Hello!
I'll share some thoughts, as I've been the volunteer coordinator since our start in 1996, here at Free Cycles Missoula:
-I generally agree with all the other great comments,
-It's not easy, yet it is critical for us to have volunteers,
-I've concluded the best way for us is 'relational' and not 'transactional'. Example- we've put the call out to large email and social media lists with no results (presumably reaching thousands of folks); then, I can ask a couple people in the shop if they can help with something and it's almost always 'yes!'.
-we've tried spreadsheets, data bases, etc. and to me it's a big headache (again, sort of transactional); person to person- relational- works for me as the volunteer coordinator.
-we have several build-a-bike vols each day, at 90 minutes each; plus students, court ordered community services, retired people and bigger corporate non profit days. we recently had 100 students for two whole mornings. while we did reorganize a whole lot, we also spent a lot of time on who we are, what we do, why we do it, city design, their desires in life, etc.
-I always ask someone volunteering, 'how's your back, for lifting anything?'
-having options for vols works for some, and just giving a set task works too; after giving a task, I ask, 'are you ok with this?' - one out of 100 might say 'no' and then they tell me why (they might have some pain, be allergic to something, not able to be in the sun, etc).
-some vols get one 90 min task, while others I give 3 small tasks. I have found people can remember 3 tasks, and no more, at a time. I'll then say come find me when you are done with those 3 tasks, then I'll give them 3 more, and so on. Getting all those little things done- like sweeping, watering, moving bikes, wiping down counters, shaking out rugs, perparing the pizza oven, checking tubes, pumping kid bikes, etc, all keeps us running, and I let them know so.
-I let people know why they are doing the task, not just 'do this'. That takes time, and sometimes part of their 90 minutes is a 10 minute discussion about bikes, or life, changing the world, permaculture, health, etc.
-I tend to check in with vols a couple times to see how they are doing, if they have questions, etc.
-I often give general guidelines for some projects and will say 'you have creative license to add you own style' (for an art project or reorganizing); this is tricky because sometimes the next vol has to 'fix' something the last vol may have not done too well, yet many times the result is better than you could have imagined!
-we focus on 'growing' and not 'building'. we do not go for perfections, just improvements.
-we have a 2 acre property and we use 20,000 sq ft of the 28,000 sq ft building, and the building is old yet sturdy and made of wood timbers, so the vol tasks are endless.
-vol tasks, generally: sorting, moving, cleaning, fixing, repairing, art, advocacy, poster making or hanging, landscaping, building repair, helping with events and outreach, stripping bikes for parts, etc.
-I tend to predict what a vol is capable of, and what they might enjoy, combined with our organizational needs. sometimes this borders on 'judgement' on my part and I have to check myself and debrief with myself. for instance, there are thinking tasks and grunt work tasks, and if someone is in a challenging mental state, I might have them move/sort some wheels, remove tires, check tubes or sweep. I have special projects in mind for the enthusiastic and creative types.
-I like to have a list in my pocket and I mark down the start time of a volunteer on the back of the list (mainly for the 90 min build-a-bike vols). I also do not use the list often, because I'm here all the time and I know what the priorities are.
-When I'm gone, a couple other staff step in and we review the list; all other staff (7) have general tasks to delegate if I'm caught up deeply in something else.
-I get to know the regulars who drop in to help, and I tend to know what they enjoy and are good at.
-Upon reflection, I think heartfelt management of volunteers is critical for a successful community bike shop. thanks!
Bob Giordano, Director, Free Cycles Missoula, www.freecycles.org, 406.541.7284, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, www.strans.org
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [TheThinkTank] Volunteer Retention Date: 2025-08-05 3:02 am From: Geoff Smart via TheThinkTank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
Hi All,
In some but not all of our sessions we have an issue with volunteer retention. After surveying our volunteers and people who left after 3-4 sessions the consensus is that our 1 hour induction is not enough and that we need a more structured training and onboarding over multiple sessions for the cohort that for various reasons need more training and more interaction with staff and volunteers.
Has anyone had any luck with increasing retention using a more structured approach. If you have, we would appreciate any content or information you can share with us, and any other tips you may have to increase retention
Regards
Geoff Smart Chair Back2Bikes M : 0419 345 440 525 Williamstown Rd Port Melbourne 3207 back2bikes.org.au