else and can take confidence in the things that you are expert in.
A stressful day can be eased by drawing on positive memories and past success, reminding you that you can overcome obstacles and deliver positive results.
Realising what you are good at and what you do well brings into contrast what you could improve and what you could be doing better. Self-reflection must be honest and constructive if it is to be effective.
We should be holding our heads high and getting recognised for our expertise and achievements. In practical terms there are a number of avenues you can explore. Keep your manager and colleagues updated and informed, with any luck this will also guarantee their involvement and help them to understand your role better. Include staff in volunteer celebration events, this will promote cohesion in what can be at times a tense relationship and encourages staff to reflect on how much volunteers help them (and always remember what shines on the volunteers reflects on you). If you have a newsletter or e-bulletin maintain a presence which is varied and engaging, yes it is right to say thank you but people need to realise that as great as the volunteers are they wouldn’t have been recruited, trained and supported to deliver fantastic results if it wasn’t for the hard work of a volunteer manager.
No-one likes a show-off so you don’t want it to sound like you are blowing your own trumpet all the time! With (the aforementioned) confidence you can make the most of opportunities. A colleague recently thanked me for recruiting a volunteer for his library which has meant they can now provide weekly Rhymetime sessions. Knowing I had someone on my side I suggested he might want to share his experience with others. I opened the following week’s newsletter and found an article which said ‘We are very lucky to have [a Rhymetime volunteer] and she is a shining example of how volunteers can allow libraries to do things that simply would not be possible without their help’. I couldn’t have put it better myself!
Wear a new hat
I suggested at the final EYV11 webinar that sometimes we need to speak the language of those we are trying to influence. As agreed by @uncollectiveconsciousness this does not mean ceding ground to them but might give them access to our world and goes some way to proving how versatile we are. We wear a great many hats that see us perform all sorts of roles; celebrating volunteers, promoting volunteering, enabling volunteers, to name just a few of the ways we remain flexible and look after the needs of others. But you need to find a new hat to add to the collection; confident equal to anyone in your organisation. Our pay is often less than our colleagues and at times our contribution is valued less but until we see ourselves as professional equals how are we going to convince others? Confrontation is not a regular part of many of our working lives but we have to be unswerving and fight our corner. One person who has some strong views on this is Jayne Cravens and her blog is a rousing battle-cry:
Volunteer manager fight club...
We care so much for our volunteers, we care about each other and we care about the future of our profession but if we want to make a difference we should dare to challenge boards and our organisations’ leaders.
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