This is a Guest Post by Chris Ames.
Now we’re moving.
You’ve identified the undertapped resource of the online volunteer, and you’re ready to make it official with the right people for the job. The first thing I recommend is to terminate them. Right up front. Hand that pink slip across the table and say, “You’re fired.”
If you can get your hands on a Donald Trump toupee, then I give you +100 points for style.
That’s a bit overdramatic, but what I’m trying to say is that one of my best practices for managing online volunteers is to identify and set term limits for your online positions.
Ready for some schooling? After the jump:
Volunteers Have Expiration Dates
Remember how I said online volunteering can happen within the cracks of everyday life? It is a tremendous benefit that we are trying to exploit.
The problem is that your ministry or non-profit isn’t the only thing vying for that time. It is in competition with a thousand other contenders like Hulu or World of Warcraft or a million other things. And sometimes, these other entities are going to creep in and start winning the war of attention span with your people.
Eventually, everyday life is going to fill the cracks of everyday life. This shift in priorities is called burn out.
Your volunteers are not going to tell you when they are burning out and you aren’t going to remember to ask them. Chances are you won’t even notice the signs at first.
On a long enough timeline, for most volunteers, authentic enthusiasm becomes forced enthusiasm. They will still want to be enthusiastic, but they won’t be. The flame will have extinguished. They will dread that email or phone call to tell you they quit. They will either deny it to themselves outright or procrastinate.
The result will be a disenfranchised volunteer doing a poor job serving your ministry. Without even knowing it, you’ll be losing quality. But if the first cost is quality, the second is opportunity. Because it’s likely that some other person is sitting on the sidelines wishing they could fill that position and be of service to your non-profit… if only it was vacant.
But Don’t All Volunteers go Through Lulls in Enthusiasm?
Some volunteers will go through a lull in enthusiasm.
This can be caused by an unexpected busy season in their own lives or other circumstances outside their control. Having a term limit may be just the thing that keeps them from quitting. They will want to honor the commitment they made and, while doing so, may come through the other side and get a “second-wind”.
Term limits can help prevent some volunteers from giving up too early. But here is another scenario that I went through personally while serving at my local church once. My wife and I volunteered in the 4 yr old room for a 1 year term and we became pregnant about three months into it.
Towards the end of our term things got understandably hectic. My wife was exhausted and so was I. We wanted to quit, but we had committed to a year and our church didn’t have any suitable replacements because they were gearing up for the next recruitment effort.
Knowing that our service had a definite end date helped us tough it out and honor our commitment.
Set term limits up front, right in the beginning, so that volunteers know when their service will end. They can always re-enlist for another round if the fire is still lit. I’m not saying cut them loose. I’m saying schedule a time in the beginning for a guilt-free conversation between you and them.
Feelings that could go suppressed (and unaddressed) for months, or even years, have the opportunity for ventilation.
And then, after they are refreshed, they’ll be back.
[Image from Dustin]
@purecommunity says
Great post…
This is one we learned along the way. We have moderators for our online forums and set a six-month term of service. Nearly all of our mods have stayed on for multiple terms. But, this scheduled end time really helps them bow out without feeling guilty. It also gives us an opportunity to keep our volunteers fresh.
Danny Bixby says
Term limits for volunteering is an outstanding idea!
Perfect for online volunteer opportunities, but I think it could probably work equally as well for the offline volunteer activities too (obviously…as you used it as an example 😉 )
Kyle Reed says
Great practical advise about setting term limits. Like the idea a lot.
Jim says
btw…you're fired!
Kyle Reed says
that was quick, and I am not even burnt out yet
Jim says
i'll be watching
dewde says
LOL you guys kill me.
peace | dewde
Tom says
Dude, dewde. Nicely said.
As self-incriminating as this is, there have been times where I've volunteered for something and, in the back of my mind, wondered "what kinda time commitment am I getting myself into?" It's not always provided upfront.
I totally dig the idea of term limits. It's like a preemptive strike. We all – well, most of us – go through "a lull in enthusiasm" in /something/ that we're doing *regardless of how passionate we are about it*. Building this thing in from the get go could ultimately bring volunteers back sooner rather than later (or never).
But you obviously already knew that.
Oh, and I don't know if you or John selected to post image but the Governator's head is orders of magnitude larger than his target. That's cool.
Jim says
Dewde…thanks for the tips