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

RECOGNIZING VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF: IS IT WORTH IT?

We’ve had a look at what motivates people and why they may choose certain volunteer or paid roles. You’ve been able, at a glance, to clearly identify some Achievers, Affiliators, and Empowerers in your program or business. But why should this matter to me, you ask?

Well, where would you be if your volunteers or staff members left one day and didn’t come back?

Got it now? Volunteers and paid staffers who give of their time, talent, resources, and energies are the key to your success. Period. Volunteers in particular don’t have to stay anywhere. They can simply up and leave and take their skills with them. Paid staff, likewise, will leave if they have no tangible, meaningful reason for staying. Employee satisfaction surveys clearly indicate that salary is not the most important reason for staying in a job; self-worth, personal satisfaction, increased growth and development, and feeling "happy to be here" are just as important. And employees feel "happy to be here" most when their contributions are appreciated and, yes, recognized.

VOLUNTEER AND STAFF MANAGEMENT

Now that you’ve accepted that recognition is a key element in retaining the volunteers and staff who keep you going, you’ve got to put a recognition plan into action.

Recognition must be an attitude that permeates, a continuous year-round effort that is felt everywhere. It begins with the interview phase, when you meet the potential volunteers or employees and gain an understanding of their desires, hopes, and dreams. And it should carry through to all elements of your program or business and all your dealings with people.

Recognition should be:

• Specific and geared to the individual

• A continuous part of your management program

• From the heart

• Awarded in a timely manner

• Mindful of motivation factors

• Accommodating of diversity

• Sensitive to cultural differences

• Shared with the people most important to those honored

• Respectful of tradition but also creative, not stale

• An integral part of the organizational climate

Input

It’s fine to have approval from senior management, but what about the people you are so eager to recognize? How do they feel about it? Planners often make the mistake of not getting input and feedback from staff and volunteers. Be sure to include them in your development.

This can be done in a number of ways:

• An all-staff or all-volunteer meeting

• A survey (either hard copy or e-mail)

• Focus groups

• Speaking to people to get their opinions

A rating questionnaire, where people can rank their preferred methods of recognition, can be very effective. This can include suggestions ranging from a formal recognition banquet complete with pin presentation to social events and personal notes and letters.

Having input from staff members and volunteers will be invaluable as you devise the structure of your program. And just being included in the process is itself a form of recognition; it means their opinions are valued and respected.

Partnerships, Sponsorships, and Good Old-Fashioned Bartering

Before you structure your program, it is worthwhile to explore opportunities for sponsorships, donations, and partnerships. Seek out any chance to reduce costs. Those of you in nonprofit agencies are undoubtedly used to seeking donations for everything. Even small businesses, however, can benefit from developing partnerships in their communities. I recommend developing a formal proposal to present to potential partners, including the benefits of your recognition program, how it contributes to the organization's success, and how the community benefits from your organization's work.

Find a way to tell your potential sponsor what’s in it for them. Just as you want to recognize the people in your program, your sponsor will want recognition as well.

This can be accomplished in a number of ways, from a write-up in your monthly newsletter to prominent placement of a sign at your banquet. Remember, though, that if your agency has a formal fundraising office, you should work closely to avoid duplicate requests. You wouldn’t want to sour a potential $1 million donation by asking the local pop producer for 10 cases of soft drinks!

Donations and sponsorships can be hugely beneficial, but so can partnerships or just plain bartering. Use your network of contacts in the community to your advantage here. For example, at a recent function we wanted to have some live entertainment but didn’t have the money to hire a large band, so we contacted the local community college music department. Sure enough, some of the students had formed a singing group and wanted local exposure. So, for the bargain basement price of $150, we had eight singers provide 45 minutes of live entertainment. Everybody won!

Getting Management Buy-In

So, how do you get that attitude to permeate, anyway? How do you gain support from your Board of Directors or senior management down through the rank and file of staff and volunteers? One of the biggest challenges in launching recognition programs is gaining management support.

I recommend tackling the issue head-on and explaining what benefits a recognition program will have. Two things to remember when preparing to make a proposal to senior management: 1) if you get buy-in at senior management level, the rest of the organization will usually follow along; and, 2) recognition programs are not free, and budgets are generally approved by management.

Developing a Proposal

It is helpful to have a formal proposal to take with you. Think strategically and include the expected immediate and future results. Even better, link the proposal to the mission statement of your organization and explain how such a program will help accomplish your organization’s goals. Include feedback results and prospective corporate partnerships and sponsorships.

You might want to point out that a recognition program:

• Tells people they are important to the organization

• Meets the need for recognition of achievement and efforts

• Builds a dynamic organization that is an attractive place to work or volunteer

• Reduces turnover

• Improves attitudes and morale

• Tells people what is important to the organization

• Links behaviors to goals and ultimately the mission of the organization

• Creates true teamwork that acknowledges, understands, and respects the efforts of every person in the organization

• Directly relates to the success and growth of the organization

A solid case for support and a well-developed proposal can be critical in helping management realize the benefits of recognition programs. This exercise is also helpful for owners of small to medium-sized companies to create the type of mindset so important in implementing true recognition.

I particularly like an exercise Lynnette Younggren and Debra Sikanas outline in The Joy of Recognition. Called "Determining Your Link," it includes the following questions:

• Why are we setting up a recognition program?

• What do we want to accomplish?

• How does it support our company mission, vision, values, and guiding principles?

Using this data, create a recognition program mission statement. In that statement, be sure to address:

• How are we going to measure the impact of the program? What are our key indicators?

• How much money will be budgeted for the program?

• Who from upper management will champion the program?

• Who will play which roles in the project?

This is an excellent exercise to help you prepare your proposal, and these questions can even be used as formal headings. It forces you to truly think about why you want to do this, what will be your guiding light, and how you plan to get there.

Notice the questions focusing on who will champion the program and who will play specific roles. The reality is that many small organizations don’t have the budget for extra staff to deal with recognition programs – you likely will have to incorporate it into your department and make do as best you can. However, if you can ask your senior management to provide support for the program and enlist help from other staff members, it will go a long way toward creating buy-in throughout the organization.

Budget

A budget is critical to include and have approved as part of your proposal, as recognition is not always free.

While devising your proposal, think about what type of program would work best and develop a budget. Do some research into costs, and take into account the financial realities of your organization.

Provide estimates on various projects you have in mind. For example, if you plan on a pin/plaque program, plus a banquet and perhaps some targeted social events throughout the year, list each of the projects separately.

Here’s a sample budget estimate for 100 people:

These are just sample costs; research actual prices in your area and reflect them in your own budget. If a potential partnership exists for donated items, be sure to include the in-kind value in the budget as well and note the savings.

Once you’ve prepared a solid program outline, present your proposal to the decision-makers in your organization. The benefits and realities of a well-run recognition program are difficult for most managers to dispute.

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