The Value (and How To's) of Giving and Receiving Volunteer Feedback

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The Value (and How To's) of Giving and Receiving
Volunteer Feedback
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Introduction

• Receiving feedback on
• your effort
• your attitude or
• your performance
• is the way that you
• - learn
• - improve or
• - are motivated
• to maintain a good performance.
• Volunteers are part of your Team
• they WANT and NEED to receive feedback
• they have valuable input to share

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What we will Learn Today

• How to help volunteers be successful
• How to give positive and challenging feedback
• How and when to ask for (receive) feedback
• How giving and receiving feedback is a form of
  recognition
• Ways volunteers like to be recognized
• what they are saying works doesnt work

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Who is Here today?

• - Name
• - Volunteer group(s) you work with
• one thing you are hoping to walk away with
• OR
• - an example of a difficult or positive situation
  you had giving or receiving feedback

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Agenda

• Volunteer management cycle
• - quick review, where feedback fits in
• What we heard in the Volunteer surveys and focus
  groups
• Giving positive feedback
• when, where, why and how (some examples)
• Giving challenging feedback
• when where, why and how (some examples)
• Asking for / receiving feedback
• when, where , why and how (some examples)
• How feedback recognition

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Giving and receiving feedback is part of the
cycle of good Volunteer Management
Policies
Position Description
Mandate of the organization
Screening
Recruitment
Selection
Recognition
Orientation/ Training
Feedback
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What we Heard from our volunteers, staff and the
community

• Through telephone surveys with random community
  members
• On-line and pen and paper surveys with our
  current volunteers
• Focus groups with staff and vbolunteers

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Key Motivation Making a Difference

• The most common motivation for volunteering today
  is altruistic reasons
• caring about the cause or issue involved
• having been personally affected by the cause
• wanting to give something back, or
• for religious reasons.
• Reasons that are rising in importance
• improving job skills
• personal growth
• to explore strengths

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When asked what motivates people to volunteer

• Top responses were
• Believe in cause supported by organization (95)
• To use skills and experience (81)
• Personally affected by the cause (69)
• To explore ones own strength (57)
• Friends volunteer (30)
• To fulfill religious obligations or beliefs
  (26)
• And to improve job opportunities (23)

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Why Volunteers Leave

• From 2005 to 2006, the proportion of residents
  who did not volunteer at all increased from 32
  to 36.
• Why are volunteers leaving?...primarily due to
  management practices
• Not matching volunteers skills with assignments
• Failing to recognize volunteers contributions
• Not measuring the value of volunteers
• Failing to train and invest in volunteers
• Failing to provide strong leadership

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Rating Aspects of Volunteer Experience
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Rating Value of Actions to Improve Volunteering
or Encourage More
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Focus groups- Summary of responses re Feedback
and Evaluation

• Current Practice
• Sporadic and inconsistent opportunities for
  volunteers to provide feedback to staff on their
  role as volunteers
• No standard practice for soliciting feedback from
  volunteers
• Opportunities for volunteers to evaluate their
  experience virtually nonexistent

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Respondents who responded needs improvement to
any of the statements above were asked to provide
any suggestions or improvements..

• 30 responded. The most common response was
• Provide Better Feedback (8)
• Other responses were
• Earlier/More In-depth Training (3)
• More Publicity/Advertising (3)
• Approach People about Getting Involved (2
• Provide Manuals/Guides (2)
• More Positive Interviews (1)
• Recognize Volunteers as Partners (1)

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Giving Positive Feedback

• Why?
• Volunteer is encouraged to repeat this behaviour
  and is also motivated to improve.
• Builds self confidence and self esteem in the
  volunteer team member
• Helps the volunteer know (and shows others) what
  is expected

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Giving Positive Feedback

• What?
• Where we praise a desired attitude, behaviour or
  performance
• When?
• any time
• Where?
• either in public or private.

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Giving Positive Feedback

• The reverse is also true!
• Lack of positive feedback is
• discouraging
• de-motivating and
• will lead to a poor performance level.
• The volunteer gets the impression that no one
  cares whether they do well or not, and that their
  work has no value!

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Example?

• Look the volunteer in the eye
• Speak to an individuals contributions
• Be specific
• Be real, sincere
• Dont overstate, exaggerate
• Examples
• improvements they have made in their ability to
  perform the role
• the difference they have made to the group
• why the role they are playing is important
• - what you have learned from them

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Giving Challenging Feedback

• YES, its okay!
• Essential to performance and motivation (and
  volunteers WANT
• to know)
• Do not think of it as NEGATIVE feedback

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Giving Challenging Feedback

• What?
• TRAINING the volunteer to change or improve.
• Identifying an area for improvement and working
  out solutions to improve or correct this
• The key is to talk about the behaviour,
  performance or attitude rather than the person.
• When?
• as soon as possible after observing area for
  improvement
• Where?
• always in private

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Giving Challenging Feedback

• First, identify the current goal or task and why
  this is important to the program and to the role.
  
• Secondly, state clearly the undesirable attitude,
  behaviour or performance, with factual evidence.
• Thirdly, state the desired attitude, behaviour or
  performance, or better still, ask encouraging
  questions to help the other person make
  constructive suggestions.
• Lastly, work with them to put a strategy in place
  for achieving the desired goal.

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Giving Challenging Feedback

• This is difficult
• -- why?

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Giving Challenging Feedback

• Know your own limitations
• Start with positives
• Look at the individual
• No apologies
• Give constructive feedback in an honest and
  diplomatic way
• End with a positive
• Ask if they have any questions
• Check in with them- dont treat them differently

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Receiving Feedback

• Ask for input!!!
• Why?
• Ensure a positive experience for the volunteer
• Improvements for future volunteers
• Volunteers feel that the organization cares about
  their experience

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Receiving Feedback

• When?
• Shortly after they have had a couple of shifts,
  then regularly check in for input
• Where?
• Up to the volunteer but private may make it more
  comfortable for them to share any difficulties
  they may be having

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Receiving Feedback

• What?
• Is this the volunteer experience you were
  looking for/ you thought you signed up for?
• Is there anything that we can do to improve your
  volunteer experience with us?
• Is there anything that you experienced when
  volunteering today that WE did not adequately
  prepared you for?

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Receiving Feedback

• At least annually
• time at board meeting set aside
• briefly discuss what volunteers do
• or can do for the organization beyond
• faithful participation in board and committee
  meetings.
• Check in with board members re training needs,
  expectations, difficulties
• ADDRESS it!!!!

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How is Giving and Receiving Feedback a Form of
Volunteer Recognition?
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Summary

• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• part of the volunteer cycle of GOOD volunteer
  management
• helps the volunteer and the agency be successful
  and improve
• good for volunteer and for agency
• -what volunteers want

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• Tell me how you might apply this training?
• Feedback form- please give us feedback!!!
• ?

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More Information

• More training session every year through
  Volunteer Resources
• janice.ouellette_at_kitchener.ca 519-741-2227
• VoluntEer-news on-line e-newsletter
• web-site listings
• Volunteer Action Centre www.volunteerkw.ca