The Mature Manager of Volunteers Emerges:
Guiding a Volunteer Through Change
By Susan Moscareillo, CVM
Director of Volunteer Services and Community Relations
Baltimore Ronald McDonald House
August 15th, 2004

You have spent years expanding your department of volunteer services, adding programs and positions, staffing and training new volunteers, and something has happened that you never dreamed would occur.

A volunteer position, due to the healthy financial growth of your agency, no longer merits full-time status. Yes, after years of growing, you have to cut back a volunteer’s hours.

There simply is not enough work to do for him to do . Week after week, you notice the volunteer is bored, wandering around the office with a cup of coffee in hand, telling bad jokes to paid staff members. He reads the paper front to back. He yawns.

You know his volunteer work with your agency is a vital part of his weekly routine. The contributions of the volunteer over the years have been meaningful and important.

It begins to nag at you that if you are going to direct your program in an honest, authentic way, you are going to have to do something to improve this situation for everyone involved.

You’re uncomfortable with this prospect because this is unfamiliar territory for you and we human beings don’t like to be uncomfortable.

But we can learn from uncomfortable situations and grow as managers. So how can you handle this situation without hurting the feelings of the volunteer and possibly lose him completely?

The following scenario comes into play only if re-assignment to another volunteer position is not a possibility. If your volunteer likes what he does, has limited skills, a fixed time availability to volunteer, or prefers the comfort zone of the familiar rather than learn something new, then there is no choice but to reduce his hours.

Please plan this meeting with careful forethought. Schedule your meeting with your volunteer in a face-to-face, physically comfortable setting. Do not create an authoritative atmosphere by sitting behind your desk -- sit next to your volunteer or in a proximate space.

Don’t fidget with papers on your lap. Everything you have to discuss should be on your mind, not on pieces of paper -- your volunteer deserves a respectful exchange of thoughts. Make this a discussion between two people who work side by side to fulfill the mission of your agency.

Begin by sharing your perceptions of the situation in an honest, forthright and tactful way -- that you are concerned that there is not enough work to warrant the current number of hours the volunteer is working on site. Offer reasons why you perceive change to be necessary -- be clear and specific and use this opportunity to praise your volunteer for their part in helping the agency grow.

Ask your volunteer to share their thoughts -- what they are feeling and thinking about your observations. Acknowledge what they are saying with verbal affirmations and body language that shows you are interested and listening to them.

If your volunteer shares your perception of the situation (they probably are bored and glad that you brought the situation to light) then offer praise for what they have achieved up to this point and offer positive reinforcement for the continuing potential for more achievement in the future. Use the leadership skills you have been developing as your program’s director to guide the two of you to a comfortable consensus on the course of action.

Assure your volunteer that this is a situation that the two of you can re-evaluate periodically and that no decision is carved in stone.

What if your volunteer seems surprised by your perceptions and states they are content and perfectly happy the way things exist?

Then this meeting will take a little bit longer than you expected.

Ask them to reflect on how the amount and type of work they do has changed over the years. Do your homework before this meeting so you can offer facts that demonstrate your viewpoint -- don’t be caught unprepared here. Remember that the change that needs to be made is part of maintaining the harmony and productivity of your entire staff (paid and volunteer).You’re the director and must see this change through to implementation. Counter lack of understanding or introspection on the part of your volunteer with gentle persistence and positive reinforcement as you guide them to understanding the need for change.

And if the worse case scenario occurs -- if they threaten to quit or do quit -- stay calm. Be reassuring and stay positive. Refuse to accept the resignation. Ask them to give more thought to your discussion when they go home and add that you will call them in a week. Make certain you do call and follow through, even if you anticipate an unpleasant outcome. You must be true to your word.

Regardless of the outcome, make notes about your meeting and place them in the volunteer’s file for future reference.

Barring the worst case scenario, end the meeting on a positive note, offering praise, setting their next work date and agenda of things to accomplish that date.

Inform the rest of the paid staff of the change in work schedule to avoid any insensitive or unknowing comments that might follow the volunteer being away for a week or two.

Your knees may be shaking a bit, your palms might be clammy, but by seeing this change through you have benefited your program, relieved the boredom of a valuable volunteer (and given them a gift of time to possibly pursue a new interest) and matured as a manager.