how to establish a sustainable retail volunteer … · visual merchandiser 9 ... • joined up...

How to Establish a Sustainable Retail Volunteer Programme

Charity Retail Association

Conference

28th June 2016

Contents

Sections

1 Background

2 Outcomes and Successes

3 Approach to Project

4 Volunteer Recruitment Toolkit

5 Wrap Up

2

The Golden Jubilee Trust

�The John Lewis Partnership established the Golden Jubilee Trust (GJT) as a charity in April 2000 as part of the Partnership’s Golden Jubilee celebrations

� It gives UK registered charities the opportunity to benefit from the skills of its workforce

�The flagship pan-Partnership volunteering programme �The flagship pan-Partnership volunteering programme which gives Partners the opportunity to work full or part-time with a UK-registered charity for up to si x months , on full Partnership pay

�Since its launch in 2000, the scheme has awarded almost 278,000 hours to over 690 charities .

3

The Project

Research and develop a sustainable retail volunteer program for Thames

HospiceAIM:

4

WHY:The number of volunteers in shops is falling and turnover increasing, putting more pressure on

remaining staff and volunteers and putting sustainability of model at risk

Retail Team

Thames Hospice Structure

Director of Retail

Area Manager x 2

Shop Manager x 13

V&R Brand Manager & eBay

eBay Assistant DC Staff & Drivers

# shops15 in total:� 11 contemporary� 1 Home � 1 Vintage & Retro� 1 Vintage Boutique� 1 Boutique Distribution Centre

Operations Manager

5

Assistant Shop Manager x 13

Supervisor x 7(certain locations)

eBay Assistant

Upcycling Assistant

Shop Manager x 2

Assistant Shop Manager x 2

Supervisor x 2

DC Staff & Drivers

Visual Merchandising Manager

Business & Customer Support Manager

Administration Coordinator

Multi-site Manager x 2

Volunteering Team

Head of Volunteering

HR & Volunteer Services

Administrator

HR Director

Contents

Sections

1 Background




5 Wrap Up

6

The Results

Thames Hospice# Volunteers

Oct’15 – Mar 16

+17%64% 77%

Thames Hospice Volunteer shifts filled

Aug’15 – Mar ‘16

Thames Hospice# Volunteer Hours

Aug’15 – Mar 16

+37%

7

Sharing learnings more widely

WHO VOLUNTEERS?1

By Age Group

Project Benefits – Identified Where To Focus

BY SHOP, % shifts filled

Shops & time of week most in need

Blackwater 62Sunninghill 62Sandhurst 56

Uxbridge 51Windsor 49Marlow 42Home 29

64%Average

211818192730

65+55-6445-5435-4425-3416-24

Proactive recruitment not retention

Target younger volunteers

VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK

89%reasons for leaving uncontrollable

94%existing volunteers would recommend volunteering here

WHO VOLUNTEERS WITH US?

By Age Group

MOTIVATIONS MET?Above the line= beating expectations, based on importanceBelow the line = more can be done, based on importance

8

Maidenhead 89Woodley 88

North Ascot 86Wokingham 76

Binfield 73Dedworth 70

Crowthorne 67Blackwater 62 65+55-6445-5435-4425-3416-24

23

48

10221

65+55-6445-5435-4425-3416-24

OPPORTUNITY

Importance to volunteers

How

wel

l nee

ds a

re m

et

Give back after personal experience

Learn new skills

Put skills & expertise to good use

BY TIME OF WEEK, % shifts filled

1

2

3

4

5

1 2 3 4 5

.

.

Put time to good use

..

Social aspect

Gain reference

Gain experience

Contribute to work of Hospice

Years old

Years old

1 The New Alchemy March 2015, Joe Saxton, Tim Harrison and Mhairi Guild, nfpSynergy

Project Benefits – Recommendations Delivered (1/2)

New volunteer roles created

� Visual merchandiser

9

� Visual merchandiser� Recruitment coordinator

Introduced new measurables & KPIs

Volunteer forum introduced

Project Benefits – Recommendations Delivered (2/2)

Targeted Recruitment of Younger Volunteers

16-24:Age group most likely to volunteer1

<25 25-35 35-45 45-55 55-65 >65

Aug-15 Apr-16

10

New Shop Opening PlanDefined responsibilities, support, resources

available and ideal timelines around volunteer recruitment when opening a new shop

• Links established with local schools, sixth forms, colleges & universities and fairs and talks attended

• Younger volunteer’s motivations catered for: training, CV building, work experience, college projects

1 The New Alchemy March 2015, Joe Saxton, Tim Harrison and Mhairi Guild, nfpSynergy

Approaches to share with you today…

11

Discussion

What are the biggest challenges you face with

sustainability of volunteers in retail?

12

Contents

Sections

1 Background




5 Wrap Up

13

Run your own project

1. Approach

Key

2. Research

Internal and external,

3. Interpret the results

To identify

4. Recomm-endations

Summary

5. Delivery

Who, what, when.

14

Key questions and levers

external, including 3

surveys

To identify the areas to focus efforts

Summary and

prioritisation

when. Establish as

BAU

1. Approach – decide how to approach the project

If you choose to run this as a full project, you will need to consider:

� Project plan , governance and communication

15

� Ways of working and stakeholder engagement

• Identify key stakeholders

• Joined up working and leadership across Retail and Volunteering is key

� Decide what is out of scope e.g. a stable paid staff team

What you want from the project? What questions does it need to answer? What will success look like at the end of it?

� Key levers – lever tree. Use this early on to identify where to focus your efforts

1. Approach – identify key levers & success measures

1. What are our retail volunteer

needs?

Who should we target?

What type ? (skills, length of time)How many ? (now, future)

When? (time of week, year)

Which locations ? (now, future)

� Success Measures – e.g. increase average volunteer shifts filled, all shops to have aminimum level, widen diversity of volunteers

16

2. What should our retail volunteer

offer be?

3. How do we set ourselves

up to deliver this?

Who should we target?

How should we retain them?

How can we best recruit them?

What should accountabilities be?

Is support structure in place?How to recruit for new shops ?

Where should we target?

Internal

� Qualitative – shop visits, Head officeconversations

� Quantitative – current volunteer, previousvolunteer and shop manager survey. Makeuse of online survey companies

2. Research

Example Surveys

External Benchmarking

�The ‘good practice’ section from this project

�nfpSynergy ‘The New Alchemy’ report, Joe Saxton, Tim Harrison and Mhairi Guild2015

�The Complete Volunteer Management Handbook 3rd Edition by Steve Mcurley, RickLynch and Rob Jackson. DSC. 2012

�Make use of your own contacts, or membership groups you belong to

17

Volunteer Needs

� This is key – it helps you focus your efforts on where the greatest need for volunteersis; by shop, time of week and time


Gaps by shop, % shifts filled

4942

29

Shop 2Shop 8

Shop 12

64%Average

Time of week, % shifts filled

18

898886

7673

7067

6262

5651

49

Shop 10Shop 14

Shop 3Shop 9Shop 5

Shop 13Shop 11Shop 6Shop 7Shop 1Shop 4Shop 2

Time of year, # shops

2

3

4

7

12

School Hols

Winter

Bank Hols

Summer

Xmas

4

5

..

Put time to good use

.

Volunteer Offer: Retention

� Is retention the focus for us?


Reasons for leaving, # people

7

Family commitments 32

Health Reasons 32

Relocated 11

Gained paid employment

� If so, how can we improve it?

How

wel

l nee

ds a

re m

et

Give back after personal experience

Gain experience

Motivations met? Out of 5

1

2

3

1 2 3 4 5

Social aspect

Gain reference

..

.

19

UncontrollableControllable

89%

4

4

4

7

7Gained paid employment

Educational commitments

Relationship with manager

Felt underappreciated

Felt unsupported

Reasons for leaving are uncontrollable

Importance to volunteersH

ow w

ell n

eeds

are

met

Learn new skills

Put skills & expertise to good use

More can be done

Beating expectations

Contribute to the cause

4

5

. Charity website/social media

.

Volunteer Offer: Recruitment

� Who to target – based on appetite tovolunteer & ability to meet your needs

10

2

2

1

35-44

25-34

45-54

16-24


� How should we recruit?

OPPORTUNITY

Who volunteers with us, # volunteersEffective ways to advertise, out of 5

Links with local community

groups

Posters or leaflets in the

shop

age

0

1

2

3

0 1 2 3 4 5

Effe

ctiv

enes

s .

Open days within charity shops

.

.

Charity website/social media

.

� Where should we recruit?

23

48

10

65+

45-54

55-64

20

11mins

Average

2514

262319

15-2010-15< 5 5-10 25+20-25

Catchment area, # responses

mins

groups

Volunteer recruitment websites eg

Do-It

Volunteer finder agencies

Frequency of use

Attend local community

events


Behind the scenes

Recruitment & Induction process,out of 5

3.8/5 Recruitment

Volunteer contacts & skillsets, share of volunteers

volunteers gave examples of other ways they are connected to and

21

3.8/5

4.0/5

Induction

Training1 in 5

volunteers with skillsets not being used which they think

could benefit Hospice

1 in 2 ways they are connected to and involved in their local communities

4. Recommendations

You can use the good practice self assessment worksheet to consider for each area:

1.To what extent is it in place

2.How important it is

Focus your efforts

22

Revisit those 3 initial questions from the lever tree:

1.What are our needs?

2.What should our offer be?

3.What do we need in place to deliver this?

What are your key impressions now, on where to focus, based on your research?

Prioritisation

Based on level of impact and effort:

4. Recommendations

Quick Wins Focus resource

Forum

IiV Award

ResponsibilitiesStudents

Hospice

Training

Niche

# roles

Marketing

X-Functional

Toolkit

New shops

Resource

KPI

Flexible Vols

NeedsStock

Impa

ct

RETAIN EXISTINGATTRACT NEWSET UP

Involve key stakeholders – key at this stage to gain their support & help land thechanges

Agree success measures – that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,Relevant, Time-Bound). E.g. increase % volunteer shifts filled from to 64% to 75% in 6months

23

De-prioritiseLow hanging fruit

Effort

5. Delivery

Agree a workplan

1. Agree a lead person for each workstream

2. Agree timing of delivery, check interdependencies

This will make it easier for you to hold those involved to account, helping you to manage the delivery of the project

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 1

0W

eek 1

1W

eek 1

213

Week 1

4

Ongoing progress review

� Steering Group to with keystakeholders

� Working Group for certainareas where more focus isneeded, or cross functionalworking is required

24

Lead Responsible Status

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 1

0W

eek 1

1W

eek 1

2W

eek

13

Week 1

4

GOVERNANCE

Steering Group - In progress

Working Group - Not started

Shop Managers meetings - In progress

RETAIN EXISTING VOLUNTEERS

Establish shop volunteer forum Area Manager Not started

Increase links with Hospice Area Manager Complete

RECRUIT NEW VOLUNTEERS

Proactive partnerships with target groups Volunteer Manager In progress

Increase breadth of retail volunteer roles Area Manager Not started

Create tailored marketing Volunteer Manager Not started

SET UP

Investigate ‘Investing in volunteers’ award Volunteer Manager Not started

Measure & report on % shifts filled Area Manager In progress

Recruitment toolkit and training Working Group Not started

Define ongoing responsibilities Working Group Not started

Define approach for new shop opening Working Group Not started

Review stock approach Area Manager Not started

Establish as BAUOnce key changes have beenimplemented ensure anyongoing changes, such aschanges to responsibilities, orreporting on volunteer needsare fully embedded intobusiness as usual

Contents

Sections

1 Background




5 Wrap Up

25

Overview

� Aim: to equip shop management with thetools they need to take a proactive approachto volunteer recruitment

� Creation led by Volunteer Services with inputfrom the retail team ; area managers andshop managers

� Each shop has their own Toolkit whichbecomes both a resource and a recordtailored to that individual shoptailored to that individual shop

26

Section 1: Setting the scene

Section 2:What do I need?

Section 3:What can I do?

Section 4: What next?

Section 5:Roles & responsibilities

Section 6:Case studies

Section 8:Resources

Section 7:Workbook

How the toolkit supports shop managers

� Gives shops clarity on their responsibilities as well as the tools and resources, and central support available to them

� In order to make the most of local contacts and knowledge

� Alongside a joined up approach across shops and central support teams

introduces the toolkit and how to use itSection 1:

Setting the scene

What good looks like

� Multi-pronged ; multiple activities will be needed as potential volunteers will not all be in one place

� Proactive ; being visible out and about in local communities as potential volunteers will not always come to us

� Locally lead ; by local shops where they can draw on local knowledge and contacts

� Tailored recruitment ; to reflect the different motivations of individuals

27

� As well as establishing the % of shifts filled this section focuses on:

− Succession planning : volunteers may leave, due to ill health, study

− Times of year when they may require more volunteers

identify your volunteer needs and therefore which volunteer groups to target

Section 2:What do I need?

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

AM 4 4 4 4 4 4 N/A

PM 4 4 4 4 4 4 N/A

TOTAL SHIFTS PER WEEK NEEDED: A: 48

A) Optimum number of volunteers:


B) Current number of volunteers:require more volunteers

− What ‘groups’ of people might be able to fill certain shifts, based on availability, local area & interests

� The % shifts is calculated by shop managers, and collated by area managers. This is then sent to Volunteer Services, where they or area managers give extra support to those shops <50% shifts filled

28


AM 4 4 4 4 3 1 N/A

PM 3 3 4 2 2 1 N/A

TOTAL SHIFTS PER WEEK IN PLACE: B: 35


AM 0 0 0 0 1 3 N/A

PM 1 1 0 2 2 3 N/A

TOTAL SHIFTS PER WEEK GAP: A-B: 13

% SHIFTS FILLED: B÷A: 73%

C) The gap:

identify recruitment activities with tips and resources to help plan and run them

Section 3:What can I do?

Recruitment activities� The aim of this section is to get the shop manager to think about where they could go and what they could do to find the people they identified in the previous section

29

� It also provides a range of ideas for recruitment activities. Shop Managers are asked to include a range of different categories of activities, including both:

− ‘in the shop’ and ‘out and about’

− ‘face to face’ and ‘indirect’

� This follows through from an initial enquiry that a shop manager receives

� Instead of giving out application forms (never seen again), a potential volunteer fills in an enquiry form there and then (very basic details) and is booked in for a taster session

the steps following on from initial enquiry through to the volunteer’s first few shifts

Section 4: What next?

booked in for a taster session

� After a taster session the shop manager conducts an informal interview and the potential volunteer completes the full application form

� “Some make the serious mistake of assuming that recruitment stops when the potential volunteer shows up asking about a position.”1

30

Sign up for a

taster session today!

1 The Complete Volunteer Management Handbook Mccurley, Lynch & Jackson

Roles & Responsibilities with key meetings� Establish who is responsible for what part of volunteer recruitment

� Shop Managers lead their own recruitment; key to success. Supported by Volunteer Services and Area

the key roles and responsibilities of those involved; both centrally and in the shops

Section 5:Roles & responsibilities

Volunteer Services and Area Managers

� Breakdown key meetings that bring each group together for ongoing communication

� Regular contact between the various teams in the form of both formal and informal meetings is also key

31

Case Study Examples� Some case studies as examples for shop managers, including successes and learnings

� These are written by both the volunteering team and shop managers

some real life examples of recruitment activities to draw on

Section 6:Case studies

managers

32

Worksheet Examples�Shop managers tailor this to make it individual to their shop. It is a place to record:1.Volunteer needs2.Volunteer skills table –

identify training needs & gaps

capture your ideas as you work through this toolkit and keep a record of what’s worked

for you, your contacts and local events

Section 7:Workbook

gaps3.Research local area4.Contacts5.Recruitment activities – with

successes & learnings6.Events calendar – for their

local area

�A great way to retain local knowledge & learnings if shop management changes

33

Discussion

Based on what you’ve heard, how would you

overcome the challenges you raised earlier?

34

Contents

Sections

1 Background




5 Wrap Up

35

Key Learnings

�Collaboration and buy-in from both Retail and Volunteering teams vital

�Establish an ongoing way of measuring volunteer recruitment needs

�Equip shop-based teams to lead their own volunteer recruitment , withsupport and guidance where needed from Volunteering team and RetailHead Office team.

�A good quality volunteering programme needs to be in place in order to

36

�A good quality volunteering programme needs to be in place in order toretain volunteers too or recruitment is futile

Focus your efforts on the areas that will make the biggestdifference to your retail volunteer program

Wrap Up; Self Assessment & Next Steps

1. Retention; feedback opportunities,communication, links with the cause,training

2. Recruitment ; proactive targeting, rangeof retail roles, taster sessions, tailoredmarketing

3. Behind the scenes; volunteer needsassessment, responsibilities, toolkit andtraining, measurement and reporting

37

Sign up for a

taster session

today!

Resource Sharing

Jennifer BirdHead of Volunteering, Thames [email protected] 848 945

Marianne Bradshaw

38

Marianne BradshawGJT Secondee, John Lewis [email protected] 843402

how to establish a sustainable retail volunteer … · visual merchandiser 9 ... • joined up...

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