“I’m just happy to be asked to do whatever not-so-fulfilling task that you’ve dumped on me with no direction and very little chance of changing the inertia of the project or the association.”
Have you ever told this lie? (Omitting the truthiness of it, of course.) I have, and it’s really frustrating. It seems like a lot of the things worth doing in associations take years and years to articulate, get buy-in, and implement at the level where it can actually succeed. As a volunteer, I don’t have the patience for it. I’m programmed for rapid change, thanks to the Interwebs. That’s a personal problem, I know, but I don’t think I’m alone. I don’t like to feel like a gear in a machine that’s not going anywhere. I think the reason the whole “social organization” concept resonates with me–and the reason that J-Nott and Maddie and I keep coming back to it–is that the social organization must continually evolve as the system changes. If the org gets stuck, it dies.
Same goes with engaging volunteers and building a community around them. If the project gets stuck, it dies. If the group gets stuck, it dies. (Only, we don’t always let the project or the group die…which is a whole different problem!) I just LOVE the Truths about volunteering posts that Peggy Hoffman has been blogging for nearly two years. She’s up to 18 sage (and tweetable!) volunteer maxims. All seem so simple, but in action, they’re quite tricky.
What’s the answer? Do I need to learn patience? (Clearly, duh.) Do the organizations I volunteer with need to be more flexible and agile? Would a visionary leader make me feel better about myself and my place in the org? I’m seriously asking here…how can we get rid of volunteer ennui?
By the way, this week I’m at the ASAE Volunteer Leadership Retreat in New Orleans. I’ll be sure to share any comments I receive here with the group!
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This really resonated with me. I’m finding too many of my volunteer affiliations (ASAE included sometimes) have fallen into meeting myopia. We just keep meeting, but no one (or few) are tasked with doing anything between meetings. Staff certainly can’t do all the work, nor should they. I go back to what I learned in high school student council. End a meeting by going around and having everyone say what work they will complete before the next check-in point. if people have nothing committed, then get them an assignment. That’s what gets results and keeps things moving forward. Not more meetings.
And when you sign up to be in a volunteer task group on Member To Member, you really should get some form of contact fairly quickly. I’ve never heard from one or two of the groups I signed up to contribute to.
As someone who manages volunteer leaders I see this happen quite a bit. It’s a difficult position to be in…we want people with a certain amount of clout in these leadership positions but these folks don’t often have the time to devote to the role (so are perhaps overly reliant on staff support). Despite attempts to create a greater sense of group ownership, there is still a bit of tension around role expectations. I imagine a degree of volunteer ennui comes from the context in which these individuals (and staff) operate (I don’t want to fall back on the cultural change debate, but it seems to be the case…if anyone has other cliches I can co-opt, please chime in). I’ve heard from a number of association colleagues that part of their/our job is to create/sustain an illusion of inclusion for these volunteers….a veil of importance around what these groups contribute (whether they actually do or not). Perhaps we’re doing this more for OUR (staff) benefit, than for the volunteers’ (who, if we give them any credit, aren’t buying it). Unlike Jeff, I don’t have any answers (his tips always seem to be spot-on). How do we ditch the illusion and get to authenticity? I know Jamie Notter has blogged on the power of truth…I hope he has something to add here.
Wow, the illusion of inclusion. Any association exec committed to that philosophy you have his/her CAE revoked.
Lauren, you’re definitely on to something with the smart people with busy schedules issue.
I wonder if we just need to make that more transparent and have a volunteer group discuss what contributions each member can make: creative brainpower, refining/editing brainpower, heavy lifting task power, etc. And it won’t necessarily be a static state for any one individual.
I just know that we currently are plagued by not talking enough about (1) what work needs to actually be dine, and (2) who in the heck is going to do it. And for those of us who like to get things done, it makes it very difficult for us to get in the volunteer sandbox.
Thank you, Lauren and Jeffrey. We are talking about volunteer models for the next couple of hours, and I’ll be sure to share your feedback. And report back here when we’re done. My hope is that we talk about the actual work we’re asking volunteers to contribute.
Also, i hope we’ll talk about where the volunteer promise breaks down. Listening in on phone calls is not volunteering. Being on a council, but rarely participating, is not volunteering.
On the other side of the coin, having a great idea, and not being able to see it come to fruition is a failure on the org’s side.
Having just spent the weekend with a dynamite group of regional society volunteers for ASPH, this question is really the elephant in the room isn’t it? As we brainstormed on a myriad of critical issues like member engagement, member value, revenue sources, priorities … the statement that came up several times started with something like “however, our bylaws say…”. Finally I responded by asking “but what does your mission say?” You see, for me as a volunteer, I find the bonds of yesterday’s bylaws and policies and procedures draining. I want to move forward and I want the organization I am volunteering for to be open to moving forward (and actually to be forward-moving!). (Yes Lindy, I’m echoing you!)
So to my colleagues gathering at the leadership retreat, allow those of us serving with you to be un-cuffed and to move ideas and new projects forward. Let the section councils be incubators. Let’s not have an illusion of importance (ditch the veil – so well put Lauren!), but ask are we important and if so how do contribute. Some of the councils may not have a role.
And to those leaders, chairs etc who aren’t able to lead us forward (many times for acceptable reasons), please step aside. If you don’t have time or the energy or the skills, this is holding your team and your project back.
As a side note, I’m on the 2nd year of my council appointment and feel as though I – and indeed we – have accomplished little. And yes Lindy, I’m beginning to feel impatient … and no I don’t think we should learn to be more patient
And PS – I passed your book #opencommunity around both rooms with the message buy it today – do you have copies to pass around there??
And PPS – wow thanks for the shout out!
I have serious issues with this too. I feel like our current volunteer structures inhibit participation, and kill enthusiasm. There’s something about how we work in volunteer committees that is just mind-numbing and makes me, personally, want to stop volunteering – even though as you know well I am full of ideas and energy otherwise.
Great discussion. I too get frustrated but have also fallen down on completing my tasks (why un- or de-motivated?). It may be I think nothing will change but know I have to make it change. You can see I’m busy having a fight with myself about volunteering.
For ASAE specifically, suggest a clarification of the role of section councils – why do they exist and what do we want them to accomplish? The session the Young Association Execs had at Annual sounded really cool and something every council could benefit from. (Good job Jamie Notter – as always) Also need to foster communication between councils.
Also some training for volunteers and leaders. This retreat sounds good but years ago GWSAE had a 2 day volunteer training that was great. It was not just for the committee leaders.
Waiting to hear what happens in New Orleans.
Great discussion Lindy and Maddie! Honestly, fear of screwing it up is part of why NTEN has never had a formal volunteer structure. I think that part of where people go wrong (based on my experience as a volunteer) is that they put all their energy into organizing a good meeting experience (which is important), and no focus on the in between times.
I feel like managing volunteers is a lot like managing my board. The meetings have to be productive, but I have to spend even more time reaching out and directing individual members between meetings to get things done (while also not stepping on their toes and allowing them to have a leadership experience!)
So I guess what I’m saying is that I think it takes more investment from staff to keep volunteers engaged and productive. What do you think? What do you get out of GOOD volunteer experiences?
I’m going to go a little big picture here, but please indulge me.
First, there are several conversations that we are NOT having in most associations–important conversations about who is in charge and why or why not. Volunteers go in thinking they can make something happen, but at the same time don’t want the responsibility of managing the whole enchilada. Does anyone else see how impossible that is? You can’t decentralize and let the committees go where there passion is AND have the staff manage all the resources centrally to ensure efficiency. But we avoid that truth and we somehow promise that both can happen. The “illusion of inclusion” quote is great. We’re living a lie, but it’s a well-intended lie and it never really pins us down, so let’s just keep it up. We need some open conversations about that dilemma and how to resolve it. These are not easy conversations to have, mind you, but we need to be having them.
And Lauren’s comment about wanting volunteers with clout brings up another issue for me. When do we, the volunteers, all get to talk about the personal career aspirations we have and how volunteering fits into it. When do we get to admit that a significant reason we want to be on that committee is because it will help us get ahead or build our personal brand or meet the right people. Want some truth? One of the best parts of me volunteering for THREE YEARS on the Executive Management Section Council was getting to have dinner with some cool people. Twice. That was pretty much it for me. I felt more connected, like I built some initial relationships with important people in this community, and built my reputation. Two dinners out of three years of “volunteering.” But it was valuable to me. Okay, I am over-stating it. I volunteered for the newsletter committee and wrote some articles and got others to write articles and I participated in the committee meetings, so it wasn’t ONLY the dinners. I worked on things and got stuff done, because I like that too. But I was pretty long on ennui too, and that was okay because I was getting what I needed on the career front. As long as that’s a big part of volunteering, I think it’s going to be hard to ALSO have us getting a lot done in these groups. That’s a lot to ask–to have these committees be clout-fests and career-building AND productive, exciting, action powerhouses at the same time. Maybe I’m wrong on that one, but we won’t know until we talk about the clout/career stuff more openly.
Advice? First for volunteers: Know what you want. Never take a position on a committee because it is offered to you. Instead, figure out what you want to do in your community and then look for ways to do it. If you see a window in an existing structure then go for it. But tell people going in what you want out of it and why you’re joining that structure. If you don’t see anything, then don’t volunteer. Create your own organization. Collaborate with colleagues on a project. Just do stuff. The smart associations will see the people who are passionately doing stuff and figure out ways to partner with them. We just won’t need to call it volunteering, maybe?
For staff: negotiate better. Stop pussy-footing around and hoping you can outlast those volunteers who are asking for more than you or your boss is willing to give them. Lay it on the line and be willing to be fired for it. And I am saying this as a staff person, not as a volunteer. Be clear about how you want to run your organization and if you can’t show the members why that’s in their interest, maybe you’re out of a job, but life is too short to try and sneak it through and hope the volunteers don’t raise too much of a ruckus.
Okay, thanks for letting me ramble. I’m not sure I advanced the conversation with this rant, but I hope so!
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