"F




eedback is a gift and, when done well, benefits both the giver and the recipient." This poignant quote was shared during Sunday's General Session: Volunteers Giving Volunteers Feedback by ILTA Interim CEO Joy Heath Rush. She moderated the expert panel of ILTA Board Members, ILTA Professional Staff, and Nonprofit Management Consultant Hedda Rublin to share insights on how to give effective feedback, especially with ILTA Volunteers, ILTA Leadership, and ILTA Professional Staff.

As the panelists tackled Joy's questions one-by-one, attendees learned that feedback is vital for the continued success of ILTA's volunteers and professional staff.

Read the following excerpt to learn from our expert consultant, Hedda Rublin:

Joy: Hedda, you have worked with non-for-profits your entire career. Why is it important to provide feedback to volunteers?

Hedda: It’s human nature – we all want feedback on how we perform. Volunteers are often the lifeblood of nonprofits – when they succeed, the organization succeeds. Feedback provides more genuine opportunities for the volunteer to learn and grow. And, it is more satisfying for the volunteer, sends the message that they are valued enough to receive feedback.

A genuine culture of learning is embraced, and volunteering ultimately is more satisfying – volunteers feel that someone is paying attention to what they are doing and that they care. Volunteers deserve feedback and the chance to grow, not doing the role justice if you don’t give them feedback.

Joy: What mechanisms have you seen organizations employ for “institutionalizing” the feedback process?

Hedda:  Develop volunteer job descriptions, recruit and screen folks who are a good match, and use both formal and informal feedback – in both spoken and written form. Feedback should be regularly scheduled and in real time – giving both positive and negative feedback.

Assuming volunteers stay for more than one year, have a written record of issues is key. Then, volunteer committees can self-evaluate their work, and they can put individual reviews into a larger context.

Individual self-evaluations are also helpful. It requires time and thought – make sure to allocate both and don’t wing it. This is a tall order for volunteers, but it is vitally important.

Joy: What appears to work well? What appears to be problematic?

Hedda: 
What works well:
- Let someone know that you are giving them feedback – upfront and in the moment

- Provide plenty of positive as well as negative feedback, otherwise, it is only criticism and folks are more likely to get defensive

- Focus on what versus why – with both positive and negative feedback – give specific examples rather than theorizing about why someone behaves as they do

- Describe the impact (both positive and negative) of what someone is doing on the organization – it helps depersonalize concerns

- Provide individual one-on-one feedback– not in front of others when providing constructive criticism, positive feedback can be given publicly

- View it as a problem-solving conversation – try to be helpful without being overly directive

- Ask questions that can help volunteers come to their own conclusions

- Be direct, honest and fully-present

- In real-time, but sometimes need to be mindful of other realities

- In challenging situations, it can be helpful to prepare a script – don’t be afraid to be direct

- All feedback should be framed around what is best for the organization –it’s not personal

What is problematic:
- Not providing feedback because volunteers are providing their services for free, this devalues their work

- Avoiding difficult conversation – issues will fester

- Can volunteers be fired, the answer is yes, when necessary

Joy: What are the risks to an organization that is poor at volunteer feedback?

Hedda: Quality control – the quality of work of volunteer may not be up to the organization’s standards, and it may have a negative impact on the brand. If a volunteer has a frustrating experience and doesn’t learn, they may walk away.  It may also discourage, alienate or lose other volunteers - things don’t get done well.

Effective volunteers may get discouraged that issues with ineffective volunteers are not addressed and/or when group processes are less successful.

Joy: Are there any traits, skills, etc. on which we should focus on giving volunteers feedback?

Hedda: Tie it to the job descriptions and knowledge skills, and attributes tied to those roles. Situation-specific overall might also tie it to ILTA’s values.

VIEW THE SUMMARY ADVICE OF THE PANEL HERE