Associations Next: Getting the Team in Action
In this episode, Shannon Pfarr Thompson, one of Ewald’s Senior Account Executives, joins us to talk about how to motivate and engage volunteers.
Takeaways:
- Think about why your volunteers may not be motivated. Shannon explains that there are a variety of reasons why you may need to give your team some extra encouragement. It may be that projects are going on for too long or instructions are unclear. Whatever the reason, home in on why this is happening, so you can plan for how to motivate.
- Be very clear. Flesh out what you want to accomplish, the roles involved, how much time it will take, etc. Putting this in writing can help to recruit volunteers and keep teams focused. That way, volunteers understand the direction of the project they are part of and how they fit in. As Shannon mentioned, lack of motivation can often come from lack of clarity and/or direction.
- Get personal. You should not only reach out to individual volunteers for recognition purposes, but also at the beginning of a project. Learn about individual volunteers and what their strengths are. This will show that you care about volunteers as individuals and show that you value their abilities.
- Celebrate accomplishments. Recognize the great work that your volunteers accomplish!
