There are 12 basic needs that all volunteers share. Recognizing these needs and knowing how to meet them will help you expand the number of members who volunteer and increase the number of hours each gives to your association. Section III of Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them is dedicated to helping you meet these needs and reap the rewards of doing so. The following is an abridged version of the first of the twelve Fundamental Needs of every volunteer. Twelve Basic Needs of Every Volunteer #1: A volunteer needs a specific manageable task with a beginning and an end. THE NEED: A feeling of success is needed to sustain volunteers' efforts. Broad and vague goals can be frustrating to volunteers because they don't know what they are being asked to do and therefore don't know when they are finished with their commitment. This leads to wasted resources and rapid turnover. Volunteers, especially new volunteers, need to know exactly what they are being asked to do and how much time it will take. Clearly defining a specific task helps ensure that the member will agree to volunteer and that the task will be completed. HOW TO MEET THE NEED: I. Take time to plan and get organized Often volunteers are asked to work on a project before project leaders are recruited, the tasks defined and the preparation is complete. As a result, time and talents are wasted and volunteers lose interest. It is up to you, the volunteer leaders and the staff to recruit a project leader for each major program or activity. Before asking members to volunteer, each project leader must take time to think the project though and do adequate pre-planning. Once you have determined the deadline for completion, break the project down into groups of major tasks to be done. Using the list of tasks, estimate how much time each will require. Develop a time line and a budget. Determine how many volunteers you will need. Determine the level of experience that a given volunteer needs to complete each task. This depends on the amount of risk involved if the task is not completed or is done poorly; for example, tasks with the potential for high risk of financial loss, legal exposure or negative publicity. II. Don't wait for members to volunteer - Recruit the best person for the job A volunteer is a person who works in some way to help others without pay. The term suggests that a person must offer herself or himself to perform a service without being asked to do so. However, volunteers can be recruited -you don't have to wait for people to offer. Ask them! Recruit experienced volunteers to be project leaders to oversee and coordinate teams of newer and less-involved volunteers. Fill tasks that require experienced volunteers first by assigning high-risk tasks to experienced proven volunteers. Even if a member says no when asked, the fact that you asked makes that member aware of the need for volunteers. It lets that member know that there is a place for him or her to volunteer in the future. Don't ask everyone. Narrow the field. Make a list of names and telephone numbers of five people you think would be good for the task in order of who would be the best fit with the job, second best and so on. Ask the best prospect first instead of asking the person who is most likely to say yes. Asking the best person for the job lets that person know that it is important that he or she gets personally involved. Members will likely feel flattered to be asked. Recruit one-to-one in person, on the telephone or in written communication. Ask a specific person to do a specific task. The more specific the request, the more likely the person is to say yes. III. Personalize your request. Assess members' interests and preferences for volunteer activities when you contact them with a volunteer opportunity. Be sure to specifically ask them "Will you help me with . . .?" or "Can I count on you to help me . . .?" Don't wait for them to offer. Use published notices of volunteer opportunities in association newsletters to remind members that their time and talents are essential elements in the organization. However, actually recruit volunteers one-to-one at meetings and via telephone. Don't stand up at a meeting and ask members who are interested in helping to contact you or sign up on a sheet that is being circulated around the room. This communicates that "anyone" can do the job at hand when actually you want the best person for the job. Furthermore, individual members can slip out of the room, feeling that someone else will surely respond. Instead, announce that you are seeking volunteers, and that you will be coming around the room (or calling) to ask for help. See Examples in 1.2. Example 1.2 These practices, although common, are not likely to produce the best results: "The awards committee needs more members. If anyone is interested in joining our committee, please see me after the meeting." "Anyone who wants to be on the awards committee, sign your name on the sheet that is being circulated around the room before you leave tonight" You'll get better results with the following: "I volunteered to coordinate the annual awards program. There are many tasks to be done, some that take only a couple of hours, like working registration, and some that you can do at home or in your office, like judging one category of entries. I'll be coming around the room tonight and calling this week to ask some of you for help." IV. Ask members to commit to short blocks of time Start by asking a member who has never volunteered for a two-hour time block. Even when members commit to completing a small task, they are concerned about not being able to get away when they finish. Many worry that they will be expected to become as active as their leaders if they commit to the smallest task. Designating an ending time assures them that this fear is unfounded. When volunteers complete the time block they committed to, thank them and let them go. If you need more time or you want them for another task, negotiate with them. Leave the door open to come back to them at a later date. As a volunteer gets more involved, ask for commitments for longer time blocks and assign more complex projects. Ask him or her to coordinate a work team of newer volunteers. In addition to having many positive benefits for the volunteers, recruiting volunteers for finite periods also provides valuable benefits for you. It opens the door to many members to be involved in some way. It allows you to assess their talents and skills, and identify those who can be relied on to complete tasks. It also prevents a volunteer from serving in a capacity too long when he or she is not performing, or when there is a need for "new blood" in the organization. The above is an excerpt from Volunteers: How to Get Them, How to Keep Them, Copyright © Helen Little, Panacea Press, 1999. To print an ORDER FORM. To view table of contents. For permission and terms to reprint this excerpt in your organization's publication.