Volunteer management mistakes to avoid in IT projects

A free resource for nonprofit organizations, NGOs, civil society organizations,
charities, schools, public sector agencies & other mission-based agencies
by Jayne Cravens
via coyotecommunications.com & coyoteboard.com (same web site)

Volunteer management mistakes to avoid in IT projects

May 5, 2000
By: Joan Heberger (then a Senior Program Manager at CompuMentor) and Karen Thomas (then a program associate at CompuMentor)
Originally written for and published at CompuMentor.

As your guide, my duty is to help you to steer clear of difficult terrain in the land of technical volunteer management and to provide survival tips in case you find yourself in a rocky territory. The best way to start is to map out a clear definition of what you want your volunteer to do, and when you'd like to have it finished. Establish one primary contact on your site to interact with the volunteer. Even with a good map in hand, however, you may find that you stumble across some trouble spots. I've managed many projects in the past, and I think the best way to help you is to lead by example. So, get on your volunteer management gear and follow me!

Miscommunication Sink Hole

You'll see here ahead of us the dreaded miscommunication sink hole. It is one of the most dangerous threats to a healthy volunteer project. It comes in many different varieties, from unclear or shifting work plans and guidelines, to lack of response from either the volunteer or the nonprofit. These sink holes are an obstacle, but they can be surmounted. Look ahead for the characteristics of the different type of sink holes I've encountered and how I got around them.

Getting Past the Lack of Response Sink Hole

An elementary school had set up a volunteer project to have someone come in and train them on how to develop a Web site for the class. Being a school, there was red tape galore. Meetings were set then canceled, the school was to arrange for an ISP and didn't. In a normal mentoring project, I generally follow up with both the client and the volunteer every two weeks. When I heard back that the volunteer was frustrated, I increased the frequency of my follow up to a weekly basis until it seemed that the project was in the clear. This kept both the teacher's and the volunteer's enthusiasm for the project going.

Bridging Unclear Guidelines Sink Hole

Edgewood Center, a family support center, had contacted us for a volunteer to help create security solutions for their Windows 95 machines. This project fell into the "lack of response sink hole" with another mentor that wouldn't respond to my, or the client's, requests. Since my follow up didn't work, I arranged for another mentor to come take over.

In my routine follow up with the volunteer I found out that the client had decided to change the work plan, asking the volunteer to set up an NT network. This change of work focus is most likely the reason why the initial volunteer didn't work out. They may not have had the skills to set up a network, or they were concerned about the time that it would take to complete the project. I spoke to the client and developed new guidelines for this project. The new work plan and guidelines created a sturdy bridge to cross the treacherous ground safely and the volunteer was able to build that network.

Overall Sinkhole Strategy

The tried and true survival technique I've found for bridging these gaps is "polite" perseverance. I always try to make it work with a volunteer before giving up. If the volunteer isn't responding, I check in with them to see how the project's going. Sometimes this is enough to get them to contact the nonprofit. If they don't respond within the week, then I considerately ask them if there are any concerns or comments that they have about the project, and if there's anything I can do to offer my help. If I still don't hear back then I contact them again and remind them that the project has a finite deadline. At this point, I also provide them with an out if they need it, so that I know that this is truly over and that I've got to start the hunting for another volunteer.

Path Obstructing "Work Plan" Boulders

We've successfully made it past all of those sink holes and now are encountering a gigantic boulder in our volunteer project pathway. These are tricky obstacles; sometimes you think the path is clear when suddenly a landslide will drop a gigantic boulder right in front of you. Other times, you've picked a route that has a boulder already in place. The best way to get through these boulders is to break them into smaller rocks, enabling you to pass on through.

Avoiding A Boulder-Ridden Path

A youth activities agency contacted us requesting help when the technical staff person left. There was tons of work to do, including installing memory, upgrading a network operating system, setting up new computers, and installing software on each of 15 computers. Because that work would probably scare away any volunteer that wasn't already committed to the organization's success, I recommended that they work with a volunteer to handle the memory upgrades and setting up the new computers. That way, the group could prepare the office for the future network upgrades. The volunteer would have a clear short-term job description. After the volunteer installed the memory and set up the new computers, the organization hired a consultant to finish the more complex upgrades. The volunteer remained involved to help tutor staff members on their new software.

Dealing With An Avalanche

A Battered Women's shelter requested that a volunteer come in and set up 3 new computers, transfer the data from the old machines, and configure them in a simple peer to peer network. Sounded like a small project to me! Little did I know that they had a huge database that required someone to perform a migration (i.e. transfer all the data into the new database). A major data migration like that takes a lot of time to do and also requires different skills from those needed to set up machines and networks. I spoke with both the volunteer and the client, letting them know that this was larger than the agreed scope of the volunteer project and that it was probably more appropriate for a consultant to do. The client agreed, and they maintained a good relationship with the volunteer. (They also found a good consultant!)

Path Clearing Strategy

The risks of having the volunteer do something that they find too overwhelming are many. Not only might you loose a valuable volunteer, but you also might have someone who really isn't skilled at the task and may, inadvertently, do more harm than good. Again, keep the project small and doable and you're more likely to get great results.

Parting Words

I hope you found some of these experiences helpful. I know that working with technical volunteers can be scary. They're different from most volunteers since they know much more than you do about the actual project. Looking for cues that the volunteer is sending may help you to realize that something is wrong with either the communication or scope of the project. Most technical volunteers appreciate it when I recognize that the project's taken a difficult turn and check in with them to see how they're doing. Being alert and aware will help to ensure that your volunteer project is a success.

Copyright © 2000 CompuMentor. This work is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Also see

Microvolunteering is virtual volunteering
A rebuttal on my blog to the claim that microvolunteering isn't virtual volunteering.
Short-term Assignments for Tech Volunteers
There are a variety of ways for mission-based organizations to involve volunteers to help with short-term projects relating to computers and the Internet, and short-term assignments are what are sought after most by potential "tech" volunteers. But there is a disconnect: most organizations have trouble identifying such short-term projects. This is a list of short-term projects for "tech" volunteers -- assignments that might takes days, weeks or just a couple of months to complete.
Finding a Computer/Network Consultant
Staff at mission-based organizations (nonprofits, civil society organizations, and public sector agencies) often have to rely on consultants, either paid or volunteer, for expertise in computer hardware, software and networks. Staff may feel unable to understand, question nor challenge whatever that consultant recommends. What can mission-based organizations do to recruit the "right" consultant for "tech" related issues, one that will not make them feel out-of-the-loop or out-of-control when it comes to tech-related discussions?
Myths About Online Volunteering (Virtual Volunteering)
Online volunteering means unpaid service that is given by volunteers via the Internet. It's also known as virtual volunteering, online mentoring, ementoring, evolunteering, cyber volunteering, cyber service, telementoring, online engagement, and on and on. Here is a list of common myths about online volunteering, and my attempt to counter them.
Studies and Research Regarding Online Volunteering / Virtual Volunteering
While there is a plethora of articles and information about online volunteering, there has been very little research published regarding the subject. This is a compilation of publicly-available research regarding online volunteering, and a list of suggested possible angles for researching online volunteering. New contributions to this page are welcomed, including regarding online mentoring programs.
Creating One-Time, Short-Term Group Volunteering Activities
Details on not just what groups of volunteers can do in a two-hour, half-day or all-day event, but also just how much an organization or program will need to do to prepare a site for group volunteering. It's an expensive, time-consuming endeavor - are you ready? Is it worth it?
Recruiting Local Volunteers To Increase Diversity Among the Ranks
Having plenty of volunteers usually isn't enough to say a volunteering program is successful. Another indicator of success is if your volunteers represent a variety of ages, education-levels, economic levels and other demographics, or are a reflection of your local community. Most organizations don't want volunteers to be a homogeneous group; they want to reach a variety of people as volunteers (and donors and other supporters, for that matter). This resource will help you think about how to recruit for diversity, or to reach a specific demographic.
Using Third Party Web Sites Like VolunteerMatch to Recruit Volunteers
There are lots and lots of web sites out there to help your organization recruit volunteers. You don't have to use them all, but you do need to make sure you use them correctly in order to get the maximum response to your posts.
Using Video to Support Online Volunteers/Remote Volunteers.
Video is a great way to further support volunteers, and your computer probably already has all of the tools you need to make a video, or to engage in a live video conversation with others. Video isn't something to use only with online volunteers or remote volunteers (those providing onsite service at a different location than yours). It's also a tool you can use with new and current volunteers. In addition to an organization producing videos for volunteers, it can also work the other way around: volunteers can produce videos for organizations. This resource provides information on your options, and links to my own short video on the subject.
Using Real-Time Communications With Volunteers
A growing number of organizations are using real-time communications -- including video conferencing, online phone calls, chats and instant messaging -- to hold online meetings with volunteers, to allow volunteers to interact with staff, clients, or each other, or to involve volunteers in a live, online, real-time event. This resource provides more information on real-time communications with volunteers -- what the various tools are, how agencies are using them to interact with volunteers, and tips to encourage and maintain participation in synchronous communications.
Recognizing Online Volunteers & Using the Internet to Honor ALL Volunteers
Recognition helps volunteers stay committed to your organization, and gets the attention of potential volunteers -- and donors -- as well. Organizations need to fully recognize the efforts of remote, online volunteers, as well as those onsite, and not differentiate the value of these two forms of service. Organizations should also incorporate use of the Internet to recognize the efforts of ALL volunteers, both online and onsite. With cyberspace, it's never been easier to show volunteers -- and the world -- that volunteers are a key part of your organization's successes. This new resource provides a long list of suggestions for both honoring online volunteers and using the Internet to recognize ALL volunteers that contribute to your organization.

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