If managers of Not-for-profit (NFP) organisations knew the answer to this, then they would have the ultimate secret of success, because leadership styles suited for managing paid workers are not necessarily appropriate or effective for volunteers.
Thankfully there are researchers who are also looking for this answer, and recent research gives us some insight into why volunteers do what they do when they are not really obliged to.
Edwin Boezeman and Naomi Ellemers (2014) undertook a study of NFP volunteers (including within churches) and looked specifically at what the leaders of these volunteers did that either strengthened the volunteers’ commitment to volunteering, or weakened it.
In summary, it all boiled down to two things – pride and respect.
Pride: How an NFP contributes to society and people’s lives is where its value comes. The researchers found that communicating the effectiveness of the associated volunteer work created a sense of pride in the volunteers of both the organisation and their specific contribution. This significantly increased the likelihood of them staying.
Respect: Volunteers will respect the NFP and be motivated to continue to contribute where they respect the leadership. This respect is earned in two ways, firstly through seeing the leaders living the espoused values of the NFP – being authentic. And secondly, by feeling supported and encouraged to express their views and having them heard.
What does this mean for us? Where we rely on volunteers in our organisations, we need to be doing things that instil pride and respect in our volunteers so they identify with our organisation and want to continue to engage with us. Here are some tips for doing this:
- Authentic leaders – Live the mission and values of your organisation;
- Communicate – Openly and frequently share the contribution of the organisation to society and the specific ways volunteers assist in this;
- Support- Help your volunteers to do the best job they can;
- Listen – Encourage your volunteers to express their ideas, and pay them the courtesy of listening and responding.
Volunteers, who by definition can leave at any time, are a valuable resource to the NFP sector and need to be managed in unique ways. The chances of them staying longer improve significantly where the volunteer feels supported and a sense of pride in what they do.
What are you doing in your organisation to create a positive volunteer experience?
The Avondale Business School can help you and your organisation develop your volunteer team – find out how by contacting Warrick Long at the Avondale Business School.
P: 02 4980 2168
Source: Boezeman, E. J., & Ellemers, N. (2014). Volunteer leadership: The role of pride and respect in organizational identification and leadership satisfaction. Leadership, 10(2), 160-173. doi: 10.1177/1742715012467487