Please don’t volunteer – Communicate expectations

Part of the Please don’t Volunteer – 9 part series

How to get the most from your volunteer efforts

Professional Contributors pick opportunities where they feel they can have an impact while staying true to their purpose, objectives, and skill. Realizing where you can move a mandate forward is half the battle; the other half is getting the association and community group to agree with your assessment.

by Suzanne F. Stevens, Conscious-Contribution™ Cultivator, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), YouMeWe.ca

What are your objectives?

When sitting on a National Board, my goal was clear. I believed that our association would be able to collaborate more productively, gain brand equity, connect more emotionally, and impact more profoundly if we collectively contributed to the mental health issue in our perspective communities. When I communicated my objective and expectations with the President, he said, “Although the idea was a noble cause this was not the time.” He proceeded to tell me when the right time would come.

How does controlling your expectations empower you?

Controlling my expectations put me in a position of power. I was able to decide, is this association the right fit for me? Or will this organization at some point embrace my vision? And if yes, will they need my knowledge and skill to move them toward the objective? I believed the later. As a result, I became an active member, doing what needed to get done, so I could do what other members and I felt should be done. Once I was President, I was able to collaborate with like-minded members to move toward a community contribution of speaking to the public about healthy minds and well-being.

Regardless of your role, it is in everyone’s best interest to communicate your expectations of the contribution experience. It is also essential to elicit what the organisation’s expectations are of you so that you both can come to an agreement.

How do I continuously communicate expectations?

1. At the beginning of embarking on a role, ask what the organization’s expectations are of me?
2. Communicate what my expectations are to the group.
3. What are the timelines to implement my and the organization’s expectations?

It is also valuable to communicate expectation continuously. Once you become exposed to the depth of the issue and the expanse of opportunities, both you and the organization’s expectations of each other can change. Continued communication will allow for continued engagement. Without it, a contributor can become non-contributing.

Consider also communicating your objectives to your fellow professional contributors so they will have clear expectations of you and context for your contribution. This will also encourage them to be aware of other opportunities within or outside the association initiative that could help you reach your objectives and goal.

In the next weWednesday, we will cover one of the most critical elements that differentiate a Professional Contributor from a volunteer. So, stay tuned.

Until next time, make your contribution count.
#MyContributionCounts #YouMeWeMovement

Consider:

1. At the beginning of embarking on a role, ask what the organization’s expectations are of me?
2. Communicate what my expectations are to the group.
3. What are the timelines to implement my and the organization’s expectations?

BEFORE YOU GO… like & share this post with your friends, colleagues, and anyone who wants to live their most meaningful life. Together, WE can spread the YouMeWe mindset of consistent conscious-contributions™ to the community. Together we can create a positive ripple effect. 

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