ILSHRM12 in the Books

It is late, I have been out of town for what seems like two weeks,  my wife is out of town, suffice it to say I am all out of sorts.  But I need to create this post  at the end of my journey home. On Tuesday as the conference wound down I spent some time tweeting to all of the presenters, bloggers and guests that we had in attendance thanking them for their efforts. We greatly appreciate each and everyone of them. If I did not message you, it  was an oversight, we were grateful to have all of  the folks who helped us pull off a two and one half day conference which was nearly flawless.

Thanks to all of the folks who helped us create this, and to those nearly 700 folks who attended,

But now, I would like to publicly thank ALLof the ILSHRM BOARD MEMBERS.  This is  the group of people who made this conference happen and made it a success.   While some folks shoulder more of a load than others,  it was a group effort that made this work so well.   I am proud to be part my local chapter: CICSHRM, SHRM- National as well as a board member of  board of Illinois SHRM.

There is no one who was paid a dime to do any of the work that they did. We are a volunteer organization, and a damn fine one at that.

So from the Social Media guy THANKS TO MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS - a job well done. Be proud of what we have accomplished. - because soon the work will begin for 2013.

Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Employee Engagement for Volunteers

Today’s blog subject is employee engagement. In search of a succinct definition I turned to Google.  The third return is from Wikipedia and the first thing they tell us is… “This article needs attention from an expert on the subject.”   So it would appear that even Wikipedia is searching for a great definition just like the rest of us in HR. While there is a lot being said and written about the subject, most of that is in the employer/employee realm.  

Let’s move into the volunteer realm, say for example a local SHRM chapter. For the old HR hand, the old joke is this; we pay them don’t we – there’s their motivation!  Well in this instance the answer is no.  So as a chapter leader (PTA, Boy Scouts, Church club – you pick the organization) leader how do you engage your staff, when money is not one of the tools in your tool box.  Now it gets more difficult.

Hopefully your volunteer joined the organization because they wanted be a part of the group – not because their boss/spouse/co-worker goaded them into joining. They may have a special connection to the group, or their motivation may be somewhat obscured.

But in the long run, the volunteer is not all that different than the employee who needs all of the things that a good employer would be sharing with their top employees.

So to get the most out of your volunteers here are some, oh so simple but effective concepts …

• Treat them like paid staff
• Make them feel appreciated
• Share the organization’s mission and goals with them
• Get to know them
• Be passionate
• Be organized – don’t waste their time (remember we’re not paying them)
• Make sure their efforts are not taken for granted
• Celebrate their successes

This won’t guarantee a successful volunteer but it will help. Just because they are not being paid doesn’t mean that they don’t want to be treated respectfully.

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC- SHRM