How to Prepare for and Negotiate Your Next Volunteer Management Job: A Complete Guide

While the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, we are hearing more and more from members of our paid community and inside of our VolunteerPro Insiders Facebook group about volunteer management job loss.

Leaders of volunteers aren’t the only nonprofit employee bearing the brunt of this loss. Lester M. Salamon and Chelsea L. Newhouse recently published a study estimating that between March and May of 2020, there was a sizeable 1.6 million job loss in the nonprofit sector.

While there is no way to be certain of the outlook on job loss and job openings in the nonprofit sector, the current climate can put a lot of additional pressure and stress on job seekers. So, if you are currently in the market for a new volunteer management job, or just want to brush up on your job search, resume, and interview prep skills, read on for tips to improve your chances of being seen and hired.

The Volunteer Management Job Search

If you’ve been happily employed for some time, you haven’t had to think much about where to go to find volunteer management jobs. Sure, you can visit the big job search websites, think Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn. However, don’t discount looking somewhere that is not as obvious.

Pre-Covid, it was commonplace for job search experts to tout the benefits of building and using your network of contacts. While that is still one of the best pathways to get your resume in front of a hiring manager and secure an interview, online networking may be a new skill you need to hone.

On top of navigating new platforms or technology, much like an in-person event you will also need to consider how you are presenting yourself. Check out The Muse’s article for 45 things you should be doing on social media to tap the power of social media.

One of the benefits of online networking is that you now have a wider reach than you would in person, and one of the of the best ways to expand your network is to join Facebook or LinkedIn groups.

Here are a few suggested Facebook groups to join:

Here are some LinkedIn groups to consider joining:

Once you are in, don’t jump right in and state that you are there for one thing only: to find and get a new volunteer management job.

Instead, focus on building your reputation as a go-to community member in the group. While you can certainly mention what you are looking for in your introduction post, don’t forget to mention the value you can bring to the community.

Then, prove your worth! Every time you find yourself turning to the group to ask a question, first take a few minutes and respond to at least three other people’s questions with feedback, insight, and value. You will quickly be seen as a key contributor and you will gain more attention from other group members.

 

Attending an Online Event or Conference?

Use these tips to network with the presenters and fellow attendees:

• Register for the event and post about your attendance on social media. In doing so, you’ll gain attraction from peers and job prospects who might be attending as well. Beware before posting in online groups – some have rules against promoting paid/free events, especially if it’s coming from one of their competitors!

• Establish networking goals. Online networking doesn’t just happen naturally as it would at an in-person event. You can’t just chat someone up while waiting in line for coffee or to check in.
Instead, you must be intentional. List out a few goals. They can be as simple as exchange my email with 10 attendees or introduce myself to the session presenter.

• Review the participant list. In the same vein as the point above, if the event organizer has compiled a list of attendees to share, look through it and make a note of anyone you want to target in your networking plan.

• During the event, be present and involved! Share comments and insights in the chat or event forum, post on social media using event specific hashtags, again posting your thoughts and insights on presentations.

• Give thoughtful feedback. After the event, complete the event survey/feedback form that you will be receiving. By providing a thoughtful response, the organizers may choose to feature your response on their website, social media, or other marketing materials, thus granting you more exposure.

 

What to Include on Your Resume

There are countless resources for designing, writing, and editing your resume, (check out this article to get started), so, I won’t go into it too much here.

However, something many jobseekers fail to do on their resume is quantify their achievements.

What kind of measurable accomplishments can you add to showcase success in your latest volunteer management job? (Hint: And if you’re still employed and haven’t started tracking your impact, there’s no time like the present!)

Check out this list below, which highlights some of the most impactful outcomes all leaders of volunteers should be tracking.

For Volunteers

  • Volunteer satisfaction or referral rate
  • % of volunteers with improved skills
  • % of volunteers with increased confidence
  • % of volunteers with broader range of interests
  • % of volunteers who feel they’ve made an impact
  • # of new volunteer friendships/professional relationships
  • % decrease in feelings of isolation
  • % increase in advocacy activities
  • % increase in volunteer leaders

For Organizations/Programs

  • # of volunteers recruited, trained, certified, deployed
  • % of volunteers who stay at least 1 year
  • Volunteer hours (monthly, quarterly, annually)
  • Aggregate value of volunteer time
  • $ in-kind resources generated by volunteers
  • $ financial resources generated by volunteers
  • # of new community partnerships
  • % of target population aware of issue/services
  • % decrease in administrative costs or increased ROI
  • % of grant or State Plan outcomes achieved
  • # of service beneficiaries reached (or reduced wait list)
  • # of earned media mentions

For Service Beneficiaries

  • Increased quality of life for clients
  • Client satisfaction or referral rate
  • Increased health outcomes
  • Decreased crisis events
  • Money saved by clients
  • Increased feelings of wellbeing or safety
  • % reduction in unemployment

By including a variety of these metrics on your resume, you are sure to catch the eyes of hiring managers who are searching for someone who can show previous success in volunteer engagement activities.

QUICK WIN: One Simple Way to Make Your Resume Standout

Found your dream job and want your resume and cover letter to stand out from the pack?

Copy and paste the entire job description into a word cloud generator. The words that come up the most are the words you MUST include in your resume and cover letter.

How to Prepare for Your Volunteer Management Job Interview

Pre-Covid, virtual interviews were not commonplace; however, if you are applying for a volunteer management job now, you are likely going to participate in a video interview at some point in the process.

While some might think they are easier than, virtual interviews can be more unnerving than in person videos. There’s more that can go wrong: tech issues, you can’t see/interpret body language of your interviewers, children/pets/delivery drivers knocking on your door can cause interruptions that get you off track, etc.

Also, if you have been working in a job for many years, you haven’t had an interview in quite some time and interview skills are something you can only hone with practice.

Follow these tips to help you prepare for and rock your next job interview!

Phone Interviews

Phone interviews are typically short conversations you have with a recruiter, or sometimes the hiring manager, because your resume caught their eyes, and they want to know more!

But just because they are usually more casual, it doesn’t mean you can just hop on the phone without doing any preparation. In fact, some argue that phone interviews are the most important step in the hiring process because it’s the time to make a positive first impression on the organization.

Here are some quick suggestions to help you ace your phone interview and get to the next round of interviews:

• Research who you will be talking with. If you find out that the person you will be talking to is a
recruiter, you will want to prepare for some basic interview questions.

• Look back at the word cloud you created using the job description. Touch on all those skills in
this interview.

• Do your research on the organization.

• Prepare your salary requirements. Have a $5,000 range in mind. For example, my salary requirements are between $60,000-$65,000.

• Make sure you are somewhere quiet and use headphones to help reduce any background noise.

• Have your resume, LinkedIn profile, and the job description in front of you. You will be able to refer to all of them as you talk about your experience.

• Slow down! If you are like me, you already talk faster than most people, which can be exacerbated by nerves.

• Prepare some questions to ask. One of my favorites is “Why do you chose to work for [org
name]”. One time I actually made someone cry in their response to me (not a bad cry, a good
one!). It can illicit an emotional response, especially working in the nonprofit field. But that’s a
good thing!

• Answer your phone professionally. Don’t sound like they caught you off-guard.

Video Interviews

• I am willing to bet that most people reading this article are well-versed in setting up for video calls. However, as the pandemic rages on and Zoom fatigue increases, we are less likely to consider the video call etiquette we were all so eager to display earlier this year.

• Follow the tips below to take your digital interviewing skills to the next level:

• Make sure your internet connection is good! If your connection is spotty, have a backup plan in place. Consider downloading the conferencing software app on your cell phone so you can rejoin the interview from there, if necessary. Sure, it’s not ideal to conduct a video interview from your phone, but your interviewer will applaud your fast problem solving.

• It goes without saying, but make sure your interview space is quiet and free from distractions. That means noise and visual distractions. Make sure there’s not too much going on in the background, and that you have good lighting.

• Dress for success! No, you don’t want to wear pajama pants to your interview! Dress the same as you would for an in-person interview. Avoid bright colors and busy patterns. If you wear glasses, play with the lighting to try and reduce the glare.

• Eye contact is still important! When you speak don’t look at the interviewer, as unnerving as that is, you must look into the webcam. When you are listening, you can look back at the person on the screen.

• Do a practice video call with a family member or friend. As them to focus on your appearance, eye contact, and body language and provide you with honest feedback.

• Have a pen, notepad, copy of your resume, the job description, and any notes you want to refer to on you desk.

Looking for more? Check out this article here.

In-Person Interviews

Interviewing in-person for volunteer management jobs during COVID-19 poses some unique challenges that we didn’t have to consider pre-Covid.

Here are some things to consider:

• Don’t reach out to shake your interviewer’s hands. If this feels awkward, don’t be afraid to say
something like, “I wish I could shake your hand, but I want to keep us both safe. It’s great to
meet you.”

• Before the interview, ask if there are any other precautions outside of wearing a mask that you
need to be aware of. Do you need to complete a health screening, sign a waiver, etc.

• If you have a hearing impairment, ask how they can accommodate you if you rely on lip reading
to help you understand what people are saying.

• You already know that you should prepare questions ahead of time to ask your interviewer. Due
to covid-19, you might consider asking questions about how the pandemic has affected the
organization.

 

 

Interested in learning more about interviewing in-person during the pandemic? Read this research by Zenefits.

No matter how well you perform during your interview; it is CRUCIAL that you send a thank you note as soon as possible.

Follow this formula to craft the perfect thank you email after every interview you have.

Greeting,
Thank you for meeting with me to discuss the [position title] position. It was a pleasure to talk with you and learn more about the team, the position, and the organization. Our meeting has reinforced my excitement about the opportunity to join [organization name], and I am excited to help you overcome [challenge/problem the role will help the org overcome].

[Briefly reference a skill or trait that will help with the challenge/problem].I look forward to hearing from you about next steps.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need more information.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

How to Negotiate Benefits

In a field dominated by women, it’s likely that organizations who are hiring for volunteer management jobs have not had many people come to the table with negotiations on salary and benefits. However, studies show that while women are less likely to negotiate than men, the tide is changing.

If you are looking for the chance to negotiate in your new volunteer management role, follow these tips below. When a job offer is made is the ideal time to ask for the support you need. If you can make your needs a condition of employment, you have leverage. If an employer is ready to hire, they will be ready to negotiate, and you’ll be more likely to find success now rather than later.

Negotiating Your Salary

When negotiating your salary, the first step is to do your research beforehand to see what the average salary is for the position. For volunteer management jobs, check out our 2020 Volunteer Management Progress Report (download your free copy HERE) to compare salaries across organizations types, job titles, education, and more.

For quick reference, the average salaries for all survey are listed below:

  • United States – $45,475 USD
  • Canada – $56,758 CAD
  • Australia (Oz) – $70,038 AUD
  • United Kingdom – £30,302 GBP

To negotiate a higher salary for your current position, or a new volunteer management job, hone in on these tips from Inc:

  • Know your value. Don’t base it on what you have made in previous positions. Think beyond dollar signs (extra vacation days, flex time, etc.). Ask on the high end of your range
  • Justify your ask (show your research)
  • Stay confident! Be attentive to your posture, body language and tone of voice during negotiations
  • Don’t forget to include the support you need, beyond salary and benefits, in your request

 

Negotiating Your Benefits

Outside of the typical benefits one might expect, healthcare, retirement fund, paid time off, etc., you can negotiate other benefits, such as professional development.

For a volunteer management job, we have a few suggestions on how you can incorporate professional development, coaching, and strategy support into your new job so that it benefits you AND the organization.

  • Request your employer cover the cost of sitting for the CCVA exam. By obtaining your CVA, you increase your confidence and skills in volunteer management, and your organization will be more confident in your abilities and trust you as the expert in volunteer leadership.

Interested? Learn more about getting certified here.

If your employer agrees to cover your VolunteerPro membership, your entire agency will benefit from the evidence-based strategies, time-saving resources, and proven, road-tested path to create a volunteer management strategy that you gain through participation.

Whatever option you deem appropriate for your needs, when you work one, (or both!) into your benefits package Have questions about our training or when membership will be open for enrollment next? Email us at wecare@volpro.net.

 

Negotiating Your Job Title

When negotiating, it’s easy to ask for the obvious: money and benefits. However, you might want to
consider negotiating something that won’t cost the organization any money at all: your job title!

Having the appropriate job title can mean so much for you and your organization. Think about it. The right job title shows:

  • How you fit into an organization
  • Your level of expertise/experience, and
  • What you do

While Volunteer Coordinator is by far the most common job title as revealed in the 2020 VMPR, there are many others to consider such as:

  • Manager
  • Director
  • Specialist
  • Officer
  • Supervisor, and
  • Administrator

If you are interested in asking for a better job title, read some advice on how to approach the conversation with this The Muse article.

Also, consider which department you’ll be working in. How does it feel with your aspirations for the level of volunteer effort you want to lead?

Securing Your Next Volunteer Management Job

If you are currently in the job market, we sincerely wish you luck as you continue your search and hope this article has shed some light on what you can do to come out on top.

If you know someone who is looking for work in the volunteer management field, please share this post with them and garner some goodwill for yourself in the process!

Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Comment below!

Level Up Your Professional Skills

Volunteer retention is all about keeping your folks engaged.

Enjoying deep volunteer engagement and commitment isn’t magic! It takes a smart strategy.

VolunteerPro has a FREE mini-course that explains what it takes to be an “architect of experience” and realize success for your volunteer team. In this short lesson, I share how to harness the science of trust for better supervision and deepen connections with volunteers through purposeful strategy.

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