“What do you want me to do now?”

Organizing your work to include others and get more done

There are three thing we need to do TO NEVER HEAR THOSE WORDS AGAIN!!

1. Get YOU organized!

2. Get you to DELEGATE

3. Get OTHERS to do the same

Why can’t we get anything done?• You sit down to get something done.

• Your email pops up – it is a new volunteer inquiry! You start an email to respond and you are halfway through when…

• The phone rings and it is someone who wants to talk about how Kathy at the resale store isn’t doing what she is supposed to be doing. You take some notes and promise to follow up when…

• Sue comes in. You put the notes down on the pile on your desk. When she comes in to volunteer she always says “What do you want me to do?” You go to get her started on something…

• When you get back to your office your boss is there and asks how many volunteers you have for the special event next week. You tell her you will work on that right away!

• It is only 9:30am on Monday.

• Sue comes back and says “What do you want me to do now?”

We are a mess!

A project deserves a scheduled time1. Schedule a time for completing projects

- Not on the day you return from vacation

- Not at a time when you know you will be interrupted

- Plan regular daily, weekly, monthly tasks

2. Don’t interrupt yourself!- Turn off the email pop-ups- Let the phone go to voicemail- Close your door

3. Complete similar tasks at the same time

Every Desk Deserves an InboxAn Inbox is a place where you are ALLOWED to place

things that you can’t get to right away The only rule is that ANYTHING you take out, you

can NEVER put back IN!! It must move to its next logical spot

Commit to going through it each day to clear it out

(Your goal is to have it empty before you leave) Schedule 30 minutes at the end of the day to clean it out Schedule time on your first day back from vacation to deal

with everything that has piled up Put office “drama” there too

Every Office deserves a Big Trash CanWhy do we feel so guilty throwing things away?

It makes you feel good We shouldn’t define our worth by our stuff

We think we might need it in the future If you can’t think of a use for it now, you probably won’t think

of a use for it in two years We paid money for it

How much is it costing you to keep it

When you have too much stuff, you can’t take care of it all

Where do you start? Develop a consistent time each day

Earlier in the day (before it gets crazy – BEFORE you check your email)

At the end of the day so you can “turn off” work in your mind before you go home

Block it out on your calendar Try for 30 minutes until you are more in control As you get more organized, what you do during

that 30 minutes changes from eliminating chaos to controlling your work day

Delegating: Do things that only you can do!

Projects you HATE Projects you LOVE

Projects you feel VERY qualified to do

Projects you DON’T feel qualified to do

These MIGHT be good projects for a volunteer

These are probablyNOT good projects fora volunteer

These are probably GREAT projects for a volunteer

These MIGHT be great projects for you to find a volunteer partner to HELP you with

Delegating: Writing ProceduresProcedures help you:- Decide ONCE how you

will complete something- Remember what you

decided last time so you can do it the same way

- Realize that you are NOT the only person who can do this.

Writing Procedures

All you need is:

Procedure Name

Purpose

Person Responsible

Tools Needed

Time Frame

Procedures: ExamplePROCEDURE NAME: Birthday CardsPURPOSE: As part of our recognition plan, birthday cards are mailed on a monthly

basis to all volunteers in our program.PERSON RESPONSIBLE: Volunteer Manager’s Assistant and Volunteer ManagerTOOLS NEEDED: Birthday CardsPostage StampsVolunteer Birthday ReportTIMEFRAME: The birthday list will be generated on the first of the month for the

following month (ex. March list printed on February 1st.)PROCEDURE: Volunteer prints the Volunteer Birthday Report and addresses an envelope for

each person on the list. On the top right side of the envelope she will put the birth date.

Volunteer gives the completed envelopes to the Volunteer Manager. Volunteer Manager writes a note and signs the cards. Volunteer Manager files each card under the appropriate date in the tickler file. Each Wednesday the Volunteer Manager will stamp the envelopes and mail

them.

PROCEDURE: Volunteer Break in Service ProcedurePURPOSE: To maintain ongoing communication with volunteers to ensure retention of volunteers

who take a leave of absence.TOOLS USED: Volunteer databaseMonthly volunteer hours tally formPERSON RESPONSIBLE: Volunteer ManagerVolunteer staff partnersPROCEDURE: When a volunteer will be absent for greater than 30 days, it will be considered a break in

service. The Volunteer Manager determines if the staff partner has been notified and the approximate

length of absence and/or anticipated return date. The Volunteer Manager will notify the staff partner of the break in service if necessary. The Volunteer Manager will enter a touch point into the volunteer database, indicating the

reason and the anticipated return date. The follow up date will be recorded in the database. The Volunteer Manager checks the list on a regular basis. An email is sent to the volunteer

with the staff partner copied requesting an update on the status of the break in service. The touch point is updated and a new follow up date is entered for two weeks post email.

The volunteer response is entered in the touch point, the follow up date is deleted and the staff partner is notified of the return date.

If there is no response after 14 days, the Volunteer Manager will make a follow up phone call. If there is no answer, the scripted separation of service message will be left. (See Sample 1.) The database touch point will be updated to reflect the outcome. If the volunteer is returning

to active status, the follow up date will be deleted from the touch point. If there has been no response from the volunteer, the touch point will be updated to reflect the outcome, follow up date will be deleted, and the volunteer exit procedure will begin.

Step 3: Getting others to do the same

“My Job is NOT to Manage the NOT to Manage the VolunteersVolunteers. That is the responsibility

of each and every personevery person in this organization. My job is to manage manage

the VOLUNTEER PROGRAMthe VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.”

Or, said another way…

Everyone Deserves A Volunteer!

Look at us getting so much DONE!• You sit down to get something done.• You have the time to do it because it is on your calendar • You email doesn’t pop up to interrupt you• The phone rings and you let it go to voicemail. You return

message first thing in the morning and at lunch time. Whatever the message is about, you will deal with it when you have scheduled the time to deal with it appropriately.

• Sue will be here later. She knows she will be adding up the volunteer hours and she knows how to do it because she is the same person who does it every month, so you just have to say “hi” and get her settled.

• Your boss doesn’t need to interrupt you. She has the information because yesterday you had scheduled a time to work on that project, and it is done.

• So, you get it done!• It is only 9:30am on Monday

Look at you NOW!

What are you going to do tomorrow?

Put it on your calendar!

(Right Now!)