Ensuring a smooth transition during staff/volunteer turnover

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Abstract

When key staff or volunteers leave a program, their departure often leads to problems — especially if they were the only ones who knew how to run the program. This effective practice, submitted by Sally Jue with Campaign Consultation, Inc., recommends making certain that proper staff and volunteers are trained, and policies and procedures are written to ensure a smooth transition. Campaign Consultation, Inc., shared this effective practice during a volunteer development workshop at the 2001 National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Issue

When key staff or volunteers leave a program, especially if their departure is sudden or unexpected, the program often suffers because these few people are the only ones in the organization that really knew the program and how to run it. As a result, their departure often leads to programs running inefficiently and ineffectively due to lack of leadership and program administration expertise. Sometimes the ultimate cost is the loss of volunteers and program credibility in the community, or worse — the collapse of the entire program.

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Action

According to Campaign Consultation, Inc., take the following steps to prevent these types of problems from occurring:
  1. Make sure the program has written policies and procedures, volunteer and staff job descriptions, orientation and training materials, program/service descriptions and application, timesheets and other needed forms. Written materials should be concise and user-friendly. Anyone unfamiliar with the program should be able to obtain a general understanding of the program and how to run it by reviewing these materials. Essential program documents include:

    • Program mission and purpose

    • Program services description

    • Application process

    • Orientation agenda and materials

    • Training agenda and materials

    • Volunteer job descriptions

    • Probationary period policy

    • Supervision and accountability

    • Standards of conduct

    • Attendance and absenteeism policies

    • Grievance procedures

    • Liability coverage for volunteers

    • Record keeping requirements

    • Confidentiality requirements

    • Use of agency equipment and facilities

    • Staff responsibilities to program

    • Reimbursement for expenses

    • Suspension and termination

  2. Train at least one additional staff person, and one or two lead volunteers, how to run the program. Choose these people carefully. Back-up staff and volunteers need to receive the training and coaching time needed to ensure they truly understand what they would need to do and have the confidence to do it. The staff person especially will need the host organization's support. Volunteers need to know and have confidence in back-up staff and volunteers who can also take over if needed during vacations. Giving key volunteers additional administrative responsibilities will help them gain the confidence, credibility and skills they need to assist with running the program.

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Context

These practices can be used in any setting and community. To succeed, program staff members need to make the time up front to plan the program's operations and write it on paper. This process is easier if you can adapt policies, procedures, and other program documents from comparable programs rather than starting from scratch. You can also involve volunteers in this process, which leads to greater volunteer buy-in.

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Outcome

Program beneficiaries do not experience any lapses or reduction in quality of service during staff transitions, especially when national service volunteers leave. Because key volunteers help run the program, there is greater volunteer ownership of it, which builds volunteer, and subsequently, community capacity. Volunteers learn transferable skills such as meeting management, mentoring, and organization, and they increase their confidence in these areas. Agencies can then run programs in a more cost-effective manner — freeing staff for other activities. Key volunteers are invaluable in recruiting others and promoting the program in the community, and they can even become community role models.

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Evidence

When Sally Jue with Campaign Consultation worked at an initially very small — and then very large — HIV/AIDS service organization, she found these practices enabled her to start and run several volunteer programs on an extremely limited budget. Her volunteers and the work they did in the community inspired others to volunteer or contribute money to the organization. Often volunteers and the clients they served were profiled in the local media and became a key component of their marketing campaigns. Several of the volunteers came back to the agency as staff members who ran programs or went on to further their education in the social service or public administration fields. As a consultant providing technical assistance to other service organizations, she has seen these practices provide similar outcomes.

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Posted On

July 19, 2001

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For More Information

Campaign Consultation, Inc.
2819 Saint Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: (410) 243-7979
Toll-free: 1-877-234-2253
Fax: (410) 243-1024

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