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Keep the Ones Who Keep You Going: Recognizing Staff and Volunteers

SO WHERE DO I START?

So you’ve inherited the volunteer program in your nonprofit agency. Or you’re the owner of a small business and manage all the human resource issues for your company. Or you’re the executive director of a small community association and you have to do both AND handle the social club as well. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. For all of you who are wrestling with the problem of how, when, and why, this article will provide answers, ideas, and planning techniques.

Nonprofit agencies are increasingly relying on volunteers to carry out some of their most critical programs and activities. Similarly, small to medium-sized companies are on the rise and require the efforts of committed employees to succeed.

For all their efforts, dedication, and hard work, you want to say "Thank You!" to those volunteers and staff members, but many of you don't know where to begin. Learn the answers to "How?" "When?" and "Why?" as you strive to retain talented people.

MOTIVATION FACTORS

Before we delve too deeply into designing recognition programs, it is important that you have an understanding of why people volunteer or choose to work where they do. What motivates them to be part of your agency or company?

There are many behavioral experts who have provided excellent insights into why one person chooses to work in the filing room, while another excels at public speaking or leading tours. Although over-generalizing can be dangerous, it is helpful to understand some basic motivational factors that can influence the behaviors of volunteers and employees.

As a volunteer manager, I have always found David McClelland’s categories of motivation an excellent reference tool when assigning volunteers to roles. You'll find these categories explained in detail in Managerial and Technical Motivation: Assessing Needs for Achievement, Power and Affiliation. The same theory can easily be adapted to staff member placement as well. McClelland believes everyone shares these characteristics in different proportions: achievement, affiliation, and power. Let’s take a look at these factors and the types of people motivated by each.

Achievement

Achievers like to solve problems. They are motivated by goal attainment and measurable results, and desire a clear mission and direction.

Achievers check off items as they move step by step towards a goal and clearly measure their progress. They work well alone or with others, but always with a view to the goal. They like to keep "on target" and be supervised by people who have the same values.

Achievers can become obsessive about achieving goals, sometimes to the point of sacrificing the feelings of others, taking charge of meetings, not tolerating personal interaction well, and being rigid and inflexible when it comes to plans and agenda.

The kinds of recognition that mean the most to Achievers include letters in personal files, certificates, plaques, and pins. They cherish clear documentation and testimony of the specific results and numbers, such as number of volunteer hours they have achieved. Many really like wearing a uniform and service pins showing years and hours of service.

Affiliation

Affiliators measure success and make decisions based on relationships; interaction with others is their main motivator. The social aspect of their role is important, and they love to be surrounded by people. They aren’t wallflowers and don’t particularly care for isolated assignments. It is important that their role makes them feel good, and that they are able to make others feel good as well.

Affiliators enjoy telling others of their hobbies, showing vacation photographs, and sharing the personal details of life. They love it when supervisors or other volunteers ask about grandchildren or remember a birthday.

Affiliators don’t appreciate conflict, and they can sacrifice organizational goals or policies to ensure people feel good or are happy.

The "belonging" aspect of a volunteer program or work role is important to Affiliators. Recognition that lets others see what they have done and being with others while recognized are most appreciated. They love personal letters and cards of thanks and praise or having their photographs on a bulletin board.

Power

McClelland refers to those motivated by power as Empowerers. These are volunteers or staff members motivated by assignments that allow them to have an impact or make a difference. They love to influence others and make great publicity managers, project leaders, recruiters, and event chairs.

Empowerers can work well alone or with others as long as they see a difference being made. They can achieve goals while recognizing and respecting the feelings of those they lead. They appreciate being the front man, the one who tells the story of the organization or highlights the needs of the program.

While Empowerers love a challenge others think is impossible, they are very self-assured and can cower Affiliators who just want to feel good and belong to a group. Unlike Achievers who feel lost at sea if they don’t think the goal is "on task", Empowerers often devise innovative methods of achieving goals and veer off into uncharted waters.

Empowerers want clear guidelines and then want to be left to their own devices, but appreciate a supervisor who is available on-call. Empowerers with a hidden (or not so hidden!) agenda of being king of the hill can present tricky situations; likewise board members with affluence and influence desiring personal power can be difficult to control. And sometimes they tend to think everyone is at their beck and call, which can make it stressful for peers and supervisors alike.

Understanding Motivations

Gaining an understanding of motivation is invaluable to managers and goes a long way towards determining the best methods of recognition for each individual. Often, people have a mixture of all three motivators. Do your homework when it comes to interview questions and reference checks and truly get to know people well. Generally, the strongest factor will quickly come to light.

Other noted behavioral theories that are worth examining include Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Inamura’s Theory of Significance, and Herzberg’s Motivational-Hygiene Theory. Several of the authors listed in the Resources at the end of this article discuss these theories, and I highly recommend reading them.

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