1. Ask volunteers to bring their own water bottle. Event must supply readily available water refill stations for this to be effective. (Saves $$)

2. Talk to your volunteer t-shirt vendors. Shirts made of recycled and bio-degradable materials are now readily available.

3. Go paperless. Volunteers can register online. (Saves $$ and time.)

4. Eliminate snail mail. Confirm volunteer schedules automatically online. Send waivers, maps and updates by e-mail. Most online registration systems have these features. (Saves $$ and time.)

5. Recycle volunteer credentials.

6. Create volunteer t-shirts that will be re-worn because they are clever and fit right! (Great event promo!)

• The Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati has volunteer t-shirts are coveted. The printing is basic. They simply say “the Grunt Squad”.
• No too tight or baby tees. Not a good look on the majority of the population.
• Tight supply? Have a t-shirt trading table. If shirts don’t fit request a trade by size.

7. Set up volunteer car or shuttle pools online.

8. Establish a beautification program with the neighborhood surrounding the event facility. In the weeks prior to your event have volunteers plant trees, bushes or flowers. Ask the neighbors to join in and help with picking up trash. (Community spirit!)

9. Bring in fresh food for the volunteers. Ask vendors to eliminate wrappings and packaging as much as possible. (Healthy!)

10. Ask volunteers to help keep electricity use to what is required. Turn off lights when not needed.

Get your staff, sponsors and volunteers involved.
Ask for ideas on how to make your site/event more green!

The above recommendations are part of an article for an International Festival & Event Association magazine article, Volunteer Management Best Practices: Going Green (Part 4). The article was authored and owned by Florence May, President of TRS.

Managing Volunteers (PDF)
Entire IFEA magazine article (Volume 21 – Issue 2)

Credit: As published by the International Festivals & Events Association in “ie” magazine – Volume 21, Issue 2.

Volunteer Management Best Practices (PDF)
Entire IFEA magazine article (Volume 21 – Issue 1)

Credit: As published by the International Festivals & Events Association in “ie” magazine – Volume 21, Issue 1.

Based in Indianapolis, TRS — with five full-time employees plus the support of a technical team (which is a separate company) — was originally founded as an event planning agency. “We needed a volunteer management software system and realized we couldn’t buy anything that worked right so we partnered with a custom software company and created the system that is now called TRS,” said Matt Judge, TRS sales manager.

Both Judge and TRS‘s president are avid runners and one of the primary reasons they joined Running USA was that running events use a lot of volunteers and TRS is the premier management software. Said Judge, “It is a natural fit for us. Our relationship with the One America Indy Mini-Marathon has been such a success that we felt that we could replicate this success with other running events. Our system is flexible and customizable, which is different from everything else on the market and TRS is backed up by world-class customer service at no extra charge.”

One of the main benefits that TRS utilizes is the Running USA membership list which they access through their member login on the Running USA website and contact members directly. “We have used this to get clients. For instance Team Ortho has moved its volunteer management system to TRS,” said Judge.
Judge reads every word of the weekly Running USA Industry E-News and says, “It helps me have intelligent conversations with people in the industry.”

This was the first year TRS attended Running USA’s Annual Conference and it was “a home run,” according to Judge. “The conference was enormously valuable to us. It helped introduce TRS to dozens of running event organizers who had never heard of us. We almost immediately signed a new client, and we have advanced discussions going with more than a dozen event organizers to utilize our volunteer management software. We plan to take at least two or three people to conference in 2011.”

Source: Running USA

Have you completed the Volunteer Management Assessment?   If not please download the Volunteer Management Assessment questions list and consider the fundamentals of your program. (PDF)

On completion of the assessment tool, you have the opportunity to prioritize the strengths and weaknesses of your volunteer program.  The compilation of  √s, ?s,  Xs, and !!s  will lead you to an action plan for shoring up any weak spots.  Finalize your assessment by asking:

• Have I defined and communicated key volunteer management policies and procedures?
• Do I have opportunities to reduce and eliminate problem or potential risk areas?
• Did I identify tools for achieving continuous improvement?
• Are there items for corrective action?
• Can I highlight areas of good practice?

Volunteers can be your greatest event assets. Prepare to get the best return on your volunteer investment!!

Scenario: High no show rate. Trouble recruiting new volunteers.

Scenario: High no return rate. Volunteers come once and don’t return the next year.

The evaluation of your volunteer program should include feedback from leaders and front line volunteers.

Wrap up sessions should take place while the event recollections are still fresh in everyone’s minds. This objective discussion should include key staff and volunteer leaders. The volunteer operations and logistics wrap up is a review of what went right, what can be improved and recommendations.

Your front line volunteers may participate in simple on-site surveys for immediate input. Anonymous electronic surveys can provide valuable feedback from your team leaders and your front line volunteers. Electronic surveys can be automatically set up to tabulate results. Test a free option like SurveyMonkey.com.

Do you survey your volunteers? Share your great survey suggestions.

Next article in this series:
Volunteer Management Assessment: Conclusion/Questions

Scenario: The volunteer provides contact information online but is not able to select her own jobs or shifts. She voices frustration to friends about the wasted time making multiple calls to coordinate with the volunteer manager.

Scenario: The volunteer manager does not require e-mail contact information for all volunteer. Gas line blows up under volunteer parking garage. She is unable to communicate timely schedule changes or emergency information with event volunteers.

Most large events require a high number of X and Y generation (40s and younger) volunteers who are relatively energetic, mobile and technically savvy. In our busy lives, online registration is an expectation for the X and Y generations. Online registration allows 24/7 access for the volunteer wants to manage his/her own volunteer account by registering for preferred jobs and shift times.

Online volunteer registration also answers the challenge of fewer staff and tight budgets. These registration tools decreases administrative work by 50-75% percent allowing volunteer managers to substantially increase their productivity while also substantially reducing mail and phone costs.

Have you moved to online registration from collecting data by phone, e-mail and mail?  What online functions have improved your productivity?

Next articles in this series:
Volunteer Management Assessment: Evaluation
Volunteer Management Assessment: Conclusion/Questions

Scenario: A volunteer shows up for duty with an infant and a small pet dog. The dog bites a child at the event.

Scenario: Volunteer driver is hit while driving an event car. The driver of the second car is uninsured and to make matters worse the volunteer’s driver license is expired.

The scenarios, described above, are all based on real events. In every instance proper preventive measures were not taken. The volunteer was not given a dress code specifying closed toe shoes. Volunteers were not screened in advance for sensitive positions. Volunteers were told to assist guests in finding accommodations. Driver licenses were not checked during training.

Risk control is like an umbrella in the rain. The umbrella prevents you from getting wet, cold and potentially sick. Proper risk control can protect your organization, sponsors and affiliates from unnecessary liability.

Job perils, site concerns and basic security precautions are important risk elements to address starting in the registration process and on the volunteer waiver. Risk concerns should be reinforced in the volunteer handbook and training.

Event managers still need to have insurance for the worst case scenario. Contrary to popular beliefs, all event volunteers are not covered by personal homeowners and motor vehicle insurance.  

Waivers gone wrong? Event insurance nightmare? Do you have a risk management tip to share?

Next articles in this series:
Volunteer Management Assessment: Volunteer Management Technology
Volunteer Management Assessment: Evaluation
Volunteer Management Assessment: Conclusion/Questions

Scenario: The majority of volunteers are only interested in attending the event concert at no cost. They work as little as possible and leave as soon as they’ve “earned” their tickets.

Scenario: A fair skinned young volunteer is left alone at a remote entrance gate with no shade, sunscreen, break or water for four hours in the boiling sun.

The top responsibility of the volunteer manger is to get volunteers who are truly helpful and productive. Unfortunately many volunteer programs operate under the short term aim of recruiting the most volunteers possible simply to fill slots. The pursuit of sheer more ”arms and legs” tends to be poor use of organizational resources. Organizations who recruit without an emphasis on job specifics (e.g. skills, restrictions, schedules) will spend more time managing volunteers who are poorly suited for the assigned job.

The best approach is to recruit volunteers who match your pre-defined organizational needs. After all the goal is to form a long mutually beneficial relationship. It is critical to clearly define and communicate job requirements (e.g. technical skills, beverage server’s license) and expectations (e.g. friendly, mobile, flexible, works well in high stress situations) if you expect to recruit the right people to advance your mission.

Some volunteers will be patient with “seat warmer” positions but younger volunteers will be more interested in jobs that make an impact and assist guests directly. Younger volunteers also are most likely to expect maximized use of their time and talents. You might be surprised at who jumps at the opportunity when you advertise ”the toughest” volunteer job.  

Talented volunteer mangers will marry a volunteer’s skills, interests, capabilities and availability with specific event needs for the most effective utilization of organizational resources. Please share your tips for creating realistic (and fun) volunteer job descriptions.

Next articles in this series:
Volunteer Management Assessment: Adequate Risk Controls
Volunteer Management Assessment: Volunteer Management Technology
Volunteer Management Assessment: Evaluation
Volunteer Management Assessment: Conclusion/Questions

Scenario: A new event volunteer is trying to assist event participants but gives incorrect directions.

Scenario: A volunteer is unclear on his duties. He would like to check with a team leader but has not been introduced to anyone who appears to be in charge.

Scenario: A volunteer team leader is asked about the title event sponsor by a guest. The volunteer has no idea what service the title sponsor provides.

These situations are strong indications of poor preparation by the volunteer manager and supporting team leaders.

Good training sets the stage for volunteer confidence, competence and camaraderie. This training should be comparable to an employee job orientation with a lot of enthusiasm. 

The distribution of volunteer guidelines, shirts and waivers are often the drivers for conducting training. Newcomers need to be instructed on job specifics and formally welcomed to their team. This is also prime time to update all volunteers on lessons learned from the previous year and to emphasize the standard operating procedures outlined in their volunteer guidelines. 

Team leaders and veteran volunteers have the opportunity to share job tips, safety precautions and their enthusiasm with newcomers. The volunteer training program is often the first impression of your organization and sets the tone for the overall volunteer experience.

Good organization never goes out of style but the age of your volunteers will impact the training presentation. The more mature volunteers of the Boomer and Veteran generations will often look for clearly structured management and specific directions. Generation X and Y volunteers (Mid 40s to teens) will seek additional information that gives them “event insider” status and a sense of job ownership.

Make the most of your opportunity to create a well orchestrated team atmosphere with a motivational training program. Please share your volunteer training ideas. What makes your training a hit?

Next articles in this series:
Volunteer Management Assessment: Realistic Job Descriptions
Volunteer Management Assessment: Adequate Risk Controls
Volunteer Management Assessment: Volunteer Management Technology
Volunteer Management Assessment: Evaluation
Volunteer Management Assessment: Conclusion/Questions

While the event staff is working hard behind the scenes, your event guests will receive “help” from the mouths and hands of front line volunteers. Ironically, the public face of your event is the very group of people who spend the shortest amount of time each year with your operation.

How do you ensure that your volunteer program is properly positioned to support your event while simultaneously developing volunteers who can meet super human expectations?

The following article and questionnaire provides the opportunity for an internal assessment of your event volunteer management system. Event managers typically have solid measurements for success in publicity, sponsorship and ticket sales; however, assessing volunteer management programs may seem less tangible.

The success of a good volunteer program involves the same key elements of managing full time employees. We will explore the importance of training, defining job responsibilities, risk controls, scheduling, communications and evaluations… all with consideration to tremendous generational differences that add a complicated dimension to volunteer management in 2010.

Are you ready for prime time?  Download the Volunteer Management Assessment questions list to test your readiness. (PDF)

Here are the upcoming parts in this series of articles:
(links will be added as the articles become available)

Volunteer Management Assessment: Proper Volunteer Training
Volunteer Management Assessment: Realistic Job Descriptions
Volunteer Management Assessment: Adequate Risk Controls
Volunteer Management Assessment: Volunteer Management Technology
Volunteer Management Assessment: Evaluation
Volunteer Management Assessment: Conclusion/Questions

Please post any questions or comments below.

DID YOU KNOW?
TRS offers many credit card processing options for online registration. The funds are deposited directly into your bank account.

EVENT INDUSTRY NEWS
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, a long-time TRS client for volunteer management, was a sell-out for the 13th straight year in 2009.

SOMETHING YOU CAN USE
Rumors persist that US cell phone companies plan to sell their customer lists to telemarketers. In case that day comes, you can be ready now.

(888) 382-1222 is the NATIONAL DO NOT CALL list. Call it from your cell phone or land line to be included on the no-call list. You must call from the number you wish to protect. The entire process takes less than one minute and it blocks telemarketing calls for five years.

We wish you an enjoyable and productive week.

TRS is customized online registration for the best-run events.
Conferences · Exhibitors · Fundraisers · Meetings · Sports · Tickets · Tours · Training · Volunteers · Vendors

Topic Summary. It is time to remake the volunteer management model to deal with reality: life moves fast, people have unlimited options as to how they spend their time, technology is an omnipresent force, and many aspects of the American culture work against building a sense of community. This session will address why: effective communication by the volunteer manager is essential; volunteers need to know they are valued and have something real to contribute; volunteer managers need to embrace the technology tools available to them; and to establish a loyal community of volunteers, it is vital to build long-term relationships to overcome the centrifugal forces of modern life.

A few TRS race management clients include: 500 Festival’s One America Mini-Marathon, Kentucky Derby Festival, Rock n Roll Marathon Host Committees in San Antonio and Seattle.

TRS is customizable online registration. It was developed by professional event managers and is used to register, manage and stay in contact with large numbers of participants at leading events across North America. TRS is headquartered in Indianapolis and provides customer service with technical support from its US offices.

Company President Florence May said the software system and service team are capable of supporting events the magnitude of the Super Bowl.

“Our experience working on the 2009 Tampa Bay Super Bowl, nine NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Golf Tournament and the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is invaluable,” May said, noting that TRS users manage “a few hundred to many thousands of registrants.”

Event managers use TRS online registration for purposes beyond volunteer needs, including conferences, fundraisers and ticket sales. In 2009, the TRS software was translated to accommodate the first European event clients.

“We know of no other online registration tool with multi-lingual capabilities for both registrants and administrators,” May said.

“We work with the best event managers in North America.” May said. “The Super Bowl host committees are extraordinary clients who have high standards and demand excellence from their suppliers,” she said.

The first TRS European registration site, in French and Flemish, will go live in September 2009 for a Belgian client managing corporate workshops.

Others will follow soon after in additional languages.

Customer service and technical support will continue from the company’s headquarters in Indianapolis.

TRS was created by event management agency Simply Hospitality. It is designed to gather and manage registrant data using the mindset of a professional event planner.

It was created in 2001 to manage the more than 1000 multi-lingual volunteers for the US Grand Prix (Formula One race) in Indianapolis and is now used by hundreds of the best-run events across North America and beyond.

TRS is used for online registration, management and contact for conferences, volunteer needs, ticket sales, tours, festivals, and events of all types.

For more information, visit TRS

Source: Conworld.net

Click here for the link to the Running USA website

CHALLENGE ONE: Define your needs so potential volunteers know you are organized and prepared for them to get to work. Find the right volunteers by asking the right questions!

• How many volunteers are needed?
• When do we need them?
• What tasks will they perform?
• What skills or qualifications are needed?
• Who are our ideal candidates?
• Who should be involved in helping screening them?
• How do we ensure a diverse group of volunteers? [1]
• Is there someone who would be a great team leader?
• What is the outcome of this volunteer opportunity?
• How does this volunteer job improve or enrich lives?

CHALLENGE TWO: Use the web to communicate volunteer opportunities and share experiences.

In today’s technological world reaching out to the people you want is much easier than just a few years ago. There are tremendous opportunities to utilize social mediums such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to create volunteer networks and share group experiences.

There are also new and different ways to reach out to individuals through free online volunteer recruitment resources such as:

Global:
www.idealist.org
www.volunteermatch.org

National:
www.businessvolunteers.org

Canadian:
www.Charityvillage.org

These volunteer match sites have a variety of global and local purposes for outreach and awareness. They allow willing volunteers to find opportunities in a context that interests them. Matching sites also have the potential to bring together different people from varying socio-economic backgrounds, races, gender and age to make a stronger community of volunteers. These sites also allow you as a volunteer coordinator to target your search by utilizing the online fields to sort through requirements, skills and other important qualities in the people you’re bringing on board.

CHALLENGE THREE: Look to Schools

You may also wish to consider students. Most students are required to commit volunteer hours to a cause that interests them. Consider contacting local colleges and high schools to connect with programs that are linked with your particular needs. Often students are looking for opportunities to expand their resumes through internships and volunteer opportunities. You may look in the hospitality & tourism, event specific major, sports management, language departments, computer sciences, and social services departments.

CHALLENGE FOUR: Learn more about the motivations of volunteers on a generational basis.

These are some simple and inexpensive ways to expand your volunteer pool in an efficient manner. To learn more consider these two great books on Volunteer Recruitment and Retention:

1) Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow, Jill Friedman Fixler and Sandie Eichberg with Gail Lorenz, CVA

2) The New Breed : Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer, Jonathon and Thomas McKee

Those who are underemployed or unemployed can become willing workers. They are redefining volunteerism as a means to network, using their time to find a new career path and boosting their resumes. The under or unemployed may bring new talents including technical, language, financial, marketing and artistic skills to the volunteer world.

You may also find volunteers with tremendous leadership and organizational backgrounds who are looking for the right opportunity to showcase their strengths. These may be the perfect people to place as committee chairs, team leaders or in other management roles. Keep in mind that it is important to understand that these strong candidates may want to focus on short-term projects, recognize that the uncertainties of 2009 may not allow them to make long-term commitments.

Of course rotating and bringing in new committee members should always be your goal regardless of the economic situation. Keeping a diversified committee allows you to keep a varied volunteer body. A 5% turnover rate is healthy and brings new ideas to your organization.

Look for opportunities to expand your volunteer pool with new talent and you may come out of the economic downturn with a stronger organization.

Tips

• Don’t post too much. While it’s true you want to stay in communication with your followers, posting too much will cause some to get annoyed and stop following you. If you find yourself needing to post continuous updates from a meeting or event, it might be worth opening a separate twitter account or use a live blogging service. (ScribbleLive / Cover It Live)
• Use a URL shortening service that offers statistics. (bit.ly, tr.im) This will allow you to see how many times your link is getting clicked and various stats about your visitors.
• Use one of the tools listed below to create custom searches for your company/organization name, industry keywords, and your competitors.
• Create a profile on the Twitter Yellow Pages and use it to see who else is in your area and industry.
• Integrate a Twitter badge and logo into your company/organization’s website.
• Read the Twitter 101 business guide for some excellent information and case studies on how other businesses are successfully using Twitter.

Tools

Most people think of Twitter as a website that you visit to interact with your followers. However, a more useful way to connect with Twitter is to use a Twitter application on your computer or phone. While their features vary, these applications let you perform searches, put your friends and followers in groups, and post updates directly from your cell phone. Listed below are some of the more popular and useful applications split into their respective categories: Browser Plug-Ins, Web-Based, Desktop Applications, and Mobile Applications.

Browser plug-ins
TwitterFox (Firefox) – If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time with your web browser opened on the screen. The TwitterFox plug-in puts a small icon on the right side of the status bar.  When a new tweet comes in, it puts a number next to the icon to show how many updates there are. The nice thing about TwitterFox is you can reply to a message or post a brand new message right in the plug-in. It is the most popular browser plug-in out there right now.

YooNo (Firefox) – This is a sidebar that lets you track not only your Twitter friends, but also your Facebook, Myspace, Flickr and other social networking feeds all within one client. If you deal with multiple social networking systems, this is the plug-in for you.

Web-Based Applications
HootSuite – This application runs in your web browser and has quite a few features. It is geared towards businesses as it has a feature to control which employees get access to post with the company twitter account. It also has features to group certain twitter users, create custom searches, as well as provide some nice statistics on your tweets. You can also setup tweets to be scheduled to send at a later date. Check out the Hootsuite tour video for more information.

Desktop Applications
Digsby (Windows) – This application is more of an instant messaging client but also integrates several social networking sites in as well. If you have friends on various IM networks like AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk as well as on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and LinkedIn, this is application that you need. Did I mention it’s totally free?

TweetDeck (Windows / Mac / Linux) – One of the most popular desktop Twitter applications is TweetDeck. The layout is formatted in columns and can be fully customized. You can also create groups to organize large lists of people you are following. The search feature in TweetDeck will create a column for the phrase you enter so you can keep an eye on tweets that match your search terms. It’s still a beta product, but it’s been out for awhile and is one of the best desktop applications out there.

Seesmic Desktop (Windows / Mac / Linux) – This is very similar to TweetDeck, but check out the review from Mashable.com for an in-depth comparison between TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop.

Mobile Applications
Tweetie (iPhone) – This one will cost you a few bucks ($2.99), but it is currently one of the most popular Twitter apps for the iPhone. It does the usual updates on your followers, @ replies, and direct messages but also has a few other features. The nearby feature uses the built-in GPS to find recent tweets from your location. You can also create your own searches and save them for future use. The big feature with this app is you can enter multiple twitter accounts and switch between them without having to enter your username/password each time.

TwitterFon (iPhone) – They have two different versions, but the free one should suffice for most people. This app is very similar to Tweetie, though the free version lacks multiple account features. The interface is very clean and is a really useful client. The free version is supported by ads, but if that bothers you then you can buy the pro version at $4.99.

TweetDeck (iPhone) – If you use the desktop version of TweetDeck, then you will probably want to use this app for your iPhone. The big feature with this is you can sync your iPhone with the settings you have on the desktop version. It looks and operates pretty close to the desktop version.

TwitterBerry (Blackberry)

UberTwitter (Blackberry)

Twikini (Windows Mobile)

PockeTwit (Windows Mobile)

Hopefully this three part series on Twitter will help you communicate better and attract more volunteers or participants to your event. If you have any comments or questions, please post them below. Thanks!