This reminds me somewhat of a program I recently rolled out for staff/volunteers driving company-owned vehicles. We already had a lot of people driving, but it was unclear who had actually done training. Without getting too much into the details, I required everyone to take the new, 30 minute, online course before they could drive. However, veteran drivers also had the option to test out of the training or present a recent training certificate (i.e. if they trained 6 months ago, they don't need to train again). Everyone got on board with it pretty well. I did a LOT of emailing, in person reminders, and some talking with managers to make sure no department was caught unawares.
Advice:
1. Start out by backing up and remembering what your org is about, how the volunteer dept supports that, and this system's role in this. Every significant project should start by keying in to the mission.
2. Consider how most of your volunteers line up into your current tiers. Can you just categorize them by start date? Can they self-assign? Is there a practical way to assess their skills? How significant are the risks which you need to avoid?
3. Messaging is huge. Give volunteers (and staff) advance notice that some type of change is coming. Once you've figured out the details, give them the information they need, the timeline, and especially an explanation. It should stay concise, yet informative enough that they feel respected and can get on board.
4. Think ahead about how every process (understanding what tier they are in, advancing tiers, knowing what they can/cannot do, getting a name badge, etc) will be clear for the volunteers and staff. Be organized, and think ahead about efficiency.
5. Consult at least one person with a different perspective than you, especially whose work intersects with what the volunteers do.
------------------------------
James Pawlowicz
Humane Rescue Alliance
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 09:51 AM
From: Haylie Loyd
Subject: Volunteer Tier System
Hello all! I am the new Volunteer Coordinator at a small non-profit shelter. We also happen to be the only open-intake facility in our district, taking in over 9000 animals every year. Our staff of 50 is wonderful, but we rely on our strong volunteer base to keep our animals happy and healthy. I am planning on integrating a tier system into our shelter, whereas specific tiers have different privileges. We find that many volunteers need more training in their early days, so tier one would be shadow work, tier two is the ability to work on your own etc. I have seen many resources pertaining to upgrading a tier system, or tier systems dedicated to specific animals being handled, but I have not found one that touched on how to implement a tier system in an environment that has already had a large number of volunteers. Does anyone have any advice on how to integrate this into our system as smoothly as possible?
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
------------------------------
Haylie Loyd
Volunteer Coordinator
Companion Animal Alliance
LA
------------------------------