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Volunteer Leadership Training – Can We Get Beyond Orientation?
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Why can't volunteer leaders do what is necessary
to move our organizations forward?
The Challenge
A chronic challenge for the not-for-profit sector is seeking
out and retaining talented volunteer leaders. As a result, untrained,
warm bodies are assuming leadership positions simply by showing
up at meetings. This suggests there is a critical need for volunteer
leadership training. Despite the need, we invest little in volunteer
training. The lack of training to develop critical volunteer leadership
competencies is holding back non-profit organizations, impeding
their growth, and the realization of their full potential.
Without necessary training, volunteer service can be frustrating.
A bad experience discourages individuals from offering their services
again. Volunteers are often disappointed with their board or other
volunteer experience because they are not able to achieve their
goals, they are frustrated by the board's inefficiencies, or their
inability to contribute causes too much stress. Volunteers often
find themselves on a board, ready to contribute to their cause
or favourite program and, rather than being allowed to contribute
to operational aspects, they are thrust into a new area called
governance with no experience in strategic planning, no experience
dealing with complex issues and no knowledge of accountability.
Volunteers in leadership positions, even the most experienced,
require training to understand their roles and responsibilities.
They need knowledge and skills in order to capably and confidently
discharge their responsibilities.
Competencies
Not everyone elected or recruited has the necessary competencies
to assume a volunteer leadership role. Volunteer leadership competencies
reflect the knowledge, skills and attitude that contribute towards
successful governance of the organization. Competencies are of
critical importance to boards when hiring staff. They realize
how important it is to have a Chief Staff Officer (CSO) with most
of the 43 competency domains listed in the Canadian Society of
Association Executive's Association Management Competency Standards.
The CSO, in turn, hires competent staff. CSOs cannot operate effectively
without effective staff. Likewise, they cannot operate effectively
without an effective board.
Who is responsible for volunteer leadership training?
Boards and staff are part of a partnership that moves the organization,
and the requirement for competence goes both ways. Boards, with
the support of the CSO, should identify and understand what specific
competencies are required for volunteer leaders and other volunteers
in the organization. A formal Board policy, acknowledging the
required competencies, will set the stage for attracting, training
and evaluation. Determine what training and development your leaders
or other volunteers need to get things moving and improve effectiveness.
CSOs are often considered heroes who will work with whatever
talent is on their Board. In some cases there is limited talent
based on desired competencies and, therefore, the likelihood of
success diminishes. Rather than accepting what is provided, a
proactive move to enhance volunteer competencies through training
must occur.
There is no single source organization mandated or responsible
to establish volunteer leadership competency standards or guidelines
and provide learning opportunities. There are a number of organizations
that provide training, but the reach of each group is limited.
Training
Board training isn't a new concept – it is, however, rarely
provided. Some organizations train, or think they train, by providing
an orientation. Orientations, when they occur, vary in delivery
from a brief phone call, the provision of a manual to read, or
attendance at a formal orientation session. AME student discussion
indicates there are varying degrees of formal and informal volunteer
orientation taking place, although many indicate making improvements
in orientation is a priority. There is, however, limited training
provided beyond orientation. An orientation manual may indicate
what a particular policy is, but rarely provides training information
on how to develop policy. Orientations are helpful, and contribute
somewhat to increased effectiveness, but much more is necessary
to enhance volunteer and leadership competencies.
Some training is available and being accessed. The Canadian Society
of Association Executives (CSAE) provides a CEO Symposium where
chief elected officers and CSOs receive training in roles and
responsibilities as well as other leadership elements. The American
Society of Association Executives provides an annual leadership
magazine that CSO's are encouraged to distribute to their volunteer
leaders. This magazine provides valuable knowledge on how to improve
the board's and the organization's effectiveness. This very publication,
AssociationTM, often addresses issues relating to governance and
volunteer leadership. Private sector and not-for-profit organizations
provide various workshops. These workshops are generally specialized
training and not overly subscribed to due to access, time commitment
and cost. Given enhancements in technology, perhaps now is the
time for the promotion of Internet based e-learning courses or
other training tools for volunteer leadership. The Victorian Order
of Nurses (VON) is a charitable organization embarking on a project
to make e-learning volunteer training available for its 15,000
volunteers. Coaching and mentorship are other methods to assist
with training and development, along with providing access to
relevant articles and Web sites. CSAE also publishes a series
of monographs for directors of non-profit organizations, including
Duties and Responsibilities of Directors of Non-Profit Corporations.
Board evaluation forms and other related information are available
as well at www.csae.com.
Many organizations with thousands of volunteer leaders are receptive
to enhancing capabilities in order to help their chosen organization
improve its chances of success. If these leaders experience the
benefits of training, they, in turn, may insist that other volunteers
performing valuable tasks also receive training. Training for
volunteers beyond the board is necessary. Training for fundraising,
recruitment or other technical volunteer activities is required.
Individuals involved in the se activities are potential future
leaders.
While my work on developing volunteer leadership competencies
is still in progress (if you are interested, contact me) it is
safe to say that training in the following areas will contribute
to organizational effectiveness:
- Understanding and exercising governance roles and responsibilities
- Legal implications – decision making, liability, fiduciary
responsibility and regulatory considerations
- Leadership, consensus and team building
- Running and participating in effective meetings
- Policy development and managing issues
- Developing plans and strategic outcomes – strategic
and business, communications, marketing, fund-raising, advocacy
and public relations
- Understanding performance measurement, performance indicators
and accountability
- Understanding your constituency/members and two-way communications
Why is so little volunteer leadership training happening? "We
can't afford it, " is a common response, yet training budgets
are set aside for staff. Lack of training for volunteers is costly
in terms of lost productivity and missed opportunities. Even tinkering
your current orientation and providing incremental improvements
such as having training sessions before a meeting, or as part
of your orientation session will contribute to improvements.
If Boards set policies for training, CSOs can make sure it happens.
CSOs can make their lives easier by having a serious discussion
about competencies and volunteer training with their boards. Perhaps
it is time to dust off your volunteer management program (if you
have one) and consider how your organization can enhance volunteer
leadership training to improve the effectiveness of your organization.
Remember the root cause of conflict between CSOs and volunteer
leaders can often be traced to the need for training on either
side. Increased training in volunteer leadership can lead to organizational
success.
This column features innovation and practical solutions applied
to challenges, trends, issue and opportunities for the association
community. Column editor Jim Pealow, MBA, CMA, CAE is a consultant
and the Association Management Education Program Lead Instructor/Coach
for CSAE. He can be reached at jim@amces.com.
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