Building Community muscle -
Engaging volunteers

Anna Guest, MOT, OTR/L
University of Maine Center on Aging

Reflection 

How is your community currently engaging volunteers? Which essential components feel like a focus for you? What ideas did the article spark for working with volunteers? Click here to complete the first of three reflections in this chapter. Entering your reflection will also record your progress.  Important: Complete each section before moving on to its corresponding reflection. When you return to the form, you will automatically be taken to where you last left off. 

Activity One

Get started by reading the Volunteer Recruitment - A Creative, Team-Based Approach and Keep Getting Involved Low Barrier! articles from the Working with Volunteers Toolkit.

• Think of a need in your community that would benefit from a volunteer's help. Write a brief “ad” for social media or a local newspaper.  

• What are 3 things you could do to spread the word about the role?

Activity Two

Online volunteer recruitment has been shown to be a top strategy, and it's also a low-maintenance, passive approach that let's people find YOU.  The United Ways of Maine offer a place to list and find volunteer opportunities - at no cost!

• Explore VolunteerME, hosted by United Ways of Maine, as a place to post opportunities in your community. 

• Explore an organization’s profile and volunteer opportunity listings.  

• Is this a tool you could use to raise awareness of your work & volunteer needs?

Activity Three

Read the To Background Check or Not Background Check article. 

• What pros and cons do you see for background checking volunteers involved in your age-friendly work?  

• Are there any roles you think should require background checks? Why?

Strong volunteer teams need continuous nurturing and communication. In this section, you'll find additional resources to help you build volunteer leadership skills, engage new voices, respond to challenging situations, and navigate the turbulent waters of role transitions.  In choose-you-own-adventure style, dig in to any topics that resonate with your needs in working with volunteers.

Working with Volunteers Toolkit Articles

Volunteers Leading Volunteers - Navigating Expectations and Accountability

Attracting and Engaging Diverse Voices and Volunteers

Proactive Planning for Smooth Volunteer Role Transitions

Building Skills for Courageous Conversations with Volunteers

Now that we've reviewed some of the core considerations and strategies for venturing into courageous conversations, use these scenarios, designed to help you explore common examples of challenges with volunteers, and reflect on how you might respond. 

Click through the scenarios below using the arrows or 3 dots to explore more; then watch the video to "unpack" each scenario.

Resources for Courageous Conversations

Brené Brown - Dare to Lead: The Engaged Feedback Checklist (this is a download)
This checklist provides a variety of helpful items to reflect on your readiness to engage in a conversation with someone when you have feedback to share.  

Research Institute for Aging - Enhancing Communication: An Inspirational Guide for People Living with Dementia
This guide explores common communication challenges for people living with dementia. It provides tips and strategies individuals can use and guidance for family, friends, and professionals to enhance inclusive and supportive communication.

One tangible way we can demonstrate the value of volunteers is to calculate the monetary value of their contributions.  In 2024, the non-profit coalition, Independent Sector, published the Estimated Value of a Volunteer Hour at $33.49.  When multiplied by the total number of hours a volunteer or a group of volunteers contributes to your community's leadership, activities and services, this can become a very powerful way to communicate with funders, municipal leaders, and others about the value and impact your work brings to your community. 

Activity - Showing the Impact of Volunteers: Exploring Ripple Effects Mapping

Ripple Effects Mapping employs group discussions and visual brainstorming to create a picture of how community programs affect different areas of local life. This approach helps people see and understand the wide-ranging impacts of their work. This process reveals not only tangible outcomes but also subtle, interconnected changes that might otherwise go unnoticed.

In the context of age-friendly volunteering, Ripple Effects Mapping helps:

1. Recognize the full scope of volunteer efforts

2. Foster a sense of accomplishment and motivation

3. Provide insights for program improvement and resource allocation

4. Communicate impact effectively to funders and policymakers

By illuminating the far-reaching effects of community initiatives, Ripple Effects Mapping offers a powerful tool for understanding and demonstrating the true value of volunteer efforts.

After watching the video, explore this Ripple Effect Mapping Toolkit to learn more about demonstrating the volunteer impact in your community. This can be a powerful, team-building activity to celebrate your collective work.

Reflection

• Does your community currently have a method of measuring volunteer impact?

• Do you see opportunities to capture and celebrate this impact?

Click here to complete the second of three reflections in this chapter. Entering the reflection will also record your progress.  Important: Complete each section before moving on to its corresponding reflection. When you return to the form, you will automatically be taken to where you last left off. 

There's no one-size fits all approach to finding, engaging and keeping volunteers.  Visit the Padlet below to share your tips, strategies and approach, and learn from others while you're there! In the Padlet, click on the "+" signs under each category to add your ideas. 

Engaging Volunteers Padlet - Click Here to visit and contribute. 

Reflection

• What questions do you have about working with volunteers?

• What would you like to talk and/or learn more about?

Click here to complete the final reflection in this chapter and record successful completion of the Volunteer chapter. Note: Clicking will bring you back to where you left off when you completed your last reflection. When you have finished, please click "submit" to record completion of the Volunteer chapter. 

Additional Resources

During this chapter, we hope you will gain a few tools for working with volunteers.
If you have any questions as you are going through the material, please email: lifelong@maine.edu. 

The Lifelong Maine Skill Building Series was developed as part of the Community Connections project.
Funding for the project was provided through support of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging and Office of Aging and Disability Services.
We are deeply grateful for the funding and for the thought leadership provided by Elizabeth Gattien, Coordinator of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging.