Who is the Managing Volunteers course suitable for?

The course is intended for (prospective) managers, team leaders and coordinators who manage volunteers. You will recognise yourself in this if you are looking for practical tools for motivating volunteers, adjusting their work and giving them feedback. No prior knowledge is required. Do you work with a team of volunteers and want to refine your leadership style? Then this course suits you.

Which topics are covered on the Managing Volunteers course?

During the Leading Volunteers course you will cover, among other things: volunteers' motives and appreciation, the team effectiveness model, situational leadership, insight into your own leadership style, conversation techniques based on the CAD model, dealing with resistance and difficult situations, giving feedback, setting goals and holding corrective and exit interviews. You will actively practise with real situations from your own working environment.

Do you receive a certificate after the Managing Volunteers course?

Yes, after completing the Leading Volunteers course you will receive a certificate of participation from Learnit. This certificate confirms that you took an active part in both training days. The course is classroom-based and is taught in small groups of no more than eight participants, so you have plenty of room to practise conversation techniques and leadership styles.

How does the Managing Volunteers course teach you to deal with difficult situations?

During the classroom course you actively practise with difficult situations such as resistance, absence, agreements that are not kept and addressing behaviour. You learn fundamental conversation techniques through the CAD model: making contact, connecting and following through. You also conduct corrective and exit interviews. In a group of no more than eight participants you have plenty of room to experiment.

Which leadership styles will you learn to apply during the Leading Volunteers course?

During the Managing Volunteers course you learn to work with situational leadership: leading, guiding, coaching and delegating. You first discover your own preferred style and then practise switching between styles, depending on the volunteer in front of you. That way you approach every volunteer in the manner that suits their motivation, experience and need for direction.

What is the difference between managing volunteers and managing paid employees, and how does this course address that?

With volunteers, the financial steering instrument is missing: you cannot fall back on salary, contract or formal hierarchy. The relationship is based on equality, appreciation and intrinsic motivation. That calls for a different approach than with paid staff. In the classroom-based Managing Volunteers course, the focus is therefore on situational leadership, the CAD model for conducting conversations, and recognising the motives and needs of volunteers. You practise giving compliments, giving feedback and making adjustments without formal means of authority. Corrective and exit interviews are also covered, because parting ways with a volunteer works differently from dismissing a paid employee. The course is therefore not a generic leadership training course: it is built specifically around the dynamics of unpaid commitment and mutual respect.

When should you choose this classroom course instead of a book or an online course on leadership?

Learnit's classroom Managing Volunteers course You choose this over self-study or e-learning if you want to practise real conversations: making adjustments, giving feedback, holding a corrective interview or motivating someone who does not keep to agreements. You don't learn that from a book. In a group of no more than 8 participants you receive direct feedback from the trainer and fellow participants on your own style and pitfalls. An intake takes place beforehand, so that the programme matches your situation. A book gives you theory on situational leadership or the CAD model; the course lets you apply them to cases from your own volunteer organisation. Choose self-study if you are mainly looking for knowledge; choose this course if you want to change behaviour.

What does this course give me that I would not learn automatically in my daily work as a coordinator?

You gain structure and language for situations that you currently approach mainly on intuition. Specifically, you work with the team effectiveness model, situational leadership (directing, supporting, coaching, delegating) and the CAD model for making contact, connecting and following through. You also gain insight into your own preferred style and the 'iceberg' of norms and values that plays a part in every conversation. In practice, you often train volunteers on the basis of experience; this course adds a framework with which you make conscious choices for each type of volunteer. You also practise corrective and exit conversations, a topic that is rarely discussed explicitly in volunteer organisations. The group is limited to eight participants, so that you can bring in your own cases.

How do I know whether I am ready to hold corrective and exit interviews with volunteers after this course?

During the course you practise explicitly with corrective and exit interviews: how to issue warnings, make notes and ultimately part ways with a volunteer who is not performing. You learn to name identifiable behaviour and to clearly articulate its effect on you, the team and the organisation. You do this using the CAD model (making contact, connecting, following through) and fundamental conversation techniques such as probing, summarising and reflecting. Whether you dare to apply it in practice depends on practice: in the course you work in a group of no more than eight participants, so that you can actually do role plays. Most participants are able to prepare a first corrective interview immediately after the course; for exit interviews we recommend peer intervision as an addition, because these carry more legal and emotional weight.

How does this course compare to a training course on managing paid employees? Is it worthwhile if I already have management experience?

Yes, even with management experience you will learn specific things here that are missing from regular leadership courses. The difference lies in the steering mechanism: with paid employees you can fall back on terms of employment and hierarchy, whereas with volunteers you work purely on the basis of motivation, appreciation and equality. The course pays explicit attention to the motives and needs of volunteers, appreciation without financial incentives, and holding corrective and exit conversations without formal employment law to fall back on. Models such as situational leadership and the team effectiveness model are generally applicable, but in this course (classroom-based, maximum eight participants) they are consistently translated to the volunteer context. If you have never worked with volunteers, the added value is greater than if you have been managing a team of volunteers for years.

How quickly can I apply the conversation techniques and leadership styles from this course in practice with my volunteers?

You can put the techniques on offer to use immediately after the course. The course has an active set-up: you practise with situational leadership (leading, guiding, coaching, delegating) and with the CAD model for making contact, connecting and following through. Practising in a safe setting with a maximum of eight participants means that you return with tools you can use in the same week in feedback and motivational conversations. More complex skills, such as corrective and exit interviews or dealing with structural resistance, require more repetition in your daily work. Expect it to take several weeks to months before the styles feel like second nature. The intake beforehand ensures that the programme matches your concrete practical situations, which speeds up the transfer to the workplace.

What does the Leading Volunteers course cost and how long does it take?

You will find the current price at the top right of this course page, together with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.

Managing Volunteers course

Name: Managing volunteers
Price: 1300.0 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 8.6 (25 reviews)

Volunteers call for a particular style of leadership: equal, appreciative and clear. On this course you work on your own style, learn how to motivate, adjust and give feedback, and get a grip on difficult conversations with volunteers.

Description

Managing volunteers calls for something different from ordinary management. The relationship is based on equality, appreciation and mutual respect. At the same time, you want the work to be done well and to be able to make adjustments where necessary.

On this course you discover what motivates volunteers and which leadership style suits you. You gain insight into situational leadership and learn to switch between leading, guiding, coaching and delegating. You also work on fundamental conversation techniques: asking questions, listening, summarising, giving feedback and paying compliments.

You get to grips with difficult situations, such as resistance, agreements that are not kept and addressing people's behaviour. You are also given tools for holding corrective and exit interviews, setting clear objectives and safeguarding the quality of the volunteer work.

Afterwards you know how to manage, motivate and appreciate volunteers in a constructive way, so that they continue to contribute to your organisation with pleasure and commitment.

Topics

The following topics, among others, are covered during the course:

What motivates volunteers? Reflecting on their motives, needs and the way in which you express appreciation.
Team effectiveness model: connecting organisational goals, team goals and individual goals.
Leadership styles: applying situational leadership and switching between leading, guiding, coaching and delegating.
Insight into your own preferred style and practise a range of influencing skills.
Fundamental conversation techniques: asking questions, listening, summarising, showing empathy, reflecting, giving feedback and building trust. Among other things via the CAD model.
Dealing with difficult situations: resistance, absenteeism, unmet agreements and addressing behaviour.
Frame of reference and miscommunication: getting to know your own 'iceberg' and the influence of your norms and values.
Different types of volunteers and recognising your own pitfalls.
Giving constructive compliments and feedback to adjust behaviour.
Setting goals and creating support within your team.
Conducting corrective and exit interviews in cases of underperformance.

Result

After this course you will know which leadership style suits you and how to adapt it to each volunteer. You safeguard and improve the quality of the volunteer work and make adjustments where necessary.

You will handle challenging situations and different types of volunteers more smoothly. Think of resistance, agreements that are not kept or a difficult corrective conversation.

In addition, you deliberately apply fundamental conversation techniques: asking questions, listening, summarising, giving feedback and motivating. That way you make real contact, connect with the volunteer and follow through when necessary.

Target audience

This course is particularly suitable for (prospective) managers, team leaders or coordinators who manage volunteers. Do you recognise yourself in any of the points below?

You want practical tools for managing volunteers, you want to learn which style to use when approaching a volunteer and which instruments to use, and you want to practise adjusting and motivating volunteers and giving feedback.

This list is of course not exhaustive: after all, everyone is different. What would you like to focus on within the leadership theme?

Teaching method

During the course we alternate short pieces of theory with plenty of practice. You actively work on situations from your own practice: directing, motivating, giving feedback and holding difficult conversations with volunteers.

Beforehand you have an intake meeting with the trainer. This allows us to map out your learning objectives and tailor the programme accordingly. The group consists of no more than eight participants, so there is plenty of room for personal attention, practice and feedback.

We work in a safe atmosphere in which you can experiment with new skills. You practise with role plays, receive constructive feedback from the trainer and your fellow participants, and reflect on your own management style. Doing and experiencing come first. You go home with concrete tools that you can apply straight away.

Prior knowledge

You do not need any specific prior knowledge. Do you have experience of managing or supporting volunteers, or are you about to take on this role? Then this course will suit you well. An open and inquisitive attitude will help you most.

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

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Language

The training is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer has a good command of English. English-language course material can be used. With a minimum enrolment of 3 participants, the training can also be given entirely in English.

Number of days:

2 days

Course times:

from 10 am to 5 pm

Study load:

14 hours

Education level:

This training is suitable for all levels.

Exemptions:

Exemptions do not apply to this course.

Preparation time:

No preparation time applies to this course.

Certificate:

At the end of the course, a certificate is issued as proof of participation.

The best training for you

At Learnit you will always find a course that takes you further. From (technical) IT skills to communication or personal leadership. You can also choose the training format that suits you best: a classroom course, a tailor-made course at your own office, an online course or an e-learning. We have the right course and the right format for everyone. Because learning in the way that suits you best delivers the best results.

Moving forward together

Taking a training course at Learnit means learning together. Together with your experienced trainer, together with your course group or together with your colleagues. And whether you take the training at home, at your office or at one of our training locations, we are always available to help you. To share our knowledge with you in a way that is genuinely useful to you. Getting further together through personal attention and understanding each other well; that is what we believe in.

Apply it directly in your work

Learning theory from a book that you can then hardly use in your work? Not at Learnit! Whichever training you take with us, you can put it to use at your workplace straight away. Because of the unique learning objectives you set together with the trainer at the start of the training. Because of the alternation between theory and (interactive) practical assignments. And by bringing the challenges you face in your daily work along to the training.