May I Help You? | The Volunteer

WITH FLORENCE MAY

2021 IS A MOMENT OF ENORMOUS FLUX

Roaring 20s

One hundred years ago, the United States emerged from a pandemic and a major war into a time of manic celebration. The Roaring 20s were a period of exuberance in the arts, fashion, music and public gatherings. A wild abandon was experienced in many places.

Today, as we slowly emerge from the COVID pandemic, opinion articles are projecting 2021 as the beginning of the Roaring 2020s.

There does appear to be rapid return to public celebrations in many communities. There is pent up demand for live music, live performances, live sporting activities. A hunger for LIVE events is abound.

Festival Flux The mood and appetite are for Live events. But the official word for 2021 is not yet Roaring. It is Flux, as in continuous change.

You might have a different word to describe the crazy frenzy of managing reemerging live events, volunteer expectations and the frustrating reality of evolving COVID related requirements. Is your organization facing . . .

• Rushed timelines?

• Unclear expectations?

• Continuous pivots with new information and requirements?

• Hybrid work environments?

• Conflicted feelings about returning to live events?

Never mind all these issues. Many event planning organizations are doubling down in the face of economic realities, in particular the loss of income in 2020.

Ready. Set. Go.

A client recently stated, “I’m working longer and harder but feel like just spinning my wheels and not moving forward.” Another client recently left the event space saying, “There is just too much uncertainty.”

And a client who is also a close friend told me, “I just can’t handle the volume of change. The constant pivoting in my personal and professional life is exhausting. What direction are we going?”

And then so many event clients are concerned about major changes in staffing. Younger leaders and so many new staff.

These and many other client conversations reminded me of a book on Change Management written by Harvard’s John Kotter. His books are on the challenges of Managing Change. In his recently released book, simply called Change, Kotter lays out management models focusing on periods of Flux and the stages to consider as we face this period of upheaval.

Change

How do we gather safely? How are we considering shifting societal norms? How are we reacting to major generational patterns? Are we ignoring changing realities around us or embracing them?

The Kotter change model is instructive in event management but also specifically in volunteer management.

• The Need for Urgency: What are you doing and why is it important?

• Guiding team: Who is the leadership team? Has there been staffing changes? Are roles fully defined?

• Vision: What is the vision for your organization? Has it changed due to the pandemic? Does it address societal and generational shifts? Does the vision need to be reconsidered?

• Communicate Buy In: Who is communicating the vision? How is it being communicated? Is the message and communication style keeping up or is stuck in 2019? Is the guiding team on board with the vision? Is the vision clearly communicated with staff and volunteers?

• Empower Action: Has a plan of action been identified that is in keeping with the 2021 vision? Are priorities defined? Is everyone aware? Have staff and volunteer roles and goals been clearly defined?

• Short Term Wins: Have you defined success? What does a win look like? What are short term goals to celebrate?

• Don’t Let Up: Is there a focus on shared vision? Is there collaborative teamwork? Are there shared goals while openly recognizing the challenges? Are you celebrating wins even the small ones?

• Make Change Stick: Is leadership reinforcing the vision and goals on a regular basis? With staff? With partners? With volunteers? With all stakeholders?

The Volunteer Cycle

Now apply the change model to your day-to-day volunteer management program.

The volunteer management cycle hasn’t changed even if your program has changed. Consider your interaction with your volunteers.

• How are you sharing the changes and evolution of your event?

• How are you invigorating your volunteers?

• How are you reinforcing the priorities? Are you getting push back?

• What are your volunteers excited about?

• Are you sharing concerns with your leadership team?

• Are you collaboratively considering solutions and celebrations of small wins?

Volunteer Management Cycle

The New Roaring 20s?

This column is full of the questions we are all asking. And the closing will be no different as I can’t claim to have definitive answers.

Could this moment be the beginning of a cut loose celebratory phase after a challenging time? Is this the moment to reorient your organization to a society that is changing in many ways? How is your organization preparing for people who are hungry for LIVE events but who also may be changed by the events of the past 18 months?

Reflect.

I see many event planners who are tired and even frustrated. However, I also see event planners who love their communities and are seeking programs that provide for the greater good. It is time to rediscover the root of our passion for delivering festivals that bring our communities together to celebrate.

Florence May is the Founder and President of TRS Volunteer Solutions. Her company provides myTRS Software for hundreds of Festivals, Conventions, Non-Profits, corporations and Sports Commissions. Among these support for 26 Final Fours, 5 Super Bowls, 2 Republican National Conventions, 2 Democratic National Conventions, 18 F1 Races, 12 Special Olympic Organizations, Indy 500 Events and so many others. Flory is a national Speaker, Author and Workshop Leader on Volunteer Management Trends. You may contact Flory with volunteer management questions at fmay@my-trs.com or 317.966.6919. And there is a library of volunteer management resources at www.my-trs.com/articles.

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