Introduction
Volunteering is common in the contemporary world whereby individuals offer their time and efforts for a good cause. Usually, volunteers do not get monetary rewards, but they get an opportunity to explore their talents, develop new skills, and have various gainful experiences as they make a difference to other people’s lives. Volunteering helps to save resources, bring people together, and promote personal growth and self-esteem.
Organizations that have financial constraints can also benefit from free services offered by volunteers, thus facilitating operations despite the underlying challenges. Sound leadership is paramount for the implementation of successful volunteering programs since volunteers have to be motivated in a bid to remain enthusiastic in their endeavors (Connors, 2011).
Failure to manage volunteers in an efficient way may lead to understaffing, thus interfering with the execution of an organization’s projects.
This paper will analyze the causes of understaffing and the importance of compatible leadership styles for efficient management and motivation of volunteers at the broadcasting station of the Online University. Additionally, the paper will focus on the various reward systems, communication strategies, and training programs that would alleviate understaffing at the broadcasting station.
Analysis of the causes of understaffing at the Online University
Volunteers are expected to beef up the human resource aspect of an organization. However, factors such as poor office layout, weak leadership or supervision, ineffective communication, working conditions, and interpersonal relationships may cause the volunteers’ resignation.
The departure of a program director and the volunteers at the Online University may have been attributed to the factors mentioned above. This assertion holds because volunteers offer their free services willingly with the aim of creating desirable change to others coupled with benefitting in terms of skills and experience.
The orientation and training of volunteers is a significant aspect of ensuring successful volunteering programs. Volunteers should be well oriented to fit into the values and mission of the organization as their roles are defined (Stevenson, 2013). Failure to conduct effective orientation and training programs to volunteers may have led to the situation of understaffing at the Online University.
Poor orientation may inhibit the compatibility of the organization’s goals with the roles played by volunteers. The training phase is also vital for instilling the roles expected of a volunteer. Poor instructions given to volunteers may trigger the performance of wrong tasks at the broadcast station, thus causing incompatibility of roles with the organization’s mission.
Volunteers need to receive clear communication from the management for the effective execution of tasks (Connors, 2011). In the case of the Online University, online communication platforms such as e-mails could be used to disseminate information to volunteers in a bid to assign tasks and facilitate healthy interaction.
The program director is expected to observe a two-way traffic communication system that enhances the interaction between the volunteers and the management of the broadcasting station. Additionally, the program manager should seek feedback from the volunteers as they enquire about their progress.
Therefore, failure to observe these aspects of communication may have triggered the exit of volunteers from the broadcasting station, thus leading to understaffing.
Successful organizations uphold team building in all departments for streamlined operations. In this sense, interpersonal relationships play an integral part in enhancing synergy among the volunteers and other staff members in the organization.
The program director should have encouraged interpersonal relationships to make the working environment friendly to all the staff members including the volunteers. Poor formal and informal relationships may have caused dissatisfaction among the volunteers, thus forcing them to resign.
Effective leadership styles spearhead the attainment of organizational goals. Factoring in the presence of volunteers within an organization implies that leaders need to pay particular attention to the group since they provide their free services in a bid to create a difference to others as they improve their skills.
Poor organization of activities, poor communication, and lack of the volunteers’ participation in decision-making can make the volunteers feel neglected, thus compromising their performance. In the long-term, this aspect may lead to their resignation due to lack of support from the leaders.
In the broadcasting station’s case, the program director may have lacked essential leadership skills such as communication, creativity, intuitiveness, transformational skills, and respect for volunteers, thus causing their departure.
Importance of a compatible leadership style that would motivate and manage the volunteer staff
The success of an organization is usually credited to effective leadership styles that mobilize resources towards the attainment of the set targets. Managers need to practice a leadership style that cultivates motivation among the members of a particular organization. Therefore, leaders should adopt leadership styles that are compatible with organizational goals.
A leadership style that fosters teamwork is beneficial to both the organization and its members (McCurley & Lynch, 2007). In the case of the Online University, the program director should have employed a leadership style that enhances synergy within the volunteer team. This assertion implies that all volunteers would work together collaboratively in the cause to provide quality services at the broadcast station.
Transformational leadership entails influencing quality team relationships and meaningful work processes, hence affecting volunteer satisfaction. Leaders using this style tend to transform volunteers through interactive processes that have positive implications to their mindsets.
Intellectual stimulation as an element of transformational leadership motivates members to challenge the status quo, hence taking part in problem-solving (Stevenson, 2013). The Online University program director ought to have implemented transformational leadership techniques to enhance the volunteers’ esteem in the provision of their valuable services at the broadcast station.
The Laissez-faire style of leadership allows followers to make intuitive decisions on their own in a bid to reach certain goals. In this case, emphasis should be put on the maintenance of the acceptable norms and values as defined by the organizational culture (McCurley & Lynch, 2007).
This aspect implies that volunteers could work with strategies that work best for them as they observe values such as ethical behaviors and right attitude at the broadcast station. Therefore, the volunteers would initiate working plans bearing in mind that they are responsible for their actions.
Rewards systems
Volunteers need to be motivated to facilitate their commitment to the volunteering program. The Online University’s management could devise systems that seek to reward top performing volunteers to raise their enthusiasm and that of other team members. Consequently, rewarding volunteers would make them stay longer and even attract more individuals to volunteer for the organization (McCurley & Lynch, 2007).
The Online University could provide fees for education or self-improvement programs to deserving volunteers. This move would help them to advance their skills and facilitate personal growth thereby motivating them to deliver quality services.
Recognizing the exceptionally performing volunteers elevates the levels of enthusiasm. A monthly newsletter or an e-mail blast could be used to bring the attention of other team members as a way of showing appreciation.
The names of top performer could be listed so that motivation can crop up amongst the volunteers and other workers. The Online University’s program director could be taking note of dedicated volunteers before awarding them with “Volunteer of the Month” title.
The provision of meals and refreshments can also build the motivation of volunteers during events. Despite the financial constraints that the Online University is experiencing, budgetary allocations could be made for refreshments and meals that would provide energy and induce enthusiasm amongst the volunteers.
According to Connors (2011), volunteers’ free services should at least be boosted by small rewards such as meals and drinks so that they are not drained by their duties.
Volunteers can be given small incentives and tokens of gratitude like the provision of simple gifts or even rental vouchers. Consequently, this aspect would boost their morale since the organization shows appreciation for their efforts. Additionally, ‘thank you’ cards can be sent to volunteers to show gratitude for their continued commitment towards offering their free services to the organization.
Featuring the volunteers’ personal stories on the organization’s blog or website is another effective reward system (McCurley & Lynch, 2007).
The program director can interview the dedicated volunteers personally and publish their inspiring stories on the Online University’s website. In so doing, both the volunteers and the organization benefits, since the former will have a platform to share their experiences, while the organization can attract more volunteers.
Appropriate communication or training program
An effective training program facilitates the volunteers’ commitment to a cause. The Online University’s management team could have devised a curriculum that aims at training volunteers what they need to know about the organization in terms of its mission and vision. Developing a working training curriculum entails the following –
Developing a work plan – The Program director could have selected individuals to be in the training development team and assign tasks to them. Part of the volunteers could be members of the development teams in a bid to provide leadership skills.
Determining tasks and priorities then follows whereby a list of tasks is provided to each volunteer to foster responsibility. Prioritization is essential at this phase so that volunteers can perform urgent tasks in real time. Subsequently, an analysis of the prioritized tasks should be done to determine their accomplishment (Stevenson, 2013).
Structuring the training program should then follow after an analysis of the prioritized tasks is done. This aspect should comprise the modules, topics, a timeframe, and learning objectives. Methods and materials needed for training should then be developed. In the case of the broadcasting, the method of training could be delivered in person or online.
The trainer then prepares training materials that suit the chosen method. An orientation should then be done to trainers in a bid to familiarize them with the method and materials developed for training coupled with how they operate. Piloting and revising the training course should then be done to ensure that weak points are identified and worked on to ensure that the volunteers are satisfied with the training program.
Finally, the course should be presented and evaluated after the revision to ensure that volunteers are learning from the training program. Feedback from evaluation should be taken seriously since it reflects the volunteers’ view of the training programs, which reflects on its success or failure (Stevenson, 2013).
Conclusion
Voluntary services to an organization should be managed properly through effective leadership to boost motivation amongst the volunteers. Fostering enthusiasm through various reward systems is a good way of showing appreciation for the free services.
Failure to provide excellent leadership and reward systems to volunteers could lead to the resignation of volunteers like in the Online University’s broadcast station department that resulted in understaffing. Therefore, an efficient training program is essential for the empowerment and retention of volunteers.
References
Connors, T. (2011). The Volunteer Management Handbook: Leadership Strategies for Success. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
McCurley, S., & Lynch, R. (2007). Keeping Volunteers: A Guide to Retention: The Art of Volunteer Retention. Liverpool, UK: Directory of Social Change.
Stevenson, S. (2013). Volunteer Training Primer: Principles, Procedures and Ideas for Training and Education Volunteer. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.