We're in the "lazy, hazy days" of summer in the northern hemisphere - a great time to think about ways to refresh everyone, including ourselves. One potent form of recognition is to ask someone to give advice or input. It is flattering to the person and a truly effective way to get knowledgeable feedback on a wide variety of things.
Invite volunteers who have been with you for over a year to take a break from their regularly-scheduled tasks and do a short special assignment. The change of pace will be welcome and affirms that each volunteer has much more to contribute than the single position she or he fills. Here is a starter set of ideas for activities that can be done in 30 minutes to two hours.
- Pair off volunteers from different units or doing different work. Have each spend an hour observing the other, learning what's going on in another part of the organization. Then hold a meeting to find out what surprised or impressed them about the other's work - and consider using those comments in your next recruitment campaign.
- Consider doing the above idea by pairing volunteers from your organization with volunteers in organizations where you are friends with the volunteer program managers. Such an "exchange program" can be fun or at least interesting, and opens the door to possible new perspectives on everyone's work.
- Ask volunteers of varying longevity to look at the materials you use in orienting new volunteers, make sure all the facts are up to date, and recommend new things that might be added.
- Review the volunteer handbook in the same way.
- Ask all volunteers to record an audio clip sharing what the best thing is about volunteering in your organization (and give you permission to use it, with or without their name).
- Now, way before the end of the year, invite suggestions for fun ways to celebrate the December holidays and the new year. Note that International Volunteer Day is December 5th - how would volunteers like to commemorate that?
- Send volunteers into the community to visit agencies to which you refer clients or to attend local events. Prepare them to observe and report back, or to be on the lookout for certain information you need.
- On a selected day, ask volunteers to use their cell phones or digital cameras to snap photographs of themselves and other volunteers at work. Collect these and post an album to a photo-sharing Web site as a "Day in the Life of Volunteers in Our Agency." When it's ready, make some lemonade and invite everyone to see the slide show projected on a screen. (You can then use these shots in all sorts of recruitment and recognition presentations.)
- If you have a good spot near your building, hold a series of volunteer meetings outside (in the shade). Invite everyone to bring beach towels or folding chairs and use the change of environment to spark new ideas on some strategy you are hoping to implement in the next few months.
There are many ideas like this. The point is to do something out of the ordinary, yet clearly useful. And to have some fun. Be cool and stay cool!