Promoting SIOP Volunteer Leadership: Lessons From the Trenches

Maryalice Citera, Bill Handschin, Eileen Linnabery, Meisha-Ann Martin, Robert Calderón, Jill May, Comilla Shahani-Denning, Donna Sylvan, Alan Tomassetti, Angela Ackerman, Meredith Burnett, & Dennis Ochieng

At SIOP 2024, the Local I-O Group Relations Committee conducted a workshop using appreciative inquiry to explore how to create peak volunteer experiences. Appreciative Inquiry focuses on looking at positive experiences and highlights what went well in these experiences. Bushe described appreciative inquiry (AI) as “a method for studying and changing social systems (groups, organizations, communities) that advocates collective inquiry into the best of what is in order to imagine what could be, followed by collective design of a desired future state that is compelling and thus, does not require the use of incentives, coercion or persuasion for planned change to occur” (2013, p. 41). We adapted Bushe's (pp. 42-43) four stage (4D) model:

• Discovery. Participants reflected on and discussed the best experiences they had as volunteers. They wrote these experiences down and described why they were peak experiences.
• Dream. Participants were encouraged to discuss their experiences within their circle and to identify the conditions that existed at the time of their peak experiences. Participants identified common or shared themes across these experiences and grouped them into categories.
• Design. Participants developed concrete proposals by brainstorming ideas for creating peak volunteer experiences.
• Delivery/Destiny. Participants generated "pearls of wisdom" and key takeaways that they would be likely to act on in the future.

Approximately 30 SIOP attendees participated. They were organized into two discussion groups. Members of the SIOP Local I-O Groups Relations Committee served as facilitators. Following appreciative inquiry, we used a collaborative process to identify participant goals and suggestions for implementation. Participants described a variety of different positive volunteer experiences. This article summarizes the input of session participants.

Peak Volunteer Activities: Common Themes

Participants identified key characteristics of these shared volunteer experiences by sorting them into categories and labeling the themes. Five broad themes were identified: impact and learning opportunities, connectedness and community, leadership, recognition, and positive affect.

Impact and Learning Opportunities

For many participants, peak volunteer experiences were ones where they used their knowledge and skills, especially their expertise in I-O psychology. Making a difference gave them a sense of accomplishment. They felt it was personally rewarding to be a part of the story and contribute toward the mission. By paying it forward and giving back they felt a sense of contribution to a mission that was bigger than themselves. Many participants reported that a hallmark of peak volunteer experiences involved creating opportunities for engaging in challenging and interesting work with a purpose. Opportunities for developing new skills and knowledge motivated volunteers and satisfied their desire for lifelong learning.

Connectedness and Community

The social connections volunteers made were the most cited benefit of volunteering. Building relationships and being part of a network were identified as keys to building engagement among volunteers and a sense of community. Peak experiences involved volunteer experiences that provided opportunities to interact with diverse groups of people, collaborate, and work as part of a team to accomplish a mission.

Leadership

Peak experiences involved situations where a facilitator/leader helped monitor progress, kept volunteers on track, set clear expectations, and ensured success. Being mentored and “shown the ropes” was an important part of the volunteer experience. They noted that leaders should make it easy for people to contribute and feel part of the group. Volunteer groups that had clear succession plans were able to develop quality leaders and provide volunteers a blueprint for getting involved.

Recognition

Showing gratitude for volunteer efforts, acknowledging the value of volunteers' expertise, and letting volunteers know how their contribution made a difference was essential. Peak experiences involved creating feedback systems, ceremonies, and processes to recognize volunteers. These included recognition events, shout-outs in newsletters, and written thank you letters. They also noted the importance of celebrating successes and wins along the way so that volunteers felt valued.

Positive Affect

Volunteers found peak experiences led to positive feelings and attitudes. They found these experiences satisfying and fulfilling. They felt more committed to accomplishing the mission. Participants also expressed that situations that encouraged volunteers to voice their opinions, and respected and valued differences across participants led to feelings of psychological safety.  

Creating Peak Volunteer Experiences

Recommendations for optimizing volunteer experiences highlighted the primary themes of impact and learning opportunities, connectedness and community, leadership, and recognition. Participants also called attention to the need for volunteer orientation and onboarding. Here are recommendations for each, in the words of session participants.

Promoting Impact and Learning Opportunities

• Offer opportunities to learn.
• Find activities that allow participants to directly experience the results of their efforts.
• Help volunteers incorporate volunteer participation into their developing identities.
• Balance volunteering activities that tap participants’ expertise with those that take participants outside their comfort zone.
• Develop opportunities that grow the volunteers' skill sets.
• Encourage cross collaboration and capitalize on shared interests.
• Be explicit about what they can expect to learn during recruitment.
• Allow the grace to make mistakes.
• Foster experiences where volunteers can pay it forward.
• Meet the vocational needs of volunteers.

Creating Connectedness and Community

• Provide opportunities for frequent connections: such as networking events, fun events like trivia or happy hour, provide food.
• Reinforce the networking opportunities with appropriate levels of guidance and direction. Don't assume individuals know how to network.
• Establish a welcoming environment that gives people a voice.
• Design the space and time for people to meet socially and develop meaningful relationships with each other.
• Build a team through effective recruitment strategies.
• Embrace diversity and create an inclusive and collaborative environment for volunteers.

Effective Leadership

• Pick a knowledgeable and effective leader.
• Create a mentorship program to facilitate leadership development and succession planning.
• Establish clear goals, timeframes, and expectations for each volunteer.
• Manage the big audacious goals by breaking them into bite-sized chunks.
• Have a facilitator connect people to the tasks that need to be accomplished and identify the best fit for the roles needed.
• Create a collaborative environment to discuss the work that needs to be done.
• Give everyone a voice in the process.
• Define structure and tasks to better illustrate volunteer contributions.

Recognition

• Make success outcomes visible to those outside of the group.
• Verbally thank volunteers for their time and effort.
• Write notes of appreciation acknowledging volunteer contributions.
• Acknowledge volunteers on a grand scale.
• Develop a regular process for celebrating small and large successes.
• Create volunteer spotlights and shoutouts.
• Explicitly celebrate progress and impact.
• Create both internal and external appreciation events.
• Show your personal excitement to your volunteers.

Volunteer Orientation and Onboarding

• Do advanced planning and preparation when new volunteers join.
• Create onboarding materials to clarify expectations and help volunteers understand their roles.
• Create a collaborative environment that gives everyone a voice in identifying their best fit for the roles needed.
• Provide examples of prior success stories.

Final Thoughts and Pearls of Wisdom

As one participant said: "There are many opportunities for volunteers and benefits. It is our job to tap them." Here are the four key take-aways:

1. Volunteer work should make an impact and provide lifelong learning opportunities.
2. Volunteer organizations should build a climate that encourages a sense of community and belonging.
3. Leadership should be knowledgeable and effective at creating a clear structure regarding activities and expectations
4. Volunteer groups should celebrate success and recognize volunteer efforts.

The process of appreciative inquiry as an intervention is an example of positive psychology that creates positive energy and momentum. Local groups could use this approach to discover how to improve member engagement and to build upon the transformational process that it creates. Future research can build on the session participants' input to clarify and create concrete how-to recommendations. 

We, as I-O psychologists, know what is required to create an effective workplace and to motivate and engage the workforce. Those actions listed above apply to work in general but are even more important for the unpaid work of volunteers. What SIOP and Local I-O Groups can do to improve the engagement of their volunteers aligns with I-O psychology best practices and principles.

Reference

Bushe, G. R. (2013). The appreciative inquiry model. In E.H. Kessler (Ed.). Encyclopedia of management theory (Vol. 1, pp. 41–44). Sage Publications