You're a volunteer leader with limited resources. How can you train your team more effectively?

El punto de partida es tener claro el propósito y objetivos de la organización, pues esto permitirá, por una parte, establecer el tipo de acciones voluntarias que se desarrollarán, los recursos, organizaciones/comunidades con las que se colaborará y el perfil del voluntario que se necesitará para establecer un proceso de convocatoria, seleccion y acompa?amiento. Esto facilita establecer un mecanismo de recolección de necesidades. De mi experiencia he aprendido que las metodologías mixtas son más efectivas. Un grupo focal/entrevista grupal (nivelar expectativas y recoger inquietudes), y una encuesta para identificar nivel de conocimientos, capacidades e intereses de los voluntarios con respecto de temas puntuales que la organización necesita

- As a leader with paucity of resources, it is extremely important to plan and know exactly what you are missing. A self-made excel tracker is an excellent way to compile such information. - Once you have your list of 'missing things' in place, it is time to go very systematically through the list and utilize Google/Bing to the fullest to look for innovative ways to bridge your gaps. - Research! Research! and then do a bit more research! There is no topic in the world, that you would not have access to with today's search engines. - Invest in simple prompt engineering techniques, use Boolean strings, identify your keywords and get clicking and learning. - Research papers and news are some very easy ways to find 'jugaad' or alternatives.

You will find that training volunteers is more challenging than training a paid workforce. With volunteers driven by altruistic motives rather than financial, you will need to consider how to maintain engagement and motivation in your workforce.

Leverage the unique skills and experiences of your volunteers. Get to know your team members and what subject matter expertise or real-life experiences they can contribute. Enable those with relevant knowledge to take on informal peer coaching and mentoring roles. This allows you to tap into your existing talent pool at no additional cost. You can also encourage volunteers to share resources by creating online collaborative spaces to exchange tips, tools, articles, and best practices. This volunteer-generated content creates organic opportunities for ongoing learning. Finally, focus training on the key skills needed for your volunteers' specific roles.

Comparto algunas ideas que me han ayudado en mi experiencia: 1. No olvidar que el recurso más importante de un voluntariado son las personas y sus capacidades. 2. Es importante tener una base de datos de los exvoluntarios que han pasado por la organización. Pueden colaborar en las formaciones y capacitaciones a nuevos voluntarios, o establecer contactos con otras instituciones o expertos que nos pueden ayudar. 3. Sistematizar las experiencias exitosas de la organización es una base que ayuda a fortalecer los procesos formativos propios y también para compartirlos y ofrecerlos a otras organizaciones.

La evaluación debe analizarse desde, como mínimo, tres actores centrales en el proceso: la organización, los voluntarios y las comunidades beneficiarias. A nivel de la organización centrarse en la evaluación de sus procesos de acompa?amiento y formación ofrecida a los voluntarios. A nivel de los voluntarios evaluar sus aprendizajes y el grado de pertinencia de la formación ofrecida para el desarrollo de sus acciones con las comunidades. A nivel de las comunidades, a mi juicio las más importante, ver qué tanto ha contribuido la acción voluntaria en sus objetivos y propósitos. Unos objetivos claros en cada nivel clarifica la metodología para evaluar, preferiblemente mixta.

Look for low-cost or no-cost ways to recognize volunteers' contributions. With limited resources, you likely can't provide extensive financial rewards. However, meaningful recognition does not have to cost much. Simple gestures like shout-outs at meetings or handwritten thank-you note can go a long way. You can also reward volunteers with opportunities for professional development like special assignments, speaking engagements, or job shadow days. These experiences let volunteers develop new skills that also benefit your organization. Finally, use storytelling and social platforms to publicly recognize significant volunteer achievements. Highlight "volunteer of the month" wins or have veterans share their experiences in your newsletter.

Como líder de projetos na FreeHelper, onde nossa lógica é "Transforme Talento em Impacto", otimizar a eficácia do treinamento com recursos limitados é fundamental. Aproveitar as habilidades individuais de cada membro da equipe é uma estratégia valiosa. Implementar sess?es de treinamento interativas e colaborativas, onde os voluntários compartilham suas habilidades e experiências, cria um ambiente de aprendizado dinamico. Encorajar a troca de conhecimentos n?o apenas fortalece as habilidades existentes, mas também fomenta um espírito de colabora??o.

Além disso, explorar recursos educacionais online acessíveis e personalizar o treinamento conforme as necessidades específicas de cada voluntário é uma maneira eficaz de maximizar a aprendizagem com recursos limitados. Juntos, transformamos talento em impacto, construindo uma equipe mais forte e capacitada para nossas iniciativas voluntárias!

I once volunteered with a nonprofit that organized an annual 5K race to raise money for their cause. It required coordinating hundreds of volunteers to manage water stations, guide runners, monitor the route, etc. Rather than try to train all these volunteers individually, they produced an engaging video that provided an overview of the key responsibilities and logistics. Volunteers could watch it on their own time before signing up for a specific role. This saved the organization considerable training costs and volunteer hours.