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
Make them useful ASAP. Teach them something, then give them a task to apply what they've learned. The reason people volunteer to teach people, isn't to teach people. They teach people, because it feels good to be useful. Focus less on what it is you're teaching and how you teach it, and more on providing volunteers an opportunity to put themselves to work. Challenge people and put them in situations where they're encouraged and allowed to make mistakes. Think about what it is you enjoy about volunteering, then provide that same opportunity to others.
On Tue, Aug 5, 2025 at 5:04 AM Geoff Smart via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
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 _______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...
I ran volunteer orientation for a few years at bike farm in Portland, Oregon. these are my take aways.
Ultimately, I only anticipated 10-20% of volunteers would become regulars within the space and challenged them to prove me wrong. As long as you turn that small subset into regulars, you’ve done your job.
I started every volunteer orientation with introductions and asking them why they wanted to volunteer with bike farm. It’s a fun way to get them talking, understand their motivation, directly address how they are in the right place and explain what differentiates our space by relating to them through my personal experience. If possible, I tried to have another volunteer support me to provide a contrasting/supporting perspective.
After waking them through the organizational structure I introduced them to every volunteer/staff member in the building and toured the space. This is to help them build connections within the organization and feel comfortable navigating the space. Additionally, I can’t be a friend to every new volunteer and I’m definitely not the best fit as a friend for every new volunteer but it’s very likely that if I can get them to connect with another established person in the space that they will feel more comfortable and want to return. The room is typically prepared to receive them and regularly interjects during the orientation to share their perspective and open the door to further communication. I have found that most people just want to volunteer to be part of a community and are drawn together by a mutual sense of purpose and interest in bikes, so my job is mostly just community building. Fostering connections is what makes the space compelling to return to. If all they care about is building technical skill, introduce them to that equivalent person in the org since you know who that is and they don’t.
I also used social media (IG) to highlight the fun we were having on shifts online. This was always referenced as a hook for why people showed up to volunteer orientation, they just thought it looked like a good time and wanted to join in.
Good luck out there!
Alison
On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 9:39 PM Luke Box via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
Make them useful ASAP. Teach them something, then give them a task to apply what they've learned. The reason people volunteer to teach people, isn't to teach people. They teach people, because it feels good to be useful. Focus less on what it is you're teaching and how you teach it, and more on providing volunteers an opportunity to put themselves to work. Challenge people and put them in situations where they're encouraged and allowed to make mistakes. Think about what it is you enjoy about volunteering, then provide that same opportunity to others.
On Tue, Aug 5, 2025 at 5:04 AM Geoff Smart via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
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 https://www.google.com/maps/search/525+Williamstown+Rd+Port+Melbourne+3207?entry=gmail&source=g back2bikes.org.au _______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...
TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...
Hello from Bike Edmonton,
This is also a challenge for us. A big frustration, honestly. I think it’s pretty common at most shops, and it’s just not realistic to expect that most people who do orientations will follow through and become usefully involved.
Still, we’ve tried to improve things over time and have made some headway. Here’s some observations:
Seconding Alison, community is the main motivator. People who want to help the community and be part of a community tend to stick around. People who just want to learn technical repair skills rarely do. So fostering community is essential. We’re often very busy and it’s easy to ignore the needs of new volunteers but you’ve got to make sure they feel like part of a team right of the bat.
Usefulness is also key. I used to be a lot softer at assigning tasks (“well you could roll some tubes if you feel like it” etc) and have found it’s much better to directly ask someone to do something and explain why it’s a job that matters. Keep people busy. Make them leave feeling they accomplished something that needed doing.
Be very frank about expectations before and during orientations. You want to make sure people know what they are getting into. Don’t just focus on the fun parts, or downplay things you require (minimum time commitment, etc). You don’t want to waste your time or theirs. You can also tell them what they can expect from the organization (discounts, helping people out, learning, being treated with respect etc).
On a similar note, treat the volunteer role like it’s a job. Obviously it’s different than a paid job but approaching it like a job helps communicate the value they provide volunteering and speaks to the importance of the services you provide the community.
Follow up with people. Email them or talk to them personally a few times after they’ve started volunteering. Ask how it’s going, jf there’s anything they are most excited to learn or do, etc.
Lastly, enable volunteers as much as possible. We have staff and I am glad for it but you don’t want volunteers to think can’t take initiative. Tell them to tell you if they have suggestions or want to take on a project etc.
We def don’t do all this stuff well all the time but it helps if you can.
*Alex Hindle* Downtown Community Shop Manager Bike Edmonton https://bikeedmonton.ca/ 780-433-2453 ext 903 Bike Edmonton Downtown Shop • 10612 105 Ave
@bikeedmonton https://twitter.com/bikeedmontonfacebook.com/BikeEdmonton https://www.facebook.com/BikeEdmonton
[image: Bike Edmonton] https://bikeedmonton.ca/
On Thu, Aug 7, 2025 at 8:04 AM Alison Percifield via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
I ran volunteer orientation for a few years at bike farm in Portland, Oregon. these are my take aways.
Ultimately, I only anticipated 10-20% of volunteers would become regulars within the space and challenged them to prove me wrong. As long as you turn that small subset into regulars, you’ve done your job.
I started every volunteer orientation with introductions and asking them why they wanted to volunteer with bike farm. It’s a fun way to get them talking, understand their motivation, directly address how they are in the right place and explain what differentiates our space by relating to them through my personal experience. If possible, I tried to have another volunteer support me to provide a contrasting/supporting perspective.
After waking them through the organizational structure I introduced them to every volunteer/staff member in the building and toured the space. This is to help them build connections within the organization and feel comfortable navigating the space. Additionally, I can’t be a friend to every new volunteer and I’m definitely not the best fit as a friend for every new volunteer but it’s very likely that if I can get them to connect with another established person in the space that they will feel more comfortable and want to return. The room is typically prepared to receive them and regularly interjects during the orientation to share their perspective and open the door to further communication. I have found that most people just want to volunteer to be part of a community and are drawn together by a mutual sense of purpose and interest in bikes, so my job is mostly just community building. Fostering connections is what makes the space compelling to return to. If all they care about is building technical skill, introduce them to that equivalent person in the org since you know who that is and they don’t.
I also used social media (IG) to highlight the fun we were having on shifts online. This was always referenced as a hook for why people showed up to volunteer orientation, they just thought it looked like a good time and wanted to join in.
Good luck out there!
Alison
On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 9:39 PM Luke Box via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
Make them useful ASAP. Teach them something, then give them a task to apply what they've learned. The reason people volunteer to teach people, isn't to teach people. They teach people, because it feels good to be useful. Focus less on what it is you're teaching and how you teach it, and more on providing volunteers an opportunity to put themselves to work. Challenge people and put them in situations where they're encouraged and allowed to make mistakes. Think about what it is you enjoy about volunteering, then provide that same opportunity to others.
On Tue, Aug 5, 2025 at 5:04 AM Geoff Smart via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
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 https://www.google.com/maps/search/525+Williamstown+Rd+Port+Melbourne+3207?entry=gmail&source=g back2bikes.org.au _______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...
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Geoff:
Volunteer retention is a very common problem among nonprofit organizations. There is an enormous pool of potential volunteers out there, but in spite of your best efforts you just can't seem to net many of them: they just slip through your fingers. Why aren't these new volunteers as excited as you are about working on bicycles?
Years ago I attended a very compelling session on the topic of volunteer retention, at Bike! Bike! Los Angeles. My takeaway was that if you want to retain volunteers, you have to understand why they have chosen to volunteer. As different people volunteer for different reasons, you have to understand and address each of their individual needs.
For example, people who show up on their own often are there to make new friends. People who come in groups organized by an employer might generally be there to get time off of work or gain favor with the boss rather than to repair bicycles.
In some shops a group of new volunteers shows up in the morning and is immediately put to work. Other shops require new volunteers to endure an official orientation session where all of the shop procedures are explained in detail. How do you onboard new volunteers?
I like Alison's technique of asking volunteers what motivated them to volunteer. All of your regular shop volunteers should think of themselves not as bike mechanics, but rather as recruiters building a cult centered on bicycles. Ask new volunteers why they are there, and try your best to deliver what they want.
Even among people who have a passion for donating their labor in service to others, there are different aptitudes and skill levels. Some have never held a wrench. Others already know a lot from repairing their own bicycles at home. Onboarding new volunteers requires specific personal attention. If you walk everyone through the same basics, some in the audience are going to be bored out of their minds, while others will be in over their heads.
My own feeling is that a 1-hour induction program is overkill. Most people like to be doing things rather than being told things. Depending on how it is delivered, having to sit through one hour of talk could suck all the positive spirit out of even the most ardent volunteer, as you drone on about mission statements, shop policies, etc.
My preference is to start out the day with just a few brief remarks on your mission as an organization. Then I like to pair up new volunteers with veteran bike mechanics for some small group hands-on work. Show someone how to do something new, and let them try for themselves. Make them feel useful and valued. All your new volunteers can reassemble, perhaps at a meal or break time, for additional brief lectures about shop organization and procedures.
It may not be clear to you, but not everyone has the talent to successfully onboard new volunteers and convert them into valued regular volunteers. This task requires knowledge about bicycles, but also important people skills and enthusiasm. While successful onboarding is a responsibility for the entire shop, the person you choose to lead this vital activity is crucial to your shop's success in growing its volunteer base. You need to be very conscious of this, and carefully select/train people to create a successful onboarding program.
One simple yet effective technique is that when a new volunteer leaves the shop at the end of the day, have a greeter interact with them. Thank them for coming. Ask them about their experience, and whether it met their expectations. Tell them how happy you are that they came to volunteer, and that you hope they will return at the next volunteer event. Bonus points if you can call them by name, but you can make it easier by providing name tags.
I am a big believer in metrics and surveys. You can't know how well you are going at onboarding, without having a way to measure your success or failure rate. Ask every new volunteer to sign in with their name and contact information (phone number, email, or mailing address). In addition, ask every returning volunteer to sign in and record the number of hours they volunteered. Periodically, someone looks at this information to determine the number of new volunteers who ever returned for a second or third time.
You should also poll your own existing volunteer base. Ask your regular volunteers what drew them to your shop, and what made them return. If a new volunteer returns several times, ask them what they liked, and how you can improve the onboarding experience. If a new volunteer only comes once or twice and then stops, reach out to them to ask them about their experience, and why they haven't returned. It helps to have many specific questions regarding various aspects of the onboarding experience, to help people understand what you are getting at and how to organize their feedback, versus asking, "Well, what do you think?"
I'd like to contribute that it isn't always about bicycles!
Our type of community organization exists at the intersection of a lot of endeavors; ecological, social, educational, political, educational - not just transportation and recreation.
So identifying how your prospective volunteers have been inspired, and how you can frame some of your functions as directly connected to their passions, can help with adhesion. It's a relatively narrow window of people who simply love bicycles and cycling. Tapping into broader commitments can help.
If they have a real, personal mission, drill down for them to how they can serve it effectively with you. If, of course, you have functions relevant to them. We're all different! Not all orgs will be right for all volunteers.
~ cyclista Nicholas
My volunteering has fallen recently due to traveling and age, but Gordon’s comments caused me to reflect. When I first went to Third Hand Bike Co-Op 15 years ago, I wanted to learn more about bikes. But it was an unexpected warm personal interaction that caused me to come back. Don’t let new volunteers get out the door without getting to know them a bit and giving them a smile.
Tom Harrison Hoping to volunteer again at Third Hand Bike Co-Op, Columbus
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 20, 2025, at 01:38, cyclista--- via TheThinkTank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org wrote:
I'd like to contribute that it isn't always about bicycles!
Our type of community organization exists at the intersection of a lot of endeavors; ecological, social, educational, political, educational - not just transportation and recreation.
So identifying how your prospective volunteers have been inspired, and how you can frame some of your functions as directly connected to their passions, can help with adhesion. It's a relatively narrow window of people who simply love bicycles and cycling. Tapping into broader commitments can help.
If they have a real, personal mission, drill down for them to how they can serve it effectively with you. If, of course, you have functions relevant to them. We're all different! Not all orgs will be right for all volunteers.
~ cyclista Nicholas_______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...
I think an orientation is crucial to both creating the volunteer culture you are hoping to create and setting volunteers for success- both re: social aspect + building skills. Here is the outline we use at Bikes Together- please feel free to use and share! Lots of hands on and interactive parts throughout the orientation.
While I can't say this has led to more volunteers (still many folks don't come back), all of our consistent volunteers were oriented in some way when they first started.
On Sat, Sep 20, 2025 at 6:35 AM tom harrison via TheThinkTank < thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
My volunteering has fallen recently due to traveling and age, but Gordon’s comments caused me to reflect. When I first went to Third Hand Bike Co-Op 15 years ago, I wanted to learn more about bikes. But it was an unexpected warm personal interaction that caused me to come back. Don’t let new volunteers get out the door without getting to know them a bit and giving them a smile.
Tom Harrison Hoping to volunteer again at Third Hand Bike Co-Op, Columbus
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 20, 2025, at 01:38, cyclista--- via TheThinkTank <
thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
I'd like to contribute that it isn't always about bicycles!
Our type of community organization exists at the intersection of a lot
of endeavors; ecological, social, educational, political, educational - not just transportation and recreation.
So identifying how your prospective volunteers have been inspired, and
how you can frame some of your functions as directly connected to their passions, can help with adhesion. It's a relatively narrow window of people who simply love bicycles and cycling. Tapping into broader commitments can help.
If they have a real, personal mission, drill down for them to how they
can serve it effectively with you. If, of course, you have functions relevant to them. We're all different! Not all orgs will be right for all volunteers.
~ cyclista Nicholas_______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to
thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol... _______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...
Hi All,
Thank you all for your perspectives. Gordon, thanks particularly for your detailed analysis. We are working through all the input we have received and we are already implementing some of your ideas. It’s interesting that you have bought up some suggestions that we implemented in the past but fell away during Covid and weren’t reinstated again.
Thanks again
Geoff Smart
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
participants (9)
-
Alex Hindle -
Alison Percifield -
Bob Giordano -
cyclista＠inventati.org -
Geoff Smart -
Gordon Hamachi -
Luke Box -
Molly Delandsheer -
tom harrison