Research shows that Norway is among the world leaders when it comes to volunteering. We are engaged and willing to take on voluntary roles, both in connection with our children's activities and with our own leisure interests.
Even so, some associations seem to do better than others when it comes to motivating volunteers. What is it that makes volunteering there so attractive? Here are our very best tips for you if you run an association and need volunteers who can lend a hand, in one way or another.
How do you lead volunteers?
Leading volunteers is not the same as leading paid employees. Volunteers' motivation comes from a completely different place than it does for people who are employed and paid for the work they do. Volunteers also have entirely different obligations towards the management and administration.
De Sandvigske Samlingers Venner is one of Norway's largest museum friends' associations. They use Rubic to communicate with their members and ease the workload for the management. Read more about their experience of Rubic's system here.
Create enthusiasm and motivation
The very term “volunteer” implies that the person is involved in the work of their own free will, free to end the arrangement whenever they wish, and able to turn down individual requests without any consequences. With guidelines like these, it is clearly important for the leader to make sure the person wants to do the work they are given. But how do you give volunteers the desire and motivation to contribute?
1. Be mindful of how you use your volunteer resources
It is important that volunteers are given tasks within their own area of expertise, and at the same time the tasks must be important enough to give them a satisfying sense of being useful. For the management, it can be tempting to give volunteers the most manual tasks with little responsibility. In the long run, however, this is like shooting yourself in the foot, as it does not necessarily increase motivation among the volunteers.
2. Delegate important work and let volunteers make decisions
Motivation often comes from feeling useful and important to the work being done. If you give volunteers more responsibility, they will probably also want to take on more responsibility. On top of that, it will motivate them to continue the work, as it is natural to feel a certain sense of self-fulfilment when you do something you are good at.
With Rubic, it is easy to delegate responsibility and tasks. Read more about how you can put together a system tailored to your needs here.
3. Show volunteers that they are appreciated
It is also important to make sure that volunteers feel appreciated. Naturally, you do this by showing it and saying that you are grateful. For many, that will be enough, as they do this out of kindness and a desire to contribute to something they are passionate about. In some cases, though, it may be a good idea to give the volunteers who help with your event, gathering, volunteer work (dugnad) or whatever it may be, a small token of appreciation once it is all over.
When World Cup Kvitfjell was to be held, the organisers depended on officials and volunteers. They were rewarded with season passes or day passes for the ski resort. Read more about how the organising committee used Rubic to organise it all.
4. Stick to the plan and communicate clearly
Finally, it is also worth stressing that volunteers are motivated when the management communicates clearly and sticks to the plan. Everyone involved will then feel that the management is in control and that the work is efficient. Clear communication also leads to fewer misunderstandings and less administrative work.
How can Rubic help?
With Rubic, it is easy to delegate responsibility and tasks to volunteers. This can be customised so that everyone gets access to exactly what they need, no more and no less. Rubic's systems also include a simple, clear communication solution that you can use to send SMS or email to several of your contacts.
Would you like to read more about Rubic and how you can use it in your association? Here you will find all the information you need, and plenty of good reasons why you should choose Rubic too.