We’d like to introduce guest contributor Charlene Dishaw, currently the Manager of Volunteer Resources at Delta Hospital in Ladner, BC.
After over 10 years of working in the field of Volunteer Management I was having a “heard that, seen them” feeling. I was looking for education that would elevate my work another level. The Vancouver Board of Trade brought in the Disney Leadership workshop and my passion for working with people was renewed. What did it for me? The thrill of hearing what big business has the time and money to research. And the research can be directly applied to our sector. Since that workshop I have attended speakers who spoke to marketing and future planning, read dozens of books and taken a course at Simon Fraser University on Organizational Behaviour.
What does corporate marketing have to do with volunteers? One of our challenges is retention. What makes you go to Starbucks as a customer despite the cost of coffee? It is Starbucks’ excellent marketing. The venues smell great, they are inviting to visit. How do we entice volunteers to “come in?” What does your volunteer lounge look like? Do you have a lounge? If there is no lounge, how do you make the volunteers feel welcome and want to come back each week? Did you know that Disney purposely pumps the smells of cinnamon and other tasty fragrances in the air as you go down Main Street? This is not a coincidence, it is done on purpose to make you want to be there and spend some money. What can you “pump” into your venue to make the volunteer’s or employee’s day?
One of the biggest things that opened my eyes in all this training was what can you do to make someone’s day. This just isn’t a work philosophy, it is a life philosophy. We have such a great influence on other’s lives. How can we individually “make the day” of our colleagues, volunteers, spouses, families? We wield a mighty magical wand by really doing so little. “Thank you for coming in to volunteer today, I heard the staff say how wonderful it has been to have you on the unit.” Corporations are about saving money for greater profit, but they still need good employees with little turn over. Corporations have lots of tips for low or no cost recognition. These are valuable resources for those in the not for profit sector.
If you are interested and looking for a place to start, the latest book I just read was Lee Cockerell’s book, “Creating Magic – 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies From A Life At Disney.” The book is a compilation of many of the best practices in the field of research in working with people. This is a great story of management and leadership from the storytelling company.
For more information about “for profit leadership” contact your local college or university for courses. I am also available for workshops to share how corporation research can enrich our field.
Charlene Dishaw has been coordinating volunteers since 1992. She completed the Certificate in Volunteer Management at Vancouver Community College, is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and Past President of the Administrators of Volunteer Resources British Columbia. Charlene can be reached at dishaw [ at ] alumni [ dot ] sfu [ dot ] ca.