Volunteer Engagement between Responses
Written by Annie Burke, Manager - Disaster Management, Northern Ontario, Canadian Red Cross
Today’s volunteers have an array of knowledge, talents and resources. They are looking for opportunities that broaden their skills, expand their knowledge, provide meaningful work and help to better this world in which we live. These unpaid professionals are an untapped resource for agencies that have a role in emergency response.
For an organization like the Canadian Red Cross, volunteers are essential to the Disaster Management program. With the help of our volunteers, we meet the immediate, short term needs and the longer-term recovery needs of affected people. And we do that through a volunteer structure that both recruits and trains specialized responders and incorporate volunteers who walk through the door at the time of a disaster… wanting to help.
Our success is in: a high quality standardized training program, volunteers mentored to provide leadership in the delivery of preparedness and response activities, engagement between responses and the operational support required for a positive volunteer experience.
What can help you? When volunteers are not on-call, responding or participating in training, they may have little interaction with your organization. So, how can you retain volunteers to maintain their interest and a state of readiness?
The key is to ENGAGE your volunteers. Here are some simple tips:
Exercises & Opportunities
Nurture / Mentor
Group projects
Award / Recognize
Guide / Train
Empower
Exercises & Opportunities:
Include volunteers in the planning and participation of internal/external practical and table top exercises. These are excellent ways to test plans, procedures, identify gaps, areas for improvement, increase interagency communications and enhance individual & organizational performance through practice. Opportunities can include: scheduling information sessions with guest speakers, host regular meetings/updates on procedures and notify volunteers of external training opportunities that may enhance their skills.
Nurture / Mentor:
Mentoring benefits both the mentor and mentee. As a mentor, it creates opportunities to strengthen your knowledge base and improve communication skills. For a mentee, it provides role modeling for professional leadership and facilitates the development of increased competencies and stronger interpersonal skills. For example; new volunteers shadowing experienced personnel during responses. The outcome is team building and utilizing the best of your internal knowledge and experience.
Group projects:
Find meaningful projects that could enhance your emergency planning. Examples of activities may include groups to facilitate public education sessions such as Personal Preparedness Workshops to an exercise design committee to test your organization’s capabilities. Also, participate in joint activities with external agencies to promote Emergency Preparedness week for example. All will foster teamwork and increase relationship building.
Award / Recognize:
Research and obtain feedback from volunteers in order to provide appropriate and meaningful recognition. Appropriate recognition helps volunteers feel a sense of achievement and pride in their activity; thus, plays a role in their desire to maintain their volunteer relationship with the organization.
Guide / Train:
Recruit and train the right volunteer for the right position. Fostering a “career” training path contributes to a positive organizational climate and promotes a more clear understanding of responsibilities and expectations.
It also promotes the recognition of mentors for their commitment to developing the talents of new volunteers.
Empower:
Work with volunteers to develop leaders. Involve them in the formation of projects, planning and education, meetings with government/partner agencies. With appropriate training, mentor volunteers to undertake leadership roles held in emergency response. Through your collaboration and guidance, these individuals create a sense of ownership and will champion your organization. This reflects an investment in professional development & can increase commitment and loyalty.
Successful volunteer engagement & retention is built upon the volunteer relationships formed, integrating them into your various teams and ensuring that together, staff and volunteers are working to support your organization’s goals in a collaborative and mutually supportive manner.
Annie Burke ~ Manager, Disaster Management
Northern Ontario
Canadian Red Cross
Related Resources:
Voluntary Sector Framework for Health Emergencies, Canadian Red Cross
Disaster Management Volunteer Recruitment tool, Canadian Red Cross
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