Creating a volunteer advisory committee

A volunteer advisory committee or council can be an exceptional way of gaining input and suggestions for improving an organization’s volunteer program without adding a great deal to the workload of the leader of volunteers.

Despite their usefulness, though, there are few resources currently available for how to set one up, get the most out of it or deal with the particular issues involved with managing one. The majority of articles and advice available focus on committees that are staffed by volunteers, but not those whose focus is the volunteer program itself. Hopefully this will help.

What sort of things can a volunteer advisory committee help with? The short answer is, lots. It can help you create appreciation events. From making recommendations as to what type of event it should be, to helping with the planning. Committee members can help identify barriers to volunteering, and make suggestions for removing them. They can provide advice regarding onboarding and training, or give you recommendations for changes to policies and procedures. And so much more. They can help with just about anything to do with the volunteer program, other than the day-to-day management. Remember, it is an advisory committee, and its role is to give you information necessary for you to make good decisions for the program and the mission.

Pick your committee members carefully. Don’t take on just anyone. The committee should have diversity of world views to help them identify barriers. Choose volunteers who come from different ethnic, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds.

One thing they should all have in common is a passion for the mission. Having members who are tactful, open-minded and comfortable with change is also a benefit. Finally, they need to be confident enough to put their views forward even if other members are leaning in a different direction. There’s no point in having a volunteer advisory committee where everyone agrees all the time. Progress comes through constructive debate.

Set up rules of engagement. Before you start recruiting for your committee, set some ground rules in place. How many members should it have? I recommend no more than eleven, unless you are a very large organization. Determine how long members should serve.

If the focus of the committee is an event or a specific goal, the term limit will be obvious. If it’s a standing committee, though, it makes sense to limit the length of time a member can serve to ensure new ideas and perspectives are brought forward. Two or three years is standard.

How is the committee to meet? How often, and for how long? Once everything is in place, the members can arrange this, but it’s helpful to have something set up at the beginning. How and how often do you want them to report to you? Do you need a written report on their recommendations for a specific issue prior to the monthly board of directors meeting? Do you want them to send you the minutes of each meeting? Or will you just sit in on a meeting once a quarter? The answer to this may depend on whether the committee is working on a specific issue, or just generally advising on program improvements.

Be ready for issues. Volunteer advisory committees won’t always run smoothly. Sometimes the passion of the members, combined with a diversity of opinions, can cause conflict. There can often be multiple ways of achieving the same result, and it’s human nature to get attached to one specific method. In this case, if there are valid points on both sides, have both suggestions put into the recommendations. Remember, the members are advisors, not decision-makers. You are still the one who will have the final say. It can be useful to have multiple options to look at or to take to the executive or board.

One of the most common issues that appear is the feeling by the committee members that they are providing you with a decision you are obligated to take, rather than recommendations for you to consider. It can often happen that members will come to you asking why something didn’t happen, or didn’t happen in the way they wanted. Good communication will help with this.

Make it perfectly clear at the outset they are in an advisory capacity only and you will take their recommendations into consideration when making a decision but that the decision itself will be yours. Also, be willing to explain to the committee the reasons for the decisions you make, and why you may not have followed their advice.

This is a bit of a check on you, as well. If you don’t have defensible reasons for ignoring their suggestions, there may be unconscious bias creeping into your decision-making.

Volunteer advisory committees are a useful tool for leaders of volunteers. As a leader of volunteers, you are just one person, and a person with many responsibilities. With the best intentions in the world, you can only see things from one perspective—your own. That limits your full understanding of the program, and reduces your ability to make good decisions.

A volunteer advisory committee provides you with a more comprehensive view of all aspects of the program, and allows you to make the best decisions for the program and for the organization’s mission.

Let me know if you need help setting one up.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.