It’s Time to Update the Volunteer Engagement Cycle

It’s Time to Update the Volunteer Engagement Cycle

In this e-Volunteerism feature, author Jill Jukes from the March of Dimes Canada’s Western Region argues that it’s time to update how organizations plan and prepare for volunteer involvement. Taking a close look at what she calls the traditional “Volunteer Engagement Cycle,” Jukes outlines why the current sequence of planning, recruitment, intake/onboard/screening, placement, training and supervision, recognition and retention, and evaluation does not always reflect current trends and realities. The remedy? Jukes proposes an entirely new Volunteer Engagement Cycle, one that that she calls Version 2.0. “This isn’t a monumental change to the traditional cycle,” Jukes writes, but one that renames and reimagines how organizations plan and prepare for volunteer engagement. Is it better? Will it work? Has Jukes merely proposed new words for the same things? In the end, Jukes asks you to decide.

To read the full article

Wed, 01/18/2017
Beta is how we rock and roll here and have done for some time. We are presently examining how our vision 'Compassionate Communities that work together, supporting people to live and die well', will look into communities and that discussion starts with volunteers. This organisation was created with the understanding that volunteers mean all the points in your list and continues to strengthen in all we do.

Thu, 01/19/2017
Jane - how exciting! Would love to know more about how this rolls out in a practical way. What does program planning look like when volunteer engagement is a primary consideration? How is the connection process different from the traditional ways we've onboarded and intaked volunteers? How are staff selected, trained, recognized and performance managed? I have so many questions!

Fri, 01/27/2017
Thank you for this article Jill, really useful to reflect on this in a different way and has got me scribbling all sorts of notes on how we can re-imagine our volunteer cycle. Part of me is wondering if the terminology really matters as much as that we're reflecting on the needs of our volunteers and organisations and responding to change accordingly. Organisations, volunteer managers and volunteers all work in different ways and while the cycle is useful as a reference point as a management tool how it 'works' in reality will be very different depending on the leadership involved in each context.

Fri, 02/10/2017
Jill this is great! I am looking forward to your workshop at the AVRBC Leading for Transformation Volunteer Management conference in Victoria in May!

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