Tuesday 20 December 2011

Caring but Daring

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.

Nought to Volunteer Manager in 6 Months

I have had the opportunity to exercise so many skills over the last six months in a role that has required me to be manager, motivator, coach, entertainer, counsellor, cake-maker, archivist, negotiator and so much more. I love my job and the wonderful people I get to meet. Recent events have spurred me to share my experience in my very first blog:



Options in adult social care were disappearing so I started looking around and what jumped out was a new job in the library service as volunteer co-ordinator. Having volunteered for as long as I can remember and had some responsibility for volunteers at university (not to mention the attraction of a new challenge) I went for it and was very pleased to be appointed.
I knew that volunteering in libraries was an emotive subject and was under no illusions that there would be some resistance. What I was not prepared for was to hear from my father that he had been accosted by someone who made it very clear that I was not welcome. In the circumstances it was understandable; it transpired that this person was a library assistant and I can’t blame them for being concerned because the people who recruited me didn’t quite know what they wanted me to do so staff had no idea what I was there for and were wary of my arrival. I had work to do!

I got into the role straight away. Some quick wins and getting out meeting staff (sometimes shamelessly bearing biscuits!) won me acceptance and paved the way for some great success. With a little research and online tools I soon found my feet, I had a lot of freedom to make the role my own and the faith placed in me was rewarded with results. My profile grew and with the support of staff at all levels volunteering grew massively, in volunteer hours but also in the value added because of the time these fantastic people are giving.

As my confidence grew and I settled into the role it seemed natural to take a step back, expand my horizons and invest time in my professional development. By this point I saw myself as a volunteer manager (though my title is co-ordinator, if they called me a manager they’d probably have to pay more!). What a revelation, I was not alone! Suddenly I was part of a community, there were interesting and relevant debates and a group of practitioners who took my job seriously, who wanted to work together to become better. I have never worked in a profession so dynamic and passionate, keen to embrace new ideas and new technology to become more effective. I now have international contacts and have even been approached to share my knowledge and experience.

Yet there is a step we need to take together and soon. I’m nearly thirty, I have an M.A., a wealth of experience and ambition to grow and progress. Currently there are no opportunities in my current organisation, no system of qualifications and no structured path if I want to pursue it as a career. This is an important time to gain recognition and spread the word, to achieve the status volunteer management deserves and to attract the right people.

We all have our part to play and if anyone questions our ability to make a change I have a success story to share. It wasn’t easy but I submitted a comprehensive document detailing my first 6 months, thoughts on the future of volunteering in the council and the things I thought needed fixing in volunteering council-wide which won me an audience with the senior management team. Confidence in my ability and specialist knowledge meant that I could go with solutions, not just problems and speak with authority. As a result I feel that I have shaped the opinions of those who are making the big decisions about the future.
I will leave you with these words of wisdom:

Don’t confuse access with influence.
BUT
Being cynical doesn’t mean you’re being mature.

Oh and for those of you who might like to know there is a certain library assistant who now always greets me with a smile (they make a pretty good cuppa too!).