Literature Reviews

I commented on groups 3 and 5

  

Volunteer Retention

Michael Rivera
EDAC 646

Ball State University

Abstract

Volunteer retention is a problem that many organizations are facing worldwide. There is an abundant amount of literature that covers different strategies to help improve volunteer retention within organizations. I researched a couple articles to find out some of the best strategies out there. My literature review will examine how leadership teams, trainings, volunteer recognition, and respect for a volunteer’s time could help retain a volunteer to an organization. 

Introduction

           

Volunteerism is still very relevant in 2013, but there is a new breed of volunteers ready to take on the volunteer world. The 21^st century volunteers are a new breed of volunteers that are very different from previous volunteers. There are many new factors that affect the volunteer’s decision to volunteer with a particular organization. Time, technology, professionalism, and flexibility are new factors to take into consideration when discussing the 21^st century volunteer (J. McKee; T. McKee, 2012). Many volunteers in the 21^st century are switching from long-term volunteering to episodic volunteering (J. McKee; T. McKee, 2012). 21^st century volunteers are becoming busier and need more flexibility with their volunteering schedule. Technology has also taken a great advance and now allow for virtual volunteers within an organization (J. McKee; T. McKee, 2012).

One thing that still remains an issue between organizations worldwide is how to retain the volunteers you recruit. Volunteer retention is an important topic when discussing volunteerism. An organization can do many things to keep a volunteer interested in their organization and coming back year after year. This literature review will examine how leadership teams, trainings, volunteer recognition, and respect for a volunteer’s time could help retain a volunteer to an organization. 

General Themes

            The first major theme within the literature review was having a skilled leadership team to work with the volunteers. There needs to be paid employee or a ranking of paid employees who oversee the volunteer team. In order to retain the volunteer you are recruiting, you need a system of good leaders to train and guide the volunteers throughout the volunteer experience (Morris, 2004). In an article reviewing volunteering in an afterschool program, the article states that they volunteers should have someone as a main contact person. That is the person they need to speak with for day to day operations (Tingley, 2001). There should be a group of leaders who take leadership over a volunteer group in order to keep the mission of the organization in mind at all times. When there is a single person in charge of a volunteer group, the tasks could become overwhelming for that single person or even the person could start to run the volunteers under a “dictatorship” (Rufer, 2010). Having a well-rounded group of leaders in charge of a volunteer group could evenly spread out the work load between all leaders, but also keep the mission and values of the organization in all of the work that the volunteers are completing.

            The training the volunteers complete is another factor that could greatly increase retention in an organization. While some of the volunteers starting with an organization might have some experience, most volunteers will need formal training in order to learn the new skills that are required of them. There are some volunteers who have an acquired skill set and could be placed with volunteers who need to learn that skill set. When using volunteers to train other volunteers it is extremely important that the trainer know the skills correctly so they can teach the trainees correctly as well ( Little, 1999). When providing training within an organization, the trainers need to make sure the delivery, management, and organization are at the highest of standards. An organization could have great information for their volunteers, but the presentation could be poor and the information could be lost in translation (Rufer, 2010). According to Skoglund (2006), “Training not only helps volunteers work better, but also helps to motivate them to donate time”. When training volunteers, make sure the information is specific to their particular job. Make sure the volunteers know what is expected from them (Tingley, 2001). If a volunteer is not completely trained, how are they to do their jobs correctly? Volunteers want to feel accepted and if they are not trained properly they could be socially unaccepted and that could cause them to leave an organization (Nedder, 2009).

            Not being properly trained could lead to the thirds theme among the literature, respecting volunteer’s time. The 21^st century volunteer has limited time to volunteer, and they need to take advantage of the time they using to volunteer. If a job is not important to the mission of an organization, then do not have volunteers do the tasks. Also, tell the volunteers they work they are doing is important to the organization (Little, 2009). It is also important to have a job for a volunteer to do each time they are at the organization (Tingley, 2001). When a volunteer feels like they are doing important work, they feel connected to the organization! The volunteers will have a positive experience with the organization and want to come back to volunteer with the organization again (Skoglund, 2006).

            The final theme found within the literature is providing recognition, or reward to the volunteers. Volunteer recognition could be the simplest and most cost effective strategy to retain volunteers. When a volunteer completes a task, take the time to recognize the volunteers apart of that group. Recognizing a volunteer could be as simple as a personalized hand written note to thank the volunteer for their hard work at the organization (Little, 1999). If the organization has money to put toward volunteer recognition, small gifts could be given to the volunteers such as gift cards, or discounted sporting tickets (Chapman, 2011). It is important to recognize all members of a volunteer team and not job certain members based on their job performance (Little, 1999).

Implications

             In order to provide leadership within my own organization, I would set up a leadership team. I would have a paid employee who is in charge of the volunteer program overall. I would also have another paid employee who is the main contact person for all day to day operations for volunteers. There would be a volunteer trainer which could be a volunteer or a paid employee. Providing volunteers with leadership responsibility could also help with volunteer retention. To make sure volunteers were properly trained, I would provide a detailed training that is specific to their specific job. I would also provide other trainings to advance skills the volunteers want to learn. I would also have a member of the leadership team who performs the training so they are completely correctly.

            I believe being respectful of volunteer’s time is very important. I have volunteered at organizations where I would sit around for hours at a time waiting for a task to complete. Then when I would get a task to complete, it would be filing or some other generic task to kill time. I would make sure each volunteer of my organization would have a task to complete each day, and make sure they were aware of the task in advance. I would also make sure the assigned task is relevant to the organization of the mission. If I am volunteering at a food bank, I would want to help sort food or package food. I would not want to sit outside and pull weeds from the field across the street. I would make sure the volunteer’s jobs are relevant so they fee apart of the organization.

            I think recognition is one of the most important aspects of managing volunteers. Most volunteers volunteer because they love to give back to the world, but recognizing them is a very simple and cost effective task. I would provide personalized hand written cards for volunteers upon completion of a job. It is an inexpensive gesture that makes volunteers feel good about the work they are completing. I would also throw appreciation parties for my volunteers. If I know my volunteers are putting in hard work, I would reward them with a dessert bar, or even cater a lunch for them one day. I also think if your organization had money included in the budget for volunteer recognition, I would buy small gifts for all employees. I think giving them coffee mugs for Christmas, or gift cards for their birthdays would make them feel included in the organization. I believe volunteer recognition is one of the most effective strategies to retain volunteers in an organization.

Conclusion

            The 21^st century volunteer is a new breed of volunteer who is ready to work, but have new needs from organizations they are volunteering for. Volunteer retention is a problem many organizations are facing with volunteers. There are many strategies available to help retain your volunteers. My literature review covered leadership teams, trainings, volunteer time, and volunteer recognition as ways to help volunteer retention. There are many more strategies to help improve volunteer retention; these were just the ones I found most helpful.

Reference List

Chapman, R. (2011). 21st Century Firefighting: Preserving the Volunteer Fire Service. Fine Engineering, 164(8), 12-16.

Little, H. (1999). Volunteers: how to get them, how to keep them. Naperville, Ill.: Panacea Press.

McKee, J. R., & McKee, T. W. (2012). The new breed: understanding and equipping the 21st century volunteer (2nd ed.). Loveland, Colo.: Group [Publishing].

Morris, W. A. (2004). FIrefighter Recruitment and Retention Ideas You Can Use. Fire Engineering, 157(10), 121-126.

Nedder, J. (2009). Recruitment + Training = Retention. Fire Engineering, 162(9), 14-20.

Rufer, A. L. (2010). Keys to Recruit and Retention. Fire Engineering, 163(8), 14-16.

Skoglund, A. G. (2006). Do Not Forget about Your Volunteers: A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Influencing Volunteer Turnover. Health and Social Work, 31(3), 217-220.

Tingley, J. (2001). Volunteer Programs: When Good Intentions Aren't Enough.     

              Educational Leadership, 58(7), 53-55.

Appendix

Themes	Applications
Skilled Leadership Teams	Provide a leadership team with a supervisor, volunteer trainer, and main contact person.
Detailed Training	Provide quality detailed trainings that are specific to the volunteers job
Respect volunteers time	Make sure volunteers have tasks to complete each day. Make sure the tasks are relevant to the organization. Make each volunteer feel welcomed to the organization
Recognition	Provide personalized cards, Throw appreciation parties Random volunteer gifts

Mike commented on the blogs of group 1 and group 3

 

Literature Review: Volunteer Retention

Michael Watkins

Ball State University

            This paper will examine literature covering the concept of volunteer retention. Volunteer retention refers to the number of volunteers who continue to volunteer with an organization over an extended period of time. An organization with high volunteer retention will be more successful and be able to serve more people. Approximately 35% of people who register in a volunteer organization will leave within a year, with the average overall length of service being approximately one and half years (Hidalgo & Moreno, 2009). A key focus of volunteer based organizations must be the factors that affect retention and how to retain the highest number of volunteers. Several models and theories have been developed on the subject with each proposing a new idea to how organizations can retain their volunteers.

Volunteer retention is vital to an organization as sustaining a good volunteer base ensures the organization will be able to survive. An organization must recognize the importance of volunteer retention and develop a plan to keep volunteers coming back.  Volunteer rates are currently at an all-time high, yet organizations have to focus more attention on retaining those volunteers as nearly one third of volunteers do not stay with the same organization year to year (Watersand & Bortree, 2012). The reasons for leaving an organization vary based on the individual but usually focus around not having enough time to volunteer or they become dissatisfied with the organization, and no longer have the desire to donate their time. Organizations retention efforts need to focus on building a strong connection to their volunteers through the use of communication.

Volunteer retention focuses on the motives of the individual volunteer and how an organization can accommodate the motives (McKee & McKee, 2012). To retain volunteers the organization first look at what motivates a volunteer to donate their time to that particular organization. McKee and McKee suggest three motives that most people fall under: self-serving motivation drive, relational drive, and the core motivational drive (their beliefs). Once you have identified the motives behind the volunteer, you can tailor you organization to support their particular motive. Providing feedback to the volunteer is the next step to retaining your volunteer base. Volunteers want to know that what they are doing is making a difference within an organization. It is important to recognize their sacrifice, if you do not, they will never know if what they are doing is benefiting the organization. While volunteers may not expect to be given anything for their time, McKee and McKee suggest providing them with special privileges and perks. This is another way to say thank you and recognize the sacrifice they are making. This will help keep volunteers with an organization, increasing their retention rate, as they are seen as an asset that an organization cannot live without.

An organization with a low volunteer rate is forced to spend valuable funds on the time consuming process of recruiting new volunteers. Mark Hager and Jeffrey Brudney (2004) with The Urban Institute conducted a study on the retention of volunteers that considered 4 different factors (management practices, investment in volunteer resources, value the volunteers bring to an organization and organizational characteristics) at the same time as opposed to looking at a single individual factor. The rationale behind the decision to look at multiple factors was that the influence of one factor takes into account the influence of all the other factors.

 In looking at management practices, the study found that organizations which provided recognition activities for volunteers, along with providing them adequate training, and screening volunteers to match them with the best possible task had the greatest effect on volunteer retention (Hager & Brudney, 2004). Volunteers are willing to donate their time for no monetary compensation, however most still want to receive some form of recognition for their service. Communication and supervision had the second greatest negative impact according to the study. If an organization provides little to no supervision and communicates with its volunteers in the same manner as it does with paid employees, volunteers may feel like it is the same daily grind as their paid jobs and may not find the volunteering pleasurable (Hager & Brudney, 2004). Organization’s should provide an adequate amount of supervision to where the volunteer knows what they are doing, but not so much that it prevents them from enjoying the experience. The management practices of organizations were found to influence the investment they made in volunteer resources.

An organization with strong management practices was found to have better resources for accommodating volunteers. The study found lack of funding and staff indifference toward volunteers to have a negative effect on volunteer retention; while the time paid staff spends on volunteer retention did not have a positive or negative effect (Hager & Brudney, 2004).  Lack of funding can be a difficult factor to overcome as most organizations which use volunteers operate on a fixed budget, however the attitude of paid staff is something that can be easily changed. An organization’s paid staff should see volunteers as an asset and recognize their service to the organization. They should not be treated like just another employee who is there for any task. The next factor examined in the study was the value that volunteers bring to charities. Charities that use volunteers to recruit other volunteers were found to have a higher retention rate, as where those who used volunteers as “spokespersons” (Hager & Brudney, 2004). This helps to show potential volunteers that the experience is worthwhile and that the organization is “volunteer friendly”.  Volunteers who were absent, unreliable, and had a poor work quality were found to have a negative on volunteer retention (Hager & Brudney, 2004). A volunteer who commits to an organization, but then fails to deliver will give a negative image and may cause the organization to do less with volunteer recruitment and retention as the volunteers are not providing a valuable resource. Organizational characteristics were the final factor in the study, which looked at the size of the charity, age of volunteers, and recruitment problems.  The percentage of volunteers under the age of 24 was found to have the greatest negative effect on the retention of volunteers (Hager & Brudney, 2004). Younger people have rapidly changing lives and continually move for school and work, so they will not have the time to make long term commitments. In terms of the size of the charity the study found that smaller charities had a higher retention rate that those of larger charities. Hager and Brudney (2004) suggested this may be because a smaller charity will have more time to devote towards its volunteers and since they have fewer resources they must provide what volunteers they do have with strong support and recognition.

With the younger generation being one of the main factors in volunteer retention, Jim McCaffree (2007) with the Journal of the American Dietetic Association studied the difference between the generation gap to determine if younger people are less likely to volunteer and volunteer for shorter periods of time.  McCaffree argues that the younger generations do not have as much time to devote to volunteer as they are just beginning their careers and must devote most of their time to their job. He goes on to suggest that younger volunteers often need more justification for volunteering and what they will get out of it, as opposed to what others will get out of it (McCaffree, 2007). To increase volunteer retention in young people, it is important to get them actively involved in the organization and allow them to grow in their volunteer role. If possible they should be given more responsibility and leadership as they grow in an organization. This allows them to get something out of their volunteering, while at the same time filling the needs of the organization.

Communication is vital to any successful organization, however it is a must have for those that rely on volunteers. Volunteers are a unique group of individuals who are donating their time and are under no obligation to stay with an organization.  Waters and Bortree (2012) suggest two organizational communication theories that can help improve the effectiveness of volunteer coordination. The organizational inclusion theory introduced in 2005 by Mor Barak looks at how a person is included in a workplace. The more included they are, the more committed they will be along with a higher level of satisfaction (Waters & Bortree, 2012). Excluding volunteers will lead them to be less productive and feelings of distrust toward coworkers. Barak suggests that organizations can increase volunteer retention thru including them in the decision making process, keeping them informed of announcements and inviting them to participate in meetings. Volunteers who are included will most likely feel a stronger connection to the organization and should be more inclined to continue volunteering for them. This connection can be built by determining the skills of your volunteers and determining how they can best serve the needs of the organization.

            Carmen Hidalgo and Pilar Moreno (2009) developed a study that examined some of the factors of organizational socialization that volunteers have on their intention to remain volunteers. The focus of the study was on the level of integration that a volunteer has in the organization. The results showed that volunteers who had strong support from the organization, adequate training, and positive evaluation of their job were more likely to stay with the same organization (Hidalgo & Moreno, 2009). Volunteers should be treated like other employees in terms of training and participation. A volunteer who is adequately trained and receives feedback on their work will usually be more inclined to volunteer again as they know what they are doing is benefiting the organization. The job that is given to a volunteer can also play a role in the decision to remain with an organization. The job given should fit the skills of the individual and not be the work no one else is willing to do. If volunteers are treated like free laborers, who are there for any task, they may feel like their time is not being used to the best of its ability. The study found that understanding and social support were not significant in the decision to remain with an organization. Hidalgo and Moreno (2009) suggest that this may be because these factors are eclipsed by other factors. An organization should create a friendly environment that provides support with training and supervision if they want to increase their retention rates.

The Person-Task Fit (P-T Fit) model of volunteer retention is defined as the match between knowledge, skills, and the abilities of an individual or the needs of the individual and the requirement of the job or task (Kim, Chelladurai, & Trail, 2007). Volunteers typically donate their time toward a cause they believe in and/or have the necessary skills to contribute to. A good fit between the competencies of a volunteer and the requirements of a job may make the volunteering pleasurable and help contribute towards a sense of empowerment (Kim, Chelladurai, & Trail, 2007). A person who enjoys what they are doing will be more likely to repeat the activity. Organizations should take inventory of the skills each person has and tailor a position for them that best utilizes the skills that they poses. Matching a volunteer with a job that best utilizes their skills will benefit both the individual and the organization; however the model is not perfect as it ignores the context in which the task is undertaken. Person-Organization Fit (P-O Fit) is another model, similar to the P-T fit model, but focuses in the context which the task is undertaken in. The P-O fit model is defined as the congruence between the norms and values of the organizations and the values of the persons (Kim, Chelladurai, & Trail, 2007). P-O takes into consideration the fit between the individual and the organization. While an individual may have the skills the organization is looking for, the organization may not fit within the beliefs of the individual.

As much effort as some organizations put into volunteer retention, sometimes losing volunteers is beyond their control. Withdrawal factors are changes in personal circumstances that prevent someone from staying with a volunteer organization (Locke, Ellis, & Smith, 2003). Volunteers get new jobs, move to a different location, have children, and can have health conditions that prevent them from continuing to volunteer. Withdrawal factors are particularly common among young volunteers as their lives change on a daily basis. To combat the loss in retention due to withdrawal factors, organizations should have a strong recruitment program in place that keeps new volunteers coming into the organization.

While volunteer retention is an important subject, their appears to be little amount of literature written on how organizations can retain volunteers. This in its self is a problem as the subject is vital to ensuring a successful volunteer run organization. With the information that is available, each author mentioned above, has their own reasons and theories for what effects a retention rate, but a common theme with all of them is the recognition of volunteers and providing them with an environment that caters towards their needs. Volunteers are unique group as they have offered their free time to an organization without the expectation of getting any compensation. They do however expect to be recognized for this sacrifice and not be treated as just another employee. The literature on the subject shows how some organizations have come up with management techniques specifically for volunteers. These techniques have shown to increase retention numbers and create an environment that serves as an enabler to volunteering. For a volunteer organization to be successful the must recognize the importance of volunteer retention and implement a program that retains the volunteers they have and recruits new ones.    

	The main ideas in the literature (Check General Themes)	Applications of the main ideas in practice (check implications)
Idea 1	Recognize volunteers as a unique group	Provide perks for volunteers and let them know they are an important asset and not another employee
Idea 2	Match the skills of volunteers with jobs where they are best utilized	Ask volunteers for specific skills they have and attempt to match them with a job
Idea 3	Provide supervision and training to volunteers	provide volunteers with clear guidelines on what they will be doing and provide them the training to do so
Idea 4	Acknowledge the problem of volunteer retention	Determine the problems with retention and develop a solution

           References

Hager, M. A., & Brudney, J. L. (2004). Volunteer Management Pratices and Retention of Volunteers . The Urban Institute.

Hidalgo, M. C., & Moreno, P. (2009). Organizational Socialization of Volunteers: The effect on their intention to remain . Journal of Community Psychology, 594-601.

Kim, M., Chelladurai, P., & Trail, G. (2007). A Model of Volunteer Retention in Youth Sport. Journal of Sport Management, 151-171.

Locke, M., Ellis, A., & Smith, J. D. (2003). Hold on to what you’ve got: the volunteer retention literature. Volunteer Action , 81-99.

McCaffree, J. (2007). Attracting and Keeping Volunteers in Your Organization. Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

McKee, J., & McKee, T. (2012). The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer. Group.

Waters, R. D., & Bortree, D. S. (2012). Improving volunteer retention efforts in public library systems: how communication and inclusion impact female and male volunteers differently. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 92-107.