TIPS – HOW TO KEEP VOLUNTEERS

Time is a precious commodity. Each person is given only so
much time on this planet. The wise person is discriminating
in how he or she chooses to spend it. When a person offers
his or her time as a gift to a group or organization, the
wise people running the organization are discriminating in
how this gift is received – how not to squander it – and
how to keep it!

There is a knack for accepting a gift graciously – and not
everyone has it. It is similar in many organizations that
take volunteers for granted – they don’t receive the gift
of their volunteers’ time gratefully. They don’t do what’s
needed to make the best use of this valuable gift, nor do
they do what is needed to keep it from slipping away. Think
about how many other organizations would be thrilled to
have some of the volunteers you have. When other
organizations come into contact with your volunteers and
are impressed with them, they will sometimes try to pirate
them away, especially if they sense they’re not happy where
they are. If that happens, your loss will be their gain.
What are you doing to keep YOUR volunteers?

Understand your volunteers’ motivation. Develop a thorough
questionnaire that can give you information about a
person’s background, skills, and experience, but also
probes the question of WHY that person wants to volunteer
for your organization and what they would like to be doing
for you. Sit down, face-to-face, and ask those questions
again. That will enable you to assign tasks that will be
challenging and fun. Have you ever resigned from a job that
paid you well but was not giving you the job satisfaction
you needed? Many people have. Volunteers are not
compensated monetarily, but there are other forms of
currency. The WORK needs to be rewarding. Make sure your
volunteers do work that is interesting and challenging to
them along with the more routine tasks.
Orientation and training are extremely important.
Volunteers should understand not only what tasks they will
be performing, but how those tasks fit in to your
organization and your mission. There were reasons why the
volunteers chose YOUR organization. If they do not feel
they are contributing to accomplishing the goals of the
organization, they may feel their time is being wasted. On
the contrary, they feel a sense of personal fulfillment
when they know that their contributions are valuable.
Ongoing training is a must and is an investment with huge
returns.
Communication can make or break an organization. Volunteers
should receive clear instructions about what they need to
be doing and feedback about their work. They need to know
to whom to turn for additional information or instructions.
Keep volunteers in the loop – copy them on correspondence
and emails relevant to their jobs and invite them to
organizational meetings. You will benefit from soliciting
feedback FROM volunteers, as well. Schedule volunteer
meetings and ask for feedback from them, and on a
day-to-day basis, ask how things are going. You can also
conduct periodic surveys and invite constructive criticism.
Use it to improve what you are doing. Critical feedback can
be valuable to you.
REWARD volunteers with regular thanks and praise, whenever
warranted. A personal thank-you note is tangible evidence
that you appreciate their efforts. Give them “promotions”
in the form of additional responsibilities, which will make
them feel more engaged. Assign them special projects, ask
them to train or mentor new recruits, and be specific with
your praise. A sincere statement like, “You handled that
project beautifully – I admire your attention to detail”
will resonate with the volunteer for a long time.
Recent studies have shown that people who volunteer live
longer, more satisfying lives, and more and more people are
looking for fulfilling ways to donate their valuable time
to the numerous organizations competing for it. Make sure
that YOUR volunteers understand your mission, feel they are
an integral part of accomplishing it, are doing challenging
work, never feel they are left out of the communication
loop, and feel their work is appreciated, and you will keep
your volunteers for years to come.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
About the “Personal Excess Liability Insurance”

When does my personal excess insurance with Equisure start
and end? The coverage starts when your membership is
approved and the premium paid to Equisure. Coverage ends
December 31 of every year.

What if my membership starts in June? The premium and
coverage are the same should you join in January or June.
You would have coverage for 7 months if you joined in June
and coverage for 12 months if you joined in January. In
both cases the coverage will end Dec. 31.

Do I get anything showing I have insurance coverage? Yes,
Association Resource Group will print evidences of
insurance (a brief summary of coverages, conditions, and
exclusions), which will be distributed to members groups in
October for your to distribute to your individual members.
This evidence is not to be posted on websites or reproduced
in any fashioin without written consent from Equisure.

How would this insurance apply if I have homeowners
insurance? This policy is excess over any other valid and
collectible insurance. If you have primary insurance
coverage, this policy would be excess over that insurance.
If you have no insurance, this policy would become primary.

OTHER ARG MEMBER BENEFITS
Check the “Member Benefits” page of our website to see a
complete list. ARG members now get:
• Discounted rates on Hertz, the number one company for
rental cars! Ask your association for discount coupons or
contact ARG for your Hertz money-saving coupon for your
next trip. Just click on the Hertz Link below for specific
information. Please present your Hertz/Association Resource
Group coupon (with the CDP code) to your Car Rental
Specialist at the time of rental. Go to
http://link.hertz.com/link.html?id=9390 for more
information.
• Money-saving packages from AccuConference professional
teleconferencing services! Working with them can help
increase your club or group's effciency level to help you
accomplish your mission! AccuConference offers professional
conferencing and teleconferencing services and great
customer support. When you contact Accuconference, let them
know you are an Association Resource Group member to
receive the discounted rates. Call 1-800-977-4607 or click
on http://www.accuconference.com/2482130/ .
• Special offers on Wicket Smart Apparel! Their art
services and promotional products can help improve your
group's name recognition in a very professional way and
enhance your special events. When you call or email them,
make sure to tell them you are a member of the Association
Resource Group. Call 1-866-WICKED8, 518-459-2855, email
Sales@wickedsmartapparel.com or click on
www.wickedsmartapparel.com .
• We are hard at work on your behalf to negotiate other
great deals on hotels, insurance, office supplies, and
more!
• Access to equine insurance-related products such as
equine mortality/major medical, trainers’ liability, club
and association liability, directors and officers
liability, etc.
• Your club's web address on our links page.
• Discounted advertising rates for banner ads on ARG's
website.
• Ability to list your club's monthly activities and
functions on our calendar with your hyperlink included.
• Access to our newsletters and informational articles.
Simply print out the Affiliate application form, answer all
of the questions, and mail or fax it to ARG and one of our
staff members will contact you.