I was in charge of the volunteers for the children's area when I worked for the Athens library. Now that I am doing so much volunteering, I see how good volunteer management really makes a difference to the volunteers. Even something like being honest with a volunteer about when they are not needed. You might not want to turn down a volunteer, because they are free help. But there is a point of diminishing returns. Managing volunteers will take up part of your work time, so you have to balance how much time and effort is being expended on volunteers with what you are getting out of having them. Sure, a volunteer may be disappointed if you tell them there is nothing for them to do today, but they will appreciate the fact that you didn't waste their time. And, taking on a volunteer you don't have the time to work with could be frustrating for both of you.
Interestingly enough, Libby, from the Memorial Library, seems to spend a great deal of time working with me, and I am flattered that she values my contributions so highly.
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BIG CHANGES AFOOT.
10 years ago
2 comments:
Hey, I just took over the volunteers at my branch! Yay!
Also scary!
I'm terrified that I'll accidentally schedule a million people for one timeslot and there not be anything for them to do.
Hooray for you, Sarah Beth!
I went crazy about managing volunteers in the Children's Area; that's why I delegated it to you!
All the to-ing and fro-ing. Trying to think up tasks the volunteers were capable of doing, that did not take so much time (which was not available) to train them.
And the general pressure to accept volunteers, well-meaning, but an annoyance, because we are public institution who thrives on free labor.
I know from my own experience as a volunteer at the Len Foote Hike Inn, I appreciate being able to help with competence, and little direction. I do that as a storyteller. But when I try to help in the kitchen, I feel like a doofus who needs to ask so many questions, for so little usefulness! And yet, most of their volunteers are kitchen help. So they must be good at training the helpless and hopeless.
I want to manage volunteers when I have the capacity to say, "No thanks," and "You're a great person, but please find somewhere else to volunteer!"
Jackie the Anonymous, Nobody Knows Where I Work (!)
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