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Voluntary teams exist in the not-for-profit sector, typically within charities, churches, or organizations to help young people, sports clubs, political parties and cultural societies. As the name suggests, the members of such teams are there because they want to be, often because of some personal set of values or principles or because of some life-changing event in their lives. They are giving up their own free time to be involved and they are unpaid.
Characteristics of Voluntary Teams
Members of voluntary teams are faced by many of the issues that characterize teams more generally. However, they also have additional characteristics and needs, relating to the objectives of the organization, the nature of the work they are carrying out and their own outlook on life.
They are likely to have a well-developed set of personal values and their commitment levels may be significant. This means they are prepared to put in extra effort or give up additional time, where they can see a positive outcome to their contribution. They are keen to do the best they can, and are much less interested in “what’s in it for me?” Some of the distractions of the private and public sectors can be missing such as game-playing, political machinations and ‘turf wars’. Their contribution may also be less hampered by career ambitions and plans.
Difficulties Created by Voluntary Teams
The personal drivers and specific needs of members of voluntary teams can, on occasion, interfere with getting the job done. For example, they often have strong ethical or moral views which may not help in situations requiring flexibility or compromise.
Managing Voluntary Teams
In view of this, leaders of voluntary teams need to think carefully about how they manage their team.
- Team members are likely to have a diverse background and a wide range of experience. This valuable mix of experience, strengths and skills may go untapped unless you take the time to find out about their background and how they can best contribute to the team.
- Look at the project or outcomes required and carve out individual roles. So for instance, if your team is organizing an event, you might need someone to take a lead role marketing it, someone else to ensure funds are generated, someone to coordinate the event itself and a secretary to record minutes and actions required. This can help ensure clarity, a sense of purpose and sharing of work to be undertaken.
- Not all team members will contribute equally. Be alert to this and take steps to prevent the few members who always volunteer to action things becoming over-stretched and ultimately leaving. You want to retain those with a ‘can do’ attitude. You may need to be directive when allocating work to ensure a sense of fairness. However you may also need to be aware of personal circumstances that might temporarily prevent a team member from contributing.
- Make a conscious effort to set the standard yourself.
- Consider individual needs. Adapt the timing of meetings to suit everyone’s needs and consider hosting the meetings in different venues.
- Make it fun. If people are giving up their personal time, they might as well enjoy it. In addition to achieving the task in hand be aware of the needs of individuals and of the team in general. Give careful consideration to the details that might make a difference. So think about the environment, comfort, taking turns organizing refreshments, etc. Take time to find out about what is happening to members outwith the project. Apart from the obvious social interaction, you need to be aware of personal needs.
- Celebrate successes. Take the time to recognize key milestones and enjoy achievements.
