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Methods of attracting volunteers to work in state and non-state organizations in the social sphere. How to attract volunteers? How are volunteers recruited? How to Attract People and Money to Volunteering

An important point in the interaction between volunteers and the organization is the professional, respectful attitude of the management and employees of the organization towards volunteers. Otherwise, volunteers will face the problem they least expected when offering their services - "You are not needed here" - and, accordingly, will quickly leave the organization. On the contrary, a friendly attitude (favorable climate) will help to maintain the volunteer's interest in the organization.

Moreover, a favorable climate in the organization should have its practical expression in the daily work with volunteers and should not remain only at the level of unrealized declarations. There are several signs by which one can judge that the environment in the organization is unfavorable for the work of volunteers and words are at odds with deeds.

Signs of an unfavorable climate for the work of volunteers in the organization- when employees believe that:

    volunteer is free work force and the work of a volunteer does not cost anything;

    a volunteer is a non-specialist, so a volunteer can only be entrusted with unskilled work;

    volunteers are unreliable (you cannot entrust anything responsible and serious);

    volunteers do not require attention and resources (no need to invest time and money in volunteers).

As a result of these misconceptions, employees begin to see volunteers as:

    “extra” work for yourself (you need to provide and organize workplace, train, supervise activities and support);

    danger of loss of control over the quality of work performed;

    the threat of job loss (may be reduced, a volunteer can take the place of an employee).

Under such conditions, volunteers are given to understand that their activities are not important for the organization, and the necessary support is not provided. As a result, without support from employees, the work of volunteers is ineffective, the expectations of volunteers are not justified, which causes them to leave the organization.

Ways to form a positive attitude towards volunteers on the part of employees:

    development of a procedure for interaction of staff with volunteers (for example, the inclusion of the “Working with volunteers” column in the job descriptions and the work evaluation sheet of employees, regular meetings or informal meetings of employees and volunteers, as well as meetings with employees on work with volunteers, conducting joint training of employees and volunteers, involving employees in training and encouraging volunteers);

    involvement of employees and management in planning and evaluating the activities of volunteers, compiling a description of the work of volunteers;

    the introduction of the same work standards for volunteers as for employees;

    encouragement of employees working with volunteers;

    regularly expressed positive attitude towards the activities of volunteers from the management of the organization.

People who want to become volunteers usually find an organization themselves and offer their voluntary work to it. Organizations can also turn to society with a request to help in the implementation of their activities. At the same time, organizations quite often attract volunteers without thinking about the consequences of their actions and without having carried out appropriate training. On the one hand, this can provoke a rejection of volunteers. staff members because they feel that they are being over-required and they don't really have the opportunity to volunteer. On the other hand, volunteers may feel frustrated because they do not feel that their knowledge and skills are in demand, and that the activity brings tangible benefits.

Therefore, work with volunteers is not a spontaneous action, it must be preceded by careful analysis and preparation. Should start with volunteer work planning In the organisation. Planning allows the management of the organization and employees to determine their expectations from the work of volunteers, makes it possible to achieve a common understanding of the goals of attracting volunteers, determine the tasks of employees when working with volunteers, and already anticipate and eliminate possible ambiguities and problems.

Of course, things don't always work out the way we plan, but having a plan gives us more options and confidence that we can respond to change in the most appropriate way, while spending the least amount of additional resources.

Planning Tasks organization's work with volunteers:

    determine what will be the role of volunteers in the organization;

    find the most suitable activities for volunteers, taking into account the needs of the organization, service recipients, the volunteers themselves and other interested parties (for example, administration educational institution);

    determine how many volunteers are needed for a particular type of activity;

    anticipate and minimize possible risks related to attracting volunteers;

    determine what kind of training and support volunteers need;

    Determine what resources are needed to enable volunteers to carry out their activities and make sure those resources are available.

The organization must imagine which of the employees will be involved in the work with volunteers, how long this work will take and what exactly it will consist of. The volunteer also needs to know who is responsible for this or that activity in the organization, that is, to whom he can turn and to whom he is responsible for the work he performs.

In a large organization, there should be a person who is responsible for working with volunteers in general. The title of the position of the person who manages the work of volunteers can be different: director volunteer programs, manager of volunteers, head of volunteers. The main thing is that this person should be a link between volunteers and staff members, as well as between organizations and society on the issues of attracting volunteers and summing up the results of their activities.

Ideally, this should be a full-time paid position, but this work can also be done by a volunteer, trained with sufficient experience in organizing and managing people. The coordinator's golden rule is the expression: "Charm will help attract volunteers, but only competence will help keep them ...".

In general, the following tasks/list of duties of the coordinator for work with volunteers can be distinguished:

    planning and implementing the recruitment of volunteers;

    determining in which areas of activity volunteers will be involved;

    preparing a job description for each volunteer position;

    interviewing, selecting and assigning volunteers to activities and direct supervisors;

    planning and implementing orientation and training of volunteers;

    Finding and providing volunteers with resources to work with

    maintaining daily registration of the work of volunteers (volunteer documentation);

    dissemination among the public of information about the activities of volunteers and maintaining relations with other organizations and donors;

    Volunteer support as needed extra education, counseling, information);

    assessment of the organization of work with volunteers.

As a rule, the immediate supervisor of a volunteer is an employee of the organization responsible for the area of ​​work to which the volunteer is attached. But it can also be an experienced volunteer leader volunteer group who coordinates its activities with the person responsible for working with volunteers in the organization as a whole.

The term of involvement depends on two factors: on the volunteer (not all volunteers are interested in being involved for a long time) and the program itself - how long it will last. Depending on how long you plan to attract volunteers will determine what kind of training to offer volunteers and what resources to invest in them. If you expect that the volunteer will be involved in not only one action, but will remain in the organization for at least six months, then in this case it is advisable to provide for him, in addition to the introductory, additional training (to maintain the quality of work) and provide for motivational activities.

Defining the role of volunteers, developing them official duties, communication and reporting issues are largely dependent on models for organizing the work of volunteers used by the organization.

    Service delivery model.

    the role of volunteers is to provide services to vulnerable people;

    employees are responsible for the recruitment, training and supervision of volunteers;

    the mutual responsibility of employees and volunteers is clearly stipulated;

    volunteer training is structured and mandatory;

    Volunteer motivation is the acquisition of new skills and the possibility of moving to paid positions.

    Helper Model.

    customer services are provided primarily by employees;

    The role of volunteers is to help employees so that they can use their resources more effectively. work time;

    Volunteer training is conducted on a case-by-case basis, as needed, most often including hands-on training in specific skills in the workplace;

    recruitment of volunteers is carried out through personal contact with those who want to help.

    Model "Activists".

    there are no paid employees who manage the work of volunteers;

    Volunteers independently determine activities and their roles depending on their needs, interests and capabilities;

    volunteer work provides an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

    Model "Co-workers".

    employees and volunteers perform the same functions and work together;

    the main difference is that employees devote more time to work than volunteers;

    both employees and volunteers are equally committed to the mission, goals and values ​​of the organization;

    personal example, not administrative influence, dominates as motivation.




in public and non-profit organizations the field of work with volunteers has significant features and differences from the field of personnel management. First of all, these features relate to methods of attracting and motivating, methods of management and organization of their work. Often, NPO leaders and organizers of voluntary work say: “It is not easy to attract volunteers! If we find people, then often these are not the people our organization needs. "


The most successful organizations build their own value system and culture that attracts volunteers to the organization and, at the same time, creates a supportive organizational structure work with volunteers. They do this because they understand that the future of the work depends largely on the volunteers they have attracted and on the environment created for their work ...




Today in Russia there are already quite a few organizations that attract volunteers for their activities and for the activities of partner or friendly organizations. There are many volunteer centers that provide volunteer recruiting services to other NGOs. Unfortunately, fully functioning volunteer centers (meaning those that provide a full range of services to connect the interests of people and the needs of organizations, provide systemic guaranteed support for volunteerism and promote the ideas of volunteerism in society) are still few ...


PLANNING FOR VOLUNTEER WORK Planning when working with volunteers is an essential element of work that makes an organization sustainable in the field of human resource management. In essence, volunteering planning is the foundation upon which you will build the entire building of volunteerism in your organization. By planning during the recruitment phase, you will significantly reduce the unrealistic expectations of staff and volunteers. The work of your team in planning the organization of work with volunteers will be surely rewarded by the quality of work of your volunteers and the constancy of their composition.


First of all, decide: Why does your organization need volunteers, and is it necessary at all? What will they do in your organization? Do you expect the work of volunteers to increase the capabilities of your organization, strengthen its image, and expand the range of services to clients? Who from your team can devote their time to those volunteers who come to you? How will you fix their responsibility to your organization? Finally, how much will it cost to organize volunteer work for people and work with volunteers? See Appendix 1


When planning volunteer work, the leaders of the organization need to see and determine: the areas of the organization's activities that need to be developed programs, projects, actions, events that directly solve the tasks set by the organization, but do not have sufficient human resources general views jobs that do not require permanent employment, full-time, day-to-day employment, but are burdensome for existing staff services and types of work for clients that need to be expanded and that can be performed by volunteers with some training and education See Appendix 2


Thoughtful staff training will help minimize conflict and increase the effectiveness of volunteers in the organization. It is advisable to assign this function to the manager, organizer, or coordinator for working with volunteers. It is important that the leader and key leaders/managers of the organization be his assistants in this preparation.




FORMATION OF VOLUNTEER VACANCIES The more precisely the roles are defined and the responsibilities of staff and volunteers are formulated in more detail, the less confusion in daily work and the higher the social effect of the organization. It is important to see the common goals and objectives of staff and volunteers - these are the goals and objectives of the organization itself. It is equally important to determine the areas of responsibility, roles and subordination of employees and volunteers, to share their responsibilities.




Volunteering job descriptions Volunteer job descriptions will help you confidently run a volunteer recruitment campaign, apply to a Volunteer Center or Agency, participate in a volunteer job fair, make speeches and presentations, work with the media, etc.).


Key Message for Volunteers State clearly and concisely: What is the point of volunteering in your organization in general and volunteering in a particular project? What are the goals of voluntary work in your organization, the goals of a volunteer project? What is the attraction of your project for volunteers? What will the volunteers do? Who will benefit from what the volunteers will do? What will change as a result of these actions of people's lives, in society, in your organization? What can change in the life of volunteers if they work in your organization, take part in the project? What can your organization offer volunteers, what opportunities?


In practice, there are also original ways to attract volunteers. In San Francisco, a tree planting volunteer campaign produced a series of T-shirts that read "Volunteering is sexy"; supporting posters are placed at public transport stops. The agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners was engaged in the development of creative and production of posters.


SEARCH AND RECRUITMENT OF VOLUNTEERS Where and how to look for volunteers? Submit an article for the local paper? Or expand wide advertising campaign in the media? Maybe you should contact clients, partners, friends, relatives? Maybe - in friendly public organizations? When attracting volunteers, it is necessary to determine at what stage of recruitment our organization is. See annex 4


Let's consider the main forms and methods of attracting / recruiting volunteers, and we will see in which cases they will be most effective. As can be seen from the table, when various tasks set, it is advisable to use different forms and methods. It is not necessary to give wide information in the media if it takes three people to work on a computer. However, if there are special requirements for these three volunteers and it is planned competitive selection, then it is quite possible.


A wide variety of opportunities can attract people to your activities, such as participation in achieving high goals, opportunities for professional growth, avoiding loneliness, acquiring new knowledge and skills, the opportunity to show care, compassion, mercy, the need to be needed and useful, the desire to find new friends and much more important. identify these opportunities and talk about them with volunteers.


Volunteer recruitment campaign is a responsible event Key steps: Planning volunteer work and vacancies Statement of the call (key message) Search and recruitment of volunteers Selection of volunteers Ensuring volunteer work is guaranteed for the entire period of the project




Each person is driven by his own motives in accordance with his life values ​​and experience. At the same time, the main motive for the activity of people is always the desire to satisfy their own needs. What do you know about the needs and motivations of the people who come to your organization? What do you know about the motives of your volunteers?


Methods for identifying motivations can be: questionnaires, testing, expert examination of specialists (for example, psychologists, social workers and teachers). Determine ways to identify people's motivations that are appropriate for your organization. By identifying motivations, you will be able to more confidently select and subsequently build relationships with volunteers and achieve greater performance at work.


Individual interview with a volunteer. Any selection of volunteers begins with an interview. The form of the interview can be individual and group. Other methods can be used to select volunteers: making inquiries, asking for references, work trials, and others. See annex 6




Selection of volunteers Preference is given to people who: Consciously made a choice in favor of volunteering Want to help other people Cheerful and cheerful Honest, responsible, they can be trusted Have a good physical condition Friendly and sociable Have experience of communicating and working with different people See Appendix 7


Anyone can become a volunteer. Important to find the right volunteer for specific work and the right job for a specific person. Therefore, it is necessary to form precise or approximate criteria for the selection of volunteers. If a person is not in demand in your organization, invite him to get acquainted with another organization, refer him to the Volunteer Center / Agency.


INFORMING AND GUIDING VOLUNTEERS What do new volunteers need to know about your organization? How to help a volunteer understand the goals, objectives and methods, programs and projects of your organization, its rules and standards of work, who is responsible for what? At the same time, both you and the volunteer need to choose the most suitable area of ​​activity for him.


What information to provide to volunteers Both the lack of information and the information flurry can repel a new volunteer. How do you determine what is needed first and what can wait? Different groups of volunteers require different amounts and content of information. However, there should be basic information that all groups of volunteers need, for example, the mission of the organization. It is advisable to form special packages of information aimed at various groups of volunteers.


Volunteer orientation methods: Presentation to employees Interviews with employees Interviews with volunteers Familiarization with specialized literature and information materials Introductory course / familiarization training Education and professional development informal The traditional act of "taking in volunteers" See Appendix 8




We help people: Show their best qualities and build positive social relationships Help people and be useful to society Implement our social initiatives Improve life around us Collaborate in the social sphere Influence positive social change


The Society has numerous commendations and diplomas from people and organizations. in the nomination "Volunteer Center" for innovative technologies and training programs and for many years of contribution to the development of philanthropy and volunteerism in Russian Federation.



Full information about the Program "Vector of Volunteerism - CONFIDENCE" posted on the website Phone (812) Email. mail:

Volunteering is an activity that is as beneficial to people seeking help as it is to the volunteers themselves, because:

Volunteering is the way
build social relationships
put into practice their moral and religious principles,
get new skills
find support and friends,
feel capable of doing something
feel needed and useful.

In any area of ​​NPO activity, you can rely on only three main resources: time, people and money. Most often, everyone complains about the lack of money, forgetting that with some ingenuity and attractiveness of the idea of ​​\u200b\u200byour organization, this lack can be filled by attracting people and planning ahead of time.

There are quite a few volunteers in Russia who are willing to do some work for free if they are convinced that it will help bring their ideas to life. You just need to find them, interest them and give them a feasible, interesting task.

The most important sign of volunteering is that a volunteer spends part of his free time, and therefore strength, energy, knowledge, experience, without coercion or instructions, on activities that benefit other people or society as a whole.

The motives for which people can help you are different: either they share your ideas to such an extent that they are ready to sacrifice their personal time for them, or they have a lot of time and they just want to get to know interesting people, or hope for some benefits in the future (getting a job, being appointed to a position, etc.).

Finally, volunteers may simply want to diversify the routine course of their lives a little and expect to receive moral satisfaction. These expectations must be respected and, to the extent possible, fulfilled.

NPOs should have a dedicated staff member responsible for dealing with volunteers. He helps management determine the need for people and draws up a plan for recruiting volunteers. The person responsible for working with volunteers should also think about the conditions under which people will work, what is needed to ensure the work of voluntary assistants. Probably, someone who knows how to organize his time and achieve his goal will be better able to cope with such work.

It is very important that volunteers feel like they are part of a team. Invite them to your events, concerts, create a kind of honor roll in your office, solemnly thank all your assistants.

Finally, if the work was fun, the people were interesting, and there was meaning and excitement in their activities, then you can certainly count on these volunteers in the future.

Volunteer preparation process

I. Identification of the organization's need for volunteers.

There are two ways to identify an organization's need for volunteers. Let's call the approaches in the analysis of the organization's need for volunteers as the first - "project", the second - "intraorganizational".

The first is the "project approach":

  1. Understand the problem, define the goal, and formulate specific project outcomes.
  2. Analyze your resources. Make a list of available and required resources.
  3. Analyze possible alternative options for implementing the project.
  4. Decide if there is money to pay for the necessary people, if not, then insert an item on attracting volunteers into the project implementation plan. Determine the person responsible for this and the timing of recruitment. If there is money, then let's think about what else, besides saving money, volunteers help us. Maybe they give us something that is very difficult to buy?

The second is "intraorganizational":

  1. Describe the work that needs to be done for the sustainable functioning of the organization.
  2. After the description, the described activities should be grouped according to similar characteristics.
  3. Compare the constructed picture with the existing one and identify "bottlenecks", i.e., those functions that either no one performs, or they are not fully implemented.
  4. Determine, together with the employees of the organization, responsible people for working in the identified bottlenecks.

    If the "bottlenecks" affect someone's individual responsibility, then this work should be carried out directly with this employee. Determine what part of the work will remain with him, and what he is willing to delegate.

  5. Decide if delegators can be grouped around some new jobs.
  6. Decide if it will be a paid job or a volunteer job.

Both approaches will be effective only when the analysis of the organization's need for volunteers is carried out jointly by all members, employees of the organization.

II. Description of the work to be performed by the volunteers.

What is a "job description"? This is to bring to the volunteer:

  1. What will he do.
  2. features of his work.
  3. Time and place of work.
  4. Who in the organization will he work with?
  5. Additions (benefits, incentives, career).
  6. Who are his clients.
  7. degree of responsibility.
  8. The need for additional training.

There is nothing worse for working with a volunteer than to deceive his expectations. These expectations are primarily related to the expectation of a specific job.

Once one of the volunteers was asked the question: “When was the most difficult moment for you in working with us?”, And he answered: “On the third day without a job.

If expectations are not met, then a person has a feeling of disappointment, not only in this case, but also, perhaps, in connection with volunteering in general.

Write a job description, taking into account the following rules:

  • break boring work into several small parts;
  • To creative work attract a few people;
  • accurately determine the time and place of work;
  • appoint a responsible person to whom volunteers can apply;
  • accurately describe the expected end result in quantitative terms;
  • plan your work time so that it does not take a whole day, but only a few hours;
  • in the description, show what benefits the work of a volunteer can bring to others, its social significance.

III. Analysis of required resources and listing necessary materials and tools, as well as working conditions.

See what kind of work it is, what is required to complete it. Almost any work requires some kind of preliminary financial contribution or effort.

A volunteer, coming to the organization to do some work, does not carry overalls or tools with him. If your volunteers break down the wall for the future club with the help of shovels, then tomorrow they may not come.

What may be required for the work of volunteers:

  1. Required tool for the job computer program, books, scrap).
  2. Overalls (robe, boots, slippers, sun cap).
  3. Consumables needed to complete the job.
  4. Special workplace.
  5. Maintenance of the work process (transport, water for irrigation).
  6. Direct expenses of volunteers (travel to the place of work, lunch, vaccinations).

It is necessary to determine the way in which it is planned to attract volunteers. Methods may include the following:

1. Dissemination of information through the media.

Statements about the specific need for volunteers who solve an important social task make the information provided by the media more relevant. Therefore, journalists and news editors willingly take it and post it, and very often for free.

For example, the Nevsky Angel Charitable Society from St. Petersburg used the following letter for this:

"Dear _____________________!

We invite you to take part in the charitable activities of the "Nevsky Angel" society as a volunteer (voluntary assistant).

There are about 250 volunteers in our society today - men and women of different ages, professions, interests, but all of them are united by the desire to help the weaker and each other. Therefore, in our team there is a special friendly atmosphere and complete mutual understanding. The Volunteer Club runs on Wednesdays. Perhaps you will meet a friend here, a loved one, and maybe your destiny. The Nevsky Angel Charitable Society has existed since 1988. One of the main principles of its work was and remains the wide involvement of the public in the implementation of various programs and projects. social assistance population.

Volunteers perform such work without pay, in their free time, taking into account their strengths and abilities.

We invite you to take part in one of the projects of the "Volunteering" program:

social assistance to the weak and disabled;

organization of children's holidays for seriously ill children in hospitals;

emergency assistance to the population;

restoration of cultural, historical and spiritual centers of St. Petersburg and the region.

Orientation conversation with new volunteers - every Tuesday, from 14.00 to 17.00 at:

Gorokhovaya st., 5. Charitable society "Nevsky Angel". Volunteer Center. You can ask your questions by phone: 315-54-45".

3. Working with the target group*:

speeches of agitators;
conducting thematic seminars;
distribution of information leaflets among the participants of various events;
organization of practices for students and schoolchildren;
organization of exhibitions telling about volunteering at enterprises, educational institutions;
volunteers bring other volunteers, their friends and acquaintances with them, keep them informed about your needs for volunteers;
clients of the organization can become the best volunteers, as they realize the benefits they bring from personal experience.

4. Work with the population:

informing public transport passengers via internal radio (positive experience in Gorno-Altaisk);
posting advertisements;
participation in public events as volunteers (working among people, volunteers not only perform the assigned work, but can also act as agitators, using a personal example);
campaign tables and stands at mass events or in places widely visited by the population.

Basic concepts:

Target group (target audience) The group of people targeted by the organization's activities. In the case of attracting volunteers, these can be students, specialists in a certain field of activity, etc.

Work with volunteers, their retention

1. Adaptation.

It is important to show interest both in the volunteer and in his work. Volunteer participation in corporate activities not only connects the volunteer to the activities of the organization, but can also make him more responsible for the work assigned.

Help the volunteer experience shared success with your organization. Man is a social being, he needs to belong to any group or organization.

2. Constant contact.

One-to-one conversations should be regular. After each significant event - there is a "debriefing in hot pursuit." The analysis is effective in that it immediately allows you to show progress and what needs to be improved, evaluate the work, and outline plans for the future.

It is necessary to sum up the results using a positive approach, talking not about failures, but about the required improvement. A person wants to be exceptional and unique. You have to let him feel it.

3. The prestige of the organization and its goals.

This is an important detail that affects volunteer retention. At the same time, one should not forget that the concept of prestige among different people different.

It will be useful to talk about the history of the organization: about its successes and failures. If this is done by the head of the organization or its leader, then this will only increase the image of the organization in the eyes of the volunteer, who will feel cared for.

4. Track changes.

A person's motivations may change over a period of time after they first join the organization. It is possible that the appearance of a volunteer was caused by the need for new communication. After some time, he will want to realize himself in an independent project. All this must be taken into account. Take into account the dynamics of changes in motivations for volunteer work.

5. Involvement in joint planning.

This is another way to retain a volunteer. Today it is good to involve in the execution of work, tomorrow - to create together new project, and the day after tomorrow - to provide an opportunity to independently prepare a project.

6. Stimulating the work of volunteers.

One of the most important ways retention of a volunteer is the timely recognition of his merits. Recall the great rule: "Good praise is public and lasting, but a good thrashing is individual and momentary."

Encouragement can be direct or indirect. Forms of direct promotion:

participation of volunteers in the solemn event;
words of gratitude;
a letter of thanks to volunteers, their relatives;
celebration of the anniversary of the work of a volunteer in the organization;
recommendation review.

Indirect encouragement can have no less effect than direct. Forms of indirect promotion:

treating a volunteer as a paid employee;
providing volunteers with the opportunity to improve their skills;
providing contact with the media;
involvement in decision-making and planning;
providing the opportunity to act as a representative of the organization in any events.

Some rules for recognition of merit:

timeliness,
sincerity,
publicity where possible
the dependence of ways of expression on human motivations,
frequency (should be fairly frequent).

7. Traditions of the organization.

An organization may have or develop traditions that play an important role in retaining volunteers. For example, there might be:

Volunteer birthday celebrations.
Involvement of the head of the organization in the process of interaction with volunteers.
Operational acquaintance of the volunteer with the organization, its employees, adopted rules.
Participation of volunteers in non-work activities that take place in the organization, on a par with paid employees.
The final report (annual) notes the contribution of volunteers.

Possible difficulties in working with volunteers, overcoming them

It is very important that the majority of the people in your organization understand the need for volunteer work. Otherwise, the work of a volunteer may be hindered by the negative attitude of paid employees of the organization. Then you can not do without preliminary work with the staff.

We divide the possible fears of the staff into two groups.

personal nature:

fear of the need for clear work planning to provide volunteers with it;
fear of the emergence of certain moral obligations to a person who works for free;
fear of competition from the volunteer;
unwillingness to expend energy on training to work with volunteers.

Organizational nature:

lack of confidence in the competence of volunteers;
fear of possible problems of a legal, psychological and financial nature;
fear that volunteers, by doing the wrong thing, could damage the image of the organization.

What can be done to overcome such difficulties?

  1. Try to identify the negative factors that are associated with the appearance of volunteers. It will be easier to work, knowing what you can offer the employee in response to his concerns.
  2. There is no need to convince people with beautiful speeches, and even more so to force them to work with volunteers. Take your employees as allies, try to captivate them, demonstrate the advantages. A small but concrete deed is better than a big beautiful speech.
  3. Try to equate volunteer work with a monetary equivalent and show how much money could be spent to pay for this or that work. This will contribute one more white ball to the volunteer basket.
  4. The next white ball could be showing volunteers' unreimbursed expenses, that is, their personal expenses for which they may claim but do not require payment. For example, travel expenses, telephone, some stationery.

Show the organization's employees that they can most effectively do important work by delegating some of their functions to volunteers. Perhaps after that it will be possible to determine the promising front of work. Conduct a preliminary survey to find out what kind of work the staff is willing to entrust to volunteers.

Working with a volunteer must be voluntary. For those who are afraid to give away some of their responsibilities for fear of incompetence, there is a good way:

First, develop, together with employees, the requirements that a volunteer must meet,

Secondly, involve the employee in the selection and interview with volunteers.

But in order to avoid such difficulties, it is necessary at the very beginning to develop a procedure for the interaction of staff with volunteers, which should describe:

what volunteers can do;
what they can't do;
the places of deployment (location) of volunteers in the office are determined, if it is a large office;
the structure of interaction between the organization and volunteers is indicated;
degree of responsibility: i.e. what decisions are made collectively, and what - individually.

In other words, sometimes it's worth writing a volunteer policy for your organization and a volunteer policy.

It is necessary to encourage those employees who have achieved success in working with volunteers: this is public gratitude at official events, and requests to management to note the achievements of these people.

Well unites people not only general work but also joint leisure. Of particular note is the role of the leaders of the organization in working with volunteers. Leaders should support volunteers by their personal example.

Far East Virtual Resource Center:
Notes from the Far East: Number 5, 2001
© ISAR-DV, 2000
© VRC, 2000

ROTARY ACADEMY OF LEADERS

How to effectively work with volunteers?

Andrey Generalov

(Krasnodar)

The question posed in the title of this work is directly related to the Rotary movement in general and its development in Russia in particular.

According to the findings of the International public organization"Center for Foreign Investments" in its study on the development of volunteering (volunteering) in the Russian Federation, carried out on the instructions of the organization United Nations Volunteers, Rotary in Russia is the only independent, financially independent, genuine international volunteer organization.

However, despite this, in this paper we consider a slightly different context. Rotary is an organization that works with volunteers who are directly related to it by their social nature, orientation, and thus volunteers are seen as a potential for replenishing the Rotary ranks.

The second goal that we are solving is to give a comprehensive description of the volunteer movement as a social phenomenon, since without understanding its nature, roots, it is very difficult to talk about the effectiveness of working with volunteers. Therefore, I believe that this work will also have a certain applied character for my colleagues - Rotarians, to improve the efficiency of Rotary in Russia and increase its number.

In addition, the conclusions presented in this paper are not only the fruit of my theoretical research, but also developed in the course of communication with representatives of volunteer organizations in Russia during a number of conferences on the development of volunteering, both in Moscow and in the regions.

In Russia, the volunteer movement began to emerge at the end of the 80s, although, if you look at history, it should be recognized that it existed for a long time, for example, in the form of the service of sisters of mercy, the Timur and Pioneer movements, all kinds of nature protection societies and monuments. However, the volunteer movement has received modern development in connection with the growing number of social problems, in the solution of which, in the current economic situation, volunteers are indispensable.

In the Russian Federation, volunteers (unlike the Pioneer and Komsomol organizations that once existed) are weakly united and do not have a single state or non-state support. It is possible to talk about the volunteer movement as a phenomenon, only considering that all volunteers are guided in their activities by one general principle - to help people.

Rotary has great human potential for the development of volunteering, but the mechanisms for attracting volunteers and implementing volunteer initiatives are not working effectively. There is no doubt that society needs volunteers. There are many directions in which they can work, realize their abilities, acquire the necessary social skills: patronage of the disabled and veterans, assistance to orphans and the seriously ill, propaganda healthy lifestyle life, preservation of historical and cultural heritage, etc.

Obstacles to the development of volunteering in general and its integration into the international movement create a low level of interaction between subjects and objects of volunteering, lack of coordination and communication between volunteers, poorly developed mechanisms for interaction with state authorities and local self-government.

In the development of volunteering, according to Olga Zubkova, head of the Perm volunteer organization The "Vector of Friendship" and uniting under its wing more than 20 thousand (!) young volunteers is a good potential help for the Rotary movement, several problems can be identified:

1. Insufficient level of training of managers (unsystematic work, lack of a professional approach).

2. Lack of a clear understanding of the target group of impact

3. Misunderstanding by people in society of the process of volunteerism - lack of information in schools, universities, lack of practice of social activities.

Volunteering is not perceived as effective method self-realization and socialization, but as a useless social burden.

4. Underdevelopment of mechanisms for interaction with state authorities and local self-government.

5. Underdeveloped links between Rotary clubs and other volunteer organizations.

6. Insufficient amount of information in the coverage of volunteer initiatives aimed at forming an adequate idea of ​​volunteering among the population.

7. Lack of motivation system, elements of volunteering positioning;

8. Lack of up-to-date information in the field of volunteerism.

In our country, the main category of volunteers are young people, although, of course, middle-aged and older people also take part in volunteer work, nevertheless, due to established traditions, young people are our hope.

Many people, especially young people, who feel the desire to help other people or organizations, often do not have this opportunity, because they do not know where they can apply their own strength. Where conditions are created to attract young people to participate in volunteer activities (for example, Karelia, Perm Territory), the results are visible to the naked eye.

It is especially pleasing that young people in these regions, participating in volunteer activities, approach their work creatively, processing and analyzing their experience, and generously sharing their knowledge with others.

10 commandments of volunteers (Karelia)

  1. Be proud of your volunteer career. It greatly increases the richness of the soul.
  2. Understand the task you are doing.
  3. Participate in trainings and enrich your own experience.
  4. Balance your interests with the needs of others and with the task of volunteering.
  5. Work sincerely, share with others new ideas on how to make volunteer work even more effective.
  6. Find the meaning of these ideas as parts common task volunteer service
  7. Open yourself to opportunities to develop empathy, self-confidence and responsibility
  8. Appreciate the importance of your role as an interpreter of the public interest
  9. Develop your self-esteem and willingness to ask
  10. Be faithful volunteer service and her activities.

When deciding to involve volunteers in any activity, it should be understood that this, of course, requires certain costs, primarily organizational ones, but at the same time it provides a number of advantages.

Benefits of attracting volunteers:

1) Economic

To understand economic efficiency, the usual calculation should be made.
Suppose that in your project “Preventive Anti-Drug Programs for Youth”, the coverage of the target group is 4,000 people. If you conduct 3 hours of training with each group (200 groups - 20 people each), then you, if you work alone, will need 200 days. If you work together - 100 days, 50 - if four. In general, in order for you to hold events once a month and still be able to go about your usual business, you need 20 people. 10 days - 10 groups for each. Where can you find so many people, especially if you have five employees, and only two of them can really carry out preventive programs? Yes, if you also take into account the minimum wage (if anyone agrees) of 1000 rubles - you need 20,000 rubles without taking into account the costs of events. Where to get resources? - Volunteers!

2) Ideological

If the essence of your job is to spread ideas, then nothing is more effective than attracting those to whom these ideas are directed. Strategies such as youth participation, peer education, have worked well. The best way to educate a person is not to educate, but to involve him in the education of others. The best way to inform is to involve others in informing. One of the most effective ways of assimilation of information is to transfer it to someone.

3) Communicative

Professionals may not always achieve good contact with the group. The use of volunteers as retransmitters of information and positive experience has a clear qualitative effect. Approaches such as peer learning, mediation, leadership provide an opportunity to achieve more effective communication at a level appropriate to the audience.

4) Estimated

Volunteers' opinions are an "outside view" that can be useful for assessing the quality of the organization's work, its correction and improvement.

5) Quantitative

Due to volunteers, there is a significant increase in the number of representatives target audience involved in activities, the number of events and fresh ideas.

HOW TO ATTRACT VOLUNTEERS? HOW ARE VOLUNTEERS RECRUITED?

In the very question “How to attract volunteers?” hints at the answer. First, make your team or movement attractive. Lures are needed, such as uniforms, printing products, positive reviews in the media.

And most importantly, the core of your movement (team) should be made up of positive, energetic people with pronounced leadership qualities, whom you would like to follow, and it would be fun to follow.

An information campaign (dissemination of information) about the volunteer movement is needed.

Typically, volunteers are recruited through:

1) Announcements, stands, leaflets in places where young people gather (clubs, schools, hangouts).

2) Sets from groups of clients or training participants

3) Recruitment in other organizations, enticement or involvement in work from other areas of activity.

In the very question How to attract volunteers? hints at the answer. First, make your team or movement attractive. Need bait e.g. uniforms, printing products, positive media reviews. And most importantly, the core of your movement (team) should be made up of positive, energetic people with pronounced leadership qualities, whom you would like to follow, and it would be fun to follow. Information campaign needed Spread of information) about the volunteer movement.

Volunteers are usually recruited through :

lAnnouncements, stands, leaflets in places where young people gather (clubs, schools, hangouts).

lSets of client groups or training participants.

l Recruitment in other organizations, poaching or recruitment from other areas of activity.

l Carrying out various promotions.

l Invitations through friends and relatives.

If the information is aimed at people who are very far from prevention, there are some "tasty baits" for young people.:

1. The significance of the proposed.

2.Communication and pastime.

3. Career growth and improvement of one's social position ( you will be stronger than others).

4. Glory and fame.

6. Spirit of freedom: come, if you don't like it, you'll leave!

7. Experience of the previous ones: to show how great everything was done before them and how you can make it even cooler.

8. The implemented idea that if you are not a volunteer, something is wrong with you.

Understanding the idea, awareness of the significance, enthusiasm appear a little later, when people are already involved in the activity.

How to retain volunteers?

ñ Confidence. If you are trusted, then you are respected and appreciated! Trust the volunteers to do what they can, and if it succeeds, you will all be very pleased.

ñ Career growth. To do this, in almost all organizations positions are distributed and a hierarchy has been created. Depending on success, a person acquires one or another status, which not only increases his self-esteem, but also develops a sense of responsibility.

ñ Understanding the importance and essence of the work. Volunteers must be trained, take part in the preparation of the work plan and see the positive results of their activities.

ñ New activity. It is common for young people to try their hand at various activities, and the more opportunities you provide, the more interesting it will be for them to work. Let those who do not conduct classes very well try themselves in the development of printing or questionnaires, or the preparation of actions.

ñ Perspective. For example, the possibility of getting a job in an organization, a trip, training at a seminar, letter of recommendation for admission to a university or getting a job, receiving a bonus.

ñ Incentives (see below).

What are the ways to encourage volunteers?

l Praise. But remember that the main thing in praise is timeliness and objectivity, otherwise it becomes flattery.

l Board of honor in a conspicuous place.

l Presentation of the diploma.

l A letter of thanks to the place of work, study or parents.

l Personal thanks from a famous person ( representative of the administration of the city or star).

l Assignment of the next title, position.

lInsignia or corporate patch indicating promotion.

lRepresentation at a conference, exhibition.

lMaterial reward ( cash prize or gift, for example, a player, with a dedicatory inscription).

lEmployment based on performance in the volunteer movement.

lTolerance to resources ( computer, Internet, printer, copier, video camera).

lAssignment of responsible work.

lPublic recognition of merit involving the press or TV, friends, or giving something in front of a large gathering of people.