Evaluating Volunteers

I saw the comment quoted below posted to to the Cyber VPM group and liked is so much I asked it contributor, Susan Peacock Reehl, Program Director for WestArk RSVP if she mind if I blogged on it. Thanks Susan.

"Many volunteers don't look kindly on being evaluated - especially if as much effort is not put in to letting them have input on their volunteer assignment. If you must evaluate, couple it with an opportunity for the volunteer to self-assess their volunteer activities and your operation. Be aware that if you handle this clumsily you will lose volunteers. Make it as positive as possible and as unlike an employee performance evaluation as possible."

As much as a really like Susan's advice, I don't agree with her comment about making in it as 'unlike an employee performance evaluation as possible'. I understand the kind of employee evaluation that she is referring so I understand what she is trying to convey. However, not all employee evaluations are like that. Leading edge employers are taking an approach similar to what Susan describes initially.

Susan's advice in simply great management advice and can be applied, like so many things, to both a paid worker environment and the volunteer worker environment.