Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop is looking to implement a more formal volunteer appreciation process in an effort to retain and acknowledge volunteers better. Looking for input on how the rest of the community bike shop world handles this. Do you acknowledge individuals for length of service by hours volunteered or simply an anniversary of their first date of volunteer service? What tiers of acknowledgement do you implement such as 1 month, 2 months, up to 6 months and then perhaps each year after that, 1 year, 2 years ...........and so on? Volunteers are our most valuable resource and as we try to expand our hours of operation we need more folks since we are a 100% volunteer organization. Allen KirkwoodBroke Spoke Community Bike ShopLexington, KY
At Cyclo Nord-Sud, volunteers are also a very important part of our ressources! we throw a volunteer party every year. We are having a meeting this week on volunteer organisation and appreciation so I'll keep you posted about that!
Sophie Verdon Chargée de projet Opérations et animation 514 843-0077 1 888 843-0077 cyclonordsud.org http://www.cyclonordsud.org/ facebook.com/cyclonordsud http://www.facebook.com/cyclonordsud Faire un don à Cyclo Nord-Sud http://cyclonordsud.org/faire-un-don/ Bureau, entrepôt : 8717, 8e Avenue, Montréal, QC H1Z 2X4
De : Thethinktank thethinktank-bounces@lists.bikecollectives.org on behalf of Edward Kirkwood kirkwoodea@yahoo.com Répondre à : Edward Kirkwood kirkwoodea@yahoo.com, The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Date : mercredi 12 juillet 2017 14:09 À : "thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org" thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Objet : [TheThinkTank] Volunteer Appreciation
Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop is looking to implement a more formal volunteer appreciation process in an effort to retain and acknowledge volunteers better. Looking for input on how the rest of the community bike shop world handles this. Do you acknowledge individuals for length of service by hours volunteered or simply an anniversary of their first date of volunteer service? What tiers of acknowledgement do you implement such as 1 month, 2 months, up to 6 months and then perhaps each year after that, 1 year, 2 years ...........and so on?
Volunteers are our most valuable resource and as we try to expand our hours of operation we need more folks since we are a 100% volunteer organization.
Allen Kirkwood Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or g
Volunteer appreciation is something that I have thought a lot about. For a while, we used to do a volunteer party, which we ended up not doing anymore for a couple of reasons:
- it is very labor intensive, and expensive which would be just fine BUT
- only a small fraction of our volunteers could attend, despite our
attempts to schedule it with a lot of notice and at a convenient day/time. (We have over 200 volunteers a year)
It was a lot of money and effort to put into something that didn't reach all of our volunteers. Being invited to an event isn't enough of a thank you for a non-attendee--it's pretty frustrating to have an event "in your honor" that you can't attend.
SO. We moved to a new model, which is working really well. This year, we asked everyone to give us their addresses, and we mailed them thank-you cards, signed by the person (or people) who ran the program(s) they volunteered to. We also included a Bicycle Benefits sticker in the card, as a tangible (and inherently valuable) thank you. Not everyone gave us their address, and next year, I might include a "pick it up in person" option for folks.
I have gotten multiple appreciative thank yous from folks, and I feel much more comfortable about the percent "thank you" coverage I got from this.
In order to make this work, we had to have a couple of things in place:
- a database of volunteers with at least reasonably accurate information
about the programs that they worked with. 2) some money set aside for "staff time" for card signing 3) some tangible "thank you" gift to indicate that we aren't just paying lip service to their generous donation of time.
We also don't recognize length of service time, and at our parties tried not to differentiate too much between volunteers in terms of differentiating between "value" of their donated time. We gave rose boutonnieres to folks with 100+ hours of volunteering to their name, but decided not to make any other announcement. Because, honestly, what people give is what they CAN give. Example: If a billionaire gives $100, it's more helpful to us, but a poor person's $1.00 is a bigger percentage of their income, and therefore more valuable to them, and more of an indication of emotional investment. Same with time. Some folks have a lot of free time, and others have very little. We need to acknowledge both gifts equally because folks are giving us what they can give. I would probably not do the boutonnieres again.
Best,
Mary Catherine Graziano Education and Volunteer Manager Local Motion 1 Steele St., Burlington, VT 05401 phone: 802-861-2700 ext. 106 fax: 802-861-3096
www.localmotion.org
We offer: Kids' Bike Skills Programs for schools, recreation programs and summer camps: www.kohlskidsbikesmart.org
AND Bike Skills Programs for adults: http://www.localmotion.org/education/everydaybicyclingproject
http://www.facebook.com/localmotionvt http://www.twitter.com/localmotionvt http://www.instagram.com/localmotionvermont
On Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 2:53 PM, Sophie Verdon - Cyclo Nord-Sud < sophie@cyclonordsud.org> wrote:
At Cyclo Nord-Sud, volunteers are also a very important part of our ressources! we throw a volunteer party every year. We are having a meeting this week on volunteer organisation and appreciation so I'll keep you posted about that!
*Sophie Verdon* *Chargée de projet – Opérations et animation * 514 843-0077 <(514)%20843-0077> • 1 888 843-0077 <(888)%20843-0077> cyclonordsud.org http://www.cyclonordsud.org/ • facebook. com/cyclonordsud http://www.facebook.com/cyclonordsud Faire un don à Cyclo Nord-Sud http://cyclonordsud.org/faire-un-don/ Bureau, entrepôt : 8717, 8e Avenue, Montréal, QC H1Z 2X4
De : Thethinktank thethinktank-bounces@lists.bikecollectives.org on behalf of Edward Kirkwood kirkwoodea@yahoo.com Répondre à : Edward Kirkwood kirkwoodea@yahoo.com, The Think Tank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> Date : mercredi 12 juillet 2017 14:09 À : "thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org" <thethinktank@lists. bikecollectives.org> Objet : [TheThinkTank] Volunteer Appreciation
Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop is looking to implement a more formal volunteer appreciation process in an effort to retain and acknowledge volunteers better. Looking for input on how the rest of the community bike shop world handles this. Do you acknowledge individuals for length of service by hours volunteered or simply an anniversary of their first date of volunteer service? What tiers of acknowledgement do you implement such as 1 month, 2 months, up to 6 months and then perhaps each year after that, 1 year, 2 years ...........and so on?
Volunteers are our most valuable resource and as we try to expand our hours of operation we need more folks since we are a 100% volunteer organization.
Allen Kirkwood Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives. org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.org
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives. org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.org
The bikerowave offers several incentives to volunteering "full time"
- discounts on new items and the ability to special order stuff from our distros.
- free stand time (use of space)
- discounted price on used parts/ bikes.
- voting privileges (make and vote on agenda items)
- the ability to run for a board of facilitators position.
- the ability to request partial travel funding to events. (Bike bike, youth bike summit)
- the ability to consign a bike in our retail window
We have additional parties, potlucks, movie nights etc that are open to the community but we have used it as a time to acknowledge the good work of a volunteer.
If you have questions about any of these lemme know.
Loconte
A volunteerism consultant once suggested to consider not recognizing years of service but recognize actions that you appreciate. We use to send volunteers postcards and pictures describing what we appreciated in their service to our mission. Sometimes recognizing years of service encourages a volunteer to stay on when their service is no longer helpful to the mission.
406 Valverde Commons Drive Taos, NM 87571
Andy: andygreif60@gmail.com 207-229-8199 Justine: justinen7@gmail.com 207-281-2107
Live Edge Bowls by Andy Greif
Website: www.liveedgebowls.com
Email: liveedgebowls@gmail.com
-----Original Message----- From: Thethinktank [mailto:thethinktank-bounces@lists.bikecollectives.org] On Behalf Of Edward Kirkwood Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 12:09 PM To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: [TheThinkTank] Volunteer Appreciation
Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop is looking to implement a more formal volunteer appreciation process in an effort to retain and acknowledge volunteers better. Looking for input on how the rest of the community bike shop world handles this. Do you acknowledge individuals for length of service by hours volunteered or simply an anniversary of their first date of volunteer service? What tiers of acknowledgement do you implement such as 1 month, 2 months, up to 6 months and then perhaps each year after that, 1 year, 2 years ...........and so on?
Volunteers are our most valuable resource and as we try to expand our hours of operation we need more folks since we are a 100% volunteer organization.
Allen Kirkwood Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY
Allen,
I would agree with Andy about not recognizing years of service but rather actions. I'd cringe if people started comparing their lengths of service with each other at bike farm. "I've been here 5 years! Longer than anyone else in this room." It's the kind of quantification that can lead to weird power dynamics and hierarchy. I'd much rather someone remember what I've added to the org over the years, then my length of service.
At the same time, I have thought about the same issue of how to best retain volunteers and energize around making Bike Farm the best it can be. Over the years I've found that there are four great motivators which garner dedication in a volunteer:
*They are actively helping people.* This one is the most obvious and it needs to be there. People need to feel that what they are doing is good for the world and that they are making a difference.
*They are getting something special and real out of this. *We have some shop perks which include ordering privileges, monthly $20 credit for used parts, and free stand time for volunteers who have hung out for at least 2 months and hold down a shift.
*Volunteering is helping them in their career/how they make rent. *This one is slippery since the most common expression of this motivator is a volunteer getting a job as a bike mechanic. Being a dedicated volunteer looks great on a resume, especially if you have a fancy title like "Shop Coordinator". But often when folks get that desired job, they have to take a break from volunteering to focus on it. Still, this outcome is the best we could hope for, and often those volunteers come back better trained after a few years. I always let volunteers know that they can put me on their resume as a reference. I have written many letters of recommendation over the years. That's a real perk for some people.
*This is a social outlet for them. *This is by far the greatest motivator for volunteering. Making friends and building a community strengthen dedication. It's what hooked me back in the day.
With these things in mind, I try to think of every action and see if it fulfills one of these drivers. Volunteer parties are great for the social reason. Soliciting awesome donations from big name bike shops or manufactures is great for the "getting something real" motivator. And when talking to people, I try to understand which of these factors is the greatest motivator for them and I try to help them achieve it.
So ask people what they are here for.
I could talk way more about this topic. There's a whole other dynamic of volunteering in that you only get new dedicated volunteers when there's a hole to be filled. But I'm curious to hear what others have tried.
-momoko
On Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 6:11 AM, Andy Greif andygreif60@gmail.com wrote:
A volunteerism consultant once suggested to consider not recognizing years of service but recognize actions that you appreciate. We use to send volunteers postcards and pictures describing what we appreciated in their service to our mission. Sometimes recognizing years of service encourages a volunteer to stay on when their service is no longer helpful to the mission.
406 Valverde Commons Drive Taos, NM 87571
Andy: andygreif60@gmail.com 207-229-8199 Justine: justinen7@gmail.com 207-281-2107
Live Edge Bowls by Andy Greif Website: www.liveedgebowls.com Email: liveedgebowls@gmail.com
-----Original Message----- From: Thethinktank [mailto:thethinktank-bounces@lists.bikecollectives.org] On Behalf Of Edward Kirkwood Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 12:09 PM To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: [TheThinkTank] Volunteer Appreciation
Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop is looking to implement a more formal volunteer appreciation process in an effort to retain and acknowledge volunteers better. Looking for input on how the rest of the community bike shop world handles this. Do you acknowledge individuals for length of service by hours volunteered or simply an anniversary of their first date of volunteer service? What tiers of acknowledgement do you implement such as 1 month, 2 months, up to 6 months and then perhaps each year after that, 1 year, 2 years ...........and so on?
Volunteers are our most valuable resource and as we try to expand our hours of operation we need more folks since we are a 100% volunteer organization.
Allen Kirkwood Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives. org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.org
We do a chili cook-off for our volunteers in the winter. It's inexpensive and fun. Each board member Cooks a Crock-Pot, volunteers bring own bowls. We get beer donated. We also offer discounts on QBP orders, t-shirt, discount on used parts and a free as is bike depending on hours volunteered. I'm at the Fort Collins Bike Co-op.
Sarah
On Jul 12, 2017 12:09 PM, "Edward Kirkwood" kirkwoodea@yahoo.com wrote:
Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop is looking to implement a more formal volunteer appreciation process in an effort to retain and acknowledge volunteers better. Looking for input on how the rest of the community bike shop world handles this. Do you acknowledge individuals for length of service by hours volunteered or simply an anniversary of their first date of volunteer service? What tiers of acknowledgement do you implement such as 1 month, 2 months, up to 6 months and then perhaps each year after that, 1 year, 2 years ...........and so on?
Volunteers are our most valuable resource and as we try to expand our hours of operation we need more folks since we are a 100% volunteer organization.
Allen Kirkwood Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives. org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.org
participants (7)
-
Andy Greif -
Edward Kirkwood -
Mary-Catherine Graziano -
momoko saunders -
Sarah Maharry -
Sophie Verdon - Cyclo Nord-Sud -
wormsign＠gmail.com