Volunteer Leaders: How to Find Them, Nurture Them, and Keep Them

By Randy G. Pennington
April 2000

Building a successful association is a little like competing in the high-jump event at a track meet: Your best effort may not win the event because someone is always raising the bar.

This is also true of the demands we place on volunteer leaders. Associations are expecting more from their leadership than ever before. They are realizing that finding, nurturing, and keeping volunteer leaders is one of the most important factors in creating a legacy of excellence.

Back to the beginning to create the future

Any discussion of finding, nurturing, and keeping volunteer leaders must start with the question, "Why do people volunteer?" The reasons typically fall into four categories:

• business/professional growth;
• personal recognition;
• opportunity to give back; or
• invitation to participate.

Volunteer leaders come from volunteers, so the larger the pool of active members, the greater the group of potential leaders. Effective volunteer leadership is not a numbers game, however. The following steps will help you identify potential leaders in your association.

• Know what it takes to be an effective volunteer leader. Many volunteer organizations use a simple test to determine leadership potential. It involves two questions: "Are you breathing?" and "Will you say yes?" Some groups have shortened the exam by omitting the breathing requirement.

Effective volunteer leaders have character, competence, and a desire to achieve results through service to others. All three ingredients are critical in gaining members' trust, completing projects with their help, and staying on the task at hand even when it is more convenient to allow responsibilities to slip.

• Define needs by position and objectives. The position to be filled determines the characteristics and competencies needed. The organization's objectives define the focus for the term of office. Taken together, position and objectives provide a profile for the ideal candidate. Unfortunately, these two important indicators are often ignored for the tradition of promoting leaders based on tenure. Defining needs by position and objectives helps ensure that the best person is in the right place at the proper time.
• Match people and responsibilities. Good leaders may become ineffective when they're in the wrong role. Position and objectives are important when making assignments, but the individual's operating style also has an impact. Successful volunteer leadership is a group effort rather than an individual effort. Effective leadership recruitment creates a balanced team that is goal-, task-, and process-oriented.

Knowing how to identify good leaders doesn't necessarily lead to qualified candidates saying yes. Remember these five tips when recruiting volunteers:

• Be genuine. Sincerity succeeds over technique anytime.
• Be honest about the time requirement. Don't minimize it.
• Offer to help. Communicate the training and support available.
• Sell the job. Explain why he or she would be good in it.
• Be upbeat. Paint a positive picture. Avoid using phrases such as, "Everyone else turned us down."

Think oak trees when growing leaders

A speaker at a high school baccalaureate years ago admonished the young adults in attendance never to forget that it takes years to grow an oak tree but only two months to grow a squash. Both oak trees and squash have an important role in the natural order of things, but which one would be the most stable in a storm?

Mentoring programs, leadership development sessions, varied assignments, formal feedback sessions, and a committee vice-chair system help leaders develop strong roots. Most important, allowing leaders to grow slowly tests their ability to handle future assignments while creating a sense of history. Associations are better served by developing leaders at a responsible pace than by growing them too quickly.

Keeping volunteers satisfied

The number one reason that people volunteer is because they are asked. When their needs are met, they continue to give their time, energy, and resources. Volunteer leaders want to

• know their contributions make a difference;
• have others acknowledge their life and work responsibilities;
• succeed; and
• be appreciated.

Appropriate recognition is always a good strategy for keeping volunteer leaders involved and motivated, but it need not be limited to the obligatory plaque and thank you. Creating a bias for action within the organization or providing support and skills lets people know that their efforts are important.

Perhaps the best thing that can be done to keep volunteer leaders involved and motivated is not to punish them for their good performance. Burnout is most likely to occur when responsibilities grow to the point where they interfere with the rest of a volunteer's life.

A legacy of outstanding leaders is one of the most important gifts a volunteer leader can give to an association. Members are continually raising the bar. They expect their leaders to clear it every time.

Randy G. Pennington is co-author of On My Honor, I Will: Leading With Integrity in Changing Times (1995, Treasure House). Phone: (972) 980-9857; e-mail: randy@penningtongroup.com.

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