How can mentoring improve volunteer retention rates?

Mentoring is misunderstood. And, as a result, much of its potential power goes unrealized for the mentor and mentee. Mentoring, in its full form, is an intentional engagement with another person for the purpose of helping accelerate their path to success. Mentoring requires a trust relationship between the two parties, but not one that demands a long-term commitment. Read that again. Mentoring requires both parties to be vulnerable to one another, because that is where growth happens. And mentoring requires a selflessness on the part of the mentor. She or he has to want to convey their hard-learned lessons so the mentee can avoid the same mistakes. This is how the mentor turbo-charges the mentee's progress.

Get the basics right first. Mentoring can be productive for volunteers and managers but only as part of a fully integrated approach to the recruitment, support and management of volunteers. Many organisations take their volunteers for granted and provide insufficient ongoing support and feedback. No amount of mentoring will substitute for good two-way communication and management willingness to listen to the constructive ideas of volunteers. A little more executive humility and openness would benefit many organisations.

Mentoring is a unique opportunity for both the mentor and the mentee to grow. While the mentee will have a platform to hone his skills, the mentor will equally enhance his servant leadership skills.

Mentoring is an opportunity to demonstrate productive postering to often lost or lethargic souls. Understanding that more is caught than taught, it is critical for mentors to not only share meaningful wisdom but also model appropriate actions. By becoming a person's confidante, adviser, or spiritual leader, we get to usher in ever-growing cadres of role models for subsequent generations, and by making remarkable impact in the lives of these individuals, we have the power to increase volunteerism and improve retention, therein.

The 1st step is to understand your own personal mentoring style. How you operate so you can then understand how you can best develop them. Then always treat them like they are the most important staff. I heard it said staff your weaknesses that’s why I have 100’s of volunteers and I let them know they make a difference and that they make me look better than I am.

People who volunteer most often do so because they care about the mission of the organization. They are 80% self-motivated. The other 20% motivation is provided by a "mentor" who imparts information, instruction, and inspiration to the volunteer who naturally needs to be seen and affirmed.

Mentoring is an important part of any volunteer relationship. Even skilled volunteers can benefit from guidance that helps them connect with the organization, the work, or others. Mentoring volunteers is much easier when sharing about motivations and goals is normalized. If a volunteer is comfortable sharing what their own personal and professional goals are, your team will have a head start to helping them grow and succeed with the organization's mission AND with their own goals. It is win-win.

> Encouraging volunteers to align their personal aspirations with the organization's vision and mission serves as motivation. This alignment enables volunteers to recognize their contributions towards achieving larger objectives. > Providing constructive feedback and conducting regular evaluations empowers volunteers to monitor their progress and perceive the value of their efforts, ultimately strengthening their commitment.

Volunteering is different from being a staff member - whether you are new to volunteering or are an old hand, its good to have a mentor. Mentors help volunteers help understand the organizational culture as well as "risk points" that may not be evident. Most importantly, its a point of connection for the volunteer to feel more part of. A trusted person who knows them values their contribution and is open to hearing their perspective. Volunteers have more to contribute and their time and good mentors take it all in!

Mentoring adds value to any experience. It's invaluable when the person is a volunteer. When a someone offers to mentor a volunteer (directly or indirectly) it speaks to the value recognized in the person who's being mentored. So many people feel invisible and unheard, so mentoring essentially says: "I see you and value you."

Many times, there are volunteers who have been with an organization longer than the staff members! The continuity within the organization that they provide is valuable for all. Asking seasoned volunteers to mentor can help the volunteer manager as they learn expertise by observing mentors with their mentees. It not only helps volunteer managers to gain time for other tasks (by having mentors work with new volunteers), it can help them to learn more about how the organization functions and maybe learn some history of the org as well.

It is always good to expand your network, gather different points of view, and connect with those doing service in your organization. Often volunteers become the most loyal organizational supporters, in time and money. Also, you never know, who someone knows that may help you professionally.

When designing a mentoring program it's crucial to establish clear expectations and guidelines. The commitment of mentors to a specific time frame is essential, as consistent presence in their mentees' lives is key to effective mentorship. Align the mentor time frame with the program schedule. Furthermore, mentors should receive training tailored to the needs of the population they will serve. This training, which may include socio-emotional learning, equips mentors to navigate challenging conversations successfully. Access to resources and a strong working relationship with program staff are essential for empowering mentors to be the best they can be.

Mentoring Programs should not be an afterthought. In fact, being in charge of such a program is a privilege and honor in supporting organizational mission and growth. It means the leadership understands the value of the volunteers and they invest in you to convey to stakeholders this value proposition.

When developing a mentoring program, start by asking as many questions as you can to develop a purposeful and well-planned interaction that fosters a supportive relationship for mentees and mentors. Here are some questions to start: - What is the purpose of the program? - How will you define each role? - What are the essential aspects of the mentee’s role and how will they interface with the community and the mentor? What about the mentor? - How will you help them create networking and cross-functional opportunities for engagement? - Are you considering all aspects of well-being in designing the program? - What are the responsibilities of the mentor and mentee? Do they end? How do they pay it or carry it forward?

I don't say mentoring. For rentention, we may follow below two perspectives, which might help: 1. I see the need of policy decision on "duty of care". We need to give the confident to Volunteer that we will not leave them when they need most. 2. Today volunteers may be our tomorrow leaders. A plan to develoo them as professional volunteers may help to retain them too.

Designing a mentoring program starts with investigation: asking questions; consulting all stakeholders; finding what the gaps and challenges in knowledge, skills and learning are; understanding what the potential mentees' current level of knowledge, skills and experience to serve as baseline for future evaluation; clearly defining who would make good mentees (i.e., we want mentees who can really put into practice the training/education they have received to benefit the larger community); and finally, selecting good mentors who are passionate about capacity-building and empowerment. Education materials also need to be tested and reviewed to make sure that the content and language meet the learning objectives.

Effective Mentor-Mentee Matching: Implement a systematic approach to pair mentors with mentees. Program staff should become acquainted with volunteers and participants, developing a method to create matches that align with program objectives. Expectations: Establish a mechanism for tracking hours and specify the expected number of hours. Create opportunities for mentors and mentees to spend time together and encourage them to expand their relationship beyond programming. Check In: Consistently in check-in with both mentors and mentees to assess the relationship. Address any issues promptly and mediate when necessary to ensure a positive experience. Clarify the Purpose of Mentoring: Emphasize the underlying goals and benefits.

As a program leader with hundreds of volunteers and feedback from them, feeling value and impact from volunteer work is what supports retention. Mentoring helps accomplish this by making sure they have the support to grow and be an effective volunteer. Access to new opportunities, expanding their responsibilities, constructive criticism, and also LISTENING to their needs as a volunteers (and acting on them within your power) are ways to maintain and even INCREASE their investment!

Volunteers should always be paid, even some honorarium can be paid. From some local store they should have given discount on breakfast items or dinner items. Town Councils can play an important role in European countries and in third world countries union council level members can ensure discounted rates for volunteers.

Mentoring can significantly improve volunteer retention rates in many ways. Firstly, mentoring creates a strong bond between volunteers and their mentors, which can help volunteers feel valued, supported. This bond can help volunteers feel more connected to the organisation, more committed to its mission, leading to increased retention rates. Secondly, mentors can provide volunteers with guidance & feedback, which can help them feel more confident in their roles and more satisfied with their contributions. Finally, mentors can help volunteers develop new skills and knowledge, increasing engagement and retention. Overall, mentoring is a powerful tool for improving volunteer retention rates and building a robust and committed volunteer base.

Consider that many who volunteer may be experts in their own field or have an area of knowledge that you may not considered. Be open to learning and engaging them in more than they signed- up for. You never know when someone else may have something to teach you!

I look at each volunteer as a new opportunity to learn from them and to help them with their path. Within the first few weeks, I always sit down with them for an hour and ask them if they have any life goals that they have questions about how to achieve their goal. I find this to be the most important meeting with any of our volunteers. A common goal for my colleagues and I is to create generational change and this to me is my contribution towards that.