Value of Volunteers & Impact on the Bottom Line

1. Value of Volunteers &Impact on the Bottom Line Harris Ravine Chief Operating Officer, Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network

2. VOLUNTEERS - VALUE AND EXPECTATIONS • May 12, 2014 • Harris Ravine • Chief Operating Officer • Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network

3. What’s the best question I’ve been asked since starting at Rocky Mountain PBS?

4. What’s the best question I’ve been asked since starting at Rocky Mountain PBS? How can you lose money on a volunteer auction?

5. 2009 Challenge • 2009 Auction • Long history of successful actions • But the trend was headed in the wrong direction • Despite best efforts of volunteers, lost roughly$200,000. • Result: ended auction and risked alienating the bulk of our volunteers.

6. NEW CHALLENGE: How do we continue to engage our volunteers after eliminating the auction?

7. DEFINITION OF NEED • Leading and staffing for wide range of important projects not otherwise affordable • Continuation of institutional knowledge • Connection to community • Honest appraisal of the programs and services being provided

8. Current Inventory • Significant contributions to valuable projects and brand-building events including: • Super School News • Storymakers • On-line auction • Ballisteri and other celebration events • Tour Program • Outreach across the state including Community Cinema, Kids FunFest, and music festivals throughout the state with KUVO • Monthly volunteer e-newsletter • Station Archived Memories

9. RECENT YEARS – • Value of Contributions • Traditional volunteers - nearly 15,000 hours • WAGL Advisory Board – more than 750 hours • Community Advisory Boards - more than 500 hours • Governing Board - more than 500 hours • Interns in production, finance, legal, communications – more than 500 hours.

10. VOLUNTEER & STAFF EXPECTATIONS

11. But volunteering is changing. • Staff expectations are out of sync with the available commitments from volunteers. • Interested volunteers not always available when convenient to staffs. • Projects of interest to volunteers more short term in nature but still must be meaningful. • Attrition rate of long-time volunteer leadership is increasing. • Our audiences are increasingly not station centric

12. The nature of volunteering has changed. • Our volunteer board is tackling this changing culture, which includes: • Lack of availability of volunteers during working hours. • Volunteers who are looking for short-term projects with impact. • Attrition rate of long-time volunteer leadership (they are “retiring” from volunteering). • Supports are increasingly non station-centric. • Ultimately, our goal is to do a better job of matching volunteer interests, talents and availability with station projects

13. Transformative Volunteer Strategy • Involve volunteer leaders in decision-making about needed changes • Articulate why the change is necessary and engage volunteers in strategizing about the best ways to respond to the new situation • Provide training and support to volunteers to walk them through the new systems or processes.

14. Transformative Volunteer Leadership • Accept that some volunteers won’t want to change. Respectfully remove barriers to the needed changes and move forward in a positive way. • Make sure that all staff understands the value of volunteers and treats them in a dignified and professional way, respectful of their time and dedication. • HONOR AND CELEBRATE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED THROUGH THE YEARS BECAUSE THE NECESSITY OF CHANGE DOESN’T MEAN THAT THE WAY IT WAS DONE BEFORE IS ALL WRONG.

15. VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP Public Media can’t accomplish our goals without our reliable, dedicated and energetic volunteers. They are windows to our past, critical advocates for today and powerful change-agents for the future.

16. THANK YOU! • Harris Ravine • HarrisRavine@rmpbs.org