Calling for Volunteers

This past weekend I attended two more Installations and in both of them, a common thread got me thinking about one of the hardest parts of leadership in a volunteer organization, which is asking for volunteers to do stuff for you. The problem is a serious multilegged beastie. Here are some of the legs I've noticed. Asking Strangers - For those of us who are shy, talking to strangers or calling them on the phone is bad enough. Asking them for favors is torture squared! But there's no getting around it. Whether you are a local officer, calling people you don't know out of your Chapter's own roster of members or you are at a state level and calling people you don't know who've been recommended to you, you just have to pick up the phone and dial. AAAHH!! At least with members of Eastern Star, you are fairly well assured that even if they don't want to do what you ask them to do, they'll at least say no nicely and not make it any worse on you. But how tough to make lots of calls and get lots of rejection. I have been spared that so far, but then, I've only had to ask a few people so far too. Motivating People - People have different things that motivate them to volunteer to help and that make them feel rewarded for their service. Some people like little gifts, some want public thanks, some want private thanks. Some people don't want or need anything so long as they can have the satisfaction of having a good job to do and doing it well. Figuring out what each person would most appreciate can be tough and if you don't get it right, you can not only end up with someone who feels unappreciated, but someone that you may have "un-motivated" to help next time. So you really need to try to figure this out. Why They Say Yes - Sometimes people agree to do things because it is good for the Order as a whole, sometimes they say yes because they are willing to do a favor for the person who is doing the asking, sometimes they say yes because the job proposed for them will be fun and sometimes people say yes because they see this job as a stepping stone to other things. Do we care why they say yes? Well, sometimes we do. For some jobs, why a person said yes will have a bearing on how well the job will get done and for some jobs, we want more altruistic motives than for others. At the end of the day, if someone is agreeing to mop the floor and take out the trash, I may not care too much why. :-) But if they are agreeing to do a job that confers perceived status or recognition, then I may care why a lot. But when you don't know the person very well, figuring this out can be a real challenge. Anybody want to go fishing in a grain silo for a shirt button? Matching the Person to the Job - Some jobs call for organizational skills and others for creativity. Some jobs need good people skills and some jobs require self-motivators who work well alone. Again, when you don't know the people on a personal level, matching the person to the job can be a tough problem because if you put the right person in the wrong job, nothing good will come of it. These are just a few of the issues that arise when trying to fill out a volunteer roster, whether it is for Chapter dining room chairman for one meeting or a five year appointment to a statewide committee. It sure would be nice if we had a better way of gathering information on who the people are and how they think before we take the leap into asking them to help us out with things. The other wish I would have is for wisdom in how to deal with the people who say, "if you need help, let me know" as you are walking around during a social hour. I am totally grateful for every person who volunteers to help me, but if anyone thinks that I am going to remember that they offered by the time the social hour is over and I have a chance to make a note of the person, they are overestimating my memory. And that is assuming that I can remember their name with which to make the note by the time I get back to my note book. I suppose I could write their name and offer on my hand, but I wouldn't want to get ink on anyone else. And people look at you weird when you write on other parts of your body. :-) Next weekend, I have more Installations to attend in the San Francisco Bay Area.