Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Recruitment & Retention Plan - Coggle Diagram
Recruitment & Retention Plan
What are the challenges?
Changing nature of volunteering (1)
Growing concerns about viability and sustainability of volunteering (1)
Organisations with comparable reputations and activities compete over the same pool of volunteers (1)
Too much volunteering can lead to a decrease in wellbeing - suggesting there is an optimal level of volunteering. Relationship is non-linear though (some studies show increase in hours = greater wellbeing) (1)
About volunteering
Volunteering is positively related to having children and being female, married, more highly educated, healthier, older, retired and unemployed (1)
Volunteering rate peaks at 40% for 36-45 year olds, drops to 20% for 26-35 year olds and 56-65 year olds, with 65+ having a slightly higher participation rate (1)
Volunteering seems to be more prevalent in rural areas - 34% compared with 31% in metro areas (1)
31% of Australian volunteers volunteer with sporting orgs; 21% with welfare and community orgs (1)
Volunteering in sports/hobby and educational orgs mpostly occurs in middle adulthood, potentially related to having children participating in these organisations. Older people mostly volunteer in the welfare and community sector (1)
Men are more likely to volunteer in sports/community orgs; women more likely to in welfare and community orgs (1)
Students are deterred from volunteering by time constraints (68%) but also lack of interest or awareness of volunteering and the inconvenience of it (1)
Young adolescents volunteering in their early teens are more likely to volunteer when they become young adults
Evidence suggests that the leadership pool of grassroots associations is declining (4)
Participation in sport and recreation activities decreased from 74% in 2010 to 70% in 2014 (4)
In SA, the decline in volunteering extends to fewer people volunteering for leadership positions - 17% in 2006 to 14% in 2016 (4)
Leaders of GAs have a range of issues to manage (government imposed regulations; legal obligations; fundraising; training of other volunteers; work related to compliance - these roles are demanding and difficult to recruit for (4)
If fewer people put their hands up to lead GAs, 'oligarchical' leadership can result in leadership being small elites. Less turnover = GAs becoming less democratic over time "founders syndrome" (4)
Long-term demographic change in rural areas (population decline in small towns and an overall increase in the age structure of the rural population(, yet there is an increase in the demand for volunteers to provide both essential and non-essential services. Rural volunteering is at saturation however the demand is expected to grow further (5)
Recent years have seen the introduction of externally imposed formalisation measures aimed at professionalising volunteer organisations. The time required to fulfil these increased reporting, admin and training requirements has placed extra strain on an often dwindling pool of volunteers (5)
There is a mismatch between the growth in preference for episodic or ad-hoc volunteering and the demand of many volunteering roles (5)
Recruitment
Most people join as a volunteer because they were asked or because they knew someone in the org. Few people join because they saw recruitment material in in the media or because they looked for the opportunity themselves; over 5 times more people joined through existing social connections. 70% of emergency service volunteers in NSW joined mostly through existing personal relationships. The 'sponsor' convinced the new recruit by describing the benefits of joining. The high regard of the other person was the foremost reason to consider joining (1)
A decision to join an organisation depends on the perceptions of that volunteering organisation (1)
The reasons for volunteering do not seem to be entirely different for specific groups. There are very few intergenerational differences. Both younger (<35) and older (>35) volunteer to give back to the community and for the content of the volunteer work. Younger volunteers more frequently report career advancement and dealing with own emotions/problems (1)
Motivations can change over time - the reason that prompts someone to volunteer may be different to why they choose to continue to volunteer. A study of sport admins showed that many who reported a 'marginal' (volunteering out of compliance) reason for joining reported a 'career' (desire to help others in their free time) reason 12 months later (1)
By far the most successful recruitment strategies reported by both committee members and regular members in GAs was the direct approach (being asked). The importance of congruence between a specific volunteer role and the aspiration and skills of the volunteer was confirmed (4)
Not everyone can be a volunteer firefighter - physical and mental ability, time commitment, availability, training requirements - leads to conflict with other aspects of people's lives. Another barrier is perceptions that brigades are dominated by males and perpetuate a masculine culture (5)
Retention
Psychological contract (what a volunteer expects the volunteering experience to be like) affects joining and staying decisions - orgs that put effort into communicating expectations have more positive experiences with volunteers and vice versa because neither side are disappointed - red-tape and formal management practices (e.g. record keeping) are disliked. In rugby clubs, relational expectations (e.g. pleasant social environment, T&D, sufficient power and responsibility) are more relevant than transactional expectations (1) Strong stereotypes (e.g. firefighters rescuing people from burning buildings) creates expectations that may not be met (2)
Conflict with paid employees lack of acknowledgement from staff are negatively related to intention to stay (1)
1/3 of volunteers had been subjected to bullying behaviours (intimidation, abuse from clients and the public, gossiping, exclusion) (1)
Annual turnover rates of volunteer ESOs is as high as 23% (2)
Intentions to remain a volunteer firefighter were positively associated with better leadership and higher inclusiveness; SES studies found aspects of support and recognition to be strong predictors of job satisfaction. Challenges of ESO volunteering include: time; excessive training requirements; personal costs; lack of recognition; conflicts and tensions with other vols (2)
Role of 'socialisation' which transforms new recruits from outsider to insider - influences psychological contract. Pre-recruitment, recruitment and socialisation experiences most strongly determine intent to stay (2)
Three categories of volunteers based on expectations - focused 57% (well-defined set of expectations), overenthusiastic 13% with larger proportion <36 (variety of factors to join including career path, status, reputation) and lost 30% - larger proportion over 55 and from regional areas (no clear idea of what influenced them to volunteer). Focused had a better experience in first 12 months and greater intention to stay (2)
In sporting clubs, the most important determinants of satisfaction are the conditions of volunteering (recognition, support, leadership and material incentives) and workload. Club characteristics, size or having paid staff are not significant determinants of satisfaction (3) - see below also for definitions
One study showed the most important factors in sports club were a. task design (challenging, autonomous and interesting work) b. leadership (constructive feedback, information and contact with club management) c. support (assistance from other members, problems taken seriously, respectful treatment) d. material incentives (minor payment, fringe benefits) e. recognition (appreciation and acknowledgement) (3)
Poor leadership, including the misuse of power within committees, is a significant barrier to committee participation. The quality of leadership within GAs affects the attitude of volunteers, their commitment and the R&R of future leaders. Following misuse of power, lack of time, red tape and lack of self confidence were other factors (4)
When power is used incorrectly, it is difficult to have credibility, inspire a shared vision or develop trust and mutual respect. Increasing complexity of leading GAs bought on by red tape and legal issues requires continuous updating of skills. Without these skills, leaders of GAs become too rule-bound and fall back on the command-and-control methods they experienced. While good governance needs to be taken seriously, this needs to be balanced with good leadership practices that inspire vision and foster empowerment. The over-formality of meeting procedures seemed to increase the feeling among younger members that they did not have the skills to be leaders (4)
Good communication (demonstrating inclusive behaviours, keeping the org abreast of activities, active listening, considering the ideas of others, not interrupting and being diplomatic) was an important factor in retaining committee members. Other top factors were evenly reported - recognition, changing with the times and being willing to help the org (4)
Misuse of power in committees included personality clashes, bullying behaviours, internal politics and governance malpractice. It can be assumed that many committees are unaware of their reputation due to 'group think' (4)
Activities associated with training and compliance are flagged as one of the most significant barriers to volunteer involvement. Ongoing training has always been part of the role, but the shift in certification requirements over the last 2 decades has been identified as problematic to retention (5)
Dissatisfaction with increased workload and regulation of brigade leadership flows down to other volunteers, ultimately impacting on retention. Increased regulation has degraded the local connection and autonomy of volunteers - perceived loss of control of decision making and failure to value local experience (5)
Pride plays a role in retaining volunteers and the number of hours they are willing to commit (PGA - US). Perceptions of the org and perceptions of their volunteering experience (ti.e. task significance) are important. Community relations are established as an antecedent to perceived org reputation (6)