One thing I’ve come to realize in my line of work is that an engaged and organized volunteer committee is a happy volunteer committee. You’ll find many personality types within these committees, some volunteers are eager to share their ideas and get started on to-do’s, others may be the more silently passionate types who need a bit of encouragement to share in meetings. Everyone plays an important part in the group. As an Association Event Manager, part of my job is to cultivate a routine that brings everyone together, and once we are, to create an environment with group collaboration and strong decision making.
In this article, I’ll take you through a few tips that will help you do the same!
These tips include:
1. Plan ahead/send an agenda out
As the Volunteer Association Leader, your job is to show up prepared for committee planning meetings, this is both beneficial for you and your committee. By creating an agenda, you have a guide set for the meeting. Think about how much time you want to spend on each topic and what order will be most efficient! I like to hit the heavier discussions at the top of the meeting, things like budget and where the program is currently at. Things you might want to spend a bit more time on with the group.
Sending out the agenda prior to the meeting can serve as a helpful check-in/reminder to the volunteers that they have a meeting coming up. It also helps me come up with important questions that I should be asking participants at the meeting. What do I want to share? What answers do I need? What decisions must be made? What will my committee want to know at this point in the process?
2. Create your meeting schedule early on
When your planning committee is established, you’re going to want to connect with everyone to determine when the best time is to meet. Maybe you want to start off slowly with monthly meetings, or maybe that’s all you’ll need! Get a feel for the time commitment allowed from everyone and any specific days that won’t work. Once you have a good idea of what might work best, you can utilize tools like Doodle Poll to have your volunteers vote on dates that would work for everyone. Sometimes it’s also as simple as “every second Wednesday at 11am”, although these instances usually work better in a smaller group that knows each other well.
3. Prioritize first
Once you’re at these meetings, try your best to keep the group on track. I love a collaborative brainstorm session or a fun group discussion as much as the next right brained individual but keeping these meetings efficient and on schedule is important. You only have so much time together, so you need to ensure you get what you all need out of the meeting.
4. Action those items
Close out the meeting with to-dos. As you’re running through the meeting, keep specific notes for yourself that you could read and refer back to the committee at the end, listing the action items you’ve discussed. If possible, it helps to send out a short recap email afterwards, which is especially helpful for those that were unable to attend. A lot can be covered in an hour meeting, and actionable times can easily get lost throughout conversation. If your committee has some to-do’s, list their items at the top of your post-meeting email and draw their attention to these to-do’s with an obvious title or bolding. This will help keep everyone on the same page and accountable for their tasks before the next meeting.
5. Check in’s (when needed)
Don’t be afraid to check-in with your committee! Some may need it more than others, keep in mind that although volunteers commit to the work with great intentions, but things can fall through the cracks and a gentle reminder can serve to be very helpful for some. Within reason, of course, no one wants to be micromanaged. Check-ins can even be a little update at the end of the week of where I’m at with the event. It doesn’t necessarily need to be you questioning where everyone is at with things. A little update and email out to the group can help keep the event top of mind and jog memories where needed.
At the end of the day, your committee is full of volunteers giving up their time to make this event a success. Some of them may be in the middle of a busy workday, and everyone has their own professional and personal lives to maintain. It’s so important to come to the table with infectious enthusiasm and energy! We’re all walking the road to a common goal, one that can be filled with bumps and hurdles, and as the Volunteer Association Leader you are usually looked to as the fearless leader. When you are at ease, it’s easier for the volunteers to feel the same way, and like they are in good hands.